“I know many things, dear,” Dr. Pine said mischievously.
When she turned around, I saw her wearing a necklace made of shells like the ones we’d seen on the shoreline. There was a mystical quality about the necklace that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
Dr. Pine’s eyes sparkled. “For example, I also know that you finally met your father.”
“WHAT?” Nishiki cried out. He ran in, his wet footsteps slapping against the hard earth floor. “Good heavens, I take a soak for five minutes and the world turns upside down! What do you mean you met our father? Where is he?”
Nero grinned. “It’s like Mom said. He was closer than we thought.”
Dr. Pine lifted her hands to touch the necklace. “Yes. And because you awakened him again, our connection was reignited. He even sent me this gift.”
“Sent you a gift? I thought there were no mail carriers here,” Nishiki asked with a confused pout.
“No, my dear. He sent it through by water. Down the rivers and streams…”
“Yeah, that sounds like him all right,” Nero said.
“I am so lost right now,” Nishiki mumbled, massaging his temples.
Nero clapped him on the back. “Don’t worry about it, bro. We can talk about it later. Right now, I have big news to tell you. Though I guess Mom already knows half of it.” He reached for my hand. “So, anyways. You both know Remington.”
Dr. Pine’s eyes were full of warmth as she gazed at me. In that moment, I felt so lucky to know this family.
“Well, I didn’t know it when I first met him, ‘cause I guess my alpha-ness wasn’t fully kicked in yet,” Nero went on. “But he’s actually my fated mate.”
“He’s—wait,what?” Nishiki gasped dramatically, slapping a hand to his chest.
“But wait, there’s more.” Nero smiled at me, as if waiting for my approval. I nodded at him to go ahead and spill the beans. “Remington and I… are expecting a baby.”
I seriously thought Nishiki was going to faint. Dr. Pine seemed like she already knew but was sufficiently overjoyed to hear it from her son anyway. She smothered both of us with hugs and cheek kisses while Nishiki asked a million questions in the background.
The whole time, I couldn’t stop smiling. I realized in that moment that my old fears were only phantoms, tricks played on me by my anxious mind. I had never been alone. Dr. Pine and Nishiki, the pack, and my fated mate Nero… We were all connected. The fates had been trying to tell me that the whole time but I’d been to stubborn to see it. Nero had truly unlocked my heart and now everything was crystal clear.
Even though my biological family was gone, I wasn’t alone in this world. I didn’t just have one family; I had many.
* * *
At their insistence,we spent a couple days with Dr. Pine and Nishiki. I didn’t know what the two brothers complained about—their mother’s dried canyon lizard jerky was awesome. I could’ve eaten it for months on end. Or maybe that was just the pregnancy cravings talking.
Nero told Nishiki about their father, but said that ultimately, he should meet Nautilus for himself. The experience just wasn’t the same unless he did it in person.
“You’re right,” Nishiki said, sighing and twirling his long golden hair with his finger. “But I don’t think I’m ready to drop everything to go meet our dear old father right now. I’ll think about it later. Who knows?” He winked. “Maybe I’ll have the urge to meet myownfated mate someday.”
Nishiki said it like he was joking, but Nero and I slowly exchanged a glance. My mate smiled. If his whirlwind journey was anything to go by, it might happen sooner than Nishiki expected.
We said our goodbyes and left the next morning, eager to be on our way back to the grove. I wanted to be around omegas I knew and trusted so I could bombard them with my pregnancy-related questions, of which I already had many. But at least I was trying not to be overly anxious about it, which is something I wouldn’t even have attempted before meeting Nero. It still boggled my mind to think about how much his presence soothed my nerves.
After a long day of walking, Nero groaned and wiped the sweat from the late afternoon sun off his forehead. “Hey, mind if I take a dip? This sun is killing me.”
“Go ahead,” I said. “You want to shift into your shark form? It’s probably itching to come out.”
“Good idea. Not a huge fan of fresh water, but I’ll manage.”
Nero shucked off his clothes. I licked my lips, taking a moment to appreciate his naked body before he dove into the wide river as a shark. I joined him in the shift, letting my wolf take over. I picked up our clothes and held them in my jaws, then padded alongside Nero on the water’s edge.
Nero’s silver streamlined body drew my gaze. He was an amazing creature in this form, powerful and perfectly built. He definitely made me appreciate sharks more.
At one point we hit a fork in the stream. I let Nero pick the route since we weren’t in any hurry to get back to the grove. And honestly, after two back-to-back visits with our families, I could definitely use some alone time with my mate.
