The kids instantly and simultaneously agreed to braid Uncle Red’s hair. Whether or not they would actually succeed had yet to be seen. If Red wasn’t careful, he might have to end up chopping off his long red locks and we all knew how dramatic he could be about his hair.
As we watched the kids chase Red’s fox form along the shoreline, Nero chuckled. “That guy reminds me of my brother. They both have the same… flair.”
I’d only met Nishiki a few times but I knew what he meant. “Maybe you should set them up,” I joked.
I’d said it to make Nero laugh but he actually seemed to be taking the idea seriously.
“Hell, I might,” he said with a grin. “Nishiki’s so uptight. He probably just needs to get laid.”
“Hey, keep it rated G around Zak,” I teased.
“Right. Sorry, kiddo.” Nero looked down to Zak, then suddenly paused. “Uh, Remmy? Our son seems to have vanished.”
“WHAT?”
I scrambled to my feet and scanned the area. I didn’t see a bumbling, round little infant anywhere. Where the hell could he have gone? He couldn’t even crawl yet!
“Wait,” Nero said, pointing at something by the river. “Look.”
My heart thumped in my throat. There was something sticking out of the water. At first I thought it was a stray branch until I realized the branch was furry. The rest of the pack jumped to attention, too.
“Red, in the water!” Dax roared.
At the sound of his panicked voice, Red skidded to a halt. All of the kids crashed into him. Now that they weren’t in motion, I counted them. Four. They were all accounted for.
Then the furry tail in the water—
“Zak!” I cried.
Nero was already gone, sprinting ahead. He launched himself into the river and hit the water as a shark. I raced to the edge of the river, my heart pounding. The rest of the pack gathered beside me, all of them ready to help.
Nero raised his smooth head above the surface. Sitting on top of him was a soaking wet wolf pup.
I gasped, my eyes widening. “Zak?”
Zak wagged his tail, then jumped back into the water. This kid was going to be the death of me.
“Remington, look!” Len said excitedly. “He’s swimming on his own!”
“Huh?”
Trying to shove my panic down, I watched Zak. He swam pretty damn well for a two-month old pup. He kept his head above the surface and doggy-paddled like a pro. Nero swam closer, keeping a vigilant eye on our son.
“Zak, you had me worried sick, you little gremlin,” I muttered, reaching for him. I wanted to pull him out of the water before he gave me a heart attack but Zak eluded me and dunked his head underwater again. “Ahh!”
“Wait, Remington,” Morgan said. “I think he’s doing it on purpose.”
“Why the hell would he do that?”
My panic was literally washed away as Nero resurfaced in front of me, splashing me with a wave of water. He was so excited that he shifted back to human form.
“Remmy, he can breathe underwater!” Nero cried.
“What?”
Nero laughed exuberantly. “I’m serious! I don’t know how or why, but he’s doing it!”
“Is that even possible?” I asked, shocked.
