"Duh!" Lupa said.
"But we're not actually related..."
"Who cares, Lev," Lupa declared. "Uncle Red's still our uncle, no matter what!"
Leveret smiled slowly. "Yeah!"
My heart just about melted. That's what it was all about, wasn't it? Being accepted as part of this kind, beautiful, diverse family?
I caught Orpheus's gaze from the corner of my eye. He had the same expression of bliss and hope, of the deep calm that came with knowing you were loved. He and I both knew what it felt like not to be accepted, to be scorned by those who claimed to love you.
But those times were over now. We had each other. We had Quinn. And we had the pack.
We would never feel alone again.
20
Epilogue: Orpheus
"Quinn,my boy, that isnotfood," I said for the millionth time as I pried my son away from the bag of utensils.
The infant growled and glared at me. As a human, he had the same beautiful red hair as the parent who bore him, but his eyes were black as night, just like mine.
Oh, and he also had more attitude than both of us combined.
"You can growl all you like," I said, chiding him gently, "but I still won't let you put a spoon in your mouth."
For Quinn's sake, I'd gotten rid of the knives and forks from my collection so only the spoons remained, but hey, kids loved thinking of mysterious ways to injure themselves. I still didn't want him scooping out his eye or something.
Red snorted. "I told you, he's obsessed with those things. Like father, like son."
I raised a brow. "Hey, we can't help it. It runs in our blood." I hiked Quinn higher in the air. "Right, beautiful boy?"
Quinn instantly forgot his irritation at me and giggled. He loved being held up. I suspected it was because of his raven shifter genes, though he could only shift into a fox. Still, I wanted him to feel the wind in his hair and the sun on his skin, and all the other magic feelings of flight.
"Come on, we're gonna miss the new parent party," Red said while kicking the bag of utensils out of Quinn's sight. Under his breath, he added, "One day I swear I'm gonnaaccidentallymisplace these spoons..."
I laughed and kissed his cheek. "It's a wonder you let me keep them this long."
With Quinn in my arms, we headed towards the center of the grove, where two other pairs of parents waited for us with their kids in tow. When Quinn was old enough to play, we set up specific group play dates with two of the other youngest children, Starry and Zakariel.
Sage, waving enthusiastically, sat next to Xander, who gave us a friendly nod. Starry was in mountain lion kitten form chewing on Xander's hand, like she often was. Beside them sat Remington and Nero, who bounced Zak in his lap.
"Hey!" Sage called. "You finally made it!"
"Somebody'sson was trying to eat spoons again," Red remarked, rolling his eyes.
I grinned and hoisted Quinn up proudly. "He sure was."
Starry and Zak, noticing the newcomer, began clamoring for him. I set Quinn on the grass as they approached. Zak popped into human form. His black hair had a streak of silver in it, just like his fur as a wolf pup. But Starry remained as a kitten.
"Starry," Xander said, "do you want to try and shift?"
Her tail slowly waved back and forth, like she was considering it. I noticed she didn't speak much, either, although she was definitely old enough to. Still, it didn't seem to be a problem. She was healthy and happy in every other way.
Quinn blinked his big black eyes, then put his hand on Starry's head, petting her fur. She purred. It was gut wrenchingly adorable.
"Aww," Sage cried. "Look how cute they are!"
