"Whoa," Farley said. "He's a harpy, just like Mistral."
"Yeah, except ten times less of a douchebag." I hugged Cloud. His feathers brushed my back. "What are you doing here?"
Cloud's eyes glittered with amusement. "Well, I was taking a stroll – in the air, I mean – and I saw a familiar face, except he wasn't alone this time. Who’s this?" He glanced at Farley expectantly.
Farley outstretched his hand, which Cloud gingerly shook.
"The name’s Farley. I'm Quinn's mate."
"Fated, by the way," I added with a wink.
Cloud’s eyes turned to saucers. "What? No way! Man, is there something in the water around here?"
"Who knows? Maybe you'll be next," I teased.
In a flurry of flapping wings, Cloud took to the air. "Hold on, this is big news. Let me grab everyone!"
As Cloud flew off in a hurry, I noticed Farley was blushing. I chuckled. "Well? What do you think?"
"I have to be honest, that was a more excitable welcome than I expected," he said.
"You thinkCloudis excitable? Just wait till you meet my uncle Sage."
* * *
Turnsout having a big family makes for long, arduous introductions. Uncle Sage was about to launch into his second retelling of the pack's origin story before every single child groaned loudly and begged him to stop.
The kids’ cabin – full of adult children, but we still called it that out of habit – was packed and buzzing with excitement. Thankfully, Farley took it all in stride. He greeted everyone with respect and never once did the smile fade from his face. It was probably the longest I'd seen him wear one. It made me happy to see him happy.
During a lull in constant introductions, I murmured to him, "You good? If it's too overwhelming, we can take it slow."
Farley's eyes went wide, as if genuinely surprised by my question. "Good? I'm great. Remember when I told you I left the city to find company among shifters? This is exactly what I was talking about, Quinn."
I beamed. "Really?"
He kissed my forehead. "Really. Trust me, if I need a break, I'll let you know. Finches are social creatures, you know."
"Quinn!"
Kamari panted as he ran up to us, Zak at a distance on his heels.
"Slow down, babe, he's obviously in one piece," Zak called in exasperation. Baby Azure was fussing in his arms, chewing on a block of wood with wolf fangs too big for his human body.
Frowning, Kamari ignored his mate and furiously looked me over. When he was satisfied that no obvious harm had come to me, he let out a deep sigh.
"Thank the gods you're okay," Kamari said. "I've been losing my mind worrying ever since you left."
I grinned and patted Farley on the chest. "Well, as you can see, I wasn't exactly alone."
Kamari lightened up enough to flash a lopsided smirk and nod to Farley in greeting. "I can see that. I'm hoping he's more competent than mine is."
"I'm literally right behind you, you know," Zak mumbled, but there was no malice in it. The two of them were two peas in a pod – just like Farley and I. "Good to see you again, cuz. So, did you find Mistral? Where are those wings of yours?"
"Yeah, about that," I said, exchanging a glance with Farley, who rolled his eyes.
"Mistral was about as helpful as a pile of dog shit," Farley said. "No offence to any canine shifters present."
Kamari frowned in concern and lowered his voice. "What about Animus? I hope you didn't run into him."
