"Yeah… about that," I repeated with a laugh.
We explained the situation with Mistral and Animus to Kamari, who listened with increasingly wider eyes and slacked jaw. When we were finished, he looked dumbfounded. "That was… the strangest thing I have ever heard, and I'm an orca shifter mated to a wolf who can't drown."
Zak shrugged. "Hey, weird shit happens."
Kamari lowered his gaze to the floor, his brow furrowing in thought. "Then again, I found some of Animus's behaviour a little strange myself."
Farley nodded. "So did I. But after he wiped the floor with a bunch of shitty alphas to help us save locked up omegas, I'm convinced he isn't all that bad."
"Maybe," Kamari conceded. "Just be careful when the baby comes, all right?"
Zak groaned and threw his arm around Kamari, leaning into him. "You worry way too much. They already said it's fine. Geez, you're like a doting mother orca. Here, have a baby," he said, thrusting Azure into his mate’s hands. Azure took the spit-covered wood block out of his mouth and threw it across the room with a mischievous giggle.
As the pair quickly said goodbye to go clean up Azure's mess, Farley said, "By the way, is there anyone we haven't met yet? I want to make a good first impression on your whole family."
His eagerness made me happy. I already knew he would fit right in, but this just confirmed it. "Actually, yeah," I said. "Where the hell are my parents?"
A knock came from the window behind me. My dad Orpheus stood there, waving and grinning. I took Farley by the hand and led him outside the cabin.
"Where have you two been?" I asked.
"Saving the best for last, of course." Dad put his hands on his hips, then paused and looked over his shoulder. "Red, come on, we're late to the party here."
A thick-furred red fox slunk out of the bushes, shook out his pelt, then shifted. "Actually, Orpheus, I believe the phrase isfashionably late." He smiled at me and Farley. "Hi, Quinn. And wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Who is this handsome man?"
"Don't tell me," Dad said. He leaned in, examining Farley, who took my parents’ comical actions in stride. "If I'm wrong, I'll pluck out all my feathers. But I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that this man is your fated mate."
"No, he's actually my fated enemy," I said.
Dad cackled, his raven's laugh coming through even in human form. He patted Farley on the back. "Good to meet you. I'm Orpheus, and this is my mate, Red."
"As you can tell by our son’s good looks, we're his parents," Da said, puffing out his chest proudly.
Farley turned to me with a grin. "I like them already."
I chuckled and introduced Farley.
Afterwards, Dad crossed his arms, nodding to himself. "Now, nobody told me and spoiled the surprise, so I don't know what kind of shifter you are yet. I'm gonna take a wild guess based on your physique. Wolf. No, bear. Wait… mountain lion."
Da rolled his eyes. "Why are you just listing apex predators? I vote mouse."
"Does he look like a mouse to you? He's taller and more muscular than Quinn!" Dad retorted.
"Well, Red isn't too far off, at least based on size," Farley said, amused. "I'm a finch shifter."
To prove it, Farley slipped into his finch form. I held out a hand for him to perch on and he landed on my palm.
"Ah!" Dad cried, whipping towards Da in excitement. "Do youseethat? They’re just like us! A bird and a fox!"
Da snorted. "Yes, I am currently seeing it with my eyes, Orpheus. This wouldn't be the first time the fates had a sense of humour." His eyes shone with a kind of mystical knowledge. "Farley, I'm an omega too. Well, sometimes. It's a long story. Anyway, can I ask you something?"
"Of course, anything," he said.
"You're pregnant, aren't you?"
A slow grin spread over Farley's face. "I hope so. If not, we'll be trying again soon enough."
I blushed and burst into laughter, not because I was embarrassed (okay, only little) but because I was so full of joy that I couldn't stop it from overflowing.
