My cousin Quinn smiled at Meeko. "And who is this?"
The way he asked it made me think he already knew the answer. It almost made me laugh. When did any of our family members show up with a new person who wasn't their fated mate?
I put my arm around Meeko. "He's my—"
Celeste leapt out of Quinn's arms and towards Meeko with an excited yelp. He caught her without hesitation, a huge grin on his face.
"Hello there," Meeko said.
She sniffed his chest. "You're weird! You smell like a coyote but also like a mouse? What are you?"
"I'm a mouse shifter. The coyote smell is from the clothes."
I couldn't help but smile watching them. While they chatted, I answered Quinn. "Meeko is my fated mate."
Quinn looked amused. "I should've known. Congrats, you two. And Meeko, sorry about my daughter. She apparently takes after her aunt Lupa as a rude canine…"
Celeste thought this was hilarious. She snickered like being called rude was a compliment.
Meeko hugged Celeste to his chest as she shifted to human form. "I don't mind."
There was a flurry of tiny wings above our heads. A second later, the small bird shifted into a tall, muscular man who landed beside Quinn.
"There you are," Farley grumbled, though by the playful tone in his voice I knew he wasn't actually mad. "I see Celeste is busy bugging people instead of listening to her flying lesson."
"She's not bugging me at all," Meeko reassured him, smiling as she mischievously writhed in his arms.
I quickly introduced them and explained why we were there.
Farley frowned, crossing his arms. "Mistral? I'm not surprised that guy’s acting crazy. I never liked him that much."
"Sorry about your sword, Meeko," Quinn said sympathetically.
My mate nodded, but I think in this moment he was too distracted by the presence of a cute kid to worry too much about the sword.
"If you're looking for Mistral, his house is on top of the mountain nearby," Farley explained. "You can't miss it. It's narrow and made of glass, way too high and dangerous for any human to live there." He raised a brow. "Huh. I wonder if Santino's still hanging around..."
I nodded, grateful for the information. "Thanks. Mistral's on the run from Animus and I don't know where else to look."
At the mention of the spirit’s name, Meeko's expression darkened. Celeste jumped out of his arms and ran off to chase a butterfly so he was free to join back in the conversation.
"I can see why he's running," Meeko muttered. "Animus is a savage." When Farley and Quinn were surprised by his sudden remark, Meeko gestured to my shoulder. "See those claw marks? Those are from Animus."
Quinn winced. "Yeah, he's not too fond of alphas. I had a similar run-in with him before he was cool with me."
Meeko let out a frustrated sound. "And you're not angry at him? I don't understand why everyone's giving him a free pass."
Quinn looked thoughtful as he watched Celeste chase butterflies. "It's not a free pass. After he blessed our daughter, I considered our score settled."
Meeko's arms fell to his sides and his eyes widened. "Animus blessed her? Is that why she has those dark wings?"
"Yes." Quinn sighed. "It's a long story, but Animus used our fated mates magic to bless her."
"But why?" Meeko demanded. Frustration strained his voice. I didn't blame him. To an outsider, our family’s entanglement with him must've been extremely confusing.
Quinn shrugged. "I really don't know."
Farley snorted and put his hands on his hips. "All I know is that I'd rather deal with Animus over Mistral any day of the week. That air spirit is a lying son of a—"
