His dark eyes shined with love and hope. I couldn't help but lean in to kiss him.
River scoffed beside me. "Oh, come on. Get a room, you two."
But his own mate Castor grinned and pulled him in close. "You're not jealous, are you?"
River's cheeks darkened. "N-no."
I withheld a laugh of disbelief. I knew my twin well enough to recognize a lie instantly.
"Besides, we can't all start making out with our mates," River said. "We've got kids to watch."
A loud splash cut us off, reminding us of said kids. A second later two human heads erupted from the water, giggling like crazy.
"I'm glad Annabelle's teaching him how to swim," Meeko remarked. "I never learned how."
"What?" both River and Castor cried at the same time.
"Oh no," I said with a chuckle. "You've activated them."
"You don't know how to swim?" Castor asked.
Meeko raised a brow in amusement. "I thought that was clear when Annabelle pushed me into the water."
River was shaking his head like we were sad peasants. "I don't understand you... non-swimmers."
I put my arm around Meeko in solidarity. "Well,sorrythat some of us aren't literally half fish."
River's mer tail twitched.
"I'm with you, Meeko," I said, shuddering at the memory of being cold and soaked. "I hate getting my feathers wet."
"Cannot believe we're related..." River mumbled.
* * *
Meeko cameto me privately and asked if we could have a round-table discussion with the rest of the pack to discuss Animus.
"Animus?" I'd asked, surprised. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with him."
Meeko's mouth turned into a line and he was quiet for a moment. "I didn't. And I don't." He wrinkled his nose. "But I can't stop thinking about what he said to us after Jace was born."
To be honest, I'd forgotten about Animus after our last run-in with him. The trials and joys of raising a baby had wiped the strange spirit from my mind.
"You want to talk to the other omegas in my family, right?" I'd asked.
"Yes, but not just the omegas. The alphas, too. We're all a part of his scheme, and I want to know why."
Meeko's hand ran over the sword as he spoke. I knew how he felt. All of Animus's interference in my family's lives had to mean something.
But what?
* * *
By now Meekohad met everyone in the pack individually, but seeing everyone gathered together in one place almost made the grove feel crowded. My parents and uncles were all present, along with my nieces and nephews. River, Castor and Annabelle had tagged along too.
Jace spent approximately five seconds being shy at the amount of relatives surrounding him before he wriggled out of holding Meeko's hand and bolted towards his cousins, who were engaged in a game of tag.
"Hi!" Jace cried excitedly.
