“Definitely,” she said.“I was just thinking that meeting Leo was the best thing that ever happened to me.Not only because he’s my truemate and helped me find my gryphon, but because his pack has a relationship with the falcons and white lions, and you guys happened to be here visiting Jantha and his family.”
“I’m glad to finally have you back.I always felt like I was missing a limb.”
“Is it weird for you to think of me as Mira instead of Calypso?”
“I’ll get used to it,” he said, smiling.“You’re still you, no matter what we call you.Plus, I’m just so damn happy to see you.”
“Me too,” Selene said as she and Layla joined them.
The quartet hugged quietly under the pale light of the streetlamp in a town that Mira had never heard of, full of falcons and white lions.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, they joined the males in the gazebo, and her father, Rami, said, “Darling, we were planning to stay here in Bishop for a few days.Jantha is your father’s cousin, and that’s why we came for a visit.Jantha said that there’s space for you and Leo if you’d like to stay here tonight.”
She looked at Leo, and he nodded.“I’m game.I’m working at the garage tomorrow, but I don’t have to be in until nine.”
“I’d love to stay,” Mira said.
Her mom’s eyes shone with happiness, and her sister gave both of their hands a squeeze.The comfort of being surrounded by people who shared her blood settled into her chest like a balm.Something she hadn’t known she was missing until recently.
Now, she stood with her truemate and her birth family, and felt whole for the very first time in her life.
Leo looked down at her.“I’m so happy for you, sweetheart.”
“Me too.”She leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder.
She smiled to herself as every corner of her heart was filled with warmth.Tonight wasn’t just a reunion that no one expected; it was the beginning of a whole new chapter of hers and Leo’s life together.
ChapterThirteen
The following morning, Leo followed the sound of soft laughter through the big house to the kitchen.When he’d woken up a little bit ago, the bed was empty, and he knew Mira had headed down to find her family.They’d stayed up late talking.Leo had enjoyed getting to know her brother, dads, and uncles.Mira had positively glowed the whole time, and her mom and sister had looked so full of love and happiness, too.
It was sweet to witness.
The borrowed house in the walled city had plenty of bedrooms, a stocked kitchen, and a beautiful view of thick woods with lots of pine trees.
In the kitchen, he found everyone but the uncles at the table.Mira was listening, wide-eyed, as her brother told her a story from the past.Leo waited until the story was finished to move into the kitchen and drop a kiss on her cheek.
“Morning, sweetness,” he said.
“Hi!”She pushed back her chair.“I made you a plate.Let me grab it.”
Leo greeted her family, then joined Mira to fix a cup of coffee and take the plate she’d fixed for him.
“Did you sleep well?”Auron asked when Leo and Mira sat back down.
“Yeah, I did, thanks.”
“It’s really nice here,” Layla said.“We’ve visited Jantha a few times over the years.They moved the pride here to Northern Ohio because of the number of shifter groups who call this area home.Then Chance and Jes met Danika at a big get-together with the bear shifters, and the lions moved in here.”
“There are bears here?”Mira asked, looking at Leo.
“Yep.And dragons and tigers.All the shifter groups are allied together, and then we’re also allies with the Wiccans and vampires,” Leo answered.
“I thought vampires and shifters didn’t get along?”Theron asked.
“They do when the vampire master says they have to get along with them,” Leo said.“The vampires pay humans to feed them at their club.They don’t have shifters feed them because our blood is too strong and can be addictive.”
“Wow,” Mira said.“I had no idea Northern Ohio was so interesting.”
