Sienna began pacing and whining on the porch. She was stressed, but it was possible she was simply overwhelmed. She could easily be anxious simply from the thought of Surge and Thorn paying them a visit. It didn’t seem she’d had a vision, but there was no telling what was happening to her in wolf form. It wasn’t as though Jayce could ask. And she wouldn’t want to shift back to her naked, human form in front of all these people.
Amber shifted next. “They’re almost here.”
The rest of the wolves followed until everyone stood in their human form. There was no time for introductions. That would have to wait until later.
Jayce squatted next to his mate and threaded his fingers in the hair at the back of her head. “You’re safe, Little one. Always.”
She cocked her head to the side and stared at him as if to say, “Are you fucking kidding?” If the situation weren’t so serious, he would have chuckled at how well he could read her, though he doubted she would have used the wordfuck.
Jayce jerked his gaze toward the clearing as the bears bounded into view. They shifted into human form almost as fast as they landed.
Sienna audibly gasped, or some semblance of such a noise, and she took a step back. A normal reaction for her first time seeing two large bears enter her space. She knew of their existence and had even envisioned one of them twice now, but seeing them in real life was always shocking.
Everyone crowded in closer, making a U-shape in front of the porch.
Jayce remained crouched, hoping to provide emotional support for his mate. “This is Sienna. She’s just had her first shift. She’s not prepared to shift back in front of everyone.” They would all know what he meant.
Everyone nodded.
Surge extended a slight bow. “Welcome, Little one. We’ve been expecting you.”
His words were jarring. What did he know?
Jayce looked toward his mate. “Did you recognize either of the bears before they shifted?”
She nodded toward Surge. That answered that question.
Surge frowned. “Recognized me from what? A vision?”
“Yes.” Jayce stood. “As some of you know, Sienna has had odd visions for weeks leading up to today’s claiming ceremony. They were innocuous. She described them as though she were a forced voyeur in everyone’s lives. They mostly happened in the early morning or evening. She would be thrust into everyone’s homes and watch them eating dinner or getting ready for the day. Normal activities that occurred in real time.”
“But…” Thorn encouraged.
“She’s had two visions since we got home. Both were of her somewhere in the forest. The only other being present was Surge.”
Surge gasped. “Me? In bear form?”
“Yes. No words were exchanged. You chased her. You seemed to be encouraging my mate to speed things up as though she were needed. She felt compelled to go through consummation and then transitioned to her first shift with unprecedented speed.”
“It’s not even nightfall,” Gavin commented.
Molly gripped his hand. “Khloe saw her shift. At the same time, she sensed Surge and Thorn deciding to head this way. That’s why we all sprang into action. I could hear your urgency.”
“I could scent your confusion,” Rylee added as Hayes pulled her in front of him.
“I could see the two of you racing to get here,” Amber confirmed as Isaac frowned next to her. This was very unnerving for all of them.
Surge rubbed his chin. “I’ll admit, we don’t know why we’re here.”
Jayce was taken aback. “What do you mean?”
They all looked at him.
Surge shrugged. “We felt compelled. We were hoping you would enlighten us when we arrived.”
There was a lengthy silence.
Finally, Jayce spoke again, “Perhaps everyone needed to meet my mate, or she needed to confirm the bear in her visions was one of you.”
