“Bears,” Goldie adds, rolling her eyes.
Everyone smiles.
Goldie laughs as Evan lifts one of their twins high into the air. Her five boys move like a single wild group: two dark-haired twins and three lighter triplets tumble between wolf pups and dragonlings as if there has never been a divide between them.
Near the fence line, Marcus and Theo argue amiably with Robert over lumber contracts. Nixon takes over the grill, flipping burgers with Finn, while Reed pretends that he isn’t competitive about whose marinade is superior.
Cami, the calm wolf mystic, sits with Nixon’s mother beneath a wide oak tree. Beads click softly between her fingers as she watches everything with knowing eyes.
She smiles, as if she’s already seen this future.
Maybe she has.
Like Ahya, she sees past the boundaries of time.
Kelan steps beside me and slides his arm around my waist. His gaze sweeps the clearing with his usual vigilance, but today there is no hint of threat for him to respond to. Instead, he has a chance to focus on our family, his expression one of happiness and pride.
“She looks like you,” he murmurs.
Ahya throws her head back and laughs at something Thoren says. “She is herself,” I answer.
My firstborn is a wild sprite, a force of nature who will do more for the world than I ever will. She doesn’t need to follow in anyone's footsteps. One day she will lead in ways none of us can yet imagine.
I can’t see into the future, but I know my daughter will have a special part to play.
***
After we’ve all eaten the mostly perfectly grilled meat and salads, Scarlet brings out the cake. It’s red velvet, of course, and topped with a bear and wolf made from fondant. Ahya gasps and claps her hands.
Scarlet sets it down carefully. “Four candles,” she says softly.
Ahya clasps her hands to her chest in theatrical awe. “It’sperfect, mama.”
“It’s a little crooked,” Scarlet admits. “But I do get better with every year. I guess practice makes perfect.”
“It is perfectly made with love,” I reassure her.
Scarlet looks at me and nods. I’m relieved her eyes now hold no fear, only understanding. We share motherhood, even if it looks different for each of us, and I’ll forever be grateful for the love and guidance that she and her wolf mates provide to Ahya.
Before the candles are lit, I kneel and pull a small velvet pouch from my pocket.
“I have something for you,” I tell Ahya.
Her eyes widen as I open the pouch and draw out a delicate chain of woven silver and gold threads. At its center hangs a tiny charm shaped like a leaf.
“It’s magic,” I say quietly. “Wherever you are, you’ll know I’m close to your heart.”
Ahya’s expression turns solemn in a way that makes my heart ache.
“For me?”
“For you,” I whisper. “Because magic runs in your veins, and you should never feel alone in it.”
Scarlet’s breath catches, but she nods once. There will come a time in Ahya’s life when love and guidance about her wolf shifter nature won’t be enough, and I’ll be there to lead her on her magical journey. Maybe Kelan will model leadership, Ronyn protectiveness, and Darial gentle humor. We will always be there for my sweet little girl.
I fasten the chain around Ahya’s neck. The charm glows softly, almost like it knows her.
“You’re my magic mother,” she says firmly.
