But I do fit in. I do belong. And I have everything.

  I didn’t need to be a Paranormal to fit in with them. But I am. I didn’t think I was and that was okay. They loved me anyway. My family loved me and accepted me. But now? I’m not sure they will love me more for this, but I think I can love myself more. I think this gives me that little bit I needed to feel like I fit in more. I have an amazing, loving, and supportive family who has been by my side for every little thing that I have done. That’s what I need to remember.

  I allow myself to open up. To feel. I know when Friday crosses through. It’s a strange feeling, but I know she’s there. I can feel her presence, like a feeling of being watched, only it isn’t creepy. I do my best to relax, giving her the room she needs to find my wolf, and trying to keep my mind open. I dig back into my memories, searching as best as I can, trying to help them find her. She is in here, she’s here somewhere. I’m going to find her.

  All you have to do is ask for help, my girl.

  The voice echoes in my mind, throwing me off a little.

  Why would that memory strike me now? That’s strange.

  “Focus, Leona.” I hear Friday’s voice and I shake out of that odd feeling that just washed over me. I focus on the rhythm of my heartbeat, on keeping calm, on my family. I begin to feel really anxious, nervous, like someone is about to find out something about me that they shouldn’t know. My breathing picks up and my heart starts to race a little harder. They can’t get to this, whatever it is. They can’t find out. They can’t get this information. I don’t know what it is, or why I’m feeling this way, all I know is I need to keep them away.

  “It’s okay, baby.” Thorne’s voice is in my head. “Let them in, stay calm.” He whispers in my ear, his large hand sliding down along my arm and reaching for my hand. “Just relax.”

  He continues to speak calming things to me, and it helps. I still feel the anxiety of having something discovered, but I think this may be one of the defense mechanisms that Myrena spoke of. She said there were many.

  “Oh wow.” Friday breathes out. “Leona, she’s beautiful.”

  She found her.

  My wolf. She’s been found.

  My chest fills with emotion, my eyes fill with tears.

  “Here, girl,” Lenny says, and just like that, I’m hit with too many emotions at once.

  Panic. Fear. Relief. Happiness. Worry. Reluctance. Determination.

  I can’t even explain them all.

  The waves of emotion hit for a moment. My eyes are still screwed shut. I feel as if I’m lost somewhere between being awake and sleeping. I feel as if I’m dreaming and not at the same time, only I can’t open my eyes.

  But then there she is.

  My wolf trots over from a dark abyss in my mind. Her tongue out, head low. She walks slowly, getting bigger and bigger until I finally see the whole picture. Her whole self.

  Bright blue eyes. Pure white fur.

  She’s not just a regular wolf.

  No.

  She’s something special.

  Thirty-two

  Leona

  “How do you feel?”

  I open my eyes to a pair of bright green ones. Callan is kneeling down in front of me, one hand placed on my knee. I notice everyone else is still here too. Anticipating my words.

  “I feel…” How do I feel? Like there is another voice in my head? Like there is another being inside of me with emotions. They’re more easily recognizable now. Not large waves like before. They’re also better. Less negative and more positive. Happy. Excited. “Free.”

  Callan smiles as Lenny speaks excitedly. “It worked? I did it? We did it?”

  “You did it, man. You did good.” Thorne says. He’s standing beside me with his large arms crossed over his broad chest, his lips turned up in a smile. His hair hangs around his face. He looks amazing. More amazing than he normally does. Or maybe I just feel like he does? The feeling is now twofold, my animal’s excitement can be felt too. It’s the strangest, most exciting thing. I see her within me, but it isn’t a clear picture. It’s more like a memory. But I see her. She’s there, tail wagging.

  A low grumble leaves Thorne, his eyes darkening. It catches my attention. And apparently, everyone else’s too because Lenny laughs, Callan blushes, and Friday and Castor have the biggest grins on their faces.

  “Well, that’s our cue to leave,” Castor says, placing a hand on Thorne’s shoulder and guiding him towards the door. He doesn’t move right away, his eyes still burning dark. “Come on, big guy.” Thorne finally snaps out of it, shaking his head slightly. He clears his throat, apologizes, and then leaves.

  I give a curious look to Friday, Callan, and Lenny.

  “Anyone care to explain?”

  “Uh, yeah, that’s all you, Cupcake,” Lenny says with a smile.

  “Yes, I think Friday can explain this best,” Callan says nervously before quickly walking out of the room.

  “Do I even want to know?”

  She huffs out a laugh. “Oh, you want to know all right.” She takes a seat on the side of me. “Now, I don’t need details from you, you don’t have to share anything but if you want to, I’m fine with listening to it.”

  “Okay?”

  “We’re not dumb, you know. Obviously, we know there are some things going on over there.” My cheeks heat the tiniest bit. I mean, I figured they knew but I wasn’t expecting to talk about it. Friday waves her hands. “We don’t have to talk about it, it doesn’t really matter. But you should know, things may… change, I guess.”

  “Change how?” I ask, completely unsure of where this is going. Honestly, I’m not sure I even want to know.

  “Even though you are your wolf and your wolf is you, you’re separate. Just as everyone else with an animal. You have an attraction towards Thorne and Castor? Well, your wolf will now have an attraction towards the bear and the fox within them. Only, those attractions are on a much more primal level, you know?”

  “Not… really.”

  Her head drops back and she lets out a breath. “I swear this counts as my birds and bees talk. They can take over when it comes to Briella and Milo.” She runs her hands up and down her thighs a few times. “Okay, here goes.” She looks over at me. “When it comes to animals, they only have one thing in mind. They don’t care about showing off their boyfriends, and finding love, and sharing kisses. All they care about is reproducing. Even though your wolf is a part of you, she is still very much a wolf. And even though in the animal world, a wolf would not mate with a bear or a fox, this wolf will want to because you’re mates. And by the display I just saw, that bear is…”—she searches for the word—“needy. Just make sure you’re extra careful, okay? I don’t know what’s going on with Hunter and the rest of you, and you don’t have to tell me. But I do know that we got lucky today. It was easy to find your wolf, as Myrena said. But you still have to complete the mate bond with those guys—the three of them. Plus your father is still after you. Now that your wolf is free, it will be easier for him to do so and it will be easier for him to find you.”

  “Okay, I get it. I—”

  “Don’t get pregnant, Leona.”

  Her words make me choke on air.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to sound crazy, I swear. It’s just not the time. There is too much going on. I’m sure one day you will make an amazing mom, but it’s—”

  “Friday.” I get to my feet, holding my hands out in front of me. “Calm down. Please. That is the last thing on my mind. This wolf inside of me can want whatever the hell she wants. This human right here,” I gesture to myself, “does not want anything to do with a baby any time soon.”

  “Good. Okay, good. Well, now that that’s finished. I guess I’ll go. I’m sure you have a lot to get used to.” She smiles at me before she pulls me into a hug. She never hugs me. “I’m so proud of you, Leona.” The words are whispered, almost like she can’t speak them without crying. She pulls back and looks at me, a smile still on her face. “Now go on. Go home. I have some last minute Christmas shopping to do.”

  Thirty-three

  Leona

  Friday wasn’t kidding about our animals being into each other. I barely made it through the door before Thorne attacked me. And not in a negative way, but in the most delicious way possible. He slammed the door shut and then slammed me up against the wall. Spinning me around and pressing my face into it with his large palm while the other pulled my pants down. We fucked like that, from behind and up against the wall.

  It was hot.

  Seemingly, Castor has better control over his fox. Though he does have this look in his eye that I can’t quite place. I finally decide to ask about it over dinner. It’s just us three tonight and Castor cooked. We usually eat dinner with all of us in the main house, but they’re all out getting some last minute shopping done.

  “Are we going to talk about this, or just ignore it?” I ask, looking from Thorne to Castor.

  “What’s to talk about?” Thorne asks.

  “You do remember this is all new to me, right? Today is my first day with my wolf free. I don’t understand a lot of what’s going on.”

  “I thought your aunt—”

  I shake my hand at him. “Please don’t call her that. And yeah, she explained that part of it. What we need to talk about is how we are going to handle it?”

  They look to each other and then back at me, both with a smirk on their lips and a gleam in their eye.

  “Handle it?” Castor asks, his voice low. “We know exactly how we’re going to handle it.” He blinks and his eyes are almost glowing. I look to Thorne and his eyes are darkened again, like his bear is shining through. I look back to Castor and think those must be his fox’s eyes. Will that happen to me too? Will my eyes glow brighter than they already are? I can’t imagine having eyes so bright, but it sure would be awesome.

  The wolf inside of me stirs, waking from her nap. I’m hit with a wave of warmth to my belly and I blame it on her. Whenever she is awake and paying attention, she’s fawning over these two guys. Or, well, their animals. A lot of this is still confusing but I know I’ll get used to it.

  “How’s that?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

  Castor lets out a dark chuckle. “However the fuck we want, mio tesoro.”

  My breath gets caught in my throat. The area between my legs grows warmer and damp.

  They are going to be the death of me.

  “I think we should set up our own tree.”

  It’s Christmas Eve morning. Thorne, Castor, and I are lounging on the couch watching Elf in the main house.

  “Is that what you want, baby?” Thorne asks, his fingers running through my hair. I’m leaning against his chest, my feet draped over Castor’s legs.

  “I think it would be nice.”

  “Then we’ll do it. After the movie, we can get dressed and go get one.”

  “I doubt there are any good ones left,” I say, rethinking my decision.

  “It doesn’t have to be good, it just needs to be perfect,” Castor says with a smile.

  We finish the movie and then head over to our place to change. I don’t bother dressing up, going more for warmth than anything else. Soon enough we’re on the road, on our way to find the perfect tree.

  There are plenty of tree farms around here, the only problem is there aren’t many left open. It’s Christmas Eve and most have sold out for the year. Opting to chop up their unsold trees and turn them into mulch to use.

  “Oh, there!” I point to a sign that is barely visible. Thorne veers to the right, taking the road we need to follow the sign. It started snowing a little bit ago, and even though it isn’t a lot, the flakes are huge and making it somewhat hard to see. I can only imagine the look on Briella’s face. She’s always loved the snow as much as me. Only she likes to watch it from the warmth of the inside of the house, while I like being outside, letting it fall over my skin.

  The wolf inside of me cocks her head to the side and I have a thought. I pull out my phone and open up my web browser. I type in my thoughts and a smile crosses my lips when the images pop up. I suck in a sharp breath, unable to contain my excitement.

  “What are you looking at?” Thorne asks from the driver’s side, peeking over.

  “Keep your eyes on the road,” Castor chastises, moving forward and sticking his head between the seats to look at my phone.

  “Shouldn’t you have your seat belt on?” I ask.

  “Show me what made you smile and I’ll put it back on.” He flashes me a bright grin that just about makes me melt. I slowly bring my phone towards him so he can see what I’m looking at.

  “This is what she looks like.”

  “Your wolf?” he questions. He takes my phone, getting a better look. He looks to me and then to the phone again. “This is… wow, Leona.”

  “What is it?” Thorne asks.

  “Arctic wolf, man.”

  Thorne’s eyes go wide.

  “What’s wrong with that?” I always get worried when they both know something I don’t. Thorne reaches over, planting his hand on my thigh and squeezing gently.

  “Nothing is wrong with it, baby. It’s rare as hell. You’re sure this is what she looks like?”

  “I’m sure,” I say with as much confidence as I can muster. The words come out stronger than I expected.

  “Something to be happy and proud of for sure.” Castor hands me my phone back, his fingers brushing against mine as he does. He sits back in his seat, buckling himself in after I glare at him for a moment.

  A few minutes later and we’re at the tree farm. Two other cars sit in the dirt lot. There aren’t many trees left but there are some. As soon as the car stops, I’m opening the door and jumping out, Castor following behind.

  “Hey, wait up!” Thorne yells out the door, shutting the Jeep off, and jogging after us.

  I head straight to the trees, only a few left, leaning up against the fence but I know it when I see it.

  “This one.” I point to it. “This is the one.”

  “Are you sure? It looks kind of…”

  “Pitiful? Small? Naked?” I whack Castor in the chest and he lets out an oof.

  “Don’t talk about my tree that way, mister.” I look back to the tree that I want. “It’s perfect.”

  “Can I help y’all?” The man that works here finally makes his way over to us. A long sleeved gray shirt and red overalls make him impossible to miss.

  “I guess we want this tree.” Castor points to the tree I want. Thorne stares at it questioningly, while I can’t get rid of the smile on my face.

  Thirty-four

  Leona

  In reality, this tree is far from perfect. Castor wasn’t wrong in his description, but something about it called to me. I don’t care that it isn’t much taller than me. Or that most of the needles have fallen off. I also don’t mind that it has a large bald spot in the back, where a bunch of branches are missing.

  We didn’t have time to stop and get any decorations, but Callan let me borrow some of theirs. Truthfully, we don’t need many for it. It doesn’t take us long to put up the small amount of decorations. And just in time because there is a knock on our door. I look over my shoulder as Thorne opens it and an all too happy Briella skips in.

  “Nana! Daddy says it’s time to eat.” She runs up to me and tugs on my shirt.

  “Can you tell Daddy that we will be right there?” I ask, running my fingers through her soft hair.

  “Uh-huh!” she says happily, skipping back over to the door. As she passes Thorne, she stops and looks up at him, her eyes big and bright. She smiles and then takes off through the connecting hallway. Thorne closes the door, shaking his head and laughing quietly.

  “She likes you,” I say.

  “Can’t blame her. I’m kind of awesome.” He comes up behind me, wrapping his hands around my waist and nuzzling his nose in the crook of my neck.

  “That you are.” He kisses my cheek before heading up the stairs to get Castor. They both come back down a minute later and we head across to the main house. Callan always makes a big dinner on Christmas Eve. He then makes a huge breakfast on Christmas morning and we eat leftovers for dinner. Only this year, I will be at Thorne’s parents for Christmas dinner. Castor, his sister, and parents will be there as well. And apparently, so will Hunter’s parents and sister, and probably Hunter too. I look around at the group of people I have here with me. I have such a big family. I think of all the people I’ll be spending Christmas with tomorrow. More people that will officially be family.

  Or will they?

  Friday and the guys aren’t married by human laws. They don’t have any other family to speak of. If they did, would they actually be family? Does being a mate constitute a family? Like how a marriage would…

  Does being a mate to these guys automatically make their families my family?

  Being a shifter is hard. Well, it’s not so much the shifter part, it’s all of the knowledge. Though, I haven’t actually shifted yet so I could be putting my foot in my mouth soon enough.

  Christmas dinner and opening the gifts go over well. I have to say, I’ve recently come to enjoy my birthday being so close to Christmas. It’s like a celebration for days. I get all kinds of gifts in such a short span of time. It makes me feel special. On the years she remembered, Mom would get me a cake. I remember getting a few things for Christmas that she picked up at the housing places. I never much cared about it though because I didn’t know any better. I didn’t go to school with other kids for them to tell me how they celebrated these things. It was only when I moved here I learned of such traditions. And I’ve come to love it.

  I like being spoiled every now and again, though I try to remain as humble as possible. I’m not any better than anyone else just because my life is now better than what it was. There are so many children out there starving and being abused. I’ve been thinking lately that I would like to do something to help them. What? I don’t know yet, but I feel it needs to be something I do in my future. After graduation.