I was up before Parker. I usually was. Living in the city threw off the balance of the body. I was an early riser, I got up with the sun. I didn’t normally depend on an alarm to let me know it was time to wake up.

I stole quietly downstairs, not wanting to wake the rest of the family, and eased out the backdoor into the lush garden of the Marks’ home. The grass was damp against my bare feet and the morning smelled like fresh pine. I found my way to the gazebo, took a deep breath, and lowered myself to the floor, crossing my legs one over the other before cradling my growing belly in my hands. I straightened my spine and felt my body connect with earth beneath the wooden floorboards. My eyes drifted shut and my breathing evened out. The soft, misty breeze drifted over me along with the sounds of the woods. Shifting and rustling leaves, tiny cheeps from early birds, I let it all wash over me, let my mind drift.

When the sun warmed my face, I unfolded my body, stretched my arms to the sky, and finally drifted back toward the house. I followed the sound of giggles until I found myself in the kitchen. Rudy and little Liam were there, eating breakfast.

At least, Rudy was trying to get Liam to eat. He was wiggling around in a highchair and smacking his little fist in what appeared to be oatmeal. Rudy scooped a glob off Liam’s nose and popped it into his own mouth, sending Liam into a fit of giggles.

“Good morning,” I said, and slid into a chair opposite the baby.

“Morning,” Rudy said brightly. “We’re the only ones up. We didn’t wake you, did we?”

“No, I’m an early riser.”

“Well, that’s good. Babies have the tendency to get you up early whether you want to or not. Isn’t that right, big boy?” Rudy cooed at Liam, who gurgled in response.

“So, you ready for it all?” Rudy gestured to my stomach with Liam’s spoon.

I rubbed my belly. “I kind of have to be, don’t I? But yes, I am ready. I knew it would happen the first time I saw Parker.”

“Well, you’re already in better shape than I was. I didn’t want anything to do with being claimed,” Rudy said with a laugh.

“Oh, he hasn’t claimed me yet.”

“Really?” Rudy dropped into the chair next to Liam and spooned more oatmeal toward his face. “Any reason why? I sort of made the assumption you two were, you know, fated. Like me and Jason.”

“We are,” I answered. “But I need Parker to be sure. I already am, but he needs to know it’s right and not just claim me in the heat of lust.”

“Well, I’m glad to see someone can hold out.” Rudy cracked a grin at me.

“I mean, I didn’t exactly, now did I?” I pointed to my round belly and grinned back.

Rudy laughed. “Okay, fair point. Hey, could you try to get some of this glop into Liam’s mouth while I start some coffee?”

“Sure.” I slid over and took the spoon from Rudy. Liam looked at me and gave me a big, gummy smile. I pulled a face at him and when he laughed, I poked a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth.

“You’re a natural,” Rudy said, and moved to the counter that held a large coffee machine.

“I hope so.” I spooned more oatmeal towards Liam’s face.

“So, you’re from Stell Valley, right?” Rudy talked over the sound of the coffee grinder. The sharp scent of newly ground beans filled the air.

“Yes, born and raised in the valley.”

“How are you finding Stelline City, then? I know it can be an adjustment. I grew up in the backlands, too.” Rudy punched at buttons on the front of the machine as he talked.

“It’s a little difficult. I feel like there’s something missing… some primal connection that the city shifters don’t have. But it’s nice out here.”

“I felt the same way. Mom and Dad Marks’ home is a nice compromise. Close enough to the city to be downtown quickly, but far enough away to feel like you have room to spread. The national park nearby is great, too. There will never be much development in this area because of that,” Rudy said, pulling pans out of the cabinets.

“I think I’d like something like this. Somewhere that’s not in the middle of Stell to raise my pups.”

“I thought the same way,” Rudy said. “That’s why we’ve bought land just a couple of miles from here. We’ll start building our home there soon. But we’ll still keep the apartment in the city.”

“That sounds absolutely wonderful!” I made up my mind to talk to Parker soon about something similar for us and our family.

Rudy cracked eggs into a bowl, stirring them swiftly before pouring them into a pan hot with butter. “You know, if you ever need anything, just contact me. I’ll make sure you have all my numbers before we leave this afternoon.”

“Thank you so much. That’s so nice.”

“Not a problem. Right, Liam?”

Liam cooed and gurgled his answer and Rudy laughed at the baby.

And I sat, basking in the deliciously scented kitchen, my heart warming towards Rudy and his little boy. Maybe the Marks family was where I was supposed to be, after all.

* * *

After a late lunch in the sun on the patio with the whole family, Jason and Rudy said their goodbyes. I grabbed Liam and pressed kisses all over his little face and rubbed his belly with my nose, making him giggle and squeal. Jason gave me a hug, surprising me.

“I think you’re great for Parker,” he said. “I’ve always been the one in the family who’s believed in fated mates, so if you need any romantic advice, you know where to turn.” He gave me a wink and Rudy elbowed him in the ribs playfully.

“Okay, you’ve got my number now. Give me a call when you guys are home. We’ll get together, talk babies and mates.” Rudy gave me a long hug and plucked Liam out of my arms.

An arm slid around my shoulders and I looked up at Parker. He was smiling down at me and I could tell he was happy I was getting along so well with his family. It must have been a relief for him after how distant I was when we first came to Stell. I slipped my hand into his and squeezed, knowing he could tell what I wanted to say with that one small gesture.

“The other boys are out running and Mom and Dad had a few errands. Mom said she left a few boxes in my room. Want to check them out?” Parker asked after Jason and Rudy’s car glided out of view.

“Sure,” I said. Parker led the way up the stairs and back to the room we shared the night before.

Parker’s childhood room still held trophies and awards from his days in scouts and t-ball. It was light blue, with checked curtains and dark furniture. The only change his mother seemed to have made was an upgrade to the bed size and the bedding itself. All in all, it was a comfortable room and I enjoyed my stay.

There were several boxes stacked on the floor with Parker’s name scrawled across the top in a slanting script. Parker took the first box and pried the top open, peering inside.

“I can’t believe she saved all this,” he murmured, and pulled out a tiny pair of footed pajamas with a bear on the backside.

“Oh, that is adorable! Was it yours?” I dragged the box toward me and found it full of tiny baby clothes and blankets.

“Yep, all of it.” He shook his head. “I guess we’ll see if there’s anything for our little one in here.” He opened another box and showed it to me. It was full of toys. Teddy bears and little wooden trains and even a tiny, mechanical wolf that howled if it was wound up.

“Oh,” I breathed, “it’s all so… wonderful.”

“It’s just toys,” Parker laughed.

“No.” I dropped the blanket in my hand and rushed to Parker, wrapping my arms around his waist and laying my head on his chest. “It’s all wonderful. Your parents and your brothers are great. Rudy is just lovely and I’m already half in love with Liam. My… nephew?”

“Yes, he’s your nephew,” Parker said.

“I didn’t know it could be like this,” I said around my tightening throat.

“What?”

“Family. Belonging.”

“You have a family. I met your Mom and Dad.”

“Yes, but I’m an only child. And I left my parents at a young age, really, to study with the pack seer. I spent most of my time growing up with him. It was very isolating. Not that I would trade it. But your family… this is something I’ve never known.”

“Your family now,” Parker murmured against my hair.

“Thank you,” I said, “for giving me this. Being the pack seer, well, I’m respected but it’s so lonely. I didn’t realize how much until today.”

Parker’s mouth landed on mine, soft and plying. I tilted my head back and opened my lips, letting him explore me slowly. His hands drifted down my back and cupped my ass, pulling me against him. He was stiff already. He pulled me in tighter, grinding against me, his mouth still claiming mine.

My thoughts drifted and disappeared. There was only Parker and me now. The two of us locked into an embrace while the room fell away around us. I heard the sound of the wind sighing across the desert and smelled the sun baking the sands that shifted around us. I felt Parker’s heart pounding underneath my hand and my heart thumped in the same rhythm. And I heard a wolf in the distance, howling and keening in joy.

Parker pulled back, his face amazed as his eyes searched mine. “What was that?”

“It’s us. It’s our legacy.” I pulled his head back to mine and we tumbled to the bed. Our hands tugged at our clothes and we helped each other, pulling off shirts and jeans until we were naked and our bodies were pressed into one another. At every point where our skin touched, sparks sizzled between us.

Parker’s hand drifted down my body, leaving a trail of lava in its wake. His tongue bathed me and turned me into molten fire in his hands.

I reached between us and grasped at Parker’s cock. It was thicker and heavier than ever before, pulsing in my palm. I pinched at the tip and a silky bead of liquid coated my fingers. I grinned against Parker’s neck and slid my hand down his shaft, pulling and tugging at his cock. He was velvet and iron against my palm. Parker’s head tilted back and his breathing shortened. Just knowing that he wanted me slickened me, made me wet with anticipation.

“Parker,” I murmured against his chest, “I don’t want to wait.”

“Now, then,” he panted, and pulled my leg up and over his body. His fingers searched, finding me wet and ready for him. He groaned at the juices slicking his hand. With his fingers gripping the base of his cock tightly, he settled it against my puckered ass and pushed.

One long, deep thrust and he was anchored inside me. My hole grasped at his throbbing shaft, my own cock caught between us, pulsing against our stomachs.

Parker moved, rocking back and forth, his cock plunging in and out of me, rhythmic and hypnotizing. I bit at his chest, clutching at his shoulders, and dug my nails into the taut muscles, making him groan as he claimed my lips as his.

I closed my eyes and lost myself in Parker, in the smell of skin, spicy and piney, and the feel of him moving inside me. I let my mind go, living in the here, in Parker. Everything I was wrapped around us, Parker and I, holding us together. Parker was not just inside my body now. He was inside my soul, swelling and filling me with everything that he was.

“Shiloh, oh my gods. What is it?” Parker breathed. He was still moving in me, plunging in and out, pushing us higher and higher.

“Let go,” I murmured, “and claim me.”

With a roar, Parker buried his cock in me. His knot swelled, hard and thick, locking us together. Then his teeth latched into the flesh of my neck and I lost all sense of time and space.

Darkness flowed around me, lit with flashes of violet starlight. I could feel Parker everywhere around me, everywhere in me. There was no line between where he ended and I began. There was only us, together. One with each other and the universe. We were all.

When I opened my eyes again, Parker was staring down at me, worry in his eyes. We were wrapped in the blanket from his childhood bed and he was stroking my cheek gently.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“I am.” I smiled up at him and pressed a kiss into his jaw. “Oh, you’re a little prickly.” I rubbed my lips against the stubble on his chin.

His laugh sounded relieved and freaked out at the same time. “So, I’ve heard about claimings, but what was that?”

“If we had been home, we would have had a ceremony,” I said. “The elders would have prepared us. Bathed us and fed us and taken us to a cave that is sacred to our pack. They would have left us there on the bed after surrounding us with desert flowers. After two days, they would come back and search for a claiming mark. Then there would be a celebration.”

“Really?” Parker sat up and rubbed his fingers across his lips thoughtfully. “Is that what you wanted?”

“No,” I said. “It’s just symbolic. The ceremony isn’t necessary, it’s just tradition. What I wanted was for you to be sure you wanted to claim me. After being here with your family, I knew you were ready.”

“Thank you for making us wait for the right time.”

“You know I love you, Parker,” I said easily. “And you don’t have to love me back right now. It will come.”

“Oh,” he said faintly.

“Now that you’ve claimed me, our connection will be even deeper. More than love. Anyone can love. Only claimed and fated mates will have the connection we will. You will be able to feel my emotions, and I, yours. You may even be able to influence my actions.” I shrugged. “I hope you don’t take advantage of that.”

“I won’t,” he promised.

We lay quiet for a while and he snuggled me against him. His heart beat against my back.

“I like it here,” I finally said. “It’s nice. More than nice. There’s a very good feeling. In this house, in this family, on this land. I could raise my baby somewhere like this.”

“I’m glad you think that,” Parker said. He ruffled my hair with his breath.

We were still again and Parker’s breathing slowed and evened out. I could hear the sound of the wind through the pines outside and very faintly, I could hear Parker’s brothers in shifted form, howling in the woods that bordered their family home.

I did not lie to Parker. I could happily raise my baby here or somewhere like it. I loved his childhood home. I liked his family and I loved Parker. But I still felt like something was missing. I would make it work, though, for my baby.

I was drifting off, warm against Parker’s body, comfortable in his bed. I love you, Parker, I thought to myself.

His arm tightened around me and he said low and faint, “I love you, too, Shiloh.”

I fell asleep with a smile on my face.