Chapter Twenty-Three
“Seth!”
The yell jolted him from sleep. Dara, lying next to him, woke too.
“Stay here,” Seth told him. “I’ll see what’s up.”
He rushed out to the living room to find Lucas standing in the center of the room, his hands curled into fists, his eyes wide with fear.
“Luke, what’s wrong?”
“I can’t stop it,” his brother said, his arms shaking with tension.
“Stop what?” As he got closer, he could sense Lucas’ wolf. Oh. That was what.
He knelt in front of his brother, so they were eye to eye.
“Luke, it’s okay. That’s your wolf. You’re ready to change.”
Lucas shook his head, close to tears. “I’m not ready.”
Seth gave him a reassuring smile.
“Your wolf says differently. And you won’t be disappointed, Luke. Believe me, changing is one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. Here, take my hand.”
He held out his hands, watching as Lucas uncurled his fists and reached for him.
“Good. Now, take a deep breath in and let it out.”
As Lucas did, Seth noticed a movement near the door and glanced at it. Another wolf stood there, a light coat matched with yellow eyes. The scent hit him a moment later. Angie. This might be a morning of firsts for his family.
“You’re doing great, Lucas. And look who's here to help. Your big sister. She looks like she’s having a good time, right?”
Lucas glanced over his shoulder, his eyes going wide.
“Angie? You, too?”
He turned back to Seth, fear giving way to determination. “I want to be a real shifter, like my friends in River Den.”
He’d come with Seth and Dara on a few visits, making friends easily with the kids there. But even though the kids had made a special effort to include him, Seth knew he’d felt left out of the fun and games by not being able to change.
“You are a real shifter. You just have to relax and let the change happen.”
Easier said than done, Seth knew, but as the minutes passed, Lucas’ fear eased and his excitement grew. When the next wave of change energy flowed across him, his whole body jerked and he let go of Seth’s hands. Seth wished more than anything that his dad was there to see it. How proud he’d be to watch his children take their first change. He guessed it was his job to be proud now. And he was.
Lucas managed the transition with the clumsy enthusiasm of a six-year-old and soon there was an excited wolf cub yapping and zooming around the living room.
The commotion woke most of the house. On checking, Seth found two of the younger kids had changed in their sleep, two wolf cubs tucked up in their beds.
“Let them sleep,” his mother said. “There’ll be plenty of time for them to play tomorrow. And I don’t want a household of cranky kids who’ve been up since before dawn.”
Dara was in the living room when he returned, Skye balanced on his shoulder. The baby’s nose twitched, catching the scent of all the new wolves around him, and that was all the warning they had before they baby changed, a tiny wolf cub squirming around in Dara’s arms.
“It’s okay, you can put him down,” Seth urged. Dara seemed uncertain. “I’m not sure, with all the new wolves. He’s so small.”
Seth leaned in, stroking a hand along Skye and pressing a kiss to Dara’s cheek. “Then let's add an old wolf to the mix.”
He stepped back and changed, finding himself looking up at Dara and Skye. Dara set Skye down on the floor and Seth leaned over, nudging the cub gently with his nose. Skye mewed playfully and batted at his nose with his paw.
Lucas padded over, curious. Seth was careful to make sure he was gentle. This new to changing, he wouldn’t know his own strength. But all he did was sniff gently at Skye and bark when Skye pounced toward him. Then he ran off to play with Angie and his other siblings.
Skye tired quickly and Dara swooped him back up, settling the two of them on the couch to watch the others play. Seth’s mum sat next to him. Seth thought she seemed a little overwhelmed by everything. He was thinking of suggesting she go spend a few weeks with her brother and his pack. She was close to Shane’s mate and a change of scenery might be nice for her.
By the time they’d all shifted back it was time for breakfast. Dara went to help Angie cook while Seth rounded up all the kids. His mom didn’t come when he called and he knocked on the bedroom door before poking his head inside. She was sitting at the end of the bed, looking lost.
“Hey. We can handle the kids if you want to get a few more hours in bed.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m up now.”
“Breakfast is ready.”
“I’m not hungry.”
That happened a lot lately. Dara said it was normal. That grief could steal someone’s appetite.
“You still need to eat, Mom,” he said, stepping into the room and taking a seat on the chair beside the dressing table.
“I’ll eat later.” She managed a smile. “Please don’t fuss. I’m okay.”
“You’re not, and that’s okay. I’m not, either. Dad’s gone and it’s like the whole world has dimmed. But it’ll get better. In time.”
His mother nodded slowly. “I’ve been thinking I might visit Shane soon. Take some of the little ones with me and spend a few weeks there.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Seth said. “But maybe wait a week or two until the kids have got the hang of shifting.”
His mother smile was more genuine this time. “You’re all so different now. It’s been like that since you brought Lucas home. You seem so vibrant, so alive. Like you’re all buzzing with energy. It feels just like my pack when we were kids. There’s something almost magical in the air. It was gone so quietly, I barely even realized that we’d lost it.”
“And now it’s back,” Seth said. “And it’s our job to help it reach the other packs.”
“I’ll talk to Shane,” Sybil said. “But I think once he sees the kids shifting, he’ll be willing to help us.”
“Dara’s been talking about us forming a kind of envoy. A group from here and from the den to go around and visit the other wolf packs. The dens really need that land that Red Fang took over. It makes sense for them to expand there first, seeing as the lands around all belong to wolf packs.”
“You’ll need to see what’s left of Red Fang. If their pack has managed to pick up the pieces, you may be in for more of a fight than you’re expecting. And you have much more than just yourself to think about now.”
People were constantly reminding him of his responsibilities as if he could somehow just forget them. His pack, his mate, his son, and their soon-to-be litter.
“One step at a time, Mom. I’ve no plans to wage war. I’m just out to make some friends and try to make things better, for everyone.”
His mother stood and crossed the room toward him. “I know that. You are my son, after all.” She leaned in and kissed his forehead. “Come on, breakfast will be getting cold.”
He stood and followed her to the door. “I bought you some wool in town yesterday.”
She turned back to him, frowning. “But I have wool, Seth. Bags of it.”
Seth shrugged. “I thought you might need more. For all the booties and hats you’ll be knitting.”
He smiled at her and waited. It took a moment for the gears to turn and then her eyes lit up. “Dara’s expecting? A litter?”
She threw her arms around him before he could get out an answer, hugging him tightly. “Oh, Seth. I am so happy for you both.”