When I get downstairs, Ava and Adam are on the couch, next to Bella, sipping on their sparkly drinks while she reads them a story. I go to the kitchen for a drink, and I open up the fridge to discover a very large bottle of white wine. Since Bella is putting my kids to bed, I decide to open the wine and pour myself a glass.

But I don’t relax, because I notice the kid’s dinner mess and begin to clean. Fortunately, cleaning is therapeutic for me. Maybe it’s because, as a witch, I have multiple apothecaries with tiny drawers to store supplies for my potions, and it’s important I know what each drawer contains, but I get satisfaction from having everything in its proper place.

When Marcel and I got married, he moved into my house. It was handed down to me from my grandmother, and my kitchen is done in an old-fashioned style with simple cabinets and counters that line the walls. I have an old farmer’s table set in the middle of the room that we use for eating as well as making potions. My kitchen is located in the back of my home and has a door that leads outside to my gardens. There is also a stone path from the front, and anyone who knows me well will usually come to the back door when they visit. Dawn knocks on the door just as I’m wiping down the counters.

I walk over and let in the newest witch in town. She came to take over for the Veilleux clan’s medicine man, Tokala. The man was one shady character who disappeared when the magical council began to investigate him for using black magic to bring back the clan’s previous alpha. I shudder when I recall the way Victor Veilleux was sucking out my magic and life force to exist before we managed to send him back to hell.

My mood warms up instantly when I let the bubbly new witch in.

“Tally.” She steps inside my kitchen and sets the take-out food on the table before she throws her head back, turns her palms out, and inhales slowly. “Ahhhhh,” she says as she lets the breath back out. “The energy in this house is so restorative. I love coming here.”

“Auntie Dawn!” squeals Ava as she skips in from the living room. Dawn squats down to get on her level, and Ava plays with the end of her bleached-blond braid, which is always loose and gives her the appearance of a modern-day flower child. “Tell us the story about the bird.”

Dawn is a more traditional medicine woman like Kimi of the Le Roux clan, and she draws a lot of her magic from our Native American rituals. She picks up Ava, and as she walks to the living room, she says, “A long time ago, when the spirits swam in the rivers and roamed the forests, there was…”

I smile as my friend tells Ava her favorite story.

After Dawn finishes, Bella takes the kids upstairs to put them to bed. Dawn and I set out the Chinese food, and plates clatter as I set them out for us. It doesn’t take long for Bella to join us, and we dig in. Bella says, “Okay, Tally. What the heck happened today, because the creases between your eyes might be permanent with the way you’ve been scowling.”

“I’m not scowling. I’m worried.” I let out a heavy sigh and set down the egg roll I’ve been inspecting since I don’t have any interest in eating it. “I think—” I shake my head. “No. Adam started to shift at the grocery store today.”

Dawn gasps as Bella says, “Oh no.”

“Yeah,” I say. “He was mad because I wouldn’t let him steal Ava’s cheese.”

“Oh my god,” says Dawn. “What did you do?”

“I threw a fireball and knocked over a stack of cans to cause a distraction.”

Bella says, “Quick thinking. Did anyone see you?”

“I don’t think so. Ava was screaming, so I rushed out as if she was having a temper tantrum.”

“Right. Like one of those moms,” says Dawn.

I frown at her because I am one of those moms, and I think, Just you wait. “Anyway,” I say. “The point is since shifting isn’t supposed to be something kids can do until they go through puberty, what am I going to do?”

Dawn says, “Whoa, so do you think Adam’s magical powers are why it happened?”

“Yup.”

“What did Marcel say?” asks Bella.

“I didn’t tell him. He was so excited about his promotion to be the lead warrior trainer that I couldn’t ruin his good news.”

“Well,” says Dawn, “then we have time to figure out what to do so that when you do tell him, you’ll have a solution too.”

I smile at her positive yet naive thought. “I’m afraid it’s not going to be that simple.”

“We should contact Kimi,” says Bella. “I bet she’ll have ideas.”

I let out a huff of air. “She already shared those ideas. She thought the idea of Marcel and I getting married was a mistake, let alone having children.”

“She got over it quickly enough to come to your wedding, Tally,” says Bella.

“Probably to help in case something evil came out the moment we said, ‘I do.’”

“Tally,” chides Dawn as she swallows a mouthful of rice. “She’s our elder.”

“She is, and you know I have the utmost respect for Kimi, but like so many other witches and werebear, she doesn’t like change.”

Bella points her chopsticks at me. “You did take things to the extreme. Everyone was just getting used to halves joining the clans, and then you and Marcel shook them up some more.”

I grab my glass of wine to take a sip as I recall how many clan members did not think a witch and werebear should be allowed to get married. But I have to hand it to Jean Luc and his wife, Izzy, who is also one of my best friends, because they made it clear to the clan that a witch and a werebear being together was accepted under their rule. I say, “Well, if halves could get married, it made sense that we could too.”

Bella chuckles. “Right up until Adam shifted into a cub.”

“Oh my gosh,” gushes Dawn. “I bet he was so cute.”

I recall the little growl my son made and smile. “He was, but most people aren’t going to have the same reaction. I’ve got a serious problem.”

“I know,” says Dawn as she sobers too. “You won’t be able to be around anyone but werebear if Adam just shifts at the drop of a hat.”

“It’s not quite that random. I think he did it because he was mad.”

“That makes sense,” says Bella. “But it will be next to impossible to keep a little boy from ever getting mad.”

“What about Ava?” asks Dawn. “Do you know if she can shift?”

I shake my head. “This is the first time it’s happened, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she can too.”

“Two cute little cubs,” squeals Dawn before I shoot her a stern look. “Sorry. Okay.” She reaches for more garlic beef. “So what we need to figure out is how to stop their shifting with a spell.”

“Or a potion,” says Bella. “Those are easier to maintain like medication. What if we create something that will keep the bear side dormant until they’re old enough to understand it needs to stay hidden in public?”

Dawn sighs. “I don’t think we can. The bear is a powerful spirit, and a potion isn’t going to be very effective.”

I think about how strong the bear must be to allow a half-blood the ability to shift once bitten. And how two of the halves I know have become werebear so powerful they’re alphas. “She’s right,” I say. “A potion or a simple hex isn’t going to work. We’re going to need something much stronger.”

“Then we definitely need to get Kimi involved,” says Bella.

My stomach churns with worry. Kimi isn’t exactly the type to say I told you so, but she is very by the book. That scares me because I’m afraid she’s going to insist I get Jean Luc and Izzy involved. Ideally, I’d like the problem to have a solution before Marcel and I have to inform the alpha of what’s going on. I take a swig of my wine now as my friends look at me with concern. I say, “Please keep this between us for now.” I gaze at Bella. “I do think getting Kimi involved is a good idea, but I need to talk to Marcel first.”

“I don’t know,” says Dawn as her brow knits. “Werebear can get weird about witchcraft. Are you sure you want to do this before we try a few spells?”

“Dawn!” chides Bella. “Marcel is not a werebear who’ll get weird about Tally’s magic. He’s her husband. And he needs to be part of the decisions.”

I appreciate Bella’s confidence in my husband, but Dawn is right. I didn’t find out my husband’s real feelings about magic until after we got married. While he accepts and even appreciates my magic, I was surprised to find out he’s got a bit of prejudice when it comes to his children having mystical powers. He’s not going to like this one bit. While he’s okay with magical party tricks like Bella’s sparkly drinks, convincing him to let stronger magic into our children’s lives before they’re old enough to understand what it means is going to be a hard sell. Unfortunately, I’m not sure we have a choice.