A match flares as I strike it, and I light the candles I have set out in the living room. Marcel is upstairs with the kids, tucking them in, and will be down in a few minutes. I have the glasses out on the counter, waiting for him to open the champagne so we can celebrate his promotion.

I wish I were more excited for him, but I can’t stop thinking about Adam shifting. I know the sooner I tell Marcel, the better I’m going to feel.

My husband’s feet thud softly on the stairs as he descends them, and he says, “They’re both out like a light. I wish I could fall asleep that quickly.”

“Me too. Ready for champagne?” I get up from the couch, and the two of us go to the kitchen. As Marcel works on the cork, I say, “I want to hear everything Jean Luc said. Start from the beginning.”

“Well——” The cork flies off the bottle and smacks the ceiling. Marcel chuckles. “That never gets old.”

I shake my head, because my husband can be a big kid sometimes.

“You know Jean Luc,” he says. “He took me aside and asked if I’d be interested. I said yes, and now we have an official ceremony to plan because he said you and Izzy need a reason to dress up.”

I chuckle as I take my glass from him. “I’m so proud of you, Marcel.”

He lifts his glass to tap mine. “Thanks. I thought you’d like the idea of me being home more too.”

“I do.” I sip my champagne and let the bubbles sit on my tongue for a moment as I try to figure out the right way to tell Marcel about Adam. I let out a sigh.

“Tally, what’s wrong? You’ve been in a mood all night.”

“I’m sorry. I’m trying really hard not to ruin this for you.”

“You won’t. C’mon. Spill it.”

“We have a little problem,” I say.

“Uh-oh.” He takes my glass from me. “C’mon. Let’s go sit, and you can tell me about it.”

Once we settle into the couch, I get to the point. “Adam started to shift in the grocery store yesterday.”

Marcel blinks as if he’s not sure what I said. “Really?”

I nod.

Now he grins. “Whoa. Claws and— Wait, this is what you meant when you said he growled like me?”

“Yes.” I frown in confusion. “But why are you happy?”

“He’s my boy.” My husband sits back on the couch with a satisfied smirk. “He’s going to be a warrior.”

I can’t believe all he is thinking about is that his son is following in his footsteps. “Marcel! What is wrong with you? Aren’t you the least bit concerned that we have a two-year-old who can shift?”

“Well, yeah, I suppose that’s a bit of a problem.”

I let out a huff of air. “You think? What if someone had seen him at the grocery store? You know, the one where people shop?”

“Tally.” Marcel takes my hand. “We’ll figure this out. Didn’t you tell me that you started using your magic when you were in kindergarten?”

“Yes, but witches are something people are comfortable with. Throwing a tiny fireball wasn’t a big deal, but you can bet Adam would get more than detention if he turned into a bear in the classroom.”

“So we teach him not to.”

I shake my head in disbelief. “Tell you what. You teach him not to shift when he gets angry or embarrassed. Okay?” I grab my drink and gulp some down.

“Look, honey. Don’t be upset. So far, he’s only done it the one time, right?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe it was just a fluke.” Marcel rubs his hands up my arms. “I’m going to be home now and just a few miles away at the gym. I can help you with this.”

“You think I’m overreacting.”

“A little.” He leans in close. “It’s going to be okay, Tally.”

“That’s what you always say.”

“And I’m usually right.” He kisses me, and the magical connection of our love pulls me in.

Maybe I am overreacting a little. It sure seems trivial right now, because my husband knows exactly how to distract me. I let out a small moan as he moves his hands over my breasts and pinches one of my nipples. I break away and pant out, “Too many clothes.”

“Mm-hm,” he says as he strips off his T-shirt. I slide my hands over his hard-as-a-rock chest and thank my lucky stars this sexy man is all mine for the taking.

I hear a low growl, but it doesn’t reverberate through me the way it usually does. And suddenly, I realize that’s because the sound didn’t come from Marcel. I pull back as something thuds above our heads.

Marcel and I are on our feet in a flash, and the two of us race up the stairs to the twins’ bedroom. When we get there, a fully formed bear cub is toddling toward the door, and it would be comical if I weren’t so freaked out. The cub is in yellow pajamas.

“Ava,” says Marcel in a soft voice. He crouches down and scoops her up. “Sweetie, I need you to close your eyes and see yourself in your pink dress.”

The little cub blinks a few times before she closes her eyes tight, and I watch in amazement as my daughter returns to her human form.

“Wow,” I whisper. I’ve seen Marcel shift completely before, but watching my child do it is different. Pride fills me, and a small part of me wants to brag about her before I realize I’m being foolish. I now get why Marcel was happy to hear that Adam had shifted. I say, “That’s pretty incredible.”

Marcel pulls Ava to his chest, and his face is clouded over. “Did you have a bad dream, honey?” Ava nods her little head. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

“All gone,” she says and then lets out a yawn.

He puts her back in her bed. I walk over to the other side, and we both make a show of tucking her in tightly.

I say, “Go back to sleep, Ava.” I kiss her forehead. “I love you.”

Marcel kisses her. “Daddy loves you too.”

We both look over at Adam sleeping on his stomach with his legs tucked under him and his butt in the air. The covers are balled up at the end of his bed, and Marcel chuckles softly. I reach to pull the sheet up over our son, but Marcel grabs my hand.

“He’ll just kick them off again. It’s a bear thing.”

We’ve had this discussion before, but this time, I believe him. The fact my children are shifting means their bears are no longer dormant. One of the traits of werebear is higher body temperatures. I’ve been around werebear all my life, but it occurs to me that I’m about to get even more up close and personal as I take the knowledge I’ve gained over the years working with the clan and apply it to my own flesh and blood. I turn and lead us out of the room.

When we get downstairs, Marcel says, “Okay. I get it now. This might be a problem, because if Ava shifted in her sleep, they’re not the least bit blocked.” He’s talking about the fact learning to shift takes effort for teenagers. They have to focus on the change and teach themselves to make it happen. He says, “It’s fascinating when you think about it, because our kids are natural shifters. They do it as a physical reaction like sneezing.” Marcel sighs as he slides back onto the couch. “Imagine if all werebear shifted as small children. It would make things so much easier.”

“Great,” I say, but I’m clearly too logical to be thrilled. “So how do you suppose we teach them not to sneeze?”

“I don’t know. Aren’t you supposed to?”

As the clan’s medicine woman, I am the go-to person whenever someone has a problem like this. And often, I’m not sure right away what to do for a solution. I do have a process to uncover it, but it requires magic. “Babe, when I don’t have an immediate answer, I perform spells to get to the heart of what’s happening. We agreed I wasn’t going to use magic with our children right now.”

“Right. And that still stands.” He gets up and walks over to the other side of the room before he turns to face me. “Okay, maybe we need to talk to the oldest clan members we can find and see if this has ever happened before.”

“Grace?” I ask. She’s Jean Luc’s mother, and being the former alpha’s wife, she would likely know if young children had ever shifted in the past.

Marcel frowns. “I think we need someone more discreet. I’m not ready for Jean Luc to know yet. What about Kimi? Maybe she’s seen it.”

I raise my eyebrows at him. “Kimi?”

“Hey, she may not like me, but she is older than dirt.”

I laugh. “She’d hex you six ways to Sunday if she heard you say that.”

Marcel smiles. “She would.” His expression becomes serious. “Let’s find out if anyone has dealt with this before.” He walks back to me and grabs his drink.

I say, “Eventually, we’re going to have to tell Jean Luc.”

Marcel swallows hard. He understands Jean Luc will find it dangerous to have children who could shift in front of people. “I know. And I don’t think he’s going to like it.”

I reach out for my husband’s hand and squeeze his fingers. “Jean Luc is a fair and just alpha who is open to change. He let us get married, after all.”

“Our marriage wasn’t a threat to the clan, Tally.” Marcel sits next to me and lets out a heavy sigh. “How do you think this is going to go over? They’ll all say they knew Jean Luc shouldn’t have allowed us to be together.” He shakes his head. “I want to have a solution to our problem before we tell him.”

I think about how Dawn suggested I do the same before telling Marcel, and this time, I see the wisdom in her thinking. I gaze intently into my husband’s eyes and say, “I think that’s a good idea.”