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Ten minutes later, I make my way back down the stairs and to my mate. “Where’s everyone else?”

She pulls me down for a kiss. “Wraith and Cassian are out doing something. I don’t know what exactly. When the Fates arrived, they toldthem to get out, so they did. Brenden and Nex are in Ephonia for date night.”

“Oh, right. I forgot that was tonight.” I kiss the top of her head before starting toward the kitchen. I freeze mid-step, my head tilting to the side before I spin around to face Audrey again. “You smell different.”

Audrey makes a face. “Are you trying to tell me I stink?”

Athelina nudges Claudia, leaning in to whisper, “I told you he’d fuck it up.”

“Fuck what up?” I demand, eyeing the three of them. They’re up to something, and I don’t like it.

The three of them zip their lips, smug grins on their face, and I narrow my eyes.

I hate when they do this.

Shaking my head, I turn back to my mate. “No, you don’t stink, but your scent is different from usual.”

It’s something I can’t quite put my finger on as I move back to her, ducking my head down and burying it in her neck.

“Yeah, something is definitely different,” I tell her.

“And what the hell does that mean?”

I shrug, glancing at the three troublemakers. “I don’t know, but they obviously do.”

“Are Mom and the aunties keeping things from us again?” Cassian asks as he steps into the family room with Wraith, Nex, and Brenden right behind him.

Audrey jumps out of her chair. “What are the two of you doing back? You’re supposed to be enjoying your date night.”

“These two came looking for us and said we had to come back home.” Nex hooks his finger toward Wraith and Cassian.

“Don’t look at me.” Cassian holds his hands up in surrender. “Mom said we all needed to be here, so we went to get them. Now, are you going to tell us what the hell is going on?”

“Absolutely not,” Claudia says, that damn smug smile on her face. I think she likes keeping shit from her son just to get him worked up. “But don’t worry. Donovan almost has it worked out.”

I do? Since when?

I scoff, hating the fact that I have no idea what she’s talking about.

That doesn’t stop me from leaning in to sniff Audrey again. She swats me away before I realize what’s bothering me about her scent. Thereare additional notes to it that weren’t there this morning, which doesn’t make sense.

Unless…

I drop to my knees, holding my head to Audrey’s stomach.

“What the fuck are you—“

“Shh. I’m listening.”

Wraith snickers, “To what? Are you checking to see if she’s getting hungry by listening for the beginnings of growls?”

I shoot him a glare over my shoulder, frowning when Cassian freezes and reaches out to grab Wraith’s hand.

“Shut up, Wraith.”

Our lover looks like he wants to argue, but a shake of Cassian’s head has him snapping his mouth shut.

I press my ear to Audrey’s stomach again, closing my eyes. It takes a few minutes before I find what I’m looking for.