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I pressed my face into his neck, seeking comfort in his scent and warmth. His hand stroked down my back in long, soothing motions, and he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of my head.

“We’ll figure this out,” he promised, his voice a low rumble I could feel through my whole body. “Whatever it takes. You won’t be stuck forever.”

I wanted to believe him. Needed to believe him. But the fear lingered, a cold knot in my chest that not even his warmth could fully dispel.

The door burst open without warning, Caleb striding in with a fluffy towel. “Time’s up, Marcus. You’re hogging all the puppy time.”

His smile faded when he saw us, recognizing immediately that something more than a bath was happening. Without a word, he draped the towel around both of us, his hand joining Marcus’ in stroking my fur.

“Hey,” he said softly, all teasing gone from his voice. “We’ve got you, Kai. All of us.”

I let out a shuddering breath, somehow steadied by their combined presence. This was still a nightmare, but at least I wasn’t facing it alone.

“My turn for bonding,” Caleb declared after a moment, his tone gentler than before. He carefully extracted me from Marcus’ arms, wrapping me in the oversized towel. “Let’s get you dried off before you catch a cold.”

“Wolves don’t catch colds,” Marcus said, but he relinquished me with obvious reluctance.

Caleb carried me towel-burrito style to his room, Marcus following close behind. He set me on his bed, using the towel to gently dry my fur.

“You know,” he said conversationally as he worked, “you’re going to need someone to take care of you while you’re stuck like this. And since I’m clearly the most fun brother…”

“You’re the most annoying brother,” Derek corrected, appearing in the doorway like a disapproving shadow. “And it’s my turn with Kai.”

“Says who?” Caleb challenged, pulling me closer.

“Says the brother who’s been patrolling the territory all evening while you two played beauty salon,” Derek growled, advancing into the room.

I watched the brewing argument with increasing dismay. Were they seriously fighting over who got to babysit me? While I was stuck as a wolf? This was not how I’d imagined my evening going.

As they bickered, I slipped off the bed and padded quietly to the door. Neither noticed, too caught up in their territorial dispute. I made my escape down the hallway, heading for my own room where at least I could lick my wounded pride in private.

My room was dark and quiet, the bed looking impossibly large now that I was roughly the size of a throw pillow. I managed to clamber up using the conveniently placed ottoman, then faced my next challenge: technology.

My phone sat on the nightstand, tantalizingly close yet functionally useless to someone without opposable thumbs. I batted at it experimentally, sending it skittering across the polished wood. Great. Now it was even farther away.

After several undignified attempts involving my nose, teeth, and at one point my entire face, I managed to activate the screen. Video calling Luke would be impossible without hands, but maybe…

I pressed my paw against the voice command button, praying it would work. The phone beeped in recognition.

“Call Luke,” I tried to say, but what came out was a series of yips and whines.

To my utter shock, the phone responded: “Calling Luke Kim.”

Either my phone had gained the ability to understand wolf, or the brothers had programmed it to recognize that particular series of sounds. I wasn’t sure which possibility was more disturbing.

Luke’s face appeared on screen, sleepy and confused. “Kai? It’s like midnight, what’s—” He froze, eyes widening comically. “What the actual fuck?”

I whined pathetically, trying to position myself so he could see me better.

“Holy shit,” Luke breathed, now fully awake. “You’re a… Is that really you? Blink twice if you’re Kai.”

I blinked twice, deliberately.

“EOMMA!” Luke shouted, his voice so loud I had to back away from the phone. “We need to go back to Cedar Grove! NOW!”

I heard Imo’s voice in the background, asking questions in rapid Korean. Then her face appeared beside Luke’s, her eyes widening before narrowing in assessment.

She studied me through the screen. “Cannot shift back?”