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I whined in confirmation, trying to convey just how monumentally screwed I was. I had just learned to use a coffee maker properly, and now I couldn’t even operate a doorknob. This was several steps backward in my quest for functional adulthood.

Imo began chanting something, her hands moving in patterns I couldn’t follow. Even through the phone, I felt a strange warmth spreading through me, though it didn’t trigger any shift.

“We leave at first light,” she declared, her tone brooking no argument. “This needs proper attention.”

The door to my bedroom burst open, revealing all three brothers looking slightly panicked. They must have realized I’d escaped their bickering session.

“Kai?” Marcus called, spotting me on the bed with the phone. His expression softened with relief before sharpening when he saw who I was talking to. “Min-seo. Luke.”

“You!” Luke accused, pointing dramatically through the screen. “What did you do to him?”

“Nothing he didn’t want,” Marcus replied calmly, sitting beside me on the bed. “First shifts can be difficult. Sometimes the body needs time to remember how to change back.”

“And you didn’t think to mention this BEFORE you let him shift?” Luke demanded.

“It’s rare,” Derek said, joining us. “Most wolves shift back within hours.”

The conversation devolved veiled threats from Luke about what would happen if I wasn’t back to normal soon. I tuned out, suddenly exhausted. The day’s excitement and transformation had drained me completely.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, the call had ended and I was being gently lifted from the bed.

“Come on, little wolf,” Marcus murmured, cradling me against his chest. “Time for sleep.”

I expected another argument about whose room I’d sleep in, but the brothers seemed to have reached some accord while I napped. They all headed to Marcus’ suite, where the massive bed could easily accommodate three large men and one tiny wolf.

I was placed in the center of the bed, immediately surrounded by warm bodies as the brothers arranged themselves around me. Derek on my left, Caleb on my right, and Marcus above, his hand resting gently on my side.

“Sleep,” he commanded softly.

Despite my frustration at being stuck, despite the embarrassment of the day, I felt safe. Protected. The mate bond hummed contentedly as I drifted off, surrounded by my wolves.

Iwoke to a nose pressed against mine.

Not a human nose. A cold, wet dog nose, attached to a massive furry face that filled my entire field of vision. Shadow had somehow decided that the best way to wake me was with an up-close inspection of my snout.

“Personal space,” I tried to say, but it came out as a sleepy yip that only encouraged him. Scout and Storm immediately joined the morning greeting committee, their tails wagging with enough force to generate renewable energy.

I was still a wolf. Still tiny. Still trapped in fur with exactly zero opposable thumbs.

Fantastic.

The brothers’ scents lingered on the sheets, but the bed was empty of actual humans. Morning light streamed through the windows, suggesting I’d slept later than usual. I attempted to stretch, discovering that wolf bodies had an impressive flexibility that would make yoga instructors jealous.

The bedroom door swung open, and Marcus walked in, looking like he’d just stepped off the cover ofSweaty Werewolf Monthly. His hair was damp with perspiration, workout clothes clinging to muscles in ways that would have made me blush if wolves could blush. As it was, my tail gave an involuntary wag that I immediately tried to suppress.

Traitorous tail.

“Morning, little wolf,” he said, his voice rough from exertion. “Sleep well?”

I gave a noncommittal huff that could have meant anything from “Like a baby” to “As well as one can when trapped in the wrong species.”

Marcus crossed to the bed, scooping me up with one arm while scratching behind my ears with his free hand. The sensation was so unexpectedly good that my back leg started thumping against his chest without my permission.

“That’s what I thought.” He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest against my small body. “The pack bond helps you rest.”

He carried me to the bathroom, setting me on the counter while he stripped off his workout clothes with casual efficiency. Even in my current predicament, I couldn’t help appreciating the view. The man was built like a Greek god who decided to take up weightlifting as a serious hobby.

“I’ll be quick,” he promised, stepping into the shower. “Derek’s already downstairs, and Caleb’s setting up a video call with Dr. White for later.”