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“Sure, why not?”

We exchanged the tea and some of Wasabi’s favorite Earth treats—canned tuna fish, mostly—for the cradle, and after a few more hugs and assurances that Nantier and Bohun were doing well, Ezra left with his guards to do some work.

One of his other big projects since becoming king was to keep the one portal near here strong and open. The priestesses had closed them to end the Great War, at the high cost of shifters’ and vampyrs’ magic abilities.

But now, he was clearing the portal of its restrictive properties, allowing the magic from the fae realm to once again flow freely into our world.

It was all thanks to him that shifters wereshiftingagain.

Archer reported that there had also been a downtick in cases of Shifter Repression Syndrome, but said it would be years before it had likely disappeared altogether, and many more before we’d find out if the magic would bring omegas back, too.

Just getting rid of the disease that had prematurely killed so many shifters was good enough, though.

I watched Ezra as he slinked back into the night, and a distant howl pierced the cold, quiet air. My own wolf perked up inside, whining gently to be released.

“Sorry girl, not until this little pup is out,” I whispered, rubbing my belly. Apparently shifting while pregnant could trigger premature labor, and my wolf was getting restless at having been locked up for so long.

I went back inside to find the guys had already finished putting away all the food, but Nolan had left another slice of cake for me on the counter. Cam came back into the kitchen after dropping the cradle off in the nursery, and then helped me head into the basement, where the rest of the pack was now relaxing and watching the highlights from last week’s Packers game.

Elias patted the empty space next to him. “Hey, California, curl up here.” He held my hips and helped me ease into the low sofa, and I landed with awumph. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder,nuzzling into my neck. I giggled and handed him my plate.

“Hold on one sec,” I replied. I took out my phone to check the text Esther had sent me a few minutes ago.

Esther: How was the puppy shower??

Another thing I’d taken care of after we’d returned from Vespera was to let Esther know what was really going on in my life, finally bringing her into the fold.

Being able to shift into a wolf definitely made the news a little easier to swallow for her than it had been for me. Back when I’d first come out here about a year ago, the only proof I’d been shown of shifter existence was a bunch of growly, horny guys who kept telling me I smelled good.

And being from the Bay Area, Esther knew enough people in “contemporary relationships” that the idea of me being with five males barely made her blink. “Okay, so you’re the luckiest woman I know. I mean, at least you’re not pregnant,” she’d said with a sarcastic laugh.

Whoops.

I think that had been the most difficult piece of information for her to come to terms with. But after the initial shock had worn off, she’d jumped headfirst into the role of “human godmother” and had started making plans to stay here with me for a few weeks to help me in my postpartum period. I’d assured her that with five pack mates, I already wasn’t planning on lifting a finger, but she’d insisted I would probably want another female here, too.

“Are you really going to ask them to help you go to the bathroom? You know what they say about those first poops after giving birth…” she’d warned.

I’d booked her flight as soon as we hung up.

Me: The shower was great, I wish you could have been here. I can’t wait to see you!

Text sent, I took my plate back from Elias and sighed, nestling into the crook of his arm and propping my feet up on the coffee table. “Is this really what we’re watching tonight?” I asked.

“Nope,” Julian replied. He took the remote and opened up Netflix, going straight for the new holiday movie,Christmas at Cormorant Hall. “You ready?” he asked with a smile.

Julian was now a bigger fan of corny Christmas movies than I was, and his eyebrows bounced with excitement as he settled into hisseat.

I looked around the room at my pack and felt surrounded by their love, their joy, and their affection. It all barreled down the bond towards me, and I felt my pup kick in response.

“Yeah, I think I’m ready.”