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White light spread from the crown of his head, turning his black hair into thinner hair. The wolf's head flattened into that of a man's, and Mark's familiar, loving face looked up at her.

As his arms and legs reshaped into those of a human, Jennifer's eyes moved up and down his naked, muscular body, sticking to the red, bleeding cuts along his sides.

Her lip trembled to see that it was him after all. Joy that he was safe, alive ... and all of this was over.

"Mark, you're hurt," she said as she reached out to brush her fingers along the cuts.

"I'm all right. They're already healing," he murmured, taking her hands in his. He was right: beneath her touch, the wounds sealed over, leaving nothing but dried blood.

Jennifer didn't realize her hands were shaking until Mark squeezed them. He pulled her against him, and a sob escaped her throat. Just feeling safe in his arms again ... it seemed so impossible.

"Oh, Mark," she cried. "I was so worried. I ... had to go out, and if I hadn't, my mom ..."

"Shh, shh, it's okay. Everyone is safe. It's all over now."

Jennifer's mind was abuzz, just her being so afraid and confused left her feeling overwhelmed, but now that Mark had her in his arms, everything seemed like it was going to be fine again. Slowly her mind began to settle, and her breathing calmed, and her thousand other questions about the events that had just passed came to the surface.

What were those creatures? What wasMark? What was with the tiger, and the other wolves?

What kind of madness had she gotten involved in by moving here and marrying Mark?

After a few minutes, she slowly peeled herself from Mark's hold, and they sat together on the steps, hand-in-hand. She couldn't stop thinking about how he was naked, his muscles still rippling with the adrenaline of a fight ... but Jennifer had too many questions to let that train of thought get too far.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Jennifer said.

Mark ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply. "Where should I start?"

"With you."

He blinked tired eyes at her, but that infinite green always had a way of making her feel safe. She knew that, based on what just happened to them, whatever he said was going to sound crazy ... but Jennifer had no reason not to trust him, especially after he'd saved her life today.

"I'm what is known as a wolf shifter," Mark said. "I can take the form of both man and wolf at will. And the other wolves that were here, helping us, they're like me."

She noticed how his voice changed when he mentioned the other wolves. "Who are the others?"

"I thought they were all dead. Ten years I've lived thinking I was the only one who survived the goblins that attacked our pack ... but here they are. They came out of nowhere. And without them we wouldn't have ..." He shook his head, reining in his rambling. "They're my pack, Jen. The family I thought was dead."

Jennifer squeezed his hand, realizing just how shocking that had to be for him. "That's ... Mark, that's good news, isn't it? You have your family again."

"Of course it's good news, but you're my family now." He smiled. "Are you worried about what I am?"

She shook her head. "I knew who you were when I saw you in the woods. I don't know how, I just knew. It was scary, but I know you were trying to protect us. And you did. I couldn't ever be afraid of you."

Relief washed over Mark's face, and Jennifer couldn't help but smile.

"I'm more worried about everything else that happened," Jennifer said. "What about the tiger? The gross-looking creatures?"

Mark became quiet for a moment, nervously rubbing her fingers. "The world is a lot more complicated than you've been led to believe. The wolves like me and my pack, we're far from the only shifters out there. Wolves, bears, lions, and yeah, tigers. But also dragons."

"D-dragons?" Jennifer stuttered.

He chuckled. "After watching us almost get mauled by a horde of goblins, you're questioning the existence of dragons?"

"I was kind of hoping the murder gremlins in our yard were the extent of it, actually," she joked. "So that's what they were? Goblins?"

They didn't look anything like the goblins depicted in various fantasy shows she'd seen over her lifetime.

"Treasure goblins, specifically," he said.