Page 18 of Wolf Revealed

Chapter eight

Lark and Kal rode with Mike back to the SWAT compound. After checking to make sure Kal was truly okay and that Roman hadn’t hurt him, she sat there half-turned in the seat, gazing at him while he talked a mile a minute, so relieved and happy to have their son home safe.

From the look on Mike’s face, he felt the same.

“You’re a lot bigger now than you were in the pictures Mom showed me,” Kal said.

Beside her, Mike slanted Lark a surprised look. “You showed him pictures?”

She only nodded before glancing at Kal. “That’s because your father is a werewolf now.”

Kal’s eyes went wide. “You are?! That’s awesome!”

Mike chuckled. “And all my teammates on SWAT are werewolves, too.”

“That’s so cool!” Kal said, practically bouncing on the seat. “Can I meet them?”

“That’s where we’re going now,” Mike said.

Kal fell silent as he gazed out the window. After a moment, he settled back in the seat again.

“Mom said we had to leave because your job is dangerous and that it was safer for you and us, but I’m glad we’re all back together now.”

Mike glanced at her again, surprise mixed with what looked like relief this time. Like he’d been afraid she’d take Kal and disappear again the moment they got back to the SWAT compound. Lark gave him a small smile, hoping to tell him without words that she wasn’t going to do that without actually having to say it in front of their son.

It must have been enough for Mike because he gave her a nod before flashing Kal a grin in the rearview mirror.

“Me too, bud,” he said.

Lark felt her heart do a little dance. Maybe it would be this easy to pick up where she and Mike had left off.

When they arrived at the SWAT compound a few minutes later, Kal eagerly hopped out of the SUV, looking around wide-eyed. He seemed particularly interested in what looked like some kind of obstacle course at the far end before following as Mike led them toward one of the buildings.

They were halfway there when an adorable pit bull mix ran up to greet them, a happy doggy grin on her face. Kal rushed over to greet the friendly pup, kneeling to ruffle her ears and lavish her with pets.

“This is Tuffie,” Mike said, crouching down beside Kal to caress her head. “She’s kind of our pack mascot. She spends days here at the compound with all of us, then a different member of the team takes a turn bringing her home with them.”

“That’s cool!” Kal said, then glanced at Mike. “We have a dog, too. His name is Nugget.” Kal looked at Lark over his shoulder. “You brought Nugget with you, right, Mom?”

Lark smiled and reached down to pet Tuffie. “Afraid not. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to find you, so Nugget’s staying with your grandma and grandpa. He’s going to be so excited to see you.”

“I’m excited to see him, too!” Kal grinned. “We can introduce him to Tuffie!”

Mike glanced at Lark, that same look she’d seen in his eyes before, the one that gave her hope they could become a family again and leave the past in the past.

“Come on,” Mike said, getting to his feet. “Let’s go meet everyone.”

Tuffie led the way, Kal running after her, while she and Mike followed.

“This is our training building,” Mike said as he held the door open for them.

They stepped into a huge open area with two couches and a coffee table, as well as several gigantic beanbag chairs and a big-screen TV. There was also a beautiful Christmas tree in one corner, complete with colorful lights, garland, and ornaments. Lark had been so focused on finding Kal that she hadn’t realized it was so close to the holidays.

Tuffie continued to take the lead, guiding them into a big room with lots of tables and chairs where Mike’s pack was waiting. Lark had already met most of them, but there were a few she hadn’t, and since Kal hadn’t met any of them, Mike made the introductions.

Her own pack’s scouts were there, too, and eagerly came over to clap Kal on the shoulder, relieved he was safe. Violet and Jasper, however, were nowhere to be seen. That worried Lark, but she tamped down her anxiety. If something had happened to her sister and brother, someone from Mike’s pack would have told them.

Lark couldn’t help smiling as she realized Kal was gazing at Mike with that same wonder her son had on his face earlier. Even though she’d told him about Mike and showed him photos, Kal had always been curious about his father. Now, he’d finally gotten to meet the man he’d only heard stories about. The fact that it’d happened after Mike had come charging in to rescue them meant Kal would definitely be hero-worshiping him for a while.