Page 233 of May: Bloom & Bane

“But my mates—” The pull in my chest gives a thin tug, so much weaker than it normally is.

“I need you to trust me. You cannot go back right now. Your mates will thank me later.”

“I promise they won’t. Especially if they scent you on me.”

“Come meet your sister, hear what she has to say, and then we can decide.”

My hand tightens over my belly. What should I do, sweet pea? Do you think we should go meet your aunt?

She gives a sharp kick.

“Strong little soul, isn’t she?” he chuckles, pushing up from the ground and towering over me again.

I nod. “She takes after her fathers.”

“I’m not sure if that’s completely true. I think you’ll find out soon you’re much stronger than you remember.”

The baby gives another strong kick.

“Okay.” I reach out and grab his hand.

“You will have to ride me.”

I pull my hand back just as quickly.

“Excuse me?”

“I didn’t mean anything by it. It was Lumi’s idea. My cabin is miles away. You are—”he glances down—“heavily pregnant, and it is below freezing. I have another form that will make the journey much faster, but I will not be able to communicate once I’ve shifted.”

“What kind of other form?” I raise a brow.

He shifts before my eyes. His body folds inward with loud cracks that sound like branches snapping.

I stumble backward, losing traction on the ice. For one horrifying second, I am airborne. A large paw shoots beneath me, sweeping across my back, catching me before I hit the ground. Black claws curl carefully into the snow on either side of my body. I stare up at what he has become. An enormous wolf, stag, feline combination all poured into one impossible frame. His white fur has gone black and luminous, glittering under the snow, a perfect white stripe running down the length of his chest. His antlers have grown significantly, twisting up toward the moon. Huge triangular ears swivel toward every sound in the trees. A thick tail flicks slowly behind him.

He lowers himself to the ground and waits, his pale eyes patient, while I rethink every decision that led me to this forest.

“Promise you’ll go slow?” I glance down at my belly.

He nods.

I put one hand against his shoulder. His back is still roughly the height of my waist.

“This is going to be… difficult.”

His ear flicks, and his tail curls behind me, looping around my waist. My feet leave the ground so smoothly I barely feel it happen. He lifts me until I am eye level with his back, then lowers me onto the broad ridge behind his shoulders.

I grab a fistful of fur. “I hope I’m not hurting you,” I murmur.

He turns his head, one pale eye finding mine as his lip curls in amusement. His tail tightens around my waist, then coils a few more times around my hips before the tip tucks itself securely around the base of his neck like a harness.

“You thought of everything.”

His ear flicks again.

“Okay,” I whisper. “Take me to my sister.”

He rises, and his muscles ripple beneath me. The forest becomes a silver blur, trees bowing out of his path, wind filling my ears. His tail remains locked around me, absorbing every stride so completely that the baby falls asleep through the flight of her life. I bury my hands deeper into his lush fur and watch the woods bend around us.