Page 32 of Wrong Number, Right Gray Wolf

I beckoned him back and flung my arms around him. “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

We worked through the afternoon with me filling up the kitchen cupboards and drawers and my mate making sure we had beds. Posy’s task was to unpack her books and toys, and when she was done, she raced outside. Their previous house had no garden, so having a garden was a novelty. She rushed in with grass-stained knees every so often to grab water or a cookie from the packet I’d unearthed.

“I love this house.” And out she’d dash until she tore in again and told us of the birds she’d identified.

I love it too. My fox was eyeing the trees behind the house that hid a stream and a forest beyond that. I can’t wait to hunt.

The baby kicked, and I rubbed my belly, telling our little one we’d be getting the nursery ready as soon as the house was in order, though I needed a break of some weeks or months in between.

By the time the sky was shades of orange and pink, we had a usable kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms, and the toiletries were in the bathrooms. It was livable, and Clyde shoved the remaining boxes in the study and closed the door. I swept and my mate and Posy mopped. The last task was to cut flowers from the garden and put them around the house.

We still had sheets for curtains, but it was livable.

“High five, family. I collapsed onto the couch and put my feet up. “Let’s order in. I can’t face the stove or the fridge, and the pantry is pretty bare.”

Posy flopped onto the rug at my feet and propped her face up with her hands. “Is this our forever house?”

“Yes. This is where we’re going to stay and build memories.”

She nodded and rolled onto her back. “I bet your fox wants to shift.”

That was a loaded question because she hadn’t seen my beast. With me working, her at school, Clyde and me juggling home and family life, we’d never found the right moment. Us becoming a family happened so quickly, and now that I was pregnant, it was as though we were watching our life through a lens at double speed.

“I think so.”

I do, and now would be the perfect time when it’s almost dark.

It was the right time now that we had a home that belonged to us. Not one my mate and daughter had lived in, but a new beginning. It was a den for our growing family, and I was a dad, not just the guy who helped Posy when she was in need.

Clyde met my eyes over her head. He could never prescribe when I should show our daughter my beast, and though I was tired, giving my fox the lead wasn’t taxing for me. I could sleep if I wanted.

“Come into the garden. Foxes like grass under them.”

The grass needed cutting which my mate would tackle tomorrow. He sat on the back steps with Posy and they held hands. After removing my clothes, I gave my beast his fur.

Warmth spread down my spine as I landed on all fours, and I sprouted a tail. Fur spread over my fox’s body and limbs, and his ears poked upward.

“Oh, he’s beautiful.” Posy crawled over the grass until she and my beast were nose to nose. “Hello.” She waved. “It’s me, your daughter.”

Awww, as if my fox and I wouldn’t know who she was. My little girl was adorable.

She held out a palm as if giving my fox a snack, though she understood never to offer a shifter beast food. My fox made that chirring sound common to foxes, and Posy buried her hands in his ruff.

“Dad, Papa’s fox is so soft.” She stroked my beast’s head and said Clyde and I should shift together.

I took my skin, and my fox didn’t complain. “No, darling.”

“Not happening, little girl.” Clyde pulled her into his arms as I got dressed.

After what we referred to as the incident, my mate had been very protective of Posy. She now had her own phone, with parental controls. It had his number and now mine, the babysitter, and 911 in the contacts. Plus it had the landline at work, though she understood I would only answer it during the day.

We checked, double-checked, and triple-checked our schedules, making sure our daughter was never alone in the house. On days when she didn’t have school and the babysitter wasn’t available, Posy would come to work with me.

“Daddy can shift now if he wants, and we can sit here and wait until he gets back.”

Clyde took his fur and bounded over the fence and through the trees.