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Em and I were sitting trying to hash out my career choices, or lack of them, when there was a knock at the door. I put Tia on the play mat and watched as Em went over. We both knew there were guards outside, so it must’ve been someone from the pack, but even I was surprised when we were greeted with Ben, Rhys, and little Callie.

And what looked like two bags of hurriedly packed items.

"Um, hey, guys," Emery said, stepping back to let them in. "What's going on?"

Ben shifted awkwardly, his face flushed red. "Dad sent us. Mom, uh..." He glanced at Callie, who was clutching her stuffed wolf, then at Rhys, who looked equally uncomfortable.

"Isla's in heat," Rhys blurted out, then immediately looked mortified. "Matthew kicked us out. Said to come here."

“Oh gosh, that’s amazing,” Emery cried out, and I got it, I really did. Thanks to the curse, apart from Tia, no shifter children had been born in almost twenty years.

I bit back a laugh at their obvious discomfort. "Welcome to the club," I said dryly. "Apparently it's contagious around here."

Emery shot me a warning look before turning back to the boys. "Of course you can stay. There's plenty of room."

"Thanks," Ben mumbled, setting down the bags. "It was...loud."

Rhys nodded emphatically. "So loud."

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing, which made Tia giggle in my arms. "Sorry," I managed between chuckles. "It's just...the look on your faces."

"It's not funny," Ben protested, though his lips twitched. "We had to pack in like two minutes flat. Matthew was all growly and pushing us out the door."

"At least you got to pack," I pointed out. "I've been wearing borrowed clothes for days."

Callie, who at fifteen months was now toddling and saying a few words, squirmed until Rhys put her down then made a beeline for Tia’s play mat. Tia, who was sitting up, immediately took notice.

Callie sat down beside her, showing her a collection of small toys she'd brought.

"So," Ben said, flopping onto the couch. "Heard you presented as an omega."

I nearly choked. "Word travels fast around here, huh?"

Rhys shrugged, perching on the arm of the sofa. "Pack gossip. Can't avoid it."

"Great," I muttered. "So, everyone knows about my three-day sex marathon with Bayer. Fantastic."

Ben grinned. "If it makes you feel better, no one's going to be talking about you now that Mom and Dad are, uh..."

"Please don't finish that sentence," Rhys groaned, covering his ears. "I'm traumatized enough."

I shared a smile with Em. There was something refreshingly normal about Rhys and Ben’s embarrassment—the universal mortification of kids discovering their parents have sex.

"Have you guys eaten?" Emery asked, ever the caretaker.

"Not in the last two hours," Ben admitted. "We were too busy running for our lives."

"Drama queen," Rhys muttered, but his smile took the sting out of the words. Ben's face lit up and they high-fived. Ben glanced at us. "I've been trying to teach Rhys human slang."

Em rolled his eyes. “Two hours without food? That long? You’ll be wasting away to nothing.”

Unable to help myself, I slid off the couch to play with the babies.

"Okay, Tia, let's see if Callie wants to build something," I said, reaching for the colorful blocks scattered nearby. "Because building helps develop fine motor skills and spatial awareness," I sing-songed.

Emery snorted from the kitchen, where he was already pulling food from the refrigerator. "Are you seriously devising a lesson plan?"

"Old habits," I admitted, arranging the blocks between the two toddlers. Callie immediately grabbed a red one and handed it to Tia, who looked at it with intense concentration before promptly putting the corner in her mouth.