Page 114 of Magic's Rise

I bounce in my seat. “Finally accepting that you can’t keep me off the roof, huh?”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Haut growls. “But we know we can’t stop you.”

“You are getting so many belly rubs tonight,” I coo, my eyes on the peak of my castle until we get too close to the house for me to see it.

Then I spot Owen and Ros standing on the porch, surrounded by a horde of pumpkins, and without waiting for the van to come to a complete halt, I unbuckle my seatbelt and fling open the door.

“Hey!” Haut yells, but too late as I leap out.

Racing up the steps, I slam into Ros and Owen with the force of a mighty tornado. They don’t stumble an inch from the impact and wrap their arms around me in fierce hugs.

“Missed you guys so much!” Tears prick at the corners of my eyes.

“Missed you, too,” Owen murmurs into the top of my head, while Ros squeezes me tighter, his silence speaking volumes.

When we break apart, Ros runs a hand over my tangled braid, which I wrapped in a crown on my head. “What happened to your hair?”

I rub my head into his hand. “It’s going to take you hours to fix it.”

He chuckles and kisses my forehead. “Challenge accepted.”

Owen takes a step back and lifts my sweater slightly, revealing the flower pattern birthmark on my stomach. I mirror his actions, lifting his shirt to reveal an identical mark on his hard abs. The marks had blossomed overnight after we destroyed the werewolf curse as a physical manifestation of our mate bond. It’s beautiful and makes me feel even more connected to him.

I trace the edges of the design with my fingertips. “Are you sad that you didn’t revert to a pure wolf shifter?”

We had spoken the morning after the ceremony, and he had been forced to shift, the same as Levi’s pack. Deputy Arden, too. While they hadn’t been natural-born werewolves, their change was permanent.

“Nah,” he shrugs, giving me a lopsided smile. “I can still do the partial shift to wolfman any time I want, so I’m strong enough to hold my position as Alpha.”

“Good to know,” I grin and step back, releasing his shirt. “How have things been without us?”

“Far less exciting than your adventure.” Ros attempts to smooth my hair. “Though there was some drama at the pie competition.”

I had completely forgotten about that with everything else that was happening. “Oh, no. Did Mrs. Smith win?”

“Nope.” He smirks.

“Ha! Did Jesse rub it in her face?” I smile at the thought of her bitter defeat.

“Actually, Jesse only got second place,” Ros says, clearly enjoying my confusion.

My foot taps with impatience. “Okay, so who did?”

“Delilah.” He beams with pride for his sister. “Swept the competition with an apple and cheddar pie.”

“Apple and cheddar?” I sputter, horrified and fascinated all at once. “This is going to start a war.”

“Yep.” Ros gives me a wicked grin. “And you’ll be right in the middle of it, relishing every delicious moment.”

I thrust my arms into the air. “Pie wars!”

Owen raises his brow. “I thought you swore off apple pie.”

“Absence made the heart grow fonder.” I rub my stomach. “I have been sorely lacking in dessert over the last week.”

“Hey, if you’re done plotting, we could use some help!” Haut yells as he unloads the trunk.

“Never!” I run toward the open door, only for Ros to catch me.

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