Page 57 of Magic's Rise

Bright lights push back the darkness, and people mill around a large, open area in the center, where tables are set up for communal eating.

“This is the pack compound where the werewolves live.” Levi sweeps his arm out. “Welcome to Silver Hollow.”

WELCOME TO SILVER HOLLOW

Laughter and conversation fill the air as Griffen leads us through the compound.

The people we pass greet us with warm smiles, like we’re long-lost family members returning home instead of strangers. It’s a far cry from the suspicious glances and whispered gossip that often greet newcomers in Hartford Cove.

“Dinner! Get it while it’s hot!” shouts one of the men who came to our rescue, and the others peel away from guarding us to join those gathered at a group of tables laden with food.

The shrieks of children split the air, and my focus jerks to the side, where I spot an army of kids running amok, their tiny legs kicking up dust as they chase one another around the smaller cabins that surround the massive central one.

“Welcome to our humble abode,” Griffen says as we approach the big cabin at the center of the compound. “This is where Levi, Ezra, and I live together.”

“Cozy.” I study the large structure. “Like a mountain lodge on steroids.”

Levi takes my comment in stride. “Thank you. We’re also fostering two younger werewolves who came from the outside. They’ll stay with the other kids, though, while you’re here.”

“Fostering?” I ask, curious. “How does that work?”

“Sometimes human women give birth to werewolves and drop their kids off here to be raised.” Levi pauses at the porch to let Tris slide off his back. “Most humans who haven’t mated with a werewolf want nothing to do with the cursed children. Fucking werewolves is sexy and thrilling, but not so much raising their children.”

“Sounds about right.” Tris rolls his eyes.

Haut turns to look back at the kids. “There are so many.”

Envy underscores the words, and I hug his big body with my arms and legs. Children are nearly non-existent in Hartford Cove, and not from lack of trying. The barrier here that gives werewolves control over their shift must mean the moms don’t lose their babies the way wolf shifters do.

An upgrade to our barrier gets added to my mental to-do list. If it’s possible here, then it’s possible for our home, too, so long as they leave my uterus out of the equation.

Tris frowns. “So you guys just take responsibility for raising all the kids?”

“We take in the pups, no questions asked.” Levi’s expression tenses. “Some are brought in from the other side of the barrier, too, though those are usually adults the Paranormal Council have picked up who haven’t killed yet. Werewolf children born outside Silver Hollow are rare.”

I watch the kids playing tag nearby. “Must be nice to have a place like this where they can grow up without being judged or feared.”

Levi’s face softens into a proud, warm smile. “We do our best to give them a good life.”

“When a human and a werewolf have a baby, is it always a werewolf?” I ask, wanting to know how werewolf biology works when they’re not driven to murder by the full moon. “Like how babies with one witch parent are always witches?”

“Actually, it’s fifty-fifty.” Levi scratches his chin in thought. “Sometimes, the child will be human, and other times, they’ll be a werewolf.”

“Interesting.” Tris raises his eyebrows. “So, do moms ever ditch their human children here?”

“No, that’d be far too dangerous.” Levi turns to continue up the porch toward the front door, where Griffen waits patiently for him to open it. “Human kids wouldn’t stand a chance in this environment.”

Two rambunctious pups tumble around in the dirt, wrestling with each other.

“Fair enough.”

As we walk through the main living area of the Alpha’s cabin, I’m surprised that it looks like a normal house, albeit with a rustic charm. The wooden walls and cozy furniture give off a homey vibe that makes me feel surprisingly comfortable despite our near-death experience just moments before.

With a head bob, Griffen trots down a hallway, leaving us with Levi.

“He’s going to change and put on some clothes,” Levi explains.

“Aw, shucks.” Tris sticks out his bottom lip in a pout.

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