Page 46 of Alistair

After the guys shifted into their elephant forms, Maggie and Novi stood near the maintenance shed while the guys chased each other around the paddock, Alistair watching over them.

“Are you okay now? Not freaked out?” Novi asked.

“Yeah, I’m great. Did you freak out when you found out?”

“Absolutely. I always knew something was different about me, though. My eyes would change color when I got emotional, and my fingernails would darken and even my canines would lengthen a little. It wasn’t until I went to the park and met Cael and some of his friends that I felt even more like something wasn’t right. Once I knew the truth, it was like everything made sense.”

“I feel like the strong connection we had from the beginning is because he’s a shifter,” Maggie said.

“Oh, definitely,” Novi said. “Their animals let them know when they’re near their soulmate, and it’s easy for them to fall in love. It takes us a little longer, I think because we’re always told that quick relationships, insta-love stuff, doesn’t last.”

“But it does with shifters and their soulmates,” Maggie said. She could feel that was the truth in her heart. It might seem fast to people outside of the shifter groups, but she knew that Alistairwas her soulmate and the only guy in the world for her. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought about their relationship, it only mattered what she felt in her heart.

“Absolutely,” she said.

“Are all the alphas mated?”

“Just three now. Joss the wolf alpha and Atticus the gorilla alpha. Both their mates are human too. When you go to the marketplace underground, you’ll meet Jeanie since she runs the cafeteria, and Lori—she’s my mom—works in the security office printing up the photo albums for the VIP tours.”

“Your mom is mated to an alpha here? That’s so cool that you get to share the truth with her and don’t have to keep it a secret.”

Alistair trumpeted loudly and the others responded, then he made his way to them, his trunk swinging as he moved.

“I’m going to hang out with the guys while the tours are going on,” Novi said. “It’s why I’m wearing the animal handler uniform. The mates are allowed to be in the paddocks wearing this uniform during the tours. It lets us hang with our mates without it looking suspicious to the guests.”

“I’d love to do that sometime. This was amazing.”

“We’ll have a big dinner to celebrate your mating once you guys move down into the private area.”

“What private area?”

“Alistair has a lot to show you, but trust me it’s so much nicer than the apartment.”

Maggie hugged Novi and then turned to her big elephant soulmate.

“I’m ready to talk to you again. I enjoyed hanging out with the memory, but I really miss chatting with you.”

He nodded.

She hauled open the doors of the shed, which were big enough for him to walk into. She closed the doors behind them and then watched as he returned to his human form. Someonehad brought his clothes in from outside and set them on a workbench.

She ran into his arms and hugged him tightly, tears springing to her eyes.

“I don’t know why I’m so emotional right now, I’m just so happy to see you again,” she said, laughing a little as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he said. “I’m feeling pretty damn emotional myself. I was scared that you’d reject me. You were so mad at me when I was telling you about being a shifter.”

“I thought you were playing a joke on me!” She brushed at the tears on her cheeks and kissed him. “What would have happened if I didn’t want to be with you?”

He pressed his lips together, then said, “You would have had to stay at the park anyway. You wouldn’t have been able to be left alone until you came to terms with the truth. It’s why we don’t tell the truth until we win our soulmates’ hearts. We have to know that love is there first before we talk about being shifters.”

“I understand. And I can see why you’d be afraid I would bolt. If I hadn’t passed out, I probably would have tried to leave. It crossed my mind that walking away was a good idea, but it was too crazy for me not to see if you could actually become an elephant. And you did!”

“What did you think?”

“I think you’re pretty damn cool. Alpha.”

He grinned and kissed her. As he dressed, he said, “After we mate officially, you’ll be alpha female of the memory.”

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