Alora poked her head into their office. “That coffee machine was clearly defective.”
“You tried to enhance it!” Hunter pointed an accusing finger.
“Shifters metabolize caffeine differently. I was trying to help.”
“You created a drink so strong it made three tiger shifters spontaneously shift in the middle of lunch.”
Maya grinned. “Best lunch break ever. Though the tables didn’t survive.”
The institute had quickly developed its own rhythm - Sierra leading the medical research department, Hunter and Maya coordinating security, human and shifter scientists working side by side. Even the occasional mishap (like the Great Caffeine Incident) only seemed to bring everyone closer.
Later,they escaped to their favorite refuge. The private tiger sanctuary Rehan had built sprawled across several acres, providing homes for rescued big cats. Alora lounged against his shifted form, surrounded by dozing tigers as the sun painted the sky in brilliant oranges and pinks.
“This is better than any lab,” she murmured, fingers buried in his thick fur. “No charts, no data - just stripes and sunsets.”
A young tiger cub tumbled past, chasing a butterfly. Alora’s heart melted at its antics.
Our cubs will be even more trouble,Rehan’s thoughts brushed hers, full of warm anticipation.
“Half shifter, half scientist?” She grinned. “The world won’t know what hit it.”
As long as they don’t actually hit it with experimental explosions.
“No promises. Though I suppose we could put ‘no unauthorized chemistry before age ten’ in the parenting rules.”
One of the adult tigers padded over, flopping down beside them with casual grace. These moments - peaceful, perfect, surrounded by family both human and feline - made everything they’d fought for worth it.
“Think we’ll ever get used to this?” she asked, watching the cub finally catch its butterfly.
His response carried centuries of certainty:Let’s hope not.
The sun sank lower, painting everything in gold. In the distance, tigers called to each other, their voices carrying across the sanctuary.
That was the real miracle, Alora thought. Not the science or the shifting, but the simple truth that hearts could find each other across any boundary. Their children would grow up in a world where “impossible” just meant they hadn’t figured it out yet.
And knowing their combined genetics, they’d probably figure it out with a bang.
A controlled experimental bang,she added silently.
Rehan’s mental groan only made her smile wider. Life had given her more than she’d ever dreamed possible - a mate who challenged and supported her, a family that bridged two worlds, work that made a real difference, and the promise of a future filled with love, laughter, and probably a few strategic evacuations.
She wouldn’t have it any other way.