Page 35 of Second Shooter

Jia blinked. “We are going to have a discussion about moderation, Win.”

Win started laughing. “I am a little bit extra. I am very happy to have talked to you, Jia, Alwin. I will leave you to your grandmother now. I haven’t had breakfast yet. I spent the night in a tree.”

Alwin’s eyes lit up at that, but he nodded and waved.

Win waved again and then walked into the kitchen. Wellyn and Atil were looking at her, and Draven held his hand out. She took his hand and sighed. “I was not expecting that.”

Draven pulled her against him and stroked her back. “Was it horrible?”

“No. I have a dad who loves my mom, but I was sick, and they had to give me up,” Win mumbled. “That is not what I had anticipated or imagined.”

She was turned to Wellyn, and he stroked her back and hugged her gently. Atil was next with a hug.

Atil sighed, “So, happy news?”

“Yes, but I care for the parents who raised me, but knowing what I learned, they were on assignment.” She thumped her head against his chest. “I have parents.”

“Most people do, Win.” Wellyn chuckled.

“But you don’t get it. We were told that we were handed over. That the Elite got our moms pregnant and left them for dead. The fact that he had to hide from the Stronghold is confirming one thing.”

Atil asked, “What?”

She looked around at the elves in the room. “Sooner rather than later, the Stronghold is coming down.”

She thumped her head against Atil again. “Now I have to figure out where to get clothes that fit a nearly seven-foot woman.”

Lady Fen returned. “I can help you there. You will be coming with me.”

Wellyn said, “She will not.”

“She is my great-granddaughter, and my nose is telling me that you have not mated yet. It is also telling me that she is an omega.”

Win paused. “I don’t want to go without them. They will probably keep me from killing someone. I don’t have a lot of self-control in this form. But wait. Omegas have a smell?”

Everyone in the room stared at her. She looked around and grumped. “What? I have no sense of smell or taste. We have established it.”

Lady Fen paused. “That is rare.”

“It happens in multiple alpha marks being scrubbed. Or in omegas taking suppressants. I don’t have to do that.”

Lady Fen touched her cheek. “We will get you sorted out, Win. Do you have another form? I know some of the others do.”

“I do, but it was painful and hard to be in. I haven’t tried to get back to it since I grew.” She leaned into Atil and exhaled slowly. She closed her eyes and tried to resume her normal shape.

She held her dress against her and opened her eyes. Cori grinned at her from her extra inch in height. “Hey, shorty. Why didn’t you do this after the fight?”

She looked eye to eye with Lady Fen. “Because this height next to a dark Elite has some unfortunate connotations, but it might save my knees.”

Wellyn stared at her and laughed. Atil gripped her arms, and Draven gasped. She was five-five in her beta shape. She kept her dress covering her breasts. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh yourself silly. I don’t care. But, now, I still don’t have clothes.”

Lady Fen smiled, and tears started streaming. “You look just like your grandmother.”

She blinked as she realized Fen meant her own daughter. “Oh, right. I forgot. You must have a bunch of kids.”

“I have indeed, and everyone is an aunt, uncle, or cousin of yours. Jia went missing three decades ago and only contacted us to tell us she was alive. None of us could find her. If you go to visit her, I would like to come along.” Lady Fen reached out and hugged her, murmuring, “Finally, a lady in the family who is my size.”

“There might be two of us. I have a friend who looks a lot like me, but I think, in her case, one of your male offspring had a weekend at play.”

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