Page 38 of No Potions Needed

For most of my pregnancy I wondered what to name my kids. I always thought I’d name at least one future child after my parents but couldn’t now. The grief was too raw, too new. It was too much. Besides, I was a superstitious wolf and naming my pups after someone who met a grisly and untimely end left a bad taste in my mouth. So, I named them after something happy. Something everyone loved. Ormund thought it was a little strange, but cute. So, he didn’t argue with me over it. The kids both kept their names even when they grew up and moved out on their own. They had happier lives than I could have ever imagined. They were safe even when the worlds we visited were turned upside down. I never regretted what I named my babies and encouraged them to give all their kids happy names too. As far as I knew, they followed the tradition I started there in the nesting grounds.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Othoni

I woke up from our nap naked and all wrapped up in Teddy’s arms. I fought off the urge to lick him as the sleep fog threatened to pull me back under, but something had woken me up. All I wanted to do was nuzzle into Teddy’s skin and drift back off.

“Hello? Othoni?”My carrier poked at me over the family link.

Ugh! This wasn’t awkward at all. It wasn’t like my mate’s big, thick dick was pressed against my back in a way that told me he must’ve been having very good dreams.

“Dad?”I said, doing my best not to let my voice show exactly how awkward of a situation he had caught me in.

“It’s me. Just checking in on you. You had done so well at calling every other day until now. I expected it to get a bit messy since you met him but I had to check on you. It’s so unusual not to hear your voice.”

“It hasn’t been that long,”I yawned.

“It’s a very long time while you’re out there all on your own. Yeah. Yeah. Mori. Teddy. Whoever,”Dad chuckled.“How are you and Mori doing?”

“Is this your round about way of asking if we’d have the claiming vows yet? Because it’s weird, if that’s what you’re trying to ask me.”

“I know you haven’t, or he’d be on the pard link. I’ve prepared everyone for it. Your sire says that a lot of dragons are very loud, and I don’t want him to frighten anyone.”

I rolled my eyes and turned onto my back. Teddy stirred in his sleep, and I held my breath. Sure, eventually he had to meet my parents, but I didn’t want to think about that right now. I also didn’t want to explain to my dad how bad that sounded.

“I know. I know. Your sire said that too, hon. I know. I’m not supposed to stereotype other shifters but he’s the one who said dragons were loud.”

“He said they had loud parties. I was there. We are not having a party right now. We were taking a nap.”

“I know. You dreamt of falling into the cauldron again. The last time you dreamt of that Old Cat Salana passed away. How is your old friend? Has he told you all his secrets yet? You don’t have to tell me what they are. I just wanted to remind you that sometimes dreams repeat because similar things are about to unfold. I want you to be ready for that. I do not want you to be caught off guard. Loss is harder when you’re not forewarned.”

“I think Dern is okay. He’s holding some stuff back but that’s because he’s stubborn,”I told him.

“Tell him about your dream and what it means. I bet that will light a fire under his wolfy tail!”Dad chuckled.

“Dad, can I ask you a serious question?”I asked him as I watched Teddy sleep. Slumber smoothed out all the lines in his face and he nuzzled into my arms without opening his eyes. He was beautiful and strong, and I needed my parents to love him as much as I did.

“I am not going to try to chase your mate off. I think you accused Mori of it because you’re projecting that fear onto him,”Dad said.

“Maybe,”I gave a bit of ground because he was probably right.“But are you sure? I don’t want to bring him home to visit and for everything to explode once we’re there. I don’t want to put Teddy or the rest of them through that.”

“I’ve grown a lot,” Dad said, sounding more contrite than I’d heard him sound in a while. “I really have. Your brother has visited with his mate and children.”

“Teddy isn’t even furry,”I reminded him.

“Well, he is part fox. I have nothing against your mate but if you want to knock someone over let it be me and not Mori. He’s been a good friend to you.”

I wiggled out from under Teddy’s arm and scooted to the edge of the bed unsure of what to say. Dad was right about Mori. He was telling the truth about accepting my brother’s mate. That took a long ass time, though. He actually banished my brother over it. I wasn’t sure I wanted to trust him with Teddy yet.

“I understand, son,”he said a second later, picking up on my thoughts.

“I want to trust you but it’s Teddy. He’s mine. He’s half of the future of the pard. Without him you’ll never be a grandfather. Without him, I’ll never lead the pard. So, when you do meet him, remember that. No Teddy, means no heir.”

Dad’s voice faded from my head as Teddy propped himself up on his elbows and rubbed his big toe over my back. A silent, ‘are you okay?’ When I didn’t answer, he crawled to the edge of the bed and scooted in behind me. I leaned back against him as his arms wrapped around my middle.

“I want to complain about my carrier, but it seems insensitive,” I admitted.

“Complain away. I’ve never bought into that whole ‘they’re family and you only get one thing.’ If someone hurts you or someone else, they should still be held accountable, and everyone complains about their family. It’s only the people and things we care about that can drive us crazy after all,” Teddy said.

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