Page 27 of Curvy Girl and the Mountain Man Wolf
Her face lights up with the validation, green eyes sparkling with pride. "Can we follow it?"
"Not today," I tell her, glancing at the position of the sun. "We need to head back. Your mom will be waiting for us, and we need to get ready for tonight."
"The full moon," Lily says with a knowing nod, suddenly serious. "Your special night."
"Our special night," I correct her gently. "All of us."
She grins, reaching for my hand as we turn back toward the cabin. The casual touch still amazes me sometimes. The easyaffection this child offers, her complete acceptance of what I am, what we are together. A family. A pack.
It took us months for Lois and me to explain to Lily what I was. We started slowly, with stories about shapeshifters and magical creatures, gauging her reactions. Then Lois began staying at the cabin more often, our weekend visits extending longer as Cedar Falls Elementary broke for summer. By the time autumn painted the mountains in fire colors, Lily had grown comfortable with me, with my place in their lives.
The revelation, when it came, was almost anticlimactic. Lily had spotted "the wolf" near the cabin again, had asked endless questions about it. Finally, Lois and I decided it was time.
"The wolf is Kane," Lois had told her daughter gently. "Kane can change from a man into a wolf."
I'd expected confusion, disbelief, perhaps fear. Instead, Lily's eyes had widened with wonder. "Really?" she'd asked, looking at me with newfound fascination. "Can you show me?"
That first transformation in front of her had been the most nerve-wracking moment of my life. More frightening than combat, more tense than any covert operation. But when my wolf form stood before her, Lily simply smiled and reached out a small hand to touch my fur.
"I knew you were special," she'd said.
Now, a year and a half later, it's simply our reality. Lily knows to keep "the wolf secret," as she calls it, understands that not everyone would accept or understand what I am. But within our family, within our home, there are no secrets, no shame.
"Race you back!" Lily challenges suddenly, breaking into a run through the trees. I let her get a head start before following, keeping my pace slow enough that she can win if she pushesherself. My wolf rumbles with contentment at the sight of her racing ahead, dark auburn hair streaming behind her like a banner. Not my blood, but mine to protect nonetheless.
The cabin comes into view.
No longer my solitary refuge but our family home. We've expanded it over the past two years, adding a proper bedroom for Lily, enlarging the kitchen, building a covered porch that wraps around three sides.
As we break through the treeline, the cabin door opens and Lois steps out onto the porch, one hand resting on the gentle swell of her stomach—five months along with our first child together. My wolf stirs at the sight of her, as it always does, with a possessive pride that never diminishes.
"I won!" Lily announces triumphantly as she races up the steps to her mother.
"Of course you did," Lois says with a smile, smoothing her daughter's windblown hair. "You're getting faster every day." Her eyes meet mine over Lily's head, warm with understanding. She knows I let Lily win, appreciates the small kindness.
"Did you have a good hike?" she asks as I climb the steps to join them.
"Kane showed me turkey tracks!" Lily reports enthusiastically. "And we saw where a deer slept last night, and he taught me how to tell which way the wind is coming from by licking my finger and holding it up."
Lois laughs, the sound still the sweetest thing I've ever heard. "Sounds like you're becoming a regular woodswoman."
"Kane says I'm a natural," Lily declares proudly.
"You are," I confirm, leaning down to press a kiss to Lois's lips. "Both of you."
Lois has taken to mountain life with the same determination she brings to everything, learning the rhythms of the seasons, the skills needed to thrive in this remote place. She still maintains her job in Cedar Falls, still keeps connections to the community we've built there, but more and more, this cabin feels like our true home.
"You should get cleaned up," Lois tells Lily. "Aunt Sarah and Uncle Jim will be here in a couple of hours for the cookout before moonrise."
Lily nods and dashes inside, leaving Lois and me alone on the porch. I draw her into my arms, her back against my chest, both hands coming to rest on the swell of our child.
"How are you feeling?" I ask, nuzzling against her neck, breathing in her scent mingled with the newer, sweeter fragrance of pregnancy.
"Good," she assures me, leaning into my embrace. "Better than with Lily. I think this little wolf is going to be strong."
My heart swells at her words. Our child, the perfect blend of us both. The doctors in Cedar Falls can't tell yet if it's a boy or girl, but my wolf senses it's a son. A boy who will share my gift, my curse, my nature. A child who will never have to face the confusion and fear I did growing up, never have to hide what he is from those who love him most.
"What are you thinking about?" Lois asks, turning in my arms to look up at me.
