Page 36 of Shift Happens
“I’ve never been more sure of anything,” I told him truthfully. “You crashed into my life, knocked over my displays, and somehow became the most important person in my world. Of course I want to marry you.”
He launched himself at me with typical Milo enthusiasm, covering my face with kisses until we were both laughing. “We’ll need rings,” he declared between kisses. “And paperwork. Humans love paperwork for important things.”
“We’ll figure it all out,” I assured him, holding him close. “We’ve managed to bridge two worlds already. Marriage should be simple by comparison.”
As we drifted toward sleep, Milo curled against me in his favorite position, I thought about the journey that had brought us here—from that first chaotic interview to full moon ceremonies to werewolf comic nights. None of it was what I had expected when I’d opened my carefully organized store that morning months ago, but all of it was perfect in its own strange, wonderful way.
The dreamcatcher swayed gently above us, wolf fur and feathers catching moonlight that filtered through the window. Like us, it was a blend of different worlds, different traditions, woven together to create something new and beautiful.
My life may have more chaos in it than I ever planned,I thought, pressing a kiss to Milo’s hair,but it also has more joy, more adventure, and more love than I ever imagined possible.
Epilogue
“Careful with that box,” I called out, watching as Milo attempted to maneuver a heavy shipment through the narrow doorway. “It’s the limited edition Sandman set.”
“I’ve got it,” he insisted, right before the box slipped slightly, causing him to perform an impressive dance of recovery that somehow, miraculously, ended without disaster. “See? Perfectly fine.”
Six months after Milo’s impromptu proposal, and Panels & Prose had undergone some significant changes. The most obvious was the expansion—we’d leased the vacant space next door, knocking through the connecting wall to nearly double our floor area. The additional room had allowed us to create a dedicated reading lounge, complete with comfortable seating and a small coffee bar (which Milo was now officially banned from operating after The Espresso Incident We Don’t Discuss).
Less visible but equally important were the modifications made with our more unusual clientele in mind. Once a month, on the night before the full moon, we hosted “Moonlight Readings”—officially advertised as a themed book club, but actually a gathering for shifters and their human partners to discuss literature that resonated with their dual-world experiences.
“The new shelves look great,” Milo observed, setting down the Sandman box with exaggerated care. “Dad did an amazing job.”
I nodded in agreement, admiring the handcrafted wooden shelving that now lined our expanded space. Arnold, it turned out, was a skilled woodworker—a talent he’d offered in support of our growing business. The shelves were beautiful, designed with both aesthetic and practical considerations, including hidden compartments that Milo insisted were “traditional wolf craftsmanship.”
“The grand reopening is going to be perfect,” Milo continued, bouncing slightly on his toes with excitement. “The timing couldn’t be better—new space, new stock, and only two weeks until the wedding.”
I smiled at his enthusiasm. Our upcoming wedding had evolved into something unique—a blend of traditional human ceremony and wolf pack ritual that would formally unite our worlds. Sadie had worked with a justice of the peace who happened to be married to a shifter from a neighboring pack, creating a ceremony that would satisfy both legal requirements and pack traditions.
“Speaking of the wedding,” I said, checking my watch, “we should finish up here. We have that final meeting with the officiant at six.”
Milo nodded, but his attention had already shifted to a new display he was arranging—a special section featuring graphic novels about transformation, duality, and finding oneself between worlds. What had begun as selections for our shifter book club had evolved into one of our most popular sections, resonating with human readers who felt caught between identities of their own.
“Almost done,” he assured me, carefully positioning a copy of “Through the Woods” at the center of the display. “Just getting everything perfect.”
I watched him work, still struck by how much he’d grown into his human role over the past year. The clumsy, fidgetywolf who had crashed into my store had transformed into a confident, if still occasionally chaotic, business partner. He still knocked things over with alarming regularity, but now recovered with grace and humor rather than embarrassment.
Our apartment above the store had evolved as well, expanded into the additional space above the new section. What had once been my tidy, minimalist living quarters was now a warm, eclectic home that reflected both our personalities—my organizational tendencies softened by Milo’s more instinctual approach to space.
He’d insisted on a proper “den room”—a space designed specifically for full moon nights when he needed to shift but wanted to remain home rather than run with the pack. The room featured a special door he could operate in wolf form, comfortable flooring, and a window seat perfectly positioned for moonlight.
“Earth to Finn,” Milo called, waving a hand in front of my face. “You zoned out again. Thinking about the wedding?”
“Just thinking about everything,” I admitted. “How much has changed. How right it all feels.”
His expression softened as he moved to stand beside me. “Having second thoughts?”
“About marrying you? Never,” I assured him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Just appreciating the journey.”
He leaned against me, a contented sound rumbling in his chest. “It’s been quite the adventure so far. And we’re just getting started.”
“That sounds both promising and mildly threatening,” I observed dryly.
He laughed, the sound still my favorite thing to hear. “With me, it’s always a bit of both.”
We finished setting up the new displays, then locked up the store and headed to our meeting with the officiant. As we walkedhand in hand through the early evening streets, I marveled at how completely my life had transformed in the span of a year.
The wedding plans themselves reflected our unique situation. The ceremony would take place at twilight on neutral territory—a beautiful outdoor venue at the edge of town, close enough to the forest for pack comfort but accessible for our human guests. Sadie would serve as Milo’s witness, while my sister (who had been surprisingly accepting of the whole “my brother is marrying a werewolf” revelation) would stand for me.
