Page 9 of Red Light, Green Light
“Wynnie, are you okay? You look a little feverish,” North noticed with furrowed eyebrows.
I nodded. “I have been feeling hot today, but it doesn’t feel like I’m sick—”
“Do you have any other symptoms?” Mom tilted her head, a knowing smile blossoming across her face as she continued. “Did you happen to start feeling this way after a certain pair of athletes?”
I raised an eyebrow at her.
“Looks like your girls are your mates and have triggered a heat for you.”
For the second time today, my brain short-circuited completely. “They are my who and did a what now?”
Mom laughed. “It isn’t common, but it isn’t rare either among reindeer-shifters and tends to happen during mating season. If you have found your mate or mates, then your body tries to get your head and heart on the same page by triggering a heat so you can bond. It’s perfectly natural, sweetheart.”
“Oh! That happened to a girl at work a few years back. I heard it’s intense as fuck. Like some soulmate type shit,” North added.
Soulmates? Could Felicity and Merrilee be my—?No, that’s not a thing. You couldn’t start building a life with two people you just met based on some universal woo-woo shit. That only happened in fairytales and Hallmark movies.
Right?
I mean, I was a flying reindeer-shifter who had wind powers and wanted to drive Santa’s Sleigh. Things like soulmates weren’t too far off from my reality.
“Will it happen every mating season now?” I panted.
Mom nodded. “I’m afraid so, my love.”
“Aw, it’s like a vow renewal from the universe,” Belle said. “How romantic!”
Easy for you to say,I thought, fanning myself faster.
“OMG, this means that Wynter will finallyhaveto bring girls home. Oh, I have been waiting for this moment for her to get the Full Mom Treatment foryears,” Carole hollered.
“Yes!” Belle clapped. “We will need to find the album with her stuck in the tree in nothing but her diaper!”
“Oh, and they are going to love getting Mom’s house tour, complete with seeing your room with your posters of them—”
My phone vibrated with a text from Felicity saying they were downstairs and waiting for me. I thanked the gods for the reprieve.
“I have to go! I will see you guys tomorrow night, right?”
Mom nodded. “We will be sitting right in the front row! I can’t wait to see you make your dream come true, sweetheart. I know you will do great. No matter what, I couldn’t be more proud of you.”
I blinked back tears, grateful for magical mascara. “Thank you so much, Mom. For everything. I love y’all!”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
“Have fun!”
“Get absolutely wrecked, babe!”
“Love you, honey!”
I ended the call with a smile. Then, I gave myself one last check in the mirror before I grabbed my clutch with my phone and hotel keycard and headed downstairs.
CHAPTER 3
QUALIFIERS
There were so many bodies. So many voices. So many scents. So much music and bass. So much movement.
