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Mo got in a fight about something stupid, said really mean things to each other, and Annie left to sort out her feelings.”
    “What were they fighting about?” Sarita asked. She had noted the absence of the cat-shifter from the compound, but Annie often took off for weeks or even months at a time.
    “What was the fight about, Mo?” Fionn teased.
    “I don’t remember,” she confessed.
    “And my tough Alpha mate is not going to be the first to apologize, so…” Fionn shrugged. “That’s why we are one cat-shifter short of a full nuthouse.”
    “ Entendido. Some things never change.” Angelo snorted. “I need to run.” He turned to Sarita and smiled, “Will you join me, querida ?”
    She nodded shyly.
    “I’ll join you,” Fionn smiled.
    “Me too,” Gerard rumbled.
    “I’m meeting Rose at the airport, so I need to go. Enjoy your run.” Monica dismissed them with a wave.

    Sarita followed the other wolves toward the field at the edge of compound property. She was still new to shifting, but she already enjoyed the thrill of letting the animal side of her surface and take over for a time. It was a heady, addictive feeling, because the wolf left all the human bullshit behind and just felt. What would it be like to run with her mate? She shuddered in anticipation.
    She pushed a quiet thought out toward Mac, inviting him to join them, and she wasn’t surprised to find him waiting for them. She watched with a smile as Gerard walked into Mac’s arms and kissed him, hard and sweet, silently declaring his feelings in front of everyone. She laughed out loud with glee as Fionn stopped walking and stared at his son.
    “Did you know?” he asked Sarita.
    “Since this morning,” she whispered.
    “That explains the tattoo,” Fionn smiled as he gestured to the Ursa Major tattoo that Chandra, the Amazon tattoo artist, had placed above Mac’s heart over a month ago.
    “And I thought he had a newfound love of astronomy.” She giggled, a sudden rush of joy working through her. She knew it was coming from her Guide, a giddiness and relief that he wasn’t keeping a secret any longer. Quickly, she began shedding her clothes, folding the borrowed dress into a neat square. When she turned to look at her mate, her breathing grew shallow.
    Angelo was not a big man, in fact, with Bear nearby, even six-foot-and-then-some Fionn Murphy looked smallish. But every inch of his compact body seemed honed with a purpose. Spare and sinewy, he looked ruthlessly efficient. His expensive suit was neatly folded, and he reached for her dress, placing it on top of his own clothing before setting them aside. His body was mostly hairless, a surprise to her after spending so much time with the rest of the Murphy clan and the rather hirsute Bear. She blushed as she realized she was analyzing him like a piece of art.
    “As long as you like what you see, querida ,” he whispered, winking at her. She felt the change in the air that she had grown to recognize as others shifting, saw Fionn and Mac, two big black wolves, start loping away with her Bear following behind. For a moment, she and Angelo were alone and she grew shy.
    “Are you worried you won’t be able to shift so soon?” Angelo cocked his head to the side as he looked at her.
    She nodded. It was all new to her, and shifting was as exhausting as it was exhilarating. That morning, when she’d shifted-and-shredded, she hadn’t thought beyond getting as far away from Mac and Gerard as possible. That shift had been effortless. Now that she needed to consciously bring the wolf forward, it was different.
    “Hey,” he whispered, pulling her into an embrace. “You can do this. Don’t overanalyze everything. Just—just let her out.” He buried his hands in her hair, and she felt his lips brush over hers lighter than air before seizing them hungrily. She gave in to the waves of heat washing over her and shuddered at the sharp pleasure of her teeth shifting. The sensitivity racked her