Inevitably Yours

QUINN

I was too wrapped up in my head to hear Nic’s frustrated ranting behind me. I couldn’t believe the kids had gotten into a fight, let alone over me. I wasn’t ignorant of the fact that there were people in the pack that may not have favorable opinions of us, but I thought it was an overall positive view. I knew kids could be mean, but the behavior was learned from somewhere. Thanks to this blue mutant hair, I knew my pups weren’t lying at all, but it wasn’t something I could prove.

“Mate,” Nic said. The word caught my attention. I looked up to see what was going on. Michael was looking at Nic, shocked. I scanned the office, trying to follow Nic’s line of sight. A younger woman stood in the doorway holding a box labeled ‘rockets’ with a wide-eyed expression. She had a broad face and long, dark hair. Everyone else in the room seemed to have noticed something was happening.

You didn’t need to be a scientist to know Nic wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t blame her after everything that had happened. Before I could even begin to figure out what to do, the office door opened again, and Diane, Belle, and Junior joined us. “Miss Taylor,” Diane said. Nic’s mate seemed to snap out of her trance a little.

“Oh, um, hi, kids,” she said sweetly, her eyes darting between them and Nic. Michael cleared his throat.

“Alright, out to the cars,” I waved to them. I connected gazes with Michael, and he nodded. I knew he would be worried about this; Nic’s first mate had been a disaster.

Everyone in the office seemed to decide to mind their business. I hurried the kids out the doors and toward the cars, with Michael following close. “But Mommy, you forgot Auntie Nic,” Rowan pointed out.

“Shhh,” Daniel hushed him. “She found her mate.”

“What?” Diane said, stopping in her tracks. Nic hadn’t given Diane the full story of her birth, to my knowledge, but I knew she intended to someday.

“Diane, sweetie, let’s just get back to the packhouse and wait for your mom there,” I said gently. “I’m sure she will explain everything later.”

“Aunt Q, is Miss Taylor my mom’s mate?” she pushed. I looked at Michael for backup.

“Let’s get back to the packhouse. There has been far too much excitement for one day,” he said sternly. The kids divided themselves between Michael’s car and mine. “We should go. Nic will get back,” he said as he closed the car door on the kids.

“I guess we are having the mate talk tonight,” I sighed. Michael nodded. Junior and Diane were headed to middle school the next year, where they would start getting classes about wolf-specific things like mates and shifting. We were hoping to hold off on talking about any of that stuff until that time.

Michael and I got in our cars and headed home. I started my day with the most seamless payroll processing and enjoyable pup playtime at the library, only for everything to fall apart. My stomach was in knots about why the kids got into a fight, but now that was overshadowed by Nic finding her second chance.

When we got home, Michael told all the kids to put their things away and meet us in the living room to talk. Judy came in like an angel and offered to put Rowan down for a desperately needed nap.

When we were alone in the living room, waiting for the kids, he finally addressed it. “You aren’t going to blame yourself for this fight,” he said firmly. “Those kids were out of line, and ours were defending you.”

I frowned. “They had to defend me, M. They do have a weird woman with blue hair for a mom. I’m not just a wolf.”

“But you are the best Luna this pack has seen in a long time. My mom just survived at the heel of a tyrant. You have given your heart to this pack. It doesn’t matter if you’re wolf, Fae, witch, or human. Judgmental asshats need to be put in their place,” Michael said.

“M, those kids are seven. I don’t think a punch to the face is necessary,” I said, my shoulders slumping.

“They are seven. Somewhere in this pack, they heard those hateful things muttered, and they clung to that. You don’t deserve it, and neither do our children,” he argued.

“We need to tell them the truth. And I’m not talking about mate stuff. They have blue hair; they should know what it means,” I concluded.

“Then we tell them it’s something that they can be proud of. A gift they were given, not something they should fear,” Michael said. I nodded with a tight smile. Somehow, I preferred to talk about mating than this.

–

The kids stared back at Michael and me from the couch. I rocked nervously on my heels, unsure what they would do now. Junior was the first to speak.

“So, what you’re saying is, we’re going to get magical powers?” he asked. My mouth dropped open; that was his reaction. Michael looked at me.

“You could. We aren’t 100% sure. There is not a user manual for all this,” Michael answered.

“I got the wrong mom,” Diane said, crossing her arms and leaning back into the couch.

“Wait, so what can Mom do?” Belle asked.

“A few things,” I said.

“For one, she has a lie detector in her head,” Michael added. Belle and Junior’s faces went pale as they looked at each other.

“So you know when we….” Junior trailed off.

“Oh yea,” I smiled at him. “I know everything.”

Diane started laughing. Belle turned around and punched her in the shoulder. “Hey! I told you not to lie to Aunt Q!” Diane growled.

“So why does Mommy cut our hair so much?” Daniel asked, interrupting the older ones’ bickering.

“There is a lot we don’t understand about the Fae or any of you as hybrids. We may never know things for sure. Your mother cuts your blue hair out to protect you. People are afraid of the things they don’t know, and that is especially true for wolves. We never wanted any of you to get hurt because of those little bits of hair,” Michael told them gently.

“I want to grow it out!” Belle declared. “I want to look like my mom too!”

“Me too,” Junior said, standing up. “As the future Alpha, I’m not scared of anyone.”

Their words warmed my heart but also scared me. They weren’t old enough to understand the danger they could be in. Michael and I could barely grasp it because we still knew so little.

“Uncle Michael,” Diane said. “Can we talk about my mom now?” Diane was very blunt, just like her mother.

“Well, I think maybe we should wait for her to talk about that stuff,” he said.

“Snacks! Who hungry?” Judy called as she came into the living room. Honestly, her timing was perfect.

MICHAEL

We narrowly avoided the mating conversations. Nic had been silent since I left her at the school. I really wanted to check on her, but I also didn’t want to interrupt her. If she found a second chance mate, I wanted everything to work out for her. Quinn and Judy herded the kids into the kitchen for snacks, so I slumped down on the couch.

Somehow the day felt like an eternity. I never expected the kids to end up in a fight, let alone all in the same fight. I didn’t think I should punish them; they were defending each other. I was also worried about how Quinn was feeling about all of this. Then to top it all off, my best friend found her mate again in a truly awkward situation.

The front door opened and closed. I didn’t hear any footsteps, so I got up to see who it was. Nic was leaning with her back against the door. She had a girly, happy smile on her face, and she was lightly touching her lips. I stood there quietly until she finally realized I was there.

“She’s a literal rocket scientist,” were the first words out of her mouth.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“Rocket scientist?” I clarified.

“Goddess, M, she is amazing. Literal rocket scientist. Her cousin is a fifth-grade science teacher. She convinced her to help with the little rocket project. That’s why she was at the school. She’s so young, too. Like more of a baby than Quinn! But f**k is she gorgeous,” Nic ranted.

“Hey, hey,” I said. “Slow down a second. You have a cheesy happy look.”

“Well, thankfully, sense kicked in, and we didn’t mate in her car in the school parking lot, but she’s coming over later. She already knows Diane and likes kids. I even gave her the out when my brain was semi-working. I told her I could take the rejection, and she looked at me like I was crazy. M, I really think this is my shot. She’s perfect,” Nic smiled. I wasn’t sure she took a breath in between any of that.

“This is coming from your best friend; please make sure you are careful. I mean, our lives aren’t exactly straightforward,” I warned her. I couldn’t watch her get hurt again. Nic sobered a little.

“If you’re okay with it, I’m just going to be honest with her. I mean, there is nothing wrong with the three of us sleeping together occasionally, but I think it’s only fair she knows before she makes her decision,” she said quietly.

“I trust you,” I nodded. “And if she’s all in, she can move in here with us. Maybe we can renovate the floor under us for you guys.”

She lit right back up, and her excitement was palpable. I could see the wheels spinning in her head, creating her happily ever after. She sprang at me, making me step back as she hugged me tightly. “Thanks for sticking through everything with me. I mean, without Diane, I may have never met her. I love you, M.”

“Love you, too, Nic,” I said, hugging her back. “Not to burst your bubble again, but Diane has some questions that I was able to put on hold. Probably not forever, though.”

“Think we can get rid of the pups for a night? Just one so Taylor and I can work things out?” she asked.

“I’ll make a call,” I smiled down at her.

–

My dad agreed to take the kids for a night after I told him what was happening. He was there only an hour later to take all five. Quinn hated that we let the older three ride in the back of his truck, but I assured her he would drive slow.

Without the kids, she decided to get ahead on work. Knowing that they would all be home for the next few days stressed her out. Judy decided to take the night off to visit a friend, and I made myself scarce so Nic could entertain her new mate.

It was getting late, and I still hadn’t seen Quinn. I was sitting on our upstairs couch watching a movie when I heard movement on the steps. I looked over my shoulder just as Nic fell over the back of the couch. She looked euphoric.

“I take it that went well?” I asked with a smirk. She pulled at the collar of her shirt, showing her fresh mark. “Wow. Congrats.”

“M, I love her. I love her so damn much. She’s perfect,” Nic said.

“I’m glad you finally found her,” I smiled. “I guess we have some plans to make for some construction.”

“We’re going to get her moved in soon. She is going to start looking for a job here in Stary. I’m not sure what a rocket scientist can do here, but I don’t care. I’m so happy.”

I let her brag and tell me all about her new mate, and I was excited to be formally introduced. There would be some adjusting in the packhouse, but I wanted to trust her new mate. There was still a lingering question in the back of my mind.

“So, did you tell her?” I finally asked.

“She didn’t care at all. She said she would have never even guessed but didn’t care,” Nic smiled softly. I relaxed a little. I would have felt guilty if Taylor had wanted to reject her over a s****l partner.

“Q is going to be obsessed with her. You two are so much alike too. Goddess, this is the best day ever,” she smiled.

“Need I remind you that our children almost got suspended?” I laughed. Nic waved her hand.

“I would have done the same thing,” she laughed.

“So what now?”

“Does Q have any ice cream up here?” she smiled.