“Honey,” his mother began.
I sat down in the chair to my right and watched Lakota with tenderness in my heart. Lakota held my cane and stood before me, still curious to hear my answer. I could see it in his inquisitive eyes. “I’m a Shifter. Do you know what that is?”
“Yeah, ’cause I’m one too. I can’t heal yet because I’m still a little man, but you’re a grown-up. My uncle showed me once how to heal when he burned his arm when we made some… uh… I don’t remember.”
“That’s right. But sometimes if you don’t shift right away, it’s harder to heal.”
“I know someone who can heal you. He’s good at fixing people.”
I smiled warmly. “It’s too late now. But that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with being different.”
“I know,” he said matter-of-factly, his eyes still fixated on the wolf’s face. “I’m not like everyone else too. Someday I’m going to be a wolf like this.” He spun the wolf’s head toward me and made a growling sound. “Rawr!”
“What’s your name?”
“Lakota.”
“My name’s Ivy. I came a long way to meet a special little boy I heard about all the way in Texas.”
“I know where that is. It’s big, but it’s not as big as Alaska.”
I reached out and swiftly brushed his hair away from his eyes. “That’s right, little one. You’re a bright young man. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“My daddy. All the time. He says I’m the smartest kid in the whole wide world. Are you a wolf too? Is that why you have one on your stick?”
“That’s right.” I sucked in a sharp breath and leaned forward, a ripple of excitement in my voice. “Would you like to meet her?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Cross said, standing up.
Lorenzo rose with him and stood between us. “You don’t trust her wolf with that child?”
“She doesn’t know him.”
“I know him,” I said. “We met once before in another lifetime. Would you like to meet her, Lakota?”
“I’m good with wolves,” he said proudly. “Someday I’m going to be a warrior and take out all the bad guys.”
I stood up and slowly walked toward his mother, clasping her hand. “Thank you,” I whispered privately. “I can see the love in your eyes—in his eyes. I don’t want to take that love away. But before I leave, I have a gift for Lakota. Would it be all right for me to give it to you?”
She touched a small set of round scars on her neck, her lips forming a grim line. Her mate eased up next to her and stroked her back. She nodded with worry in her eyes.
I reached in my purse and pulled out my dreamcatcher. After stroking one of the feathers, I placed a small kiss on the wood. “This is very special to me. My uncle made this before I was born to protect me, and I believe it has. It was blessed by a shaman and will keep him safe from bad spirits. Hang this over his bed or by the window, will you?”
When I placed it in her hand, I almost couldn’t let go. In that moment, I felt like a spirit walking into a world where I didn’t belong. I was letting go of my past and my future, and the dreamcatcher symbolized the trust I was placing in her hands.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, marveling the well-crafted design. “We’ll take good care of it.”
Mr. Cross stepped forward and Lorenzo made a strange move. He placed his hand over my stomach and pushed me back a little. I touched his arm, reassuring him it was okay. I didn’t have any concern about the Chitah harming me.
“You have our deepest gratitude.” The Chitah bowed slowly. “He’ll grow up knowing who he is, and it would be an honor if you would like to be a part of that. He’s too young to understand, but when he’s older, we’d like you to speak with him about his family so he knows where he comes from. On my word as a Chitah, you will always have a place in his life.”
I took his hand in mine and realized this was the hardest thing I’d ever done. Letting my baby go the first time wasn’t my choice, but this was. “That would mean so much to me. I’m no longer with the Kizer pack. I live with the Weston pack in Austin, Texas. It shouldn’t be hard to reach me if you ever need anything. I’d love if you sent pictures.”
He smiled. “I think we can do better than that. My female is pretty handy with the video camera, and we have hours and hours of footage.”
She eased up beside him and lightly kicked him in the leg. “I’m not that bad with it.”
He quirked his brow and glanced down at her. “Oh? And why will our son need to reminisce over his first time to the mall? All three hours of footage.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” she said in a tone that promised that conversation would be resurrected.
I smiled when he winked at her. Smiled for the love I could see in their eyes, the love that thrived in this home.