“Hey, you’re almost there, too!” Jovi said.
“And you’re more stubborn than both your brothers put together, so you have that working for you,” Douma added, lovingly grinning at him.
Dmitri blushed—and it was a rare sight.
“I have a feeling tonight is your night, son,” Bastien interjected.
“And what about you?” Mom asked. “When will you be joining your kids on those wolf runs?”
Victoria sighed, then ran her fingers through Bastien’s thick, black hair. “He’s got plenty of time,” she replied. “He already has the advantage of being a full wolf. The kids are halves, so they have more work to do.”
“And Voss is basically a quarter wolf, and he’s already putting all of us to shame.” Dmitri chuckled.
“I thought we’d already established that it’s because he got an early start,” I replied. “For what it’s worth, I think you’ll all get to his level pretty soon.”
Aida shifted her focus to me. “Speaking of, would you like to join us tonight? We’re doing another session with Lumi. It’s not a full moon, so we’ll have to work harder, but I think all three of us will shift tonight.”
My eyebrows popped up. I’d been worried I’d have trouble faking surprise and not making my dad look guilty of prematurely spilling the beans, but it seemed to work, since Aida laughed lightly.
“You didn’t think I’d remember, did you?” she asked.
I shook my head slowly, then smiled. “It would be an honor.”
“Yeah, we normally don’t let anyone outside the close family participate, but you’re quite the biology buff, aren’t you?” Jovi replied. “Aida thinks you’d like it. You know, the whole shifting process.”
I nodded eagerly. “I most certainly would!” I said.
“Then it’s settled. Come midnight, you’re joining us in the garden downstairs!” Aida concluded, clapping her hands once.
Pup-Voss howled again, as if sealing the deal. I could’ve melted right then and there, given how adorable he was. I noticed my mom and dad smiling at me and felt like the subject of a documentary. I could almost hear the narrator’s voice in the back of my head.
Amelia has successfully managed several social outings already. For a creature most comfortable with her treehouse lair, it is truly astonishing to watch her interact with other members of her Shade family. Even her parents seem proud, fawning over her and most likely hoping to see more of this Amelia.
As soon as the clock struck midnight, I followed Jovi, Aida, and Dmitri downstairs to the northern gardens of Luceria. Douma, Anjani, Field, and pup-Voss joined us, while Bastien and Victoria remained in the dinner hall with baby Richard and my parents.
The night was still young, and the half-moon hung heavily in the sky, accompanied by trillions of twinkling stars. The sky was perfect. The air was dry, with warm winds blowing in from the south. And a plethora of insects chirped in the deep woods nearby. The northern gardens, in fact, opened out straight into the forest, through a natural arch formed by two trees whose branches intertwined at the top.
Lumi was already there, leaning against one of the trees with her arms crossed.
“Don’t tell me we’re late!” Jovi scoffed. “It’s midnight. You said midnight.”
“Did I say you were late?” Lumi replied.
“No. But you’ve got that judgy look about you,” Jovi muttered.
Dmitri leaned in to whisper something to his brother. “I think that’s her usual look.”
It came out louder than he probably thought, as Lumi immediately rolled her eyes in response. She then motioned for Aida, Jovi, and Dmitri to move in front of the gate.
“Come on, you three. Take your positions,” she said. “You know what to do.”
Field, Anjani, Douma, and I stayed back. Pup-Voss was allowed to frolic in a nearby manicured bush. As a werewolf, he was at that age when everything could be chewed, and he showed no mercy as he snapped his little jaws on one of the greener branches, growling and tugging at it. Bright red petals scattered from above. One settled on the tip of his black nose for a moment, making him freeze.
He sniffed once, then sneezed, sending the petal away in a swirling flight.
I covered my mouth to stop my laughter from echoing across the garden, while Field chuckled, his eyes beaming with pride. “Yeah, he’s still discovering nature, I guess,” he said.
“I could die, I swear.” Anjani giggled. “Voss is such a heart-melting wonder.”
“Richard has conquered plenty of hearts, as well,” Douma replied.
“Okay!” Lumi said out loud, drawing our attention back to the Blackhall siblings. “Remember, you only need to look at the moon and listen to what your inner wolf is trying to say. It’s in there. It’s always in there.”
Aida, Jovi, and Dmitri were on their knees, their heads tilted as they looked up. Moonlight gave them all a pearly glow. I could hear them breathing. In and out, even and calm. Beneath that lay the restlessness of wolves. Their heartbeats were accelerated. They were yearning to be let loose.
“Your wolves are talking to you. Can you hear them?” Lumi asked, watching them carefully.
They’d done this before. Almost every other night. It had taken more than a year to get them to first shift during a full moon, then outside that fabled limitation. The energy coming off the Blackhall siblings tonight was pretty amazing. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up to attention. I had a feeling that Aida was right—that the three of them would turn tonight.
“Yes,” Dmitri murmured.
“What are they saying?” Lumi replied.
“Let me out,” Jovi whispered.
“What a moon…” Aida said.
