“That’s because she’s far more regal than the two of us put together,” Arctic joked, his melodious voice wrapping around my senses. Smiling, I leaned more into his embrace to release a soft sigh of contentment. My fingers relaxed a little, and a soft snort had me glancing up to find a mischievous grin on his lips. “Want to see the cutest, most adorable thing you ever will?” Arctic asked, and I hesitantly nodded. With a sly smirk, he stepped back, and I swallowed my cry of loss. After he ruffled my hair, I met his gaze, seeing his silent plea for trust, and I nodded shakily. With a slight smile, he backed away several more steps, then ran towards me, jumping when he was a few feet away.
He was outlined in white for a few seconds, that outline quickly grew smaller, and a fluffy ball of fur landed in my arms. I caught him by instinct, shaking my head a little because it was one thing to guess or hear that someone could shift. It was a whole new ballgame when you witnessed it. I marveled over the adorable arctic fox in my arms. He was the size of a small dog, around thirty pounds, so Arctic was a little bigger than the average fox according to what I learned in middle school. I looked him over, internally cooing about his adorable little paws, and I adored the amber of his eyes.
“Unlike werewolves, we don’t have an inner animal,” Tyger murmured, “it’s entirely us in control at all times. We may share instincts with our brethren, but they don’t rule us.” Makes sense, and explains why his eyes changed. If they didn’t, well, it would be clear that either something was different about this fox, or that he was a shifter if someone knew the signs. Giving in to an instinct of my own, I pulled the fox tighter to my chest and lowered my head to nuzzle into his fur. Arctic snuggled closer to me too, and his soft purr vibrated through the air. I fought a smile at the smugness and contentedness oozing from him.
“Oh lord, there’s two of them now?” A musical, female voice demanded with fondness curling around her words. “We can barely handle one.” A soft, pleased yip had me glancing at the fox in my arms, and a slight smile curled my lips. This might be the beginning of a beautiful, prank filled relationship. I’ve always yearned for someone to misbehave with, if I’m honest. As a little girl, I knew better than to behave any way other than as perfectly as I could. Father didn’t need a reason to show his displeasure over the fact that his only child was a girl. And, once Matty came, well, mom had enough on her plate, so she didn’t need me misbehaving on top of it. After that, I never had time to do anything less than try my hardest to keep my nose clean. If I got picked up by the authorities, the government would have had no choice but to get involved. Matty would have been placed in an orphanage or foster home, and they would have placed me in some kind of home too. We would never have seen each other again. So, no, I’ve never dared to pull any pranks or misbehave other than my sarcastic thoughts.
“Yes, Arctic has met his match. Ironically, her name is Angel, so some god somewhere is having a laugh at our expense,” Tyger explained with a chuckle. “Angel, this hellcat is Snow.” She was around my height, with the otherworldly beauty the vampires and shifters possessed. Her hair was a silver-blonde, which I found to be gorgeous, and her eyes were sapphire blue. She quirked her brow when our gazes met, and I bit my lip when I could meet her eyes for a long time without the skin between my shoulders itching. What was with these four? Even when I met Riff’s gaze, I still felt uncomfortable by this point, yet I didn’t with them? Why?
Blinking rapidly, I realized I was staring and dropped my eyes while my cheeks heated. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, and Snow chuckled. Not even a second later, she wrapped her arms around me for a gentle hug. Motherly. Her embrace felt like mom’s.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for, little one, I’m pleased you’re not afraid of me. You shouldn’t be since you complete our foursome. There’s so much love here. We are a family, and we’ve been waiting for you,” Snow counseled in a gentle voice full of patience. “Ryker is the adopted patriarch of our ragtag group of loners and outcasts. We are safe here, which means the world is safe from our fury. We have quite the tempers. But I suppose that explains why our last and youngest is an omega. Who better to help us calm down when we need to?” I nodded shakily, desperately hoping I could aid them if they needed me. Would they toss me out if I couldn’t? My mind rebelled at the idea while my heart ached, and my soul cried in agony. We only just met, and already they became my home. Wait, what about Matty?
Shaking my head, I sought my younger brother’s gaze, my heart beating a little harder when his eyes had the telltale sheen of tears. I opened my mouth to say something, although I did not know what words could justify what must appear to be my abandonment of him. However, my throat decided that making my voice work was too daunting a task, so only air escaped my lips. Clearing his throat, Matty murmured, “in all my life, I’ve never seen you so happy, Angel. I thought you were at your apartment, but now I see you
