Page 26 of Fractured Fang: Omega

“What did Levi mean when he said ‘then we can talk?’” I asked, making sure to enunciate my words as best as possible, knowing that it wouldn’t make things better for Levi as far as knowing all of what I said, but it was the best I could do, and I was trying.

Gabe grinned. “You’ll see.”

He threw off his shirt and pulled off his jeans. We’d left our shoes back by the car. He shifted to his fur, and just as he did, Levi turned around, smiling at him. He put his hand on Gabe's back, running his fingers through his fur. The bond between them was so strong.

I removed my clothes as well and shifted to my wolf form. Levi picked up our clothes and moved them to the edge of the forest as if he’d done this a thousand times, and maybe he had.

Your wolf is very cute,a voice in my head echoed; it was similar to the one that echoed through the car when we first arrived, just a bit clearer. Was Levi talking to me—to my wolf directly? Was that what they had meant?

I looked around nervously. My hair was standing on end, and then the voice was giggling in my head. And really, it wasn’t nervousness as much as trying to make sure I was processing it all correctly.

Sorry. Gabe says I should warn people before I talk to them.

I looked at Levi, and he was smiling from ear to ear.

What magic is this?

Levi shrugged.We’re not sure. Mom was a witch. Gabe says maybe this is my gift since I can’t hear, but I can still talk to you all when you’re shifted.

I looked at Gabe, and even though he was in his wolf form, it was as if he shrugged and smiled at me.

That’s amazing, Levi. It’s very nice to meet you.

You too. I’ve been waiting.Come on, let me show you my favorite places.

We started to meander into the forest via the trail. And though I had spent countless hours in my life in my wolf form, traveling, hiking running places with my sister when I was a kid, with my grandparents, and with my pack brothers, it was this moment that I realized I had never truly known what joy was. But seeing my mate with Levi, a little boy who somehow captured my heart in the five minutes I had known him, I experienced happiness for the first time and couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life recapturing that moment.

I realized right away that there was no way Gabe and I would ever have our lives together unless Levi was a part of it. No matter what, I would find a way to make that happen. But that was something Gabe and I needed to discuss together.

If he left Levi here, in protection, when he went to his parents, there was a reason. He might not get along with his father, but he wouldn’t keep Levi from him based on a disagreement about work ethics. He was protecting the boy by keeping him there, but that left the big question—how can we make it safe for him to leave? That was a question for later. For now, I wanted to enjoy this time with my mate and Levi.

Will you teach me?I asked when we had settled into a nice patch of grass in the sun, barely off the path. Levi had his hand on each of us, and while I couldn’t hear my mate or even Levi when he spoke to him, we were having a three-way conversation of sorts.

Teach you what?Levi asked.

I want to learn to talk with my hands too. I want to be able to tell you things without having to ask my mate to be a go-between. How are we going to plan things like his birthday cake or a surprise game night if I need him there to help me talk? Do I just wolf out all the time?

Levi found great humor in my words, and his laughter was both inside my head and from his lips. “We will plan much mischief behind his back.”

I rubbed my head against his arm. Levi trusted me—trusted me with his speech. I might not have known him for long, but this was huge, and I wanted him to know just how much it meant to me, and so I told him.

Thank you. I feel honored to have your trust.

If you want to talk to me in my way, then I will try to talk to you in yours. That’s what packs do, right?He said it matter of factly, but also, there was a tinge of insecurity in that, and I wanted to extinguish it and stat.

Yes, that is what packs do.

I want to be a part of whatever pack you and Gabe are a part of.

I want that too, Levi. I want that too. And I was going to make sure that happened.I just needed to figure out how to make that happen. I trusted that Wilder and Perry and their mates would accept Gabe and Levi with open arms. The only wild card in the situation was Phillip. He would want to know how Levi came to be in Gabe’s custody, which meant revealing all of Gabe’s past.

Chapter 14

Gabe

Ithadbeentoolong since I had that much fun. Playing with my mate in our fur and having him meet and truly get to know Levi had been everything. It had been so long since I’d heard Levi laugh the way he had, and I loved it.

As soon as we got back to the center of the Asilo territory, though, there was business to discuss with Morgan, and Levi had to return to his studies. He immediately took off with his friends to where ever they went for their next course work, while Macs and I got dressed. Levi had always been a sponge for learning, and I was excited to see where his future would take him.

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