Page 38 of Fractured Fang: Omega

“Needles,” Matty chuckled. “And crotchet hooks.”

I thanked them, and before I could fully tell them how much it meant to me and to this project, Phillip was on the porch calling and signing us to dinner. Levi wasn’t even with him, and he was still signing. Phillip had his faults, and he didn’t always show his love in ways I would show it, but it was moments like these that I truly understood just how deep his love for his family was.

We went inside and left the totes in the front entryway. Matty brought the baked goods into the kitchen, and Armand and I went to the living room, where I found Levi and Gabe waiting.

“I figured you would want to do this before dinner,” Wilder said. “I’ll keep Phillip busy.”

Unlike most days, Phillip wouldn’t be upset about us being late tonight. This was important to him too. In fact, I’d have been surprised if he didn’t sneak around the corner to catch a little bit of the official paperwork.

“Levi, I have some good news,” Armand said. Unlike those of us in the pack, he hadn’t been learning sign, but he had enough from one of his missions that he was able to sign “good” and point to the paper. That seemed enough for Levi because he was bouncing in his seat.

Armand had Gabe and I put our signatures on each of the bazillion lines. And when we finished, Armand promised it was official, and someone would deliver the final human legal forms soon. It was the last step we needed to make sure Levi could stay with the family he loved and the pack he’d already become such a huge part of.

We went into the dining area and ate enough food for three packs. It was taco night, and Levi was proud as punch to tell us how he chopped the veggies, stirred the meat, and even shredded the cheese. And he should be, and not for the reason he was. Sure the food was amazing, but the big feat was getting Pop-pop Phillip to allow him to be his co-pilot in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, Armand and Matty needed to leave after we ate. We thanked them again for facilitating all of the paperwork for this step and for the yarn. They were great friends of the pack, and we appreciated them more than they could know.

“What do you want to do to celebrate?” I asked Levi with both spoken words and sign. It had become habit to do both while people were learning, and Levi said he preferred it, so we would probably continue to do so until he told us otherwise.

“Knit outside.” He grabbed one of the totes. Knitting outside, it was.

We all joined him, Phillip announcing that the dirty dishes could wait. Wilder lit a fire pit for us, the flames lighting the mural in an eerily beautiful way. There was a time not too long ago when it would’ve made me terribly sad to see it that way. But I’d come to realize that everything happened as it was meant to—all of it, even the fire. And now I saw the beauty of the light we sat down to work by.

Levi passed around balls of yarn to all who weren’t holding a baby, and we all started either knitting or crocheting a square or as close to a square as we could get. May had mentioned that squares were great because we could then create any size blanket they needed from them pretty quickly, which was a great way to test that theory.

“These are going to be some colorful blankets,” I said as I put my first square on the pile—square being subjective.

“They are.” Gabe leaned into my side. “I love how it’s all kinds of yarns and even stitches, yet it’s all going to come together to be a beautiful thing, one that will make a difference.”

“It’s like Fractured Fang, Dad,” Levi signed, his hand resting on Gabe’s growing belly. “We are all different, but when we come together, we are beautiful.”

Looking around the fire, I could see how right Levi was. Fractured Fang wasn’t your typical pack, but that was what made us special—made us beautiful.

Epilogue

Gabe

Leviwasrunningdownthe path, a large piece of paper in his hand and a ginormous smile on his face. There was nothing unusual about that. He always came home from school with enthusiasm. May did an amazing job with all of the kids. The unusual part was that I couldn’t get myself up and out of the rocking chair I was sitting in.

I didn’t mind my huge belly or my lack of coordination as my pregnancy progressed. I loved that my body could morph into exactly what our babies—it was twins, Franklin confirmed—needed. And my mate? Macs thought I was the sexiest omega on the planet this way and couldn’t keep his hands off me. But this pain was new, and I was not a fan.

“Levi!” I did his sign name as I called out to him out of habit.

He had started not to wear his hearing aids recently, saying he didn’t like how they made him feel and that he didn’t feel like he needed them to fit in anymore. He’d been so nervous telling us, not realizing that his words would fill us with joy. They meant he felt accepted, loved, and understood here. That meant everything to the pack and me.

Levi handed me the paper and started to sign away. He still spoke as he signed, but not out of necessity as much as he was used to doing it. “Centaurs,” he fingerspelled. “Franklin read us a book about Centaurs. Did you know they used to be real?”

I looked down at the paper to see his drawing of a half human, half unicorn.

“Unicorn Centaurs?” I asked.

Franklin loved to go to school as a visiting storyteller. Sometimes he read books; sometimes he just wove tales. Usually, they had some kernel of truth in them but wrapped around an entertaining afternoon adventure. He said it was a way to help carry our history. But Unicorn centaurs? That was a new one.

It gave me an inkling of an idea, though… I had started recording painting lesson videos that we shared with Asilo and other packs. I could take this centaur idea and put brush to canvas and really illustrate Franklin’s story. That would be a project for another day, though; today, my children were restless inside me.

I tried to get up again. I should’ve known better.

Levi’s eyes went wide, and before he could respond, I did, “Being pregnant is just hard in the end.” Or at least I hope that was all this is. “Maybe you could get Franklin, and he can give me some tea.”

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