His words bring a lump to my throat. After years of feeling alone, of never quite fitting in anywhere, the idea of having a support system, a family, is almost overwhelming.
Finn looks at Leo curiously. “Pack?” he asks, glancing between us.
I realize with a start that in all the chaos, I haven’t had a chance to explain everything to Finn. “Right, sorry. Leo’s part of my pack—we’re shadow shifters. Well, I guess I’m not exactly a typical shadow shifter, but...”
“But you’re our alpha,” Leo finishes firmly. “Hybrid or not.”
Finn’s eyebrows shoot up. “Alpha? Wow, sis, you’ve been busy while I was out.”
I feel a blush creeping up my neck. “It’s a long story. I’ll fill you in on everything, I promise.”
Leo clears his throat, his hand briefly touching my shoulder. The warmth of his skin sends a familiar tingle down my spine.“Speaking of packs... Frankie, the others are getting antsy. They want to know what’s going on, if you’re okay, and... well, they are curious about Finn.”
I lean into his touch, just for a moment, drawing strength from his presence. “Thanks, Leo. I don’t know what I’d do without you guys.”
His eyes soften, and I catch a glimpse of the depth of emotion there before he masks it with his usual grin. “Crash and burn, probably, but hey, that’s what we’re here for, right?”
I look at my brother, nibbling my cheek.
Finn’s lips quirk into a mischievous grin, a spark of life returning to his eyes. “Well, I guess I should meet this pack of yours and make sure they are worthy males.” He raises a brow, his tone light but with an undercurrent of protectiveness. “I have some brotherly moments to make up for. Plus, I need to know who to threaten if they hurt my little sister.”
I snort, rolling my eyes. “Little sister? You’re like, what, two minutes older?”
“Two minutes is two minutes,” he retorts, his grin widening. “I’m clearly the wise, mature one here.”
My heart squeezes in my chest.
This right here is what I’ve been missing my whole life.
“Send them in,” he tells Leo who bounces from foot to foot.
Leo grabs the doorknob and lets it swing open. Matteo is the first one through, then Tori rushes me, nearly knocking me over as she launches herself at me.
“I thought you were dead! What’s this about light and dark and oh my gods, you have a cut! Are you okay? You have to be okay and and…” She trails off.
Laughing, I drag her off me. “Tori, I’m alright.”
She nearly sags with relief.
Behind her, I just catch Bishop walking in with flowers that he sets aside.
“This is Finn. My brother.”
Tori’s eyes widen comically as she whips her head between Finn and me. “Brother? You have a brother? Since when?”
“Since birth, apparently,” I say with a wry smile. “It’s... complicated.”
Matteo steps forward, his usual stoic expression softened by concern. “Are you both alright? We heard there was some kind of confrontation with the council.”
Finn shifts in his bed, clearly uncomfortable with all the attention. I squeeze his hand reassuringly before addressing the group. “We’re okay. Just... processing a lot of information. The council wants us to help with some kind of balance between realms, but we haven’t decided anything yet.”
Bishop steps forward, concern softening his features. “Whatever you decide, we’re with you, Frankie. Both of you,” he says, nodding to Finn. “If you need help researching the balance between realms, I have access to some rare texts that might be useful.”
Matteo, ever the tactician, chimes in. “We should start planning for different scenarios. If the council is right about the urgency, then we need to be prepared for anything.”
Leo, sensing the tension, throws an arm around my shoulders. “Hey, don’t forget the most important part of all this—figuring out if Finn has any embarrassing baby stories about Frankie.”
Tori bounces on her toes, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Oh, or maybe some cool light powers we can test out! Can you imagine the pranks we could pull?”
