Dark Wolf (Spirit Wild) - By Kate Douglas Page 0,121

world.

He’d been a puma cub. Born amid a litter of siblings, though he had no memory of that life.

He’d been spirit far too long.

He’d only taken on a physical body again in the past few years, running as a wild puma so that he could interact with the Chanku shapeshifters who had called him from the spirit world.

Then, mere weeks ago, he’d manifested as a human male for the first time, the same male who stood here now, holding Tala and Mik’s newborn daughter. A beautiful, dark-haired girl child who would one day grow to be a strong and beautiful woman.

Adam, one of their healers, cut the umbilical cord, separating the newborn from her mother. One of the women quickly wiped away the blood and afterbirth on the child he held as Tala delivered the second babe. Twins. A boy and a girl. Both strong, healthy babies.

Igmutaka bowed his head as he placed the newborn against her mother’s breast. Bowed to the babe and to fate, to the woman this child would grow to be.

A woman Igmutaka knew would change his life for all time.

New Haven, Connecticut, thirty years later

Star Fuentes heard the soft tone that signaled her mother’s call, checked the time, and realized she still had a few minutes before her date was due to arrive.

She took a sip of her wine, flipped on the cell, and smiled at her mom, a sixty-two-year-old woman who appeared to be in her late twenties. That was one of the wonderful things about being Chanku—aging slowed and practically stopped at the prime of life.

Tala’s mates looked just as young—early thirties at most—both of them so damned good-looking it was hard for Star to think of them as her two dads. In reality, Mik was sixty-eight and AJ already seventy-two. As with all Chanku, each faced an unlimited life span with those same youthful bodies and minds.

Star quit woolgathering as Tala’s broad grin and sparkling amber eyes chased away the discontent that had followed her like a cloud over the past weeks. “Hey, Mom. What’s up?”

“You mean other than your fathers?”

Star slapped her hand over her mouth to keep from spewing wine on the small screen. “Too much information, ya know?”

Tala’s laughter sent a shaft of homesickness through Star. She hadn’t been home to Montana for much too long. She missed Mik, her biological father, and AJ, her mom’s other mate. Hell, she even missed her damned spirit guide, but that was the last thing she’d ever admit.

“I just wondered when you were planning to come home.” Tala’s smile slipped. “I miss you, honey. You’ve been gone so long.”

“I visited last Christmas.” Short and not nearly enough time to reconnect with her mountain home. With her family. Her pack.

“You know that visit was much too brief, and you only let us talk you into it because it was your thirtieth birthday.” Her mom sighed. “Don’t you think it’s time to come back? You’re a pack animal at heart, Star.” She laughed, and Star felt the sting of tears in her eyes. “You can only stay away for just so long. Even Jack misses you.”

“Jack said that?” Star rolled her eyes. “Now that’s hard to believe.”

“You’re not kidding. For your twin to admit something like that, well, it’s downright scary.” Then the smile slipped from Tala’s lips, and she softly added, “It’s been almost fourteen years, sweetheart.”

Scrambling for yet another excuse, Star glanced at the stack of papers lying beside her computer. “I don’t know, Mom. I’m thinking of applying for another doctoral program. I’ll need to make the decision this week.”

“Star, don’t you think you have enough letters after your name? Don’t you miss the pack? Miss your family?”

So much it hurt to even think about it, but she wasn’t ready. Not yet. A brisk knock on the door caught her attention. “Gotta go, Mom. My date’s here, but I promise to think about it. I love you.”

“I love you, too. The dads send their love. Sunny said to tell you hi.”

“Thanks. Give her a big hug for me, and the dads, too. Bye, Mom.”

“Star? Before you go, one last thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You can’t hide from him forever, sweetheart. Some things are stronger than we are, and he’s one of them. I love you.”

A shiver raced along Star’s spine as the screen went dark. In all the years she’d been away, her mother had never asked her to come home to stay, had never mentioned the real reason she’d chosen to live so