He was struggling not to laugh. "The whole point is to get naked, and since you don't sound up to rolling around in bed..."
All I could do was laugh at that because he did have a point. "Ok. Do I at least get shoes? I mean, if we're stopping by Vic's new place? Wait, did Ashley get them a lease?"
"We handled it all," he promised. "You fell asleep on the couch, but the rest of us were going until three in the morning. They have a lease, a card on file for rent, their keys, and all of our phone numbers, just in case they have a problem." Then he pushed to his feet and scanned the room. When his eyes landed on my shoes, he headed that way. "You need to smell the world, right? This is going to count, and I want to make sure that your third exposure to bears is easier than the first. Put these on, and we can go."
"Gabby?" I asked, only raising my voice a bit.
"Yeah?" she asked, appearing on the stairs only a moment later.
"Lane's taking me to visit our new neighbors and then to the trails. I won't have my phone, so if you need anything, call Ian?"
"Can do," she promised. "Oh! Can I go over to Olivia's later? If you're not back by then?"
"Why?" I asked.
She chewed on her lip, making it clear she was up to something. "We're kinda writing up a covenant for all the species, and I wanted to surprise Ian with a finished version."
Lane chuckled at that. "I won't tell him," he promised. "It'll need to be looked at by a lawyer, though."
She nodded. "Henry said he'd finalize the wording for me."
"That's my girl," Lane said.
Something about his tone made my heart flip in my chest. He was proud of her. Honestly, completely, and without reservation proud of my daughter, and willing to let her know. Her father had never talked to her like that, and until that moment, I hadn't realized it was even missing. But seeing the way Gabby puffed up at such a simple comment proved that she needed it.
"No leaving the community without telling one of us," I decided. "Otherwise, be home by ten? If you're going to be late, call, ok?"
"Promise, and thank you, Mom!"
Then I looked at Lane. "Well, let's do this. Just... if I get stuck as a wolf, you're stuck with her. Keep that in mind."
"You won't get stuck," he promised as he turned me to the door. "Also, Gabby isn't exactly a good threat. I kinda like the kid, Elena."
Still, I was a little nervous about my first intentional shift. I could remember the way it hurt to pull my body apart and put it back together. What I wasn't sure I could do was make that happen on demand, yet I kinda wanted to. I'd run so fast that night, and I'd felt invincible. I'd never really been the kind of person who went jogging for fun, but the idea of cavorting in the trees as a wolf wasn't the same. It wasn't exercise, but play, and I really did want to try again.
But first, we stopped at the last house in the community. It was actually on the same side of the street as the nature trails, but far enough down that there wasn't a direct view from the front yard to the parking area. But, when we got closer, I saw three large pickups pulled up to the house. Two had been backed toward the garage. The last was parked on the curb and empty. Lane pulled his own truck in behind it.
I didn't even make it out before the front door of the house opened and a large Black man appeared in the door. Lane waited for me to reach his side, then dropped an arm over my shoulder, and the pair of us headed up together. The man just waited, not saying a thing, but he looked ready for the worst.
"How's the move going?" I asked when we were close enough that I didn't have to yell.
He just lifted his chin at me in that male acknowledgment gesture. "Is there a problem already?"
"Nope," Lane said, moving just before me to offer his hand. "Lane, pack beta and one of Elena's mates."
"Jax," the bear said, accepting his hand. Then he glanced back. "Guys! Company." And over to me. "Care to come in, Alpha?"
"We'd love to," Lane answered for me.
Jax stepped back, granting us