The Courage to Love: The BraveHeart Series Book 2

Chapter 12 - Jehlani

Seeing Amir and hearing his mind link that I was in heat was something that I didn't want to expose to the children just yet, so I took his advice and left. I knew something was wrong with me, but I thought it was due to the stress of everything that was going on. I never once stopped to think about my estrus.

This wolf business has been confusing since the beginning. I was born a pure-blooded witch, but I inherited the shifter genes from my father, who came from a line of ancient shifters. The gene skipped my father and passed to me, but my parents didn't get a chance to experience it because my powers came much earlier than expected. My thirteenth birthday was filled with a lot of firsts: my first period, the first time I controlled my powers unassisted, and my first shift. Of all the things I could've shifted to, my first shift was a damn squirrel. I tore up my entire room, bumping into everything that got in my path. If it weren't for my Nana, I wouldn't have learned how to control it.

According to Nana, the shifters were a unique race that once had their own customs and traditions that paid homage to the first of their kind. My father's parents, James and Joyce Anderson, were advanced alchemists and members of the Shifter Society in America. They were tasked with finding a cure to an unknown plague that was pushing shifters closer to extinction. They studied the disease for six months before they began developing pus-filled sores on their skin that would soon graduate to second and third-degree burns if exposed to any source of light. Before their symptoms could get worse, my grandparents confided in the only people they could trust and placed their only child in the care of my Nana and Papa when he was a young boy to keep him safe. Sadly, they succumbed to the plague shortly after that, and my father never understood why until he was older, and Nana explained it to him. My parents were raised as siblings, but they couldn't help but fall in love with each other. From the way Nana explained it, they were a bonafide love match, and until their deaths, they were inseparable. I didn't understand that feeling until I first laid eyes on Trent.

Before I became Luna Nafisa, I could shift into whatever I wanted, but I had never felt a wolf's spirit until the day I met Trent. I found that weird because Amina is a wolf, and that girl spent every waking moment with me when we became thick as thieves. When I first shifted into Nafisa, it was beyond scary, and I never knew such pain existed until the birth of my babies. Since the coronation, my wolf has become dominant thanks to Trent infecting me with his Alpha genes. I can still shift into other things, but the need hasn't arisen since the birth of my babies. The moment Trent bit down on my mating mark, I felt my body changing, and this luscious feeling has been with me ever since. The sight of Duke's car whizzing by me and drifting into the parking garage snapped me out of my daydream. It was a good thing I was a witch and could concentrate on multiple things at once if I wanted to. It wasn't a feat that was easily gained, but it was necessary due to the arrival of three hyperactive Alpha pups.

The drive home was hectic. It was so much going on and so much to prepare for, but Camden is the only thing that was getting any attention. I've put no thought into what I was getting Trent for our anniversary, the children's first birthday is also right around the corner, not to mention the Umbutu contracts. This was exactly why I hired Shelah to be my assistant. I still couldn't believe that Thema's mother was alive, but what I'm not the least bit surprised about is Camden lying to her about it. Now that she knows the truth, I just need her to come to her senses and realize that no more blood has to be spilled.

As I pulled into the long driveway at home, I peeked in the rearview mirror and saw that all three of my pups were asleep. I smiled as my heart warmed at the sight of my and Trent's creations, and instantly decided that their first birthday was going to be one they would never forget. It was Friday and the sunset was almost gone, so the grounds were busy with everyone doing their last-minute assignments before getting the okay to go home. Since the pack has grown tremendously, Trent and Duke made sure to give everyone something to do. They also made sure all mandatory training and educational classes were attended. No excuses or exceptions.