Enigma

Chapter 13

"Mommy?"

Lillian woke with a grunt. Her eyes slitted open, the day was noticeably brighter. She moved her head this way and that to appease the discomfort in her neck.

Two pairs of blue eyes stared at her.

"Mommy? Did you sleep here?" Ezra asked. Lillian put her feet on the floor, the lingering warmth of a certain black wolf indicating it hadn't been long since he left.

"Not all night," Lillian said on the edge of a yawn.

Smiling, she slid down the chair, sitting cross-legged on the floor, and opened her arms. Ezra and Elijah flowed into her embrace, settling in her lap. Lillian pressed kisses to their messy heads. Soon they would be too big for both of them to fit in her lap. They were growing so much faster than Lillian would have liked.

They told her all about their play date with Elias, about the shifting lessons, about their friends... It was something Lillian hadn't been sure she'd ever witness.

"Mommy?" Ezra said, brows furrowing as he buried his nose in her shoulder. "You smell like Noah."

Lillian's eyes widened. She felt like a kid with her hand in the cookie jar. Which was ridiculous! She had nothing to feel embarrassed about. "Oh? really?"

"Yes!" Elijah agreed, playing with a lock of her hair. "You smell like you, but also like him."

"Oh dear," Lillian mumbled, sniffing herself. She didn't smell anything unusual. But her nose wasn't a wolf's. She shrugged. It didn't really matter.

"Okay, let's go boys," she said, patting their backs. "You'll be late for your shifting lessons."

"Today we'll go swimming in the lake after we shift!" Ezra rose and hopped in place. "Miss Liv said that."

"Oh, wow. You have to be careful, though. And listen to Miss Liv."

"Okay!" They rushed inside. Well, at least the twins knew what they would be doing today.

After eating breakfast and getting ready for the day, Lillian walked them to the school's front yard where pups gathered every morning with Liv. The blue eyed teacher, with her snow white skin, cherry red lips and long black hair reminded Lillian of European royalty. She was kind and gentle, but with a backbone of steel when pups got all over the place. She was perfect for her job.

The teacher was wagging her finger at a child in wolf form. The pup held a boot in his mouth. The big brown shoe hanging off his jaws to the ground. Someone in the pack must have lost their shoe this morning.

"Morning, Liv," Lillian called after kissing the twins goodbye. They rushed to join some of their friends.

"Good morning, Lillian!" Liv said, coming over after retrieving the lone boot. "How are you doing?"

"Great," Lillian replied, surprised to realize it was actually the truth.

After the nightmare, she usually had horrible, moody days. Not today. Cuddling with a huge black wolf might have had something to do with it. Heat crawled up her face. Lillian looked around the play yard, only now noticing the unusual number of adults moving around with purpose. "What's going on?"

"Hm?" Liv followed Lillian's gaze to one of the men carrying a slab of wood that must be double Lillian's size with ease. The teacher's eyes widened. "Oh dear, I totally forgot to tell you! Usually I don't have to tell the parents since the day has become an annual event in the last few years after James' mother insisted we should stick to the tradition-"

"What day?" Lillian interrupted, having gotten used to the way the other woman tended to ramble and get lost in her train of thoughts.

Lillian quickly learned that interrupting Liv was the best way to stop her from going too far after the first couple of times Lillian had to stand there and listen to the black haired teacher ramble for ten continuous minutes.