We sat around the living room while Sawyer in his normal body talked to the principal and security officers, he called to come out here to talk about the new "gift". He was almost done talking to them when he got a phone call that he answered even though the principal gave him a disapproving look. "This is Swayer." That seemed to be his signature answer.

He hummed and thanked whoever was on the phone before hanging up. His gaze found Sage where she was sitting between the twins in a pair of pajamas. "That was the clinic. They have confirmed your species." He told her.

Sage nodded expecting the outcome like the rest of us. There was no question in our minds about what she was. We all knew it. "After this, I will call to register you as an endangered species. You may be the last of your kind Sage." He informed her.

The principal perks up at this information, "Endangered? What species is she?" He demands to know as if she isn't even in the room.

My lips curl up in a silent snarl. I wanted him to respect her because she deserved it. Not to treat her like a helpless child. Sawyer brushes the demand off, "You'll be notified after the ASF according to proper protocol." He told him.

The principal frowned but didn't push anymore probably knowing it was beyond his control. Sawyer escorted them out of the house setting the alarm system that he had installed after he closed the door behind them. He walked back into the room and pulled a small box from his back pocket. It was strange associating this large, tattooed man with the small innocent-looking girl he had been shifting into. We all watched as he approached Sage sitting on the coffee table in front of her. He held the box out for her in the palm of his hand. She paused for a moment before slowly reaching out and taking it from him. I walked closer to hover behind the couch and look over her shoulder as she pulled the lid off the top of the box. Inside was a small silver disk about a half inch in size. It was a little too thick to be considered a disk, maybe more of a pendant since it was hanging on a thin chain.

"A necklace?" Sage furrows her brows looking up at Sawyer.

Sawyer clasps his hands between his knees looking down at the floor. His brows lower slightly. "It's a panic button with a GPS chip inside of it." He reached over to flip the pendant over to show the slight bevel to the sides of the back revealing the button. "If anything happens you press this twice and it will send a message to me and the ASF with your location." He points to the flat panel on the back that wouldn't noticeably be a button.

Sage nods her eyes watering a little as she breathes in deeply. Before anyone can process this development, she throws herself at Sawyer wrapping her arms around his neck. Her voice was rough and gravely as she repeatedly told him thank you. Sawyer sat there with his hands up in a surrendering gesture. I glared at him when Sage started crying. If he didn't comfort her, I was going to hit a super-trained special agent. He froze when he heard her sniffling against his shoulder.

Finally, he placed his palms on her back gently rubbing between her shoulder blades. Sage went limp and groaned. Shit. I jumped over the back of the couch standing between Maddox and Sawyer grabbing his wrist and pulling it from Sage's back careful not to hurt him. Maddox was growling and Sawyer was sitting there confusion on his face and Sage was in a boneless heap leaning against his chest. "Shit, she's going to be embarrassed," Caden murmured pulling Sage off of Sawyer and tucking her into his lap.

I turned to Maddox with my hand out a placating expression on my face. "He didn't know. It's okay, she's fine." He growled again deeper this time tilting his head to get his eyes on Sawyer.

I moved to stay in his eye line, "We didn't know either. Remember? You washed her off when her wings came out. It was a shock to all of us." I reminded him.

He snorted his beast still on the edge. He couldn't control himself. I was standing between him and his prey when his body burst into fur. His body taking on the form of a spotted hyena his head morphing into that of a lion. His long lion tail snapped out swaying as he prepared to pounce. "Woah." Sage whispered in wonder getting to her feet.

She stepped towards him but was pulled short by Sawyer grabbing her shoulder to pull her back. A roar exploded from Maddox. I pushed Sawyer's hand off Sage giving him a disparaging look. "If you don't want your soul to be the first, he devours I recommend you not touch his bonded mate after you just practically sexually assaulted her in front of him."

Sawyer's mouth popper open shock evident on his face. "I did not. I just tried to pat her back." He defended himself.

His arguing made him miss Sage stepping past me. His eyes snapped back on her as she crouched down in front of Maddox. Sawyer went to say something but stopped after he saw the sharp look, I gave him. He held his breath as he watched Sage lean forward to rub her cheeks against Maddox's furry ones. "You do look like my slippers." She whispered looking down to her feet that indeed had her little speckled lion slippers on them.

He huffed giving Sawyer a menacing look before leaning into Sage. "He didn't know. It was my fault for getting so emotional but also your guy's fault too. I was relieved and then so were all of you. I couldn't contain all that emotion and reacted without thinking. Of course, he's going to touch my back when a random girl is sobbing into his shirt." She tells him softly running her hand through his mane.

I was suddenly very jealous that it wasn't my fur she was stroking. I wanted it to be my ears that she rubbed between her fingers. She could obviously sense what I was feeling because Sage looked up at me quirking her brow in a challenging manner. Or maybe I just took it that way. Before I could truly decide the sneaky little bastard took over busting from my skin. Not that the fox side of me had a sentient personality I had let it happen, but it made me feel better if I could blame what happened next on someone else.

I swished my tails at the pathetic non-pet-able naked two-leggers and wound myself around Sage's body tucking my head into her lap. I laid there and let her fingers run through my hair and play with my ears. I chattered contentedly closing my eyes and flicking my tales smugly at her other men and the bondless one. "He's gloating," Caden complained in a whiny voice.

I looked up at Sage innocently blinking my eyes slowly. My cute furry face would never give it away. See so fluffy and cute I could never be an asshole. She smothered a laugh, "You do know I could feel your smug satisfaction, right?" She questioned.

I huffed no longer wanting to cuddle. Turning away and curling into a ball a couple of feet away with my head turned away from her. My fox vocal cords let out little grumbles here and there. I had been waiting for her to grovel but instead, I let out a squeak of surprise when two small hands reached around me and plucked me up off of the ground. I hung there tucked under one of her arms as she reached down to pick up the box from the table. "Thanks, sorry for freaking out and everything else. I'm just glad that I don't need to be too worried about the worst-case scenario." She smiled at him before heading toward the stairs.

"Come on big guy. We're so cuddling. Hope you don't mind getting fur in your bed." She called over her shoulder before heading up the stairs with me still tucked under her arm.

I hadn't even considered resisting because let's face it cuddling next to her all night sounded divine, but I was so not admitting that. I would rather pretend to be a helpless animal than admit she had that kind of control over me. She set me down onto Maddox's bed before crawling under the covers scooting until we were closer to the edge of the bed so Maddox could jump up onto the mattress behind her. I huffed indignantly before curling up against her chest and letting out a small sigh. It didn't take long for us to go to sleep after that. It didn't even feel strange laying in the bed with her between Maddox and me. It felt a little like home and that scared me.