"Why can't it be summer already so I can kiss you and hold your hand in public?" Harlow whined.

"Even once summer comes we will have to wait at least two weeks or else it would be suspicious." I sighed, knowing how much it bothers her and I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me.

"I know." She looked down at her lap.

"So are you going to do olympics or NFL? I know you don't want to go to college if you don't have to." I changed the subject.

"I like football more than I like running, so I was thinking the NFL. The New England Patriots offered me a two million dollar starter offer." She looked over at me. "They're my favorite team since they are from Boston which is where the actual lab facility was, but it's so far away from here. It's kinda like home for me."

"I could go for Boston." I shot her a wink.

"Wait, you'd come with me?" Harlow's face lit up.

"Of course I would." I answered as if there wasn't any other option, well in my mind there isn't.

"You won't have to work another day in your life." She smiled brightly. "We can keep this house though, so if we were to visit your family we could come here, or your family could have this one and I'd just pay all of the electricity bills and whatnot because with a house this big the bills aren't exactly cheap."

"I'll talk to them about it." I giggled at her eagerness. "What about Tate?"

"He's going to stay with Emily no matter what, and I don't blame him, but he promised to come to any game that is in a four hour radius since that's a one and a half hour sprint. There are two teams in a four hour radius too, so he'd be able to see me more than one would think. He also promised that him and Emily would fly up to us to come visit at least once every two months." The smile that was on her lips wasn't going anywhere and I loved it. "I talked to him about it all to see what I should do because I'd just stay here if I talked to you about it, but now that I know you will come with me I'm at ease now."

"What am I going to do while you are gone if I'm not working?" I raised a brow.

"Call me!" She gave me a cheesy grin.

"What about when you are busy?" I rolled my eyes.

"Make friends?" She answered with a question.

"Aren't you worried that I, a NFL player's girlfriend, wouldn't be all that safe and I'd have to worry about people using me." I pointed out and watched as it clicked in her head.

"That's probably why rich people are friends with rich people and vise versa."

I nodded my head.

"But you could always make friends with the other wives? But no dogs or cats. I'd fight them without noticing it." I watched as anger flashed across her face and I did my best to keep a giggle in.

"Can I get a monkey then?" I gave her a toothy grin.

"How about a fish or a finch?" She looked at me with regret, hating the fact that she brought up a pet.

"Nope, I want a monkey if I can't have a puppy." I smiled.

"Okay okay, you can have a puppy as long as it if a wolf-dog since it would respect me and not bark at me." Harlow sighed.

"Wait, really?" I perked up.

"Yeah, but with it being a wolf dog it would be huge, as in only a foot shorter than me. It would have to have a den-like bed like I have, and I would have to tame it in my wolf form. It has stronger wild animal instincts, so I would have to get to it on a personal level and possibly have to make it submit to me." She spoke like she didn't want one, but the more she talked about it the bigger her smile got. "And I'd feel more comfortable with you being home alone so much if you had a mini me who would always be in wolf form. When I say mini me I mean the overprotective and fluffy."

"Would it cuddle just as much?" I raised a brow.

"Of course. Wolves are pack animals, and they cuddle to keep warm as well as show affection towards each other. The phrase dog pile didn't get pulled out of someone's ass. Wolves literally stack up on top of each other like jenga."

"I'll start looking for a breeder then." I shot her a wink.

She chuckled at my eagerness before kissing my cheek and laying her head in my lap. "I'm going to go for a run."

"Can I come?" I raised a brow as I watched her sit up from my lap and hop off of the bed.

"Will you hold a leash or run through the woods with me?" She quirked a brow.

"Oh, you want to run in wolf form." I nodded my head slowly. "Go by yourself in the woods. You deserve some woods time."

"You can come with me. I'll run around you. You can walk if you want." Harlow gave me a convincing smile and I found myself getting out of bed.

We kept running. I sprinted around her at random times just to get my fair share of stretching done, but I didn't want to stray too far from her since we're literally in the middle of the woods on a unkept trail.

But a nearby pack of wolves howling had me right back at her side. I can't take on a whole pack, but I sure as hell can try if it means Demi could be safe in the end.

I let out a low, but loud, howl for Tate with hopes he'd hear it from miles away as my ears instinctively pinned back.

"None of those was Tate's howl." Demi whispered as she put one hand on my back for comfort.

A low growl rumbled in my chest as the pack of wolves came into view. Two of them were on guard with my presence, but the other five were carefree.

But then another wolf stepped out from behind them, and they split apart so she could walk ahead of them. Definitely the leader.

The pack started to walk towards Demi and I without showing aggression, but I kept making Demi back up further and further as we backpedaled in sync with each other.

"At ease my child." A soft voice spoke and I froze on the spot. "It's me Love."

I howled for Tate again as I got more anxious, not knowing what mind game is happening right now.

"Harlow, it is me." The leader of the pack stepped closer and I didn't have it in me to back up and away from the wolf that had a matching coat to mine. "I'm your mom. Your wolf mom."

I stared at her in shock.

"These are your siblings. We were all human transfers too. I just hid it from you little ones so they wouldn't kill my babies." The wolf bowed her head before walking up to me and looking me in the eyes.

"I watched you die." I mumbled. My heart ached at the sound of Demi on the verge of a panic attack. Her breathing was quick and it showed no signs of slowing.

"You almost did Love. They saved me so I could raise another litter. These guys here." She nodded behind her. "Are your litter siblings."

"I watched them go off to be killed too though." I mumbled as my four legs began to shake, nearly giving in. Is it too late to go back home? And Demi is in danger since I am next to no help right now with these mind games going on in my head.

"No baby. They were being taken into the back so they could kill you without having to worry about hurting the others. They tranquilized them. They did not kill them." The wolf licked my cheek and then it hit me.

That's my mom. That's my mom. Oh my fucking God.

"Your sneaky brother slipped away though. Tate was always the slippery one." She chuckled. "I'm assuming that's who you were calling to."

I wanted to speak, but this can't be real. I've got to be dreaming. I didn't wake up yet is all.

"I've been looking for you for years, and I finally found you." The wolf's eyes started to gloss over.

I whimpered and then wrapped my neck around her's and held it there, nuzzling my face into her neck. If it's a dream, I can love it while it lasts and hate it when it ends.

"Is that your match?" The wolf snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Y-yeah, that's my match." I was trying to wrap my head around all of it as I answered mindlessly.

"My name is Madison." The wolf nodded at Demi and I stepped to the side.

Demi looked over at me with fear in her eyes, not trusting the wolf in front of her.

I walked up to her and lifted her hand up with my head so she would pet me which calms her down. "That's my mom. The mom who raised me. The one who saved me." I started to cry as my siblings started to howl in joy and jump around, but they didn't take a step closer since mom hasn't told them that they could. She's still got them on a tight leash.

"H-hi?" Demi looked down at me with question, so I just nodded my head for reassurance. It's all I can do in this form. I can't hug her like I know she needs. "I don't know what to say other than thank you for saving her and would you like to come for dinner?" She smiled at my mom after calming down some. That went better than expected. "As well as them. I'm sure Tate can make it if he isn't already on his way."

"That would be delightful. Come my children, but please do act your age." My mom called out to my siblings.

"Please tell that to Harlow as well." Demi chuckled.

"Have you not behaved while I was gone? Did I not teach you anything for fourteen years?" My mom stopped dead in her tracks to look at me as we walked back to Demi and I's house on the trail behind our house.

I bowed my head in shame. If she knew everything that I have done she'd whoop my ass. "I've been whipping her back into shape though. Please don't worry about that one Madison." Demi chipped in.

"Good, but if she does act out again please do inform me, because I may just have to have a talk with her." My mom continued on.

I ignored them and started to mess around with my siblings, completely ignoring mom's orders.

"I'm only letting it slide since it's been so long, but once we are inside, my children, you are expected to behave." My mom spoke over her shoulder to my siblings before continuing her conversation with Demi.

"Low, look what I can do now!" Sal yelled over to me before doing a backflip once he gained my attention.

"Show off!" Sammie yelled at our brother.

"Look what I can do though." I jumped up and over Demi's head.

My siblings cheered, but I got a warning look from Demi and a snarl from my mom. Oh shit.

"Apologize now." Mom spoke in a calm tone.

"I'm sorry." I looked at Demi quickly before returning my gaze back to my mom.

"Come here." She instructed sternly.

I bowed my head, knowing what's coming.

She nipped my ear, earning a pained whine from me, before continuing on.

My siblings and I remained quiet for the rest of the walk, not wanting to test mom. And since Tate will be here soon, we need to save up our warnings and passes.

But one thought kept passing through my mind.

Is this real?

I'm sure this chapter shocked some, but it has been in my plan since the beginning of the book.😂