The process of everything coming together took over half the day. From saying goodbye to Emerald and River and their kids, as well as Eirenae and Kota (and even some other pack members I knew), packing the rest of my belongings I would need, carrying the boxes to the car — that was mostly everyone except me as my strength was shriveled like a raisin at the moment — and finally a last doctor's visit before we could get on the road. Xavier tried explaining to him that his pack had a doctor perfectly capable of monitoring our progress there, but the fight went in circles until I eventually cut them off and obliged by sitting down on the cot and pulling Kallie down next to me.

The scratches on my legs and arms from the trek through the woods were mostly healed. As were the wounds built up from months of torture. Kallie was doing great, too, according to the doctor and that all made Xavier not-so-subtly roll his eyes because obviously this check-over was more than pointless. The doctor ignored him as he examined us.

Kallie was stiff the entire time, trying her best not flinch or grimace from every move the doctor made — and he was cautious to be slow with her. The pure horror on her face was not concealed, however, so everyone in the room could see how she really felt about the whole thing. I hoped someday she wouldn't be afraid of doctors and nurses any longer, but that would take time. Probably lots of it. Maybe Everlee could help with that.

After marking some notes on his computer, the doctor turned to us in a final run of directions and suggestions. "I'm very pleased with how your bodies' immune systems have been covering you the last few days, but I would still take it easy and never push harder than is necessary. That includes lifting heavy items, straining yourself or any of your organs, especially your stomach. I know eating a lot sounds amazing right now, but please gradually build your meals back up."

I nodded throughout the entire list of suggestions. When he finished and asked for questions, only one popped up. "Can we shift?"

Xavier perked up, and Kallie looked at me expectantly.

The doctor wrung his hands together. "I don't see anything that should prevent it, but maybe take it easy on your other form's body as well. It all went through a lot recently."

Oh he has no idea. I thought as a shudder crawled down my spine, images flashing across my eyes of the fights, the races, the courses fought and ran and studied in both forms. I pushed it away before the feeling of Jacob's teeth in my skin could puncture through.

"Thank you, Doctor." I said as politely as I could muster, and a glare shot to Xavier encouraged the same of him, though his was more of a half-hearted grumble as he stood to lead us out the door.

Upon entering the waiting room, we were met with Isadora sitting in one of the chairs against the wall. She stood up as we walked in and instantly I ran into her arms, Kallie not far behind me.

"Isa!" I exclaimed, guilt gnawing in my gut that I had nearly left without thinking of her.

She grinned as she clung to me before briefly squeezing Kallie's shoulder. "Hey! I just wanted a chance to say goodbye, and to thank you both for everything you've done for me." She met my eyes with meaning, "both inside that cell and out. You've saved me in more than one way."

Tears pricked my eyes and I quickly blinked them away. "Do you want to come with us?" The thought of bringing her to the Rising Moon Pack had hit me suddenly at full force when I had seen her sitting in the waiting room.

Her laugh was light and airy, gratitude for the invite evident, but it was also obvious she was about to decline it. "Thanks, but I've actually remembered more every day, and I think I have enough to track down my pack! Alpha River is going to help me."

I gasped, "that's great news!"

Her head dipped bashfully, a curtain of dark hair hiding her eyes. "Yeah."

"Well, you'll know where I'll be when everything works out." I hugged her again. "Cause it will work out."

Her embrace was even tighter that time. "Thanks, April. For everything."

Kallie quickly wrapped her arms around Isa's legs before we said our final goodbyes. And then we went through the same process with Emerald, River and the pups, who were all waiting at the front door after helping us load the last of our things.

Finally, we settled into the car and drove off to our new home.

About halfway through the ride — full of Xavier keeping a hand always interlocked with mine across the center console, and Kallie constantly in awe of the view out the window — Kallie spoke up from the backseat. "Do I call you Mom and Dad?" She leaned across her seat to try and see us as much as she could, and her question was quiet as if the thought had only just then occurred to her.

Xavier peaked at me, conveying that I should answer. I let go of his hand and twisted in my seat to face the kid. "If that's what you want." I told her with a smile, "but it's okay if you don't want to." She didn't respond, so I continued to make sure this was what she truly wanted. "You don't remember anyone else that might be looking for you still?"

"April. . ." Xavier whispered in warning. I knew we didn't want to force her to think of her painful memories, but the thought of a relative searching for her while we were in the process of adoption nagged my brain.

"I just don't want some grandma or aunt in a panic looking for her only to find that we've taken her in as our own, that's all!" I muttered under my breath.

Kallie was deep in thought. "I only remember my parents. And they're not there anymore."

"Okay." I told her, promising myself that I would drop it from there on out.

"But," Kallie continued, making Xavier and I both tense up. "If other memories come, I don't think I'd want to go back. Maybe we could visit, though?"

"Of course we can." Xavier told her, meeting her eyes through the rear view mirror. "Don't be afraid to tell us if you remember anything, okay?"

"Okay." She whispered, sinking back into her seat to look out the window again. "Dad."

Without permission, the bridge of my nose stung and my throat thickened with the threat of more tears, and Xavier's hand searched for mine. He gave my fingers a tight squeeze to show me how much that simple word touched him. He leaned across the console to talk in my ear.

"Did you hear that? I'm a 'Dad!'"

I laughed, pressing my lips to his cheek. "I heard."

The rest of the ride was bliss, just from that simple word echoing through our minds. Kallie was our daughter, and that was that.

Pulling into the gravel drive, a wave of deja vu swept through me as images of the last time I pulled up here in a car appeared in my head. Then a blush spreading across my cheeks wiped them away as I remembered how I'd been in Xavier's lap that whole time before.

Feels like a lifetime ago. I thought as I opened the door and stepped out onto the pebbles. Kallie appeared at my side, staring in awe at the house in front of us.

"I know." I said with a titter, "I felt the same when I saw it the first time."

The front door swung open and Alpha and Luna Black appeared, rushing across the porch, down the stairs and down the drive to meet us. Kallie darted behind my legs as Luna Black threw her arms around me in an embrace that competed with my own mother's.

"You have no idea how relieved I am that you are home safe. Both for Xavier and my own selfish reasons."

Laughing, I squeezed her back and placed my chin on her shoulder. When she stepped back, her mate took her place in front of me. Instinctively, I stuck my hand out for a polite shake, but he surprised me by pulling me into a hug, too.

"Great to see you, April." He said.

I could only smile.

"Oh! This must be Kalmia!" Emory gasped when she spotted the mane of unruly red hair tucked behind my thighs.

"Kallie." She corrected in a whisper, barely peeking an eye out.

"Of course, of course, Kallie! Xavier's told me so much about you already."

The dark eye shifted from them to me, and tiny fingers were clinging to my jeans like her life depended on it. I spun and crouched into a squat to be eye level with her. "These are Xavier's parents," I explained.

Understanding dawned in her expression and her grip became less fierce.

"We'll get some of the pack out here to get you guys unloaded in no time!" Derek announced, and he was right. Within moments, several Pack Enforcers swarmed the gravel drive and began taking boxes and bags back inside.

I started to reach for some of my things when a shriek stopped me. I knew that shriek. Lifting my head, I was just in time to catch a girl barreling into me at full force, nearly knocking me to the ground.

"You're here!"

"Everlee!" I scolded through my laughter. "You saw me a couple days ago!"

"I know, but now you're here!"

"Freckles!" Andrew shouted as he joined us, pulling us both into a group hug.

"It's great to be here." I said, ignoring the nickname.

"Oh!" Ev dropped down to meet Kallie's eyes, who hadn't move from my side throughout the entire greeting, even after Xavier offered for her to follow him inside.

"This is Kallie," I introduced her.

"That's right!" Everlee squealed, "I have a surprise for you, Kallie!"

The child blinked up at me, her eyes shifting between Everlee in her face and me. I only shrugged, having no clue what the supposed surprise could be.

Everlee held a hand out, beaming, until Kallie tentatively put hers into it. "C'mon!" Kallie squeaked as she pulled her to the house, and I had to jog to keep up.

We ascended the stairs and ran down the hall where I remembered Xavier's room residing last time. Digging through my brain for recollection, I figured his room should be coming up. . . there! I was right, as we passed it and slowed down, the door was wide open as enforcers carried things into it and I could see a flash of it before we passed. Everlee was pausing outside a door across the hall at a diagonal angle from his room.

"Ready?" She bounced on the balls of her feet and I had to laugh at how excited she was about it. The excitement rubbed off onto Kallie, for her eyes were bright and enthralled, eager to find out what was behind the door, and her shyness had completely evaporated.

The door swung open and the first thing my eyes laid on was the bed. Pressed against the left wall, it was a twin sized loft that had green vines climbing their way to the carpeted floor. Behind the vines was a fort-like area adorned with plush pillows and stuffed animal. The bed spread above was green and jungle-themed, and the letter K hung above the headboard. Turning to the right was a wall of shelves filled with buckets of toys and even a play-kitchen. Then, across from the door nestled between the two windows that overlooked the back forest, was a simple wooden dresser with empty picture frames on top. And then above it on the wall was a beautiful painting of wild tigers, and suddenly I knew that Xavier had planned this, because Everlee and their parents didn't know what Kallie was. But the room was so fitting for her I nearly cried right there in the middle of it all.

Kallie, however was far from tears.

She spun around the room giddy with energy and the joy radiating off of her in waves was palpable. She bounced to every corner, opening a few of the dresser drawers — finding they were filled with clothes already — and then peeking into the toy buckets. Finally, she threw herself past the vine curtain and collapsed into the pillow fort, giggling like a mad woman.

"I'll take it she likes it then?" Andrew asked. I punched his arm, only earning me a fake glare.

"This is for me?" Kallie sang from the heap of stuffed animals.

"All for you." Everlee promised and Kallie shrieked with joy again.

"How'd you do it so fast?" I asked in a whisper.

Everlee waved me off, "it was mostly Mom, but Andrew and I helped a lot. Xavier called us about the kid and we could already tell he was attached. So we got to work."

"What if we didn't bring her home?" I shook my head, amazed they trusted she'd come home with us enough to design her bedroom!

Andrew shrugged, "we figured eventually you were bound to have a pup so we started the decorating anyway. When it was more official, Xavier told us her name and that it would be cute to be jungle-themed, specifically tigers." He shrugged, "that her favorite animal or something?"

Suppressing a smile, I said, "or something."

Everlee didn't catch anything, "as for the clothes, Mom asked Xavier to find her size and then she went all out." She grimaced through her laugh, "you also might have a surprise waiting."

I laughed. "She didn't have to do that!"

"Well, she did anyway." Xavier's voice from the doorway made me jump.

I whirled around, waving my hands, "did you know about all this?"

"Most of it," he chuckled, pulling me into a hug. "Thought it would be nice for you guys to come home to, well, a home, not just a house."

"Thank you." It was muffled as I pressed my cheek to his chest. His lips brushed the crown of my head.

"Thavier, look at this!" Kallie called as she pranced over to us. Xavier's face light up like a Christmas tree as she waved around a plush tiger in his face.

"Wow!" And then he was being dragged around the room as she showed him every bit of it.

Everlee's arms threw themselves around me again and she whispered knowingly: "he's such a cute dad."

"He's the best, and it's not even been a week!"

She poked my stomach with a finger. "Just wait until you're pregnant with his alpha-blood heir. He'll melt into a softie at just the thought!"

I laughed, but that didn't sit well with me. As I watched Kallie pull him around the room, my gut twisted at the thought of her not being truly his, and by pack law she couldn't be Alpha. I'd have to discuss with him ways to get around that, because even now, he treated her as if we'd been raising her from the moment she drew her first breath. She was ours, there was no doubt.

But for now, I settled into the joy of being home, my true home. The home I had been searching for for a long long time, with a family and a pack that I could call mine, with my mate and daughter. I felt healed, whole, truly myself. I couldn't imagine anything better.