Growing up
as a werefox, my parents told stories to my sister, Jean, and me, stories of the dangers of the world. The lion's share of those stories, so to speak, were of the wolves, with exposure to humans a close runner up. But there were stories of other werecreatures and even other dangers, dangers of legend and myth.

As my sister and I grew older, my parents were clear what was fact, what was suspected, and what may have been myth. They cautioned us carefully; some of the myths were undoubtedly true, but they could not tell us which.

I grew up knowing of wolves and foxes and humans. I knew there were different flavors of werelions and tigers and bears. Oh my. Most weres, according to my parents, preferred to live within the ranges populated by their natural counterparts; I should be wary of were-mountain lions, but it was unlikely I would ever meet a weretiger in North America. In fur, such a creature would stand out far too much, after all.

In North America, humans give several names to the native lion: puma, cougar, mountain lion.
My parents simply called them lions. The natural range for cougars once extended across nearly all of North and South America, but of course, humans have reduced that range considerably. As I had never traveled west of the Mississippi river, I had never seen a cougar nor a werecougar, although once deep in Canada, I came across an old track that I believed was from a large cat. I could not have told you if it were a natural cougar or a werecougar.

The other dangers of the world were considered to be myths or legends. I could not have told you one way or another whether there were humans who could wield magic. I could not have guessed as to the existence of vampires, demons, or any of the other creatures of myth.

I have since learned more.

Announcement

I woke slowly, my body still satiated from last night's lovemaking. Lara had taken me, thoroughly taken me, and she'd let me have her body however I wanted as well.

That was unusual for her.

And so I woke slowly, Lara's taste still faintly filling my mouth, my favorite taste in the world. The room still smelled of the musk from our lovemaking. I smiled and sighed a happy sigh.

I stretched, and Lara rolled over to face me.

"Good morning, my Forever Love," I told her.

She smiled, still not talking, staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You've made me so amazingly happy, Michaela. You did say 'yes', didn't you? That wasn't a dream."

"Yes," I said. "You asked. I said yes. Then we wore ourselves out consummating the agreement."

"I remember that part."

* * * *

Lara and I decided the
wedding announcement needed a proper buildup. I asked her whether she needed permission from the council; she told me "no". We finished our stay in Bayfield prepared our return to the compound outside Madison.

We told Lara's sister, Elisabeth,
of course. She grinned and hugged us both, expressing not even the smallest amount of surprise. For the flight home from Bayfield, the three of us flew together, with Lara at the controls, but Elisabeth begged to ride up front. "If you put the fox up there, she'll want to fly, and I'll get sick."

Lara was willing to relegate Elisabeth to the back seat, but I said, "If Elisabeth promises to stay off the controls, I'll take the back."
Her look of gratitude told me even more; she wasn't simply teasing me. I had not been sure, but now I was.

I waited until we were in the air before I said, "So. Are we married?" I knew
the human marriage customs, but I hadn't a clue about werewolf customs. I didn't know werefox customs, either, having spent so little time around any foxes at all since I was fourteen.

Lara glanced
over her shoulder at me. "Wolf customs about marriage are similar to human customs, although divorce is exceedingly rare."

"So big ceremony?"

"Yes," said Elisabeth.

"Engraved invitations, flowers, white dresses?"

Elisabeth and Lara exchanged silent glances. "The alpha will wear a tuxedo," Elisabeth said.

I smiled. "You're going to look fabulous, Lara. Do I have to wear a dress?"

"Yes," they said together.

"Can it be simple?"

They conferred but didn't answer. I sighed. "I'll wear a dress," I said. "A simple dress. And I want a simple ceremony. And I want some privacy for the wedding night. That's all I ask. Otherwise just tell me when and where."

The two conferred again. Then Elisabeth reached over her shoulder and unplugged my headset from the plane's intercom. Lara did something to the airplane's controls, making it louder.

"That's rude!" I said loudly.

The two talked for sever
al minutes. Between the headset over my ears and the sounds of the airplane, I couldn't make out a word. My fine fox hearing wasn't enough to make out their voices over the drone of the airplane engine. Finally Elisabeth plugged my headset back in, and Lara made the plane quieter.

"All right," Lara said. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "Once I know when and where, I will tell you."

I returned her smile.

* * * *

I presumed Elisabeth and Lara planned the announcement. I presumed they did it while I sat quietly in the back of the plane. I didn't listen in, didn't know what the plan was, and didn't particularly care.

I
decided I knew their plan the following Thursday when Angel and Scarlett pulled me to the side after classes. While I was their teacher, Angel also lived part time with me in Bayfield, and she had become an important friend. Since Angel and Scarlett had started dating, that friendship had expanded to include both wolves.

"What's going on?" Angel asked.

"I need more context than that, Angel," I replied.

"Saturday."

"Keep going."

"The alpha has invited a lot of people to the compound for
a picnic Saturday night. We're having a previously-unscheduled event. That never happens unless there's something new to discuss. Is it about the new land near Bayfield?"

Something changed in my expression, and Angel said, "You know! Tell me."

"I suspect," I said. "I don't know. And I won't share what I suspect. I'm sure if I did, I'd get the paddling Lara promised me the last time you tried to ask me what was going on." I made sure I schooled my features, knowing they wouldn't be satisfied with that answer. I didn't want to give anything away.

"Pack is moving to the new compound?" Angel asked. Both of them studied my reaction.

"Wedding announcement?" suggested Scarlett.

They both watched me, then Angel swore.

"Hey!" I said. "Watch the language."

"She didn't react to our guesses," Scarlett said. "But she got up in arms because you swore. Weird."

"Yeah," said Angel. "Michaela, who is your best friend?"

I smiled. "Lara."

"After that?"

"Elisabeth."

"Third?" she was starting to droop.

"You."

She perked up. "Michaela, if I find out you're engaged at the same time the rest of the pack does, I'm going to be very hurt."

I stared at her, not offering a real reaction. "You're fishing," I said finally. "
The only reason you said that is because you want to win the wager." The pack was fond of wagers, especially wagers involving Lara or me.

"Actually," Scarlett said. "While she is fishing, and she does want to win the wager, she
is also telling the truth."

I looked
back and forth between the two of them, and I could tell Scarlett was right.

"I am not saying that Lara is about to announce an engagement," I said. "
But I will admit that is the direction our relationship is going. So if that's not what Saturday is about, it could be for a future Saturday. For the sake of this conversation, let us pretend that's what is happening." They both nodded. "Angel, how do you think the council would feel if you knew before they did?"

"Oh hell," she said. I let the swearing
go that time.

"So you understand that if and when Lara does ask me to marry her, and
if there is to be an announcement, you may not be the third person to find out. And that's not my choice."

She slumped.

"On the other hand, if I were about to ask someone to be my maid of honor, it would be you."

"Really?" she began bouncing. "Me?"

"So, if Lara does ask me to marry her, and I agree, and there is an announcement, but we don't tell you ahead of everyone else, do you think your ego will settle for being the maid of honor?"

She hugged me. "Yes."

I smiled. "That being said, I'm not admitting a thing about Saturday's event. This is the first I knew something was scheduled."

"But you know," Scarlett said.

"I suspect I know."

Scarlett turned to Angel. "She'd know if it were a wedding announcement."

"She could be lying," Angel said. They turned to me. "Would Lara really paddle you if you told us?"

"I believe her threat is real," I said. "She hasn't threatened anything about this Saturday, but she has in the past."

"She could definitely be lying," Scarlett said.

"Michaela, would you tell me if it weren't a wedding announcement?" Angel asked.

"No. I won't confirm or deny any rumors."

She sighed dramatically before taking Scarlett's hand and pulling her away. I listened as they agreed to pick their top two choices
if either won, they'd share the prize.

Between Thursday evening and the picnic on Saturday, I had several more, similar conversations. I deflected all of them.

Saturday dawned wet and dreary, but it warmed up over the course of the day. The woods would be muddy if everyone went for a run, but the field dried out enough to be used for the picnic. I found a beer and a coke and went in search of Elisabeth. When I found her, she was in conversation with two of the council members. I stood outside a wolf's hearing range but in sight of Elisabeth. She knew about my enhanced hearing and would know I could hear every word. They were discussing a business opportunity, which didn't interest me, so I tuned it out. Elisabeth saw me waiting and invited me into the conversation. I stepped into their circle and handed her the beer, feigning interest in their conversation.

Several minutes later, one of the males asked,
"What do you think?" He was looking directly at me. I wracked my brain and then remembered this was Brady Nelson.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson," I said. "I
arrived late to the conversation, and I don't have much of a head for business."

"Call me Brady," he said. "And I would like to hear what you think."

I looked between the four of them. "I'm sorry," I said. "When I said I don't have much of a head for business, what I should have said was that it's not an area of particular interest to me, so I wasn't paying enough attention to the conversation to speak even remotely intelligently."

There were several smiles, some of them condescending.
Brady's wasn't condescending. "So you tell the truth rather than try to bullshit us. That speaks well for you."

I shrugged. "It only means I'm smart enough to know you would see through any bullshit I might offer."

That earned some chuckles.

"If it wasn't the scintillating conversation that drew you to us," said Dominick, another council member. "And it wasn't your desire to be seen
amongst the rich and powerful, would you care to share your interest?"

"You know me too well, perhaps," I said. "I was hoping to talk to Elisabeth about today's wagering."

"Ah, you won't get her to talk," Dominick said. "Lord knows, we've all tried. But I believe we've finished this conversation, and so you are free to make your attempt to pry her secrets from her."

Elisabeth smiled, thanked them, and drew me away.

"You can't bet," she said. "You already know."

I smiled. "No. I have a strong suspicion. I was just wondering what Angel and Scarlett have wagered."

"Scarlett got it right. Angel thinks we have a new pack member. She doesn't care to hazard a guess who it might be."

"They're going to share the winnings," I said.

"Ah," Elisabeth said. "That makes sense."

"How many other people have guessed correctly?"

"About half."

I laughed. "So they'll get their money back."

"Yep. I should have just refused to accept wagers against tonight's event, but that would have given it away for sure."

"Do I need to do anything?"

"No," she said. "Just don't disappear. You realize you won't be able to avoid politics in the future. And you might want to start paying more attention to business discussions, too."

"Why?"

Elisabeth lowered her lips closer to my ear. "One of your future unspoken responsibilities will be to stand in as Lara's proxy from time to time. And I also think you may want to be seen as an equal, not a pretty trophy."

I looked at her sharply.

"No one is going to forget the things you've done, Michaela, but memories do fade. You can't rest on your laurels. And I will be spending most of my time making sure you never are required to replicate your past accomplishments."

My past accomplishments for the pack had all been of a violent nature. I nodded
in understanding.

"She's not even marrying me for my ability to give her pups," I said quietly.

"No," Elisabeth agreed. "Or to protect her while she is having pups. She's marrying you because you make her feel like no one has ever made her feel in the past. And your unique abilities don't hurt."

"How much trouble is she bringing on herself?"

"Nothing she can't handle," Elisabeth said.

I asked Elisabeth about other unspoken duties. We were still in discussion when Elisabeth suddenly broke off and began talking about fishing spots. I used my ears and realized there were people approaching us from behind me. Lara
, along with Vivian and Violet, joined Elisabeth and me; my mate slipped an arm around my waist. She kissed my cheek and I laid my head on her shoulder.

"Dinner is ready," Lara said. I glanced over and realized the tables were piled high with the usual wolf-sized banquet. I wondered how many council members would expect me to wait on them. "You stay with me,
Little Fox," Lara said.

Violet gestured to a clump of teenagers, catching a couple of eyes. I watched as they immediately retrieved chairs for the five of us, plus a few spares, and spread them around for us. One of the chairs was built for two, and Lara pulled me to it. A few minutes later, the k
ids brought over plates piled with food. Scarlett had mine, and it was perfectly sized for a fox.

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