The Merry Moose’s Mates (Male-Order Mates #16)

Chapter Sixteen

Briar

I absolutely loved having everyone here. It was a little crowded, but we had plans to remedy that. And even if this was the only space we’d ever have, it worked. We were a family.

Somehow, I’d never realized how empty this cabin had been before. I’d convinced myself I wasn’t lonely and that I was living my best life. And I suppose, for being mateless, that was true. It had been a good life. But now, having my mates here, I realized how much better life could be. And with Alice making us a family, it was everything.

I flipped the pancakes. They were hardly what I would call pretty, but they smelled good, and I was interested to see if I could come closer to the animal shapes than Shay. And with enough syrup and butter, no one was going to notice what they looked like…probably.

Today was going to be a special day. I was going to officially introduce Alice to my moose, and she was going to get to know Shay’s bear, and then we were going to play in the snow and maybe slide around on the ice if we had time. Eventually, I was going to get ice skates for everyone, but that would have to wait.

There was a section at the back of the property that flooded pretty regularly, staying just wet enough for ice to form in the winter. As a human, I avoided it so as not to slip, and my moose? He tended to crack the ice, but I had a feeling it would be perfect for skating.

Once upon a time, my mind would’ve gone directly to the lake when it came to skating, but I wasn’t willing to risk Alice falling through. So much of my life and how I thought about things changed with her becoming a part of my life.

“Why does that one look like a cow?” Alice pointed to the griddle. She was sitting in a chair by the counter so she could see what I was doing but was far enough away that I didn’t have to worry about her getting hurt.

“Because I was attempting to make a dog.” I had thought I could do a little better than Shay. It looked really easy when I saw a guy make them on television. They were not easy.

“I can see it.” She squinted really hard. She couldn’t see it. It was an abysmal fail, but that was okay. It was still gonna taste delicious.

Shay and Austin came out of our bedroom a few minutes later, ready for the day. We sat around the table eating pancakes with far too much butter and syrup—or maybe it was just the perfect amount, if you didn’t mind being sticky.

“What are we going to do today?” Alice set down her fork. She had no idea what Shay and I had planned.

“It’s a surprise.” I grabbed her empty plate.

“I love surprises! Do I get to open it?”

“Not really.” Shay put his hand on her shoulder. “But you get to see something that is normally hidden.”

“Like a quest.” I wasn’t sure where someone her age had heard the term “quest” before, but it made it sound far more adventurous than it was.

“Not so much a quest as a reveal, but first, you need to get un-sticky because we are going outside.” I started toward the sink with the plates. She wasn’t the only one who was going to need to wash up.

She hopped off her chair. “I’m gonna wash my hands, and then we’re going on a treasure hunt!” And off she went.

“Is there a treasure?” Austin looked between the two of us.

I chuckled. “She’s going to meet our beasts today.” We’d talked about it, the three of us agreeing that when the weather was nice enough, we’d do it. But we hadn’t decided what day that would be today until we realized it was a little warmer than usual.

“I can’t wait. She’s gonna love you guys even more than she already does.”

“You don’t think she’ll be scared?” Shay’s worry was one I shared.

“Nah, she’s braver than all of us.” Austin stood up, plate in hand.

That I believed. She was.

A few minutes later, we were all outside, and she gave us the what-for about not having our coats on. She’d figure out soon enough why that was.

“Daddy, you need to make sure they don’t get sick. I don’t want to give Santa the flu.”

“Honey, you don’t get the flu from being cold, and they won’t be cold for long.” Austin tried to explain but she didn’t look like she was buying any of it.

I stepped out of my boots, and she gasped.

“Daddy!” She pointed to my bare feet.

“Just watch.” I’d never been worried about what someone thought of my beast before her, not really. I figured my mates loved me and would appreciate me for who I was. And around here, moose were hardly unusual. But it mattered to me what Alice thought. I didn’t want to scare her. Moose might look clumsy and goofy from a distance, but we had size and, up close, might as well be a monster.

“Why don’t you and your dad go stand by the woodshed, and we’ll let you know when we’re coming.”

She grabbed her dad’s hand. “Hurry up, because they really will catch the flu if we don’t!”

I was going to let Austin handle the science lesson on that one; it was probably one he’d need to repeat a few times.

Shay and I undressed, took each other’s hands, and walked down the steps.

“I’d say one of us should go first, but it’s cold.” My feet were not happy to be on the snow this long

Shay agreed with a grin, kissed my cheek then jumped forward, shifting midair, his bear landing with a thud. He lumbered over to the shed, and I already heard Alice giggling. I was thrilled she wasn’t scared of a bear because bears could be scary.

Now it was my turn. I fell back and let my moose take over, shaking my head and getting a feel for the weight of my antlers like I did every time I took this form. I made my way over to her slowly. She was hugging Shay’s bear when I arrived.

I accidentally stepped on a twig that snapped, startling her until she saw my form.

“Whoa! You’re like a unicorn—but bigger!”

No one had ever called me a unicorn before, but I wasn’t gonna turn the compliment down. If she thought I was magical and regal, I was going to take it.

“He’s a moose, sweetie,” Austin said.

She stepped closer, and I put my head down so she could get a better look.

“And he’s got two horns! He’s a double unicorn.”

We probably needed to get her a book about animals.

“Does this mean we get to play with their animals?” She kissed my head.

“Yes, sweetie, it does.”

I loved how accepting and open little kids were, her specifically. She didn’t need big shifter explanations, science, or reality—she just saw, loved, and accepted us for who we were.

We spent the next hour throwing snow, running around, and listening to her laugh and laugh.

Alice asked if she could ride me like a unicorn, but she was far too small for that, and I was far too large. Maybe when she got older, we’d fit me for a saddle, but not yet.

Shifters generally weren’t into being saddled and treated like ponies, but for Alice, I’d do just about anything. No. Scratch that. I would do anything.

We never did get to the ice. Alice got cold and wanted hot chocolate. But there was time for ice skating, with or without skates.

We had our entire lives ahead of us …as a family.