“Dad, I’m sorry.”
“No, baby,” Dad said, his words broken. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I pulled you away from that boy when I knew you’d bonded with him. Even as young as you were, you cared deeply for him, and I didn’t listen. I watched you wither for years. I watched you never connect with any of our people. I watched your face when we got the news that Caden wanted to court you. I hoped you would be happy, but you had this doomed look in your eyes. It’s something a parent never wants to see in their child. I was wrong to separate you from Easton. And I hope…” Dad cleared his throat. More softly, he said, “I hope that someday you can forgive me.”
Aviana bit her lip so hard she tasted iron. She couldn’t fall apart now. “Dad, there’s nothing to forgive. I love you both so much. I know you’ll have to stop talking to me after I’m shunned—”
“Oh, no we won’t,” Mom said defiantly. “Honey, we’ve already been shunned.”
“What?”
“We told Caden where he could shove his threats, and it was where the sun don’t shine. It was a decision we both made solely based on that picture.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Because,” Dad said, “in the picture you were smiling like we haven’t seen you do since you were a kid. If our people want to banish us for supporting our daughter’s happiness, so be it. Living an empty life with Caden isn’t what we want for you. We want that smile you had in the picture. The one you get with Easton.”
All choked up by her parents’ sacrifice, Aviana asked, “Will you visit me? I want you to meet all of the Gray Backs. They’re lovely, and so nice. Scary, but protective and fierce, and the women are so important in this crew. I feel stronger. And my alpha and his mate have a brand new baby. Oh, she’s so tiny and cute. And I want you to meet the man I’ve fallen in love with. Easton is wild and powerful, but he’s also sweet and takes care of me. He makes me happy. I want you to see how he’s turned out, and then you won’t have to worry about me living with bears anymore. He protects me. Always.”
She could hear the smile in Mom’s voice when she said, “Of course. We can’t wait to meet Easton and all of your new crew.”
“Yes,” Dad murmured. “We’re looking forward to seeing the old cabin again and seeing you with your…mate. Bear pairs are called mates, right?”
Aviana laughed thickly and hugged the phone tighter to her ear. “Yes.” It still made her giddy to hear that word.
“We’re happy you’ve found your place, Aviana,” Mom said, sounding proud. “Our brave little raven. We love you.”
“I love you both, too. So much.”
“Okay, honey. We’ll talk soon. Let us know when you settle enough for visitors.”
“I will.”
“Bye-bye now,” Dad said.
“Bye,” Aviana said on a happy sigh before she hung up.
She smiled down at the screen of her phone for a long time, looking at her reflection. It was there. Dad was right. It was a smile she didn’t remember seeing before. A toothy one, given freely and easily. One conjured by the joy Easton had put back into her heart. Her parents had been shunned because of her decision to chase love, yet they hadn’t made her feel guilty over it. Instead, they’d been happy that she’d found what she’d been searching for.
Excited, Aviana ran back inside and grabbed the handle of her suitcase. After one last look around the cabin, she closed the door and dragged her luggage to her car.
The Gray Back Crew was cooking a big meal tonight. Hot wings with beer to celebrate her moving into 1010. Now she didn’t have to go with a heavy heart that she’d hurt her parents. She could her life with her new crew and the man she loved.
Now, her future with Easton stretched on and on.
She was free.
****
Aviana searched the woods for her Easton to make sure he hadn’t gotten off work early, but the woods were empty save the evening birds flitting back to their nests and the cicadas singing their rattling song. This was the game. Sneaking little trinkets for her love, surprise gifts to make up for the years she hadn’t been able to find shiny presents and give them to him. Today, she’d found a silver bead along a hiking trail miles away.
Easton always gave her dimple smiles when she found him something to tuck away in his tackle box of treasures under his bed.
In the last two weeks, Aviana had settled into life at the Grayland Mobile Park. Creed and Gia were now parenting tiny Rowan, and the Gray Backs were all smitten. Willa had her worm farm in full swing for the fishing season, and Georgia had her woods to protect. Evenings were spent eating together as a crew and laughing into the night. Yesterday, Easton had shared with his beloved Gray Backs the story of how he’d slowly lost his humanity, and there had been not a single dry eye as he finished with how he’d felt the day he’d found out Aviana was his raven.