✦✦✦
Queen Mansion – Later That Night
The tests were still on the counter.
Nova couldn't look at them anymore.
She sat at the edge of Thea's bed, hoodie zipped up to her chin like armor, sleeves pulled down over her hands, fingers fidgeting.
Thea had gone to get water—still too calm, too composed, like her brain hadn't caught up to the weight of being pregnant. Or maybe she had, and she was just that good at pretending to be fine.
Nova wasn't.
Her stomach twisted. Not from nausea. From fear.
The baby was only the beginning. Thea didn't even know what she'd just agreed to. She didn't know what Nova was. What she carried. What kind of blood ran in the veins of that tiny cluster of cells trying to grow inside her.
Nova had kept the wolf quiet. Had kept her heartbeat slow. But it was starting to get harder.
And the longer she waited, the more it felt like a betrayal.
✦✦✦
Ten Minutes Later – Same Room
Thea came back with two glasses, one water, one cranberry juice.
Nova barely took the cup.
Thea sat beside her, watching her fidget.
"You okay?"
Nova licked her lips.
"No."
Thea blinked.
"You... want to talk about it?"
Nova turned to her, jaw tight, eyes on the floor.
"I need to tell you something," she said. "But you can't laugh. Or freak out. Or—well. You're probably going to freak out. But try not to run."
Thea tilted her head, eyebrow raised. "You're not dying, are you? Because I just found out we're about to be morally bankrupt teen moms and I can't raise this baby alone."
Nova huffed a breath that almost sounded like a laugh.
But her voice was dead serious when she said:
"I'm not human."
Thea blinked.
Silence.
Nova looked up.
Thea was smiling.
"Okay," she said. "Cool. What are you, then? A vampire? A fairy? Oh—wait—please say mermaid."
Nova didn't laugh.
She didn't blink.
She just stared at her.
Thea's grin faded. "...You're serious?"
Nova nodded once.
Thea laughed nervously.
"Okay, babe. Look, I get the whole 'I'm scared and I want to say something dramatic to test your loyalty' vibe, but—"
"I'm not joking."
Thea froze.
Nova swallowed hard, her voice shaking. "I'm a werewolf."
Thea blinked. "You're a what now?"
"A werewolf," Nova said again. "Like, actual werewolf. Claws. Fangs. Fur. Full moon shit. Except I don't need the full moon. I can shift whenever I want. I can heal. I can hear your heartbeat from here. I've been hiding it from you since I got here, and I didn't want to—but I was scared you'd hate me."
Thea stared at her like she was watching someone unravel.
Thea stared at her like she was watching someone unravel.
"Nova," she said slowly. "I know we're going through a lot. But this isn't funny. Or cute."
Nova stood.
Shaking now.
Her claws were already pushing just beneath her skin.
Her heartbeat felt like a sledgehammer.
The wolf didn't want to hide anymore.
Not with the baby.
Not with Thea knowing half the truth.
She turned to Thea, stepped back into the center of the room, and said, "Look."
Then she closed her eyes.
Breathed in. Once.
And let go.
The shift came fast—just partial. Controlled.
Her skin rippled, pupils blowing wide before flaring crimson red. Her upper lip curled back as her fangs lengthened, sharp and gleaming. Claws burst from her fingertips with a wet pop.
Her bones didn't crack—they slid.
In seconds, the girl Thea loved wasn't quite a girl anymore.
She was something else.
Predatory. Radiant.
Still Nova—but laced with power.
Nova opened her eyes.
They glowed blood red, locked onto Thea's with a mix of fear and resignation.
Thea didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't even blink.
Nova's claws retracted.
Her fangs slid back.
The light in her eyes dimmed to human.
She stood in front of Thea, shaking now.
"That's who I am," she whispered. "That's what our baby is part of."
A long pause.
Then—
Thea exhaled.
"Well... holy shit."
✦✦✦
Monster in the Mirror
Nova's claws were still sliding back into her fingers when Thea slowly stood from the bed.
The silence was deafening.
Nova watched her move like she was watching the blade of a guillotine descend—slow and inevitable. Her breath caught in her throat. Her body was still trembling from the shift. Her heartbeat was stuttering. And Thea's face—
Still.
Too still.
No smile.
No reaction.
And then—
Thea reached out.
Her fingers, warm and steady, touched Nova's cheek.
Slowly.
Like she was touching something sacred. Or dangerous. Or both.
Nova flinched.
But Thea didn't pull back.
"You weren't kidding," Thea murmured.
Nova's breath hitched.
Her voice came out cracked and thin.
"Please don't hate me."
Thea blinked.
"I don't—"
Nova stepped back.
Her heartbeat spiked.
"I should've told you before," she said fast, words tumbling. "I didn't know how. I didn't want you to see me like that. I didn't want to lose you."
"You're not—"
"I'm a monster." Nova's voice broke. "I'm a werewolf, Thea. You just found out you're having a baby with a literal fucking animal and you're touching me like it's fine."
"Nova—"
"I can't—" Nova's breath hitched again. "I can't watch you look at me like you're not sure. I can't wait around for the moment it sinks in and you decide I'm too much. I've seen it before. I've felt it before. People love me right up until they see me."
"Babe, breathe—"
"I can't."
Nova turned.
And she ran.
✦✦✦
Minutes Later – Outside, Nightfall
The Queen Mansion blurred behind her.
Nova sprinted barefoot down the private driveway, hoodie flapping, hair whipping into her face, heart racing like a trapped bird. The city buzzed in the distance—Starling's lights too bright, too sharp, too alive.
Her chest burned. Her hands shook. Her claws twitched.
She was pregnant. She was supernatural. She was terrified.
And she had just left the only person who hadn't run.
✦✦✦
Thirty Minutes Later – Laurel's Apartment
The knock was frantic.
Laurel Lance opened her apartment door in a tank top and flannel sleep pants, eyebrows raised.
Then her expression shifted the second she saw Nova.
Disheveled. Wild-eyed. Breathing hard like she'd run ten miles. Red ring still ghosting in her irises. Tears streaking her face.
Laurel stepped back immediately.
"Jesus, Nova. What happened?"
Nova didn't answer. She walked past her and sank to the floor just inside the door, knees up, head in her hands.
Laurel shut the door quietly.
Locked it.
Then crouched beside her.
"Talk to me."
Nova couldn't speak.
So Laurel sat with her in the dark, silence stretching.
She didn't ask again.
Didn't push.
Just stayed there.
Like a quiet, unexpected anchor.
✦✦✦
Meanwhile – Back at the Queen Mansion
Thea stood in the middle of the room, staring at the empty doorway.
Her hands were still trembling where she'd touched Nova's face. Her heart pounded in her chest, fast and tight.
She hadn't moved.
Hadn't run.
Hadn't even processed what she'd seen yet.
But Nova was gone.
She turned slowly toward the bathroom, toward the tests still sitting on the counter.
"Nova," she whispered. "Shit."
She grabbed her phone.
No texts.
No pings.
No reply.
Thea Queen had lost a brother to the sea. A father to a sinking ship.
She was not going to lose Nova to fear.
✦✦✦
Laurel's Apartment – Later That Night
The rain had picked up outside, tapping the windows in steady rhythms. Inside, it was quiet.
Nova hadn't moved from her spot on the floor. Her hoodie was damp, her jeans clinging, her hair half-curled from sweat and mist.
Laurel sat cross-legged across from her, coffee untouched in one hand. She didn't ask again. She just waited.
Nova finally lifted her head.
Her eyes were rimmed red. Not glowing. Just human. Just exhausted.
"I'm pregnant," she said, voice brittle.
Laurel blinked slowly. "Okay."
Nova stared at the floor. "You're not gonna ask who the father is?"
Laurel's mouth twitched into something that wasn't quite a smile. "No."
Nova glanced up, brows knitting. "Why not?"
Laurel shrugged, cool and steady. "Because I've got eyes. And because I've seen the way Thea looks at you."
Nova flinched.
Laurel's eyes sharpened. "So... it's Thea."
Nova nodded.
Laurel exhaled. "Jesus."
Nova half-laughed. "You can say it. It's a disaster."
"I was gonna say it's intense," Laurel said. "But sure—disaster works too."
Nova looked away again, pulling her knees to her chest. "It wasn't supposed to happen. I mean... we didn't plan any of this. And now..."
"You ran."
Nova's jaw tightened. "Wouldn't you?"
Laurel's tone was soft. "Not from Thea."
Nova didn't answer.
Laurel leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees. "I get being scared. Believe me. But I've known Thea since she was a kid. She's been through hell. You think she hasn't had people lie to her? Leave her? Try to control her?"
Nova's throat moved. "She touched my face."
"What?"
"When I showed her... the other side of me. My eyes. My fangs. My claws." Her voice broke slightly. "She touched my face like it didn't change anything. Like I was still me. And it scared the hell out of me."
Laurel blinked. Her lawyer's brain caught the word claws and stored it—didn't question it yet. Not when Nova was shaking.
"I thought she'd scream," Nova whispered. "I thought she'd look at me like I was a freak. Like I was a thing."
"But she didn't."
Nova shook her head.
"That's what made it worse. Because I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. I couldn't... I couldn't believe it was okay."
"And so you ran."
Nova wiped her face with her sleeve.
"I'm seventeen. I'm carrying her baby. And I'm a literal werewolf. How the hell is that okay?"
Laurel finally set the mug down.
Then she reached forward and gently grabbed Nova's hand.
"You want me to be honest?"
Nova looked up, wary.
"You're right," Laurel said. "It's not okay. Not by regular world standards. But Thea Queen doesn't live in the regular world. She never has. And maybe you don't either."
Nova's breath hitched.
Laurel's voice was calm, measured.
"You're scared. That makes sense. But don't confuse fear with truth. She didn't run. You did."
Laurel blinked, slowly. Her brows pulled together.
"...Wait. Hold on." She raised a hand, gesturing vaguely. "Did you just say—you're a werewolf?"
Nova froze, halfway to standing.
Laurel stared.
"Like... full moon, claws, howling, big bad wolf—actual werewolf?"
Nova nodded once, silent. Small.
Laurel blinked again.
Then exhaled sharply, rubbing her eyes.
"Well, shit," she muttered. "And here I was thinking teen pregnancy was the twist."
She leaned back on her hands, the ghost of a smile tugging at her mouth.
"Any chance you also sparkle in the sunlight, or is that trademarked?"
Nova didn't laugh.
Laurel didn't expect her to. The joke was a pressure valve. She waved it off with one hand and sat up straighter, eyes narrowing—not with fear. With focus. Like she was parsing through court testimony and just hit the part that didn't add up.
"Okay," she said after a beat. "Then I think we've got way more to talk about than I thought."
✦✦✦
Thea on the Hunt
Thea tore through her closet like a woman possessed.
Her leather jacket. Her boots. Her gloves.
Her phone was in her hand, lighting up again with another dead ring. Nova still hadn't answered. Still hadn't texted. Still completely gone.
She tried Derek.
Nothing.
Tried texting Moira. Still no reply.
But her mind kept circling one name:
Laurel.
She remembered the night Moira had introduced them at some benefit dinner. Nova had barely spoken, but Laurel had pulled her into conversation anyway—smooth, charming, older. She remembered the way Nova had watched Laurel speak with that quiet, skeptical half-smile. Like she didn't trust anyone, but maybe—maybe—she wanted to.
And more than that—Nova didn't know many people in Starling.
That was probably the only safe place she had to run to.
Thea grabbed her keys.
Pulled on her jacket.
Locked the front door behind her.
"Hang on, babe," she muttered under her breath. "I'm coming."
✦✦✦
Laurel's Apartment – Same Night
Nova had just started breathing again.
Not deeply. Not peacefully. Just enough to stop shaking. Laurel sat nearby, watching her with that strange, lawyer-schooled look—cool curiosity behind sharp eyes, coffee now resting untouched on the table beside them both.
And then—
BANG BANG BANG.
The front door shook under someone's fist.
Nova flinched.
Laurel stood immediately, instinct snapping to alert. She moved toward the door, fingers brushing the edge of a nearby drawer that probably held a weapon.
"Jesus," she muttered. "If that's one of my clients again, I swear—"
"Laurel, open the damn door!"
The voice was unmistakable.
Thea.
Panicked. Furious. Rain-soaked and full of fire.
Laurel's brows shot up. She turned to Nova.
Nova looked like a rabbit caught in headlights.
Laurel opened the door.
Thea didn't wait.
She pushed in past her with wind at her back, soaked through—hood halfway off, leather jacket slicked down her arms, hair curling with wet. Her chest rose and fell fast. Her eyes locked on Nova immediately.
And her whole body shuddered with relief.
"Nova."
Nova stood slowly.
She looked like she was about to cry again.
"I'm fine—" she tried.
"You ran!"
Thea's voice cracked at the edges. "You showed me something that terrified you to share, and you ran like I was gonna scream or throw you out or call an exorcist—what the hell, Nova?!"
"I thought you'd change your mind," Nova whispered. "I thought I'd wake up and you'd be gone."
"I'm not Oliver," Thea snapped. "I don't vanish into the ocean."
Nova winced.
Laurel moved to the side, closing the door silently, not leaving—just watching now, arms crossed, too fascinated to interrupt.
"You're sixteen," Laurel muttered. "You're sixteen, you're pregnant, and one of you is apparently a werewolf. Yeah, I'm absolutely not sitting this out."
Neither girl looked at her.
Thea stepped forward, breathing hard, eyes locked on Nova's.
"Don't do that again," she said. "Don't decide for me how I'm going to feel."
"I didn't mean to—"
"Yes, you did. You meant to vanish. You meant to leave before I had a chance to disappoint you. And I don't know what kind of trauma you've got wrapped around your ribs, but I'm not going anywhere."
The room went quiet.
Nova's voice cracked.
"I didn't know where else to go."
Thea closed the space between them in two steps and pulled her in. Tight. Fierce.
Nova clung like her bones would fall apart without it.
✦✦✦
A Beat Later
Laurel cleared her throat.
"Just so we're all clear," she said, sipping her cold coffee, "you can explain the whole werewolf pregnancy thing later, right? Because I've got... questions."
Thea pulled back from Nova just enough to smirk over her shoulder.
"You're still here?"
Laurel raised a brow.
"First off Thea, this is my apartment and I live here. You two showed up in my apartment with emotional trauma, supernatural biology, and dramatic wet weather. Where the hell else would I go?"
Nova made a broken little laugh against Thea's neck.
Thea kissed her forehead, still breathless, still soaked.
"Next time you freak out," she whispered, "you freak out with me. Not alone. Never again."
Nova nodded.
Laurel sighed and muttered into her mug,
"I swear, if this baby howls in the womb I'm buying stock in wine."
✦✦✦
Laurel's Apartment – After the Storm
The rain had slowed outside, but the storm inside the apartment hadn't.
Nova sat curled on the couch, Thea beside her, practically wrapped around her. The warmth of Thea's soaked leather jacket hadn't left her skin yet, and she wasn't letting Nova out of her arms again.
Laurel sat on the armrest, mug forgotten, eyes fixed.
"I'm ready," Nova said finally.
Thea blinked. "For what?"
Nova swallowed.
"To tell you everything."
She didn't look at either of them.
She just started.
✦✦✦
"I'm Nova Hale. My mom was Talia Hale—Alpha of the Hale pack. She wasn't just strong, she was respected. She kept the peace between packs. Between humans and us."
Laurel leaned forward, silent.
Thea didn't move, still curled into Nova's side.
Nova kept going, voice low and sharp:
"We lived in a house just outside Beacon Hills. Big. Old. Full of wolves. My mom. My siblings. My cousins. Our pack."
She swallowed hard.
"And then came Kate Argent."
Laurel's eyebrows ticked up. "Argent again."
Nova nodded slowly.
"She was older. Experienced. A hunter. She seduced my brother Derek, who was sixteen. She was well over twenty. She used him to get into the house, to learn our routines, our weaknesses."
Laurel's jaw set. "Predator."
Nova's mouth twitched bitterly. "Exactly."
"She worked with other hunters—Argents and their allies. That night, they came. Bolted the doors shut. Set the whole place on fire."
Thea's breath caught.
Nova's voice went thinner.
"I was there. So was my twin sister, Cora. We were ten. Sleeping upstairs."
Laurel's eyes widened. "Wait—you were inside?"
Nova nodded. "We never made it to the door. The flames spread too fast. The smoke..." She trailed off. "I don't remember much."
Laurel stayed silent.
Nova clenched her hands. "Our uncle, Peter, found a way through the foundation. There was a crawlspace under the house, and he got us out. Cora and me. He pushed us through first. Took the worst of the fire himself."
She glanced down at her hands—at the skin just above her wrist.
Faint white marks, like claw shadows, laced across the inside of her forearm.
"Third-degree burns. My uncle fell into a coma. I... I woke up in a hospital. Burned. In pain. No memory of who I was."
She hesitated.
"Not for months. For years. I didn't even know my real name. I was placed in foster care. Eventually... I was adopted. By the Stilinski's."
Thea blinked. "As in—?"
"Yeah. Sheriff Noah Stilinski. And Stiles."
Laurel didn't interrupt, but she leaned forward slightly, absorbing every word.
"They said Cora—my twin—died in the fire. But she didn't. Not really. She was just... gone. Like everyone else. It's not like I remembered them anyway."
Nova's voice thickened. "My brother Derek and my sister Laura weren't in the house that night. Laura had picked Derek up from school. They came back to a house full of flames."
She drew in a tight breath.
"After the fire, they left. Went to New York. Ran like they were being hunted. Because they were. I didn't see either of them again until years later."
She pressed her palms to her eyes for a second.
"What was left of us... it was scattered. And broken. And hiding."
Thea held her tighter.
Nova leaned into her, whispering, "That fire ended everything. And I still see it every time I close my eyes."
Laurel's voice was soft now. Careful. "And after all that... you stayed in Beacon Hills?"
Nova gave a bitter smile. "I didn't remember at first. But pieces came back. Bit by bit after I got bit. And then I met someone."
She hesitated. "My girlfriend. Allison Argent."
Laurel's brow lifted.
"Yeah," Nova said. "That Argent."
Thea tensed but didn't interrupt.
"She didn't know who I was. Who she was. Not at first. But when she found out, she didn't run. She stayed. Even when her dad found out. Even when her aunt—Kate—came back and everything went to hell again..."
Her voice cracked. "She didn't leave me."
Laurel whispered, "And then she died."
Nova nodded, slow.
"She took a blade meant for someone else. I held her while she died. I felt her heartbeat stop under my hands."
She inhaled once, hard.
"She looked at me and said she loved me. Just once. And I said it back. And then she was gone."
The room went still.
"She wasn't mugged. My dead girlfriend died in a supernatural fight no one outside our town would believe."
Thea's arms didn't loosen.
They only got tighter.
Laurel whispered,
"How the hell are you still standing?"
Nova gave a cracked smile.
"Some days, I'm not."
✦✦✦
A Crash Course in Wolves
The apartment was quiet again.
Laurel was perched on the edge of her seat, one leg crossed, brows furrowed like she was building a mental case file. Thea had one arm wrapped around Nova's shoulders, the other draped across her bump, protectively, already halfway into "mom mode," eyes sharp.
Nova looked like she wanted to sink into the couch and never move again—but she was still upright, still breathing, still here.
"So..." Laurel began, breaking the silence. "You're a werewolf. Like, actual werewolf. Claws. Eyes. Bite. All that?"
Nova gave her a look. "Did you miss the part where I showed you my glowing red murder face?"
Laurel shrugged, deadpan. "It's been a long night. I'm still adjusting."
Thea leaned in. "Okay, so just... walk us through it. The basics."
Nova exhaled, rubbing her face. "Right. Werewolf 101."
✦✦✦
"There are different kinds," Nova began. "Not all wolves are the same. You've got Omegas—wolves without a pack. They're weaker. Usually outcasts or survivors."
Laurel raised a brow. "Like lone wolves."
"Exactly. Then there are Betas—regular pack members. Most wolves are Betas. Stronger with a pack, tied to their Alpha."
"Okay," Thea said slowly. "What are you?"
Nova hesitated.
Then met her eyes.
"An Alpha."
Thea's lips parted.
Laurel sat forward. "That mean what I think it means?"
"It means I don't take orders," Nova said. "I lead. I command. I protect. I fight. I don't answer to anyone."
Thea's voice was soft. "Is that something you're born with?"
"Not always. Most Alphas become one by killing their own Alpha and stealing the power. If an Alpha is killed by a hunter or some other way, like a car accident, then the Alpha spark immediately goes to the Alpha's firstborn."
Laurel blinked. "So... murder promotions."
Nova gave a tired smile. "Basically."
"But there's another way," she continued. "A rare way. You can rise—without violence. You earn the status on your own. It's based on the strength of your will. Your soul. It's called a True Alpha."
Laurel blinked.
Thea stared.
Nova whispered, "That's what I am. A True Alpha."
✦✦✦
The room went still again.
"That's..." Thea tried. "Good, right?"
Nova gave her a tired smile. "It's rare. Like, once-in-a-generation rare. It means I didn't have to hurt anyone to get my power. But it also means people will come after me. Because they want to test it. Or break it."
Laurel muttered, "Of course it does."
Nova continued, voice steadier now. "My eyes glow red because I'm an Alpha. If they were blue, it'd mean I killed someone. Gold is normal."
Thea blinked. "So... you haven't killed?"
Nova paused.
Then looked away.
"I've fought. I've hurt. But Allison... she was the only one I couldn't save. I killed an Oni but that wasn't human."
Laurel leaned back. "You're what, sixteen?"
"Yeah."
"And you're telling me you've got supernatural power, an ancient bloodline, a dead girlfriend, and now a baby on the way."
Nova snorted. "Welcome to my life."
Thea pulled Nova to her hugging her tightly and kissing her forehead.
Laurel made a face. "Okay, gross. I did not sign up for werewolf baby flirting."
Thea flipped her off.
Nova grinned.
✦✦✦
After a moment, Thea glanced down at her own hand, still resting on Nova's stomach.
"If you bite someone," she asked slowly, "does that... make them like you?"
Nova's face shifted, shadows moving in her eyes.
"If I bite someone, I can turn them. But only if their body accepts it. If it doesn't..." Her voice faded.
Thea's eyes widened. "It kills them?"
Nova nodded. "I would never bite you. Not ever."
Thea was quiet for a second. Then, "Would you do it if I asked you to?"
Nova's head snapped toward her, startled. "What?"
Thea met her eyes. No flinch. No blush. Just curiosity and steel.
"I mean... not now. Obviously." Her hand smoothed over Nova's flat belly.
"But maybe someday."
Nova stared. "You'd want that?"
Thea shrugged. "I don't like the idea of being weaker than you. Or the baby. I'm not saying I want it. But I'm not scared of it."
Nova whispered, "You're insane."
Thea smirked. "I'm a Queen."
Laurel groaned. "I swear to God, I'm going to need tequila if this keeps up."
✦✦✦
Laurel leaned forward again. "Okay. What about the baby?"
Nova blinked. "What about it?"
"If it's born with the gene, what happens?"
Nova exhaled. "If it inherits anything, the traits stay dormant for a long time. No claws. No glowing eyes. No transformations."
Thea tilted her head. "So just a normal baby?"
"For years, yeah. Most werewolves don't manifest until puberty. Sometimes later—late teens or twenties."
Laurel raised her eyebrows. "Puberty werewolves. That's horrifying."
Nova added, "And once they do shift... the aging slows. But only then. A werewolf might look twenty-five until they're pushing sixty. We still live full lifespans, we just... stretch them."
Thea's voice was soft. "But it's normal until then."
Nova nodded. "It'll be a baby. Human. Screaming, messy, hungry. Just like everyone else."
Thea rested her cheek against Nova's temple.
"Good," she whispered.
Nova smiled faintly.
Laurel, meanwhile, looked utterly horrified. "So you're telling me this kid might grow up, hit sixteen, sprout claws, and then not age again for twenty years? Or a perfectly normal human child born to a teenage True Alpha and her intersex girlfriend?"
"Pretty much."
"Cool," Laurel said dryly. "Just checking."
Nova shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe it's just a regular kid with sharp teeth and sass."
Thea smirked. "So... you."
Nova snorted. "Shut up."
Laurel leaned back, hand on her forehead."Okay. I've got enough werewolf knowledge to write a thesis. Or a lawsuit."
Thea grinned. "Please sue someone. That'd be hilarious."
Laurel gave them both a look. "You do realize this is insane, right? Like I'm now legally complicit in a supernatural teen pregnancy?"
Nova deadpanned, "You're our godmother now. Congratulations."
Laurel groaned again. "I'm never getting a normal night again, am I?"
"Nope," Thea said, popping the "p."
✦✦✦
Nova leaned back into Thea's arms, voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you."
Thea kissed her hair. "You're mine," she whispered. "All of this—we face it together."
✦✦✦
Laurel tapped her knee. "Last question—for now. Can you, like... control when you shift?"
Nova's smile faded. "Yes. Mostly. But emotions make it harder. Anger. Grief. Fear."
She looked down at her hands. Her nails sharpened just slightly, claws peeking through the tips.
"I can shift partially. Eyes, fangs, claws. Or all the way—into a full wolf. Black as night. Big. Like... horse big, a regular-sized wolf, or look like a pup. I can adjust how large I am."
Thea's voice was hushed. "You've done it before?"
"Yeah. The night Allison died, I lost control. I ripped through an Oni like it was made of paper."
Laurel's eyes widened. "Jesus."
Nova nodded. "That's why I left. I wasn't just grieving. I was dangerous."
Thea pressed a kiss to her temple. "You're not dangerous to me," she whispered. "You're mine."
Nova leaned into her, finally resting.
Laurel just sat back and muttered, "Okay, cool. So we've got a pregnant True Alpha teenager on my couch. I'm definitely opening wine."
✦✦✦