Chapter 5 - Laura
"Poppy, do not jump off that," Wendy yelled, shaking her head. "This kid is going to be the death of me."
I couldn't help but chuckle. I looked at Michael, seeing he was sitting next to Poppy with a big grin. I was glad to see that after being here for a month, we were adjusting to life rather well.
I pulled my gaze from the kids back towards the table. Wendy was sitting beside me, working on a smoothie, while Ashley sat across from us with her daughter on her lap. She was eating some fries, smirking.
"Has she flown yet?" Ashley asked, popping another fry into her mouth. She was trying to pull Ivy, her daughter's hair, back into a pony.
Wendy frowned. "No, and it's not something you do until you're a little older, but she keeps telling me she's going to do it. Have I told you the nursing staff at the ER knows us all by name now?"
Ashley started to chuckle, finishing Ivy's pony. "They knew you guys by name before because of Ayden."
Wendy shrugged. "That's not the point. They shouldn't just know it's because Poppy is trying to fly." Wendy looked over her shoulder back at the kids. "I'm going to need to put her on a damn leash if this keeps up."
"Kids are resilient," I said. "Michael broke his arm once, healed up pretty quickly."
"That's because of his shifter side," Ashley said as she sipped her water. "Crazy how different they are from normal children."
My stomach sank. For the longest time, I thought I was doing everything right for Michael, but maybe I wasn't. Knowing he was a shifter had turned my world upside down, and I didn't know what to do about it.
I'd gone to the group a couple of times, learning what I could. I still found myself confused at times. I'd had lunch a couple of times with the girls, but we didn't know each other well enough for me to pour my entire life out to them. That and I didn't want the truth to get out. I had no idea how Miles would feel if he found out Michael's was really his.
"How did you guys know that Wendy was a witch?" I asked, kitting my fingers together nervously.
Wendy stirred her drink. "For Poppy, it was really figuring out if she was a witch or a shifter."
"You knew she wasn't going to be human?" I asked.
Ashley spoke up. "When shifters have children, the percentage of them being human is about ten. But the percentage drops when you combine a witch and a shifter."
I felt stupid not knowing this, but the girls never made me feel bad about my questions. If anything, they made me feel better about asking.
"We don't expect you to know that," Wendy said, smiling at me. "But the chances are low. Kids show signs at a young age, but you can also feel it in them. It's like a connection that you can't exactly put together."
Ashley nodded. "When Ivy was born, I felt a snap knowing who she was."
I looked at Michael. I felt a connection, but not like they were describing. I suddenly felt that my love for Michael wasn't as strong as what they had with their kids, and it never would be.
"Laura, you're a great mother," Ashley quickly added. "Being a human doesn't change that."
I nervously laughed, grabbing my smoothie. "I don't know if that's true."
"Michael loves you," Wendy said, smiling at me. "I can see it in his eyes. Being a human doesn't mean that what you guys haven't isn't special. If anything, I think it's better. You can't hear your kids scream in your head how much she hates you."
I gave her a sympathetic smile. "I hope you're joking."
"No, Poppy loves to pull that card out. And because she didn't actually say the words, it doesn't count. Ayden loves it," she said sarcastically.
"There is a lot that I don't know," I explain, "And I feel I should. How do I tell Michael? How do you break that news to someone who's never been around it?"
Both of them had wide eyes. "You haven't told him?"
I shook my head. "I don't know how to. I hardly understand it. How am I to get him to?"
We all looked over at the kids. Poppy was standing at the top of the playground, yelling down at Michael, who was on the ground. He looked like a human, but then again, so did Poppy.
"How long are you planning to wait?"
I looked over at Ashley as she adjusted Ivy in her lap. "Normally, kids know sooner than six. Hasn't he heard his wolf speak to him?"
I nod my head. "Yeah...this was before I even knew. I should have told him at the ER, but couldn't wrap my head around it. I had no idea he was one."
"He's going to be confused," Wendy explained. "No matter what you say….he won't really understand because it's never been spoken about. If you want him to know, you have to tell him."
"How am I supposed to normalize this when this doesn’t feel normal? I’ve hardly been around shifters myself.?"
They both gave me a sympathetic smile.
I rubbed a hand over my eyes.
"If you don't mind us asking, how did you have Michael? Didn't his father tell you who he was?"
Miles popped into my head. I knew what night it was that I ended up pregnant. It was the night the condom broke. This was two months before we broke up. And with finals around the corner we knew we wouldn't see each other as much.
I remembered how I was supposed to pick up the plan B, and I forgot. Miles even reminded me twice to do so. And yet, I hadn't. I kept forgetting between classes and trying to work on my final essay and a damn project.
The weeks flew by, and it wasn't until I was clutching the damn pregnancy test that I remembered I never got the pill. And then Miles ended things. And suddenly, I was all alone and pregnant.
I couldn’t tell them the truth. I already lied and told Miles it was someone I dated so I needed to continue the lie.,“It was a guy I was seeing at work from my first job straight out of college. We had only been dating a few weeks before I found out I was pregnant.
Wendy tilted her head. "The guy never told you?"
I almost snorted. Of course, Miles didn't tell me. He didn't want to reveal that much about himself. He made sure the relationship was about sex and nothing more.
"No."
"What an ass," Ashley said. "The guy should have told you. Especially if you had his kid."
"He doesn't know."
Both of their eyes widened again.
"He doesn't know?"
I shook my head. "Like I said, it wasn’t a great relationship. I got let go soon after. The place went under and he moved away.”..."
"Fuck," Wendy said under her breath. "That fucking sucks."
I laughed because they had no idea.
"No wonder you don't know."
"The best way to normalize this for Michael is talking about it. Bringing it up," Wendy said. "Even if it's just about other things. The more you guys talk about it, the more normal it will become. And the easier it will be for him when he does actually shift."
"How will I know when that will be?"
Ashley frowned. "You don't. It just happens. He's showing signs that it's coming, but you won't know until he's going through it. Each child is different. Some are early bloomers, and some are late."
I felt the worry build in my stomach again. I didn't feel any more confident in myself than I did a month ago when I first found out.
"And what do I do when he does?" I asked. "What happens when he does shift."
"Praise him," Wendy said, taking a long sip of her smoothie. "It's a big accomplishment for them. He's going to want to go running, so you should let him."
I took that into mind. "And after he shifts? Will he continue to? Is he just going to continue to be forced to shift?"
"It's the only time it will ever be forced," Ashley said. "Every other time, it's his decision. Once he finally does shift and connects with his other side, Michael will be like any other kid. No more fevers or feeling he's in pain."
The idea sounded nice. But I still worried about his shifting. How did I normalize something like this?
"Their wolf is a part of them," Wendy added. "The better connection Michael makes with his wolf, the better connection they have. It helps them a lot later in life. It's how the guys communicate, it's how you find your mate."
I scowled. I remembered the first time Michael had brought up the little voice. I thought he was just little, like any other kid who spoke about imaginary friends.
"And what if he doesn't have a good connection?" I asked, knitting my fingers together.
Ashley gave me a gentle smile. "He will. You guys just have to start talking about it."
I looked back at Michael, knowing all I wanted was for him to have a normal, happy life. But my normal wasn't going to be the same for him.