Marge made it back with Al for dinner, matching mating bites on their necks matching the fresh ones Craig and I had on ours. The mood was festive, I could tell Al just wanted to take her to the cabin and lose himself in her for a few weeks, but we had things to discuss.

The children wore out an hour after sunset, the food and the swimming combining to wear their little bodies out. I had shifted into my Panther after dinner, which was fascinating to the rest of the Pack and my mate. I had demonstrated climbing trees and had given more than a few rides to the...