The dinner party had been a success. For that much, Ray could be glad, but he couldn’t quite get over the shock that he was part of it. He’d stayed afterwards to help clean up the worst of it—his mum had waved him away when he’d checked if she needed his help with the kids. “Juliet needs you more, dear,” she’d said with a glance around.

Later, it would seem strange. Or perhaps that’s not right; it seemed strange then as well. The bright lights everywhere, the loudness of everything humans did, and the freedom . I’d gone from my real life, surrounded by family and pack, contained but restrained by their love and expectations to freedom. At least that’s what I thought of most, that I was free, that I could do anything I wanted and for the first time in my life no one would judge whether it was fit behaviour for an omega or...

After much discussion, they had settled on having three tables, since otherwise the older Halley kids would end up babysitting instead of enjoying themselves.