Twenty-Four

Isobelle

After an intense goodbye with Alex, Lucas, and Mason, I waved to them from the porch as they shifted and disappeared into the forest.

I hadn't told my parents about my new living arrangement. Not that I could keep this a secret forever. I tried to pluck up the courage, only to chicken out at the last minute. They would never understand this. The timing would never be right. I knew that. It would have to be done sooner rather than later though, because they were expecting me to return home in three months. The closer it came to the deadline, the harder it would be to explain things. I planned to rip off the Band-Aid after I mated with Alex, Lucas, and Grayson. This was special, and I didn't want a fallout with my parents to cast a dark cloud over it.

"Grayson?" I called out, wondering where he had gone.

He was busy preparing a bath and heard me calling to him.

"In here," he answered, sounding a little nervous. I peeked around the doorframe and saw him hide something behind his