Just then, I heard my dad’s voice call me from my left. My eyes darted towards the sound, locking onto his tall, waving frame. I couldn’t see my mom; no doubt, all the people obscured her since she was so short. I realized that they must’ve begun moving this way after the stage was lowered. They were much closer than where I’d been searching for them. 

I waved back and smiled. As they drew closer, I could finally see Mom, holding Dad’s hand and trailing behind him as he parted the crowd. Dad’s eyes dipped down as he approached, and a puzzled look crossed his face. Realization dawned on me, and I blushed. Of course, Dad would be wondering about this situation. To him, his ‘baby girl’ is glued at the hip to a large man of unknown origin.

“Someone you know?” Theory’s breath splashed against my ear as his gaze followed mine. I tried to put some distance between us, but he held firm. His hold on me tightened as my parents drew near. His closeness caused my dad’s expression to grow increasingly confused and somewhat annoyed. My mind stuttered, sensing the intense atmosphere that was building with each step my parents took. They were still a few feet away by the time I finally spoke up.

“Um, yeah. That’s my dad, and the little lady behind him is my mom. They must’ve come looking for me after the introductions were done.” The words rushed out of me in a quick attempt to explain the situation. Theory’s hold on me relaxed slightly, as if satisfied with my answer. 

“Ah, I was worried for nothing then.” He grumbled under his breath as he stood up straighter. “Sorry about that, I didn’t notice your mom before you mentioned her.”

I pondered his words before my parents closed the distance between us. Was Theory jealous? Or maybe it was just the possessiveness that shifters must battle now and then? Also, how am I going to explain all this to my parents? I’ve only been away from them for two hours or so, and I’m already cozy with a shifter prince? Even I don’t understand it.

“Juni… It seems you’ve made a friend?” Dad called, his eyes lingering on where Theory’s hand rested on my waist. Mom elbowed Dad’s ribs lightly before stepping forward with her hand outstretched.

“Nice to meet you! We are Juniper’s parents. I’m Mona, the former Mother of our coven. This is my husband, Azlanii, and he is one of our coven’s High Priests.” Thankfully, Mom took over the introductions, like the social butterfly that she is. With her steering the conversation, the atmosphere immediately lightened. Theory shook her hand before extending his hand to my Dad.

“Nice to meet you both. I am Theory Torben, son of the current Brown Bear Ursus of the Central Western American Tribe. Or as Juniper put it, you could say I’m a shifter prince,” after an extremely firm handshake with Dad, Theory smirked down at me. 

“It was a legitimate question! Don’t make fun of me!” I giggled, taking a page from Mom’s book and nudging his ribs with my elbow.

“Alright, whatever you say, princess.” Theory bowed mockingly, a familiar smirk playing across his lips. I rolled my eyes, huffing a laugh. My parents’ eyes darted between us, trying to make sense of the scene before them.

“Juni… Did you two know each other before today? You didn’t tell us that you met any Shifters while in college…” Mom was the first to speak between the two. 

“Uh, no, actually… We just met a little while after I went off on my own.” I scratched the back of my head and looked down sheepishly. When I glanced back up, I saw my parents exchanging a look that seemed to hold some hidden meaning. It was like they were having a silent conversation. 

“I hope you won’t mind that I already asked for Juniper’s first dance. I hadn’t realized that her parents would be here, since not everyone has such extraordinary parents.” Theory broke the silence that was becoming increasingly awkward.

“Well, that and we hadn’t bothered with formalities by the time he asked. So, we didn’t even know each other’s species yet.” I quickly added, trying to provide more context.

“Ah, that’s alright! The ball won’t end for a while, so there is plenty of time for her to dance with Azlan.” Mom chimed in.

“Indeed,” Dad replied stoically, his eyes evaluating Theory, like he was sizing him up. 

After another intense bout of silence, music filled the atrium. Thank all the gods that the musicians had finally finished setting up. I couldn’t have withstood even another second of whatever this awkwardness was. Theory released me, taking a step back before formally bowing and offering his hand.

“Shall we?” He asked. Looking up from his outstretched hand, I was transfixed the moment our eyes met. All the tension and confusion that I had felt just moments before vanished. A broad smile lit up my face, my hand finding his without a hint of hesitation. Theory led me to the center of the nearly empty dance floor. Once there, he pulled me close. His hand rested on the small of my back. 

Our eyes remained locked onto each other as I followed his lead. I had always thought of myself as a decent dancer, but dancing with him felt like an entirely different experience. I felt light as a feather, as if I were floating along in the breeze he had created. It was effortless and ecstatic, all at once. As the song reached its peak, Theory swiftly lifted me above his head. My gasp shifted to a breathless giggle as he spun us before slowly lowering me with our bodies pressed into each other. 

I bit my lip as I descended. The look we shared was more intense than any other we had shared before. One moment, I was looking down at him, our faces close as I was leisurely lowered. The next moment, we were eye to eye. Then, at last, my feet met the ground. I stared up at him, unable to pull my gaze from his. He dipped me, and my lips parted. 

At that moment, I wanted nothing more than for him to kiss me. I wanted it more than I had ever wanted anything else. My eyelids drooped slightly as he pulled me back up. I managed to tear my gaze from his long enough to witness a smirk twist his beautiful lips. By the time I looked back into his eyes, I found that amusement had replaced the intensity that was there before. That was when I came back to my senses. We had stopped dancing; the song was over, and we were in a ballroom filled with people, including my parents.

“Seems like you want to go again, or did you want something else?” Theory chuckled lowly into my ear. My body exploded into a fierce blush. I wondered just how many shades of red he had caused me to turn in the past few hours. I placed my hand on his chest, pushing myself away from him to escape the raging heat that felt as if it would consume me. 

“I… Um… I still owe Dad a dance, so…” I trailed off, looking anywhere Theory wasn’t. He took my hand and began guiding me to where my parents stood. Mom gave me a smile that claimed that she knew something, but I wasn’t sure what that something was.

“I hope you’ll save me another dance,” Theory bent and placed a soft kiss on my knuckles that seemed to burn straight through me. 

“I-I will.” I nodded way too enthusiastically. A cocky little grin showcased his prominent dimples, and I was in awe of his handsomeness once more. Dad cleared his throat.

“I suppose it’s my turn.” Dad approached, silently pressuring Theory to step away. Which, after a moment’s hesitation, he did. Dad faced me and bowed, offering his hand in the same way Theory had. I smiled softly and placed my hand into Dad’s. We moved onto the increasingly crowded dance floor. Dad seemed a little stiff as we started to dance.

“I should’ve brought a stick,” Dad mumbled, shaking his head with a small smile.

“A stick? What for?” I asked in confusion. I tilted my head as I peered up at him.

“To ward off all these boys! I leave you alone for a couple of hours… Never you mind, Juni bug. You can’t help that you’re beautiful.” Dad grumbled in earnest, glaring jokingly behind me, where I assumed Theory stood. “But you two seem awfully close… A little too close for your old dad’s liking.”

“Dad! I’m 26 years old. Plus, Theory seems like a good guy. He was supporting me because I fainted a little while ago, and it made him really worried.” I tried to explain why Theory had been holding on to me.

“You fainted? What happened? Are you alright?” Dad’s eyes shot to my face, and he began studying me.

“Yeah, Dad. I’m fine. This damned corset makes it hard to breathe. I’m just not used to wearing things like this. Theory brought me outside to get some air and stayed with me until I felt better.” I reassured him.

“I’ll tell Ginger and Jasmine not to tighten it so much next time. I guess I should thank the boy for taking care of you in our absence.” Dad glanced toward Mom and Theory with a contemplative look. 

I dared a glance as well. Mom was laughing at something Theory said, and I wondered what they had been talking about. I hoped it was nothing embarrassing. My mom loved to recount stories from my childhood to anyone willing to listen. To avoid spiraling internally and imagining the worst-case scenarios, I focused on dancing with Dad. The song came to an end, and we headed back toward Mom and Theory.