With Michael gone, Alexander wandered around town until he found a forgotten little alcove in the park to sunbathe in. Half asleep, he leisurely flipped over to block the light from his eyes, though to the sky helped him as clouds rolled in. With a comfortable position and the soft sound of the breeze, he began to doze when his phone dinged.

A text from Michael flashed across the screen stating he was on the way back. Smiling, Alexander sent a heart emoji, before rolling over again and stretching. With reason to return, he headed towards Mama Clarke’s house.

A thick humidity permeated the air as thunderstorms threatened to darken the skies. To Alexander’s luck, the rain waited until he had entered the house. Expecting it to be empty, he found Imani perched on the edge of the sagging couch. His eyes slide from her to Peter, who was half slouched against her, furiously typing away at his laptop.

Alexander waved but found Imani’s gaze was strange. He knew the look wasn’t malicious, but his instincts flared. In those long seconds, he realized she did not blink.

Temporarily rooted to the spot, Alexander felt something shift. It wasn’t physical, but instead a light sensation that ran across his mind like a ripple on a pond. It didn’t last long, though the alien feeling made it hard for him to place what had happened. Only when he noticed the weightlessness of his Exception return that he realized it had briefly lifted.

Before he could think more about it, he saw Imani’s eyes glow an unnatural gold before returning to their normal brown. A frown crept across her soft face.

“Shelly, it’s true.” The words were quick, but it was enough to make Peter stop typing as he looked up at Alexander and then his wife. His expression was complex as one eyebrow remained suspended and he grimaced.

A sigh came from the kitchen. “Of course it is. Hunter, are you there?”

A few seconds hung between them. Finally, Imani confirmed. “He isn’t.”

“Fantastic.” Soon Shelly stomped out. The woman had done something very novel for Alexander. She had surprised him as he eyed a shotgun in her hands. “All right boy, sit down. We have some questions for you.”

Even with the firearm, Alexander remained casual as he guessed this was one of those legendary ‘interview the boyfriend’ moments. A kitchen chair sat ready in front of the gathered trio, ready for him to sit.

“I thought I passed the interrogation?” Alexander chuckled, but it didn’t lighten the scowl on Shelly’s face.

“That was when you were human.” There was no playfulness in her tone.

“What do you mean? I’m quite human” Said straight-faced with a cocky grin, Alexander would have almost convinced her if not for Imani’s confirmation.

“Don’t bullshit me.” Her eyes cut through him. “I don’t have any problems with the Packs. But I do have a problem with a werebeast getting close to my little brother.”

Alexander couldn’t help but laugh. “Werebeast? What is that?”

“I’ll give you this warning once. I’m packing pure silver buckshot. Man or beast, it’ll do the trick.” As a threat, she lifted her shotgun at him. “Now, does Hunter know you’re a werebeast?”

“So, I’m a werebeast?” Squinting his eyes, Alexander sounded out each word. Without much care, he spun around the interrogation chair. “Never heard that one before.”

“Don’t be a dick. We’re not idiots. Imani saw through whatever you’re using to disguise yourself. Might have tricked Mama and fooled the Balloues, but her sight is divinely certified. I don’t know why you’re hiding the fact you’re not human, and, honestly, I don’t care. But I do care if Hunter knows.”

Finally, Alexander stopped his circling and fell back into the kitchen chair. They had him caught in quite the quagmire. On average, a gun to his face was a minor inconvenience, and even now, it didn’t worry him. What bothered him was trying to figure out a solution to satisfy Michael. The simplest way would be to admit Neil’s heritage and Hunter’s profession. But he wanted Michael’s opinion first. So instead he stayed quiet.

Stuck in a stalemate, the tension grew. Shelly bit at her cheek and tried to psych herself up before motioning with her gun. “This is a real simple question. Does he know?”

Flatly, he replied. “It’s not a simple answer.”

“Last I checked, it’s a yes or no.”

“Why does it matter?” Nonchalant, Alexander rested his arms behind his head.

“If he knows, you’re breaking the codes. Civilians cannot know about the Supernatural world.” She said as her hands tightened on the gunstock.

“How do you know then? You smell pretty human to me. Along with you two.” When he had first arrived, he had sniffed around just in case. He wasn’t an expert in scents, but everything came up normal.

“Imani’s an eighth Deva. Peter and I grew up in Easter,” she gave a dry laugh, “it’s hard not to notice the Supernatural.”

“Then what makes you think Hunter hasn’t noticed?”

“Magic doesn’t work on him and Mama’s done everything to keep it hidden.” Her tense jaw was sore, but she couldn’t relax as she kept her eyes looked on Neil. She was watching, waiting for any action that would give away his hostility.

Alexander did nothing except yawn and looked at the human with a half-lidded expression. “So, he’s the only one who doesn’t know about it?”

Shelly shook her head. “You still didn’t answer me. Does he know you’re a werebeast?”

“If I said no, what will you do?” If she shot him, Alexander thought it would be quite the plot twist.

Seeing that he wasn’t budging, Shelly tried a new angle. “How about this, why are you disguising yourself and getting close to him?”

“Could it be I just want to date him because I like him?” He casually shrugged.

“A person doesn’t go through the effort of disguising themselves so thoroughly that even true sight has a hard time seeing through it, just to date.” She leaned forward a bit. “Also, I’ve heard of you, one of my contacts mentioned a murder case involving a clan that had the last name Kitt. Apparently, the only survivor has been causing trouble. Shockingly enough, they described him a lot like you. What do you want with Hunter?”

As amusing as this was, it was getting dull as Alexander gave a malicious smile. “I want to date him. Now if you could put the shotgun away, I would prefer no one got hurt.”

“Trust me, I know how to handle my gun.” Still Shelly lowered it. “Hunter can’t know about this.”

“Why can’t he? Either way, I plan to stay with him.”

“It’s for his own good.” Shelly said this so seriously that it caught Alexander somewhat off guard.

He gave a low chuckle. “And what would he think if he found out you’ve been keeping this secret from him?”

“You can’t tell him.” At the threat, she raised her gun again.

“You’d be shocked how—” Alexander’s words cut off as the front door swung open.

“Mom, we need to talk!” Everyone froze as Michael’s yell rang through the house. Well, not everyone, Alexander openly laughed at the sudden turn of events.

It took Michael a second to register what he walked in to. His eyes darted between his partner, his in-world family, and the shotgun. A part of him felt that Alexander had done something stupid while he was away. After a few moments, he broke the silence with a fitting question.

“What the hell is going on?”

Everything sped up as Shelly went to hide the gun behind her back, and Imani glared at Alexander. But Shelly’s futile attempt did nothing as Michael walked over and took the gun. Luckily it was unloaded, but he still shot her a glare. He had questions, but there were pressing matters to handle first. Though he looked around and didn’t see Mama Clarke.

“Where’s mom?”

“Um, she’s with our folks,” Imani responded.

“When will she back? I need to talk to her now!” Still fighting off the fatigue from his impromptu donation, Michael snapped at his friend’s wife.

“Hunter, calm down. I’ll call her.” Defensive, Peter frowned but pulled out his phone. With a quick call, Mama Clarke was on her way back and Michael had time to address the rest of the scene.

“Why were you threatening my boyfriend?”

Shelly was about to make an excuse when Alexander cut her off. “They kept asking if you knew that I was a wereleopard.”

“What?” Michael paused for a second, then growled and rubbed his forehead. “Of course. Of course, everyone was in on it.”

“Neil-“ Shelly hissed, but Michael stopped her with a raised finger.

“Are you also hiding the fact you’re magical from me? Was I the joke all along?”

“What do you mean by magical?” Her awkward chuckles were not convincing.

“Don’t. I’m tired of being kept in the dark. I know mom’s an oracle. Now tell me, who else in this house isn’t human?”

Alexander held up his hand and Michael shot him a venomous look, but also caught that Imani had looked away.

Gleefully, Alexander tattled. “I was told that Imani is an eighth Deva.”

“What about you, Shelly? Peter? Have you been lying to me?”

“No, we’re both humans,” Peter confirmed. Out of the three, he remained the calmest.

“Great. Just great.” Michael’s muttered words were half lost in his internal monologue as he tried to organize all the information he had been feed in a short time. Roughly he rubbed his temples, only to feel a warm palm over his own. The heat seeped into his skin, providing some comfort against his numb appendage.

Seeing his partner’s frustration, Alexander stood up and took Michael’s slightly shaking hand. Without a word, he pulled him over to the side.

“Baby, are you all right?” A hint of worry fluttered in Alexander’s chest as he noticed Michael’s ashy complexion. The dark circles that had not been there before underlined his forest green eyes as Michael once more rubbed his eyelids. His half-lidded look was far from seductive as his droopy expression looked ready to sleep at any moment.

Michael gritted his teeth. “It’s—” He hissed. “A lot happened. I’ll tell you about it later. Let’s just deal with this current situation.”

A bit distressed, Alexander wanted to argue, but he could see that Michael would not waver even when exhausted. “Well, there’s no reason to stand while we wait.” For a second Michael hesitated, but then nodded and followed Alexander to his chair where he leaned into his lap. The room fell quiet as Michael briefly shut his eyes to rest and no one else dared to speak.

Five minutes later, Mama Clarke arrived, and Goldie led her to her armchair. Though she almost clipped the interrogation chair as Shelly quickly pulled it back. Mama said nothing, but they really needed to stop rearranging the old woman’s living room.

Michael took the lead as he stood. Shelly joined the married couple on the couch as Alexander sat in another kitchen chair to the side, quietly observing the scene.

“Everyone, I want the truth. No lies. No half-truths. We are laying everything out today.” The words were more exhausted than angry as whatever rage he had felt had cooled once he had a few minutes to calm down. “First off, Mom, is it true that you work for the Witches’ Council?”

“Hold on, I think we should first ask how you know all of this?” Shelly tried to provide some defense, but Mama Clarke silenced her with a hand.

The older woman sighed, and she crossed her hands in her lap. Beside her, Goldie sat down, watching the tense gathering. Finally, Mama Clarke spoke. “Yes, I do some work for them.”

“For how long?” Michael asked.

“About two years now. I thought it would help ease some of the burden on you.”

“And you’re really an oracle?”

“Yes. I always have been. To explain it all will take time.” Exposed, she remained composed as she looked off towards Michael.

“We have it.”

Mama Clarke waited for a second but found her son did not back down. Taking a breath, she started her story. She explained that she was a product of years of intermarrying between oracles and soothsayers. Her birth family was the Wrights, a clan well regarded within the field of divination for their accurate predictions. They were best known in the southeast and Caribbean islands. However, because of various disagreements, including her elopement with Michael’s father, she was shunned.

“I was a foolish thing, falling for the first man I couldn’t read.” She shook her head. “Well, he was handsome too. And so well-spoken. Charming, even. Shame he was a slag, no less. Left and I couldn’t even track him.”

“So, I got my anti-magic from him?” During the story, Michael had pulled a chair over to rest again.

“Most likely so. Everyone stayed away from him since they could never trust someone whose life wasn’t laid out before them. I thought that was boring. Knowing everything, seeing everything. Acting so stiffly. Always abiding by the wheels of fate. Psk.” Mama Clarke waved her hand. “I wanted adventure, something different, new, and there he was. He wasn’t the worst mistake of a man I made, but still a mistake.”

“Then do you regret having—“

“Don’t start that.” Mama Clarke cut him off. “The best thing I got out of everything was you. I’ll tell you this, so you understand my final say on that blood of mine. When I left that second bastard I dated all those years ago, I had my brother come to me. He told me that fate had sent him and that there was a chance of me rejoining their ranks. Of me finding my place within the family once more.”

Michael nodded, “There was a catch, wasn’t there?”

“Of course, there was a catch!” Mama Clarke’s temper flared a bit as she remembered what that bastard brother said. “I had to give you up. Only then could I return. They wouldn’t accept you since you didn’t have the gift. I told him that he and the entire family could rot. Why would I want to return to that house full of snakes and vipers?” She blew air through her teeth as she flicked her hand. “So, I took you, took our stuff, and settled here in Easter. It already had a population of supernaturals, and it was a place I knew the clan would never step foot.” A deep sigh followed.

“At least that what I thought. But they showed their venomous faces once more after my injury. I was still in the hospital and you were at school after I had Shelly drag you off. One of the cousins and a sister. They showed up only to tell me that my injury was punishment for my transgression against fate. Oh boy, if I hadn’t been stuck in that bed, I would have shown them punishment. Worthless, not even worthy of being called blood.”

“So, you haven’t always worked for the Council?” It all lined up with the established timeline and character Michael had laid out. A person like Hunter didn’t question his mother’s motives, and if she said one thing was one way, he would blindly believe it.

“No, while I was registered in the region, I never did much oracle work outside of town. The Wrights made sure of that. My involvement with the Witches’ Council was purely accidental. Though that’s an incident you have to ask your sister about.”

Shelly touched her nose as she gave an embarrassed smile. “About that. There are a lot of things I need to catch you up on first.”

“Well, then tell me.” Michael turned to look at Shelly, giving her no room for escape.

“Ah, ha. Well, you might be wondering, how did Easter get so big so fast? Well, it’s all thanks to your amazing big sis.”

“What did you do?”

“The usual. Find a market demographic and then exploit it until it bleeds green and gold.” In the background, Alexander gave a small thumbs up to this, though only Michael noticed it. Shelly continued. “Supernaturals have a lot of money and Easter needed it. While we aren’t Disney World, for those who have a hard time being around crowded places with humans, we are the next best thing.”

“I thought you worked at the radio station?” Michael asked.

“I technically still do. I own it. Bought it about 2 years ago after all the deals went good.”

“Jesus, explain.” Michael shook his head. If what she said was true, Shelly was quite a busy woman.

She had been rather active, busting her ass for a long time. To show the full picture, Shelly had to go back over ten years ago when she first started at their local radio station.

Then she was an overly ambitious 20-year-old with a dream of resurrecting Easter to its former glory. But dreams were only a guide. She had a million ideas, but no solid direction. From starting a social media account to emphasizing the town history, all of them became dead-ends in a digital document. It wasn’t until her boss was on her fifth tirade about the difficulties of taking her gaggle of magelings to a human park that Shelly finally found her way.

Easter already had a supernatural history. Already had Easterland and the old hotels. There was also plenty of land to grow on. So, Shelly began planning, designing, and refining Easter’s revival. As excited as she was, there was one major problem that she constantly struggled with. Funding. The local government barely had enough to keep the day to day of Easter flowing, while anytime she went to an investment company or government body, they rejected her. After all, Florida had plenty of theme parks. Why did they need another?

It was pure chance that she got the break she needed. After a major incident at a human theme park nearly outed the supernatural world, her idea for a specialty supernatural only amusement park became a genius idea. Suddenly doors were opening, and she hopped right in. Once in their offices, everything else was a cakewalk. Though even with the investments acquired, it still took two years for the negotiations, planning and other work to settle and the construction to begin.

“Who knew seeing Jacob Ballou turn into a wererabbit would start all of this.” Shelly laughed. “Bastard was so scared too when he saw me. I wasn’t scared myself. Even as a sixteen-year-old, a wererabbit wasn’t exactly intimidating. I mean, we teased about it all the time. I mean, the Bunny man of the Easter Forest is still one of my favorite legends. Thought it turned out to have roots in the fact the town was settled by a colony of those tall eared shifters.”

She returned to her talk about Easter’s revival. “About three years ago, all the contracts finalized, and the construction started.” Shelly gave a wispy smile. “It’s amazing how quickly building can go with magic on your side. The entire renovation took 5 months for Easterland, and I helped other businesses get a good price on their own work. Most had family in these companies or the government, anyway. The true challenge was getting the information out there to draw in tourists. Took a year of specialized social media campaigns and word of mouth to establish ourselves.”

With everything laid out, Michael felt several degrees stupider. He had noticed the supernatural elements all along but had pushed them away as coincidences. Was he getting rusty? No, he was just following the wrong script… at least that’s what he would tell himself.

“If everything in this town is magical, how was I supposed to not notice?” Michael finally asked.

“Figured your condition would keep you blind to it.” Shelly shrugged.

“So even you knew about everything, including my condition.” A frown wormed its way onto his face. This game of deception was unusually frustrating. Maybe because it was so soft. There were no life or death stakes. Yet everyone in the room had enthusiastically played it and stacked their hands heavily against Hunter.

“Mama told me everything and made me vow to never tell you. She figured it would be easier on you.”

“Yes, it was my desire for you to grow up normal,” Mama added on. “Since you took after your father, I believed it was safer that way. Though I could never predict your partner would be a wereleopard.”

“Life is strange, isn’t it? So, we can thank the ruling bodies for Easter’s revival?” Not wanting to dwell any longer on that, Michael refocused the conversation.

“Mostly it’s thanks to my godly presentation skills!” Shelly kicked up. For years she made friends among the organizations and fought for her plan against many creatures. How many evenings had she sacrificed researching, writing, and editing her proposals? How many days did she spend getting quotes, talking with other successful small parks, and running around getting public opinion?

Finally, Shelly had reached the point she could answer Michael’s initial question. “It was during my constant back and forth to the Council’s office that Mama got an in with them. One day she joined me for some negotiations and overheard a complaint. It was that Selkie case, right?”

“Yes.” Mama Clarke nodded.

“Right so she overheard it and decided to consult her stars like she does.” Shelly motioned towards the various charts and maps that still hung on the wall. “Came back next morning with a location, a name, and a motive. I had no idea how I was supposed to tell them. So, I wrote it all down and turned it in ‘anonymously’.” She did finger quotations. “Ha, anonymous my ass. Bunch of mages figured it was me, so I told them about Mama. They had her show her skills and signed her on right away. Now they call her for any case that gets stuck. Including yours, leopard boy.”

After being forgotten for the last hour, everyone suddenly remembered the man who started all this trouble. Alexander gave a small smile as they turned to look at him.

Straightening up, Alexander tried to act more pensive and nodded. “What do you mean?”

“Mama Clarke was asked to consult on the Kitt case. I, normally, would have suggested no. But since you’re my new little bro, even if you lied to me, and you treat Hunter well, so I suggested she pick it up.”

“Shantelle.” Mama Clarke warned before turning in a direction. “They had requested my help earlier, and I had already agreed to take it before I even knew you were dating my son. It was just the case was with a different organization. Now it’s with the council, so I will be able to help.”

Unphased by the scolding, Shelly looked at Michael. “Now that we’ve said our truth. Hunter, it’s your turn. How did you find out about the Supernatural?”

“The robbery five years ago.” Michael crossed his arms. “It would be impossible not to have notice something weird.”

The pieces clicked as Shelly hissed. “That bastard. That’s where it all started, huh? We thought you wouldn’t think much of it since you were anti-magic. But it seems we messed up.”

“Yea, it’s hard not to recognize a fireball.”

“Wait a second,” an idea suddenly came to Shelly, “you mentioned working for Orion Ltd before? Now I know where I’ve heard that name.” She gave him a dangerous look. “Hunter, have you been working as a hunter this entire time?” As she said it everything clicked into place. A long groan left Shelly as she rested her face in her hands. Off to the side, Imani closed her eyes and shook her head as Peter joined Shelly in that groan. Alexander tried to suppress his smile in the back.

“Yes,” Michael confirmed.

“Is that how you broke your rib?”

“Yea. But I didn’t lie. I worked in extermination.”

Shelly threw up her hands, “Exterminating bugs and exterminating the Supernatural are two very different things!”

“Not in Florida. Like once you’ve dealt with a baby gator dragon, you can deal with everything. I mean, it’s like dealing with a baby gator that could breathe fire.”

Shelly looked, shook her head, looked again, and then walked over to grab his head. “I can’t believe it! I can’t believe I felt guilty! Bad brother, bad! It’s one thing for us to keep everything secret. It’s a whole nother to risk life and limb to hunt down supernaturals! That’s peak dumb ass!” She messed up his neatly braided hair.

“I never got mortally wounded,” Michael responded, but Shelly wouldn’t let go. It did nothing for his light-headedness as black dots floated in his vision.

“Just because you didn’t die doesn’t mean you’re off the hook!” Shelly gave him a good beating before forcing him into the confessional chair. There were five years of misadventure for him to explain.

The entire time Shelly fumed while Peter nodded his head in semi appreciation. Mama Clarke said nothing, just letting him talk it out until they had gotten to recent times.

“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe out of all the things you could hunt, you went with those fae fuckers.” Shelly leaned back on the couch with her eyes covered in disbelief.

“My boss is a half-fae. She’s not too bad.” Peter added in. “I’m just impressed a mama’s boy like you could hide it for so long.” He chuckled. At the moment, his arm was wrapped around Imani’s waist as he leaned into her. Imani had remained mostly quiet, letting the family figure out its troubles.

Something clicked as Michael looked at Peter. “Hold on, how did Peter learn about the Supernatural?”

“By marrying in.” Peter hummed.

“I thought it would only be fair to tell him about my heritage since our children could potentially inherit my true sight,” Imani admitted.

“And yet here I was getting a shotgun waved in my face. This is a clear double standard.” Alexander dramatically sighed in disbelief.

Shelly rubbed her face as she leaned forward and gave a heavy-eyed stare at the idiotic boyfriends. “Do you plan on having children?”

“No.” The husbands responded in unison. It was so sudden that it caught the room off guard.

“Either way, this… this has been quite a day.” Michael sighed. With the revelations done, Alexander walked over and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

“At least everything is done,” Alexander added.

“No shit. If I had known this would happen, I would have made a proper presentation.” Shelly sighed before her stomach growled. “Hunter?”

Over the last few days Michael had taken up most of the cooking duty but with everything, including getting a significant amount of blood drawn, he wasn’t in the mood to cook. “Order take out. The curry place is still open, right?”

“I have a discount.” Shelly half-sung and went to go get the menu. Michael couldn’t help but think part of her arrangement with the businesses of Easter was an eternal discount.

“Are you going to continue to hunt?” Mama Clarke asked.

Michael paused for a moment. While the Doc might have a fix for his healing problem, the more he thought about getting tossed around and nearly killed, the less viable it seemed for Hunter. Especially with everything out in the open.

“I didn’t lie when I said I planned to apply for a desk job. All things considered, I’m more suited for that.” Michael gave a half-laugh.

“You don’t have to work if you don’t want too, I’d be happy to support you for the rest of your life.” Alexander stated as he rested his chin on Michael’s shoulder.

“Imani, would you say the same to me?” Peter joked as Imani shot him a glance and then shook her head.

“Last time you played house husband you were ready to return to work within a month.” She teased him back.

“I like working.” It wasn’t a lie, though Michael couldn’t help but blush a bit.

“If the hunter job doesn’t work out, my company might have a position opening soon. Almost all of us are mixed blood, but they hire humans as well. You just have to be willing to work with the Divine.” Imani offered.

Any shock Michael might have felt had already drained away as he just nodded. “If I don’t get the job, I’ll probably take you up on that offer.”

Everything settled, the house sunk back into a familiar atmosphere. No longer having to hide her work, Shelly could not stop talking about her years of business exploits. While Michael nodded along, Alexander was genuinely interested. While it was nothing compared to the demons he had worked with, her skills of negotiation were commendable. Especially when everything at the beginning was built on a single dream and a document.

Food arrived 30 minutes later, and everyone discovered that Shelly had ordered massive portions for her little werebeast bro. She knew that their appetites were nothing to scoff at, and while everyone else thought there might be leftovers, they were quickly proven wrong. Alexander would hardly call himself a foodie, but this go-around he couldn’t keep from finishing the dishes before lazily wrapping around Michael.

Food shared and stomachs full, Mama Clarke was the first to retire to bed as she had to get up early the next day to meet with her Council contact. Peter and Imani followed soon after since it was reaching nine and they need to put their kids to sleep. Shelly was the last to leave.

“You know the gun wasn’t loa—“ Shelly went to clarify, but Michael cut her off.

“I know. Still, please don’t jokingly threaten people with shotguns. That’s how you get killed.”

“Oh, I wasn’t joking.” Shelly smiled. “Night you two. Don’t get into too much trouble.” Giving Alexander a ruffle on the head before hugging Michael, she gave one more sentence. “Remember, we all love you, the last thing any of us want is you getting yourself killed for a bit of cash.” She then paused and continued, “I can always find you a job in Easter.”

“Don’t worry about it, Shelly. I promise I’m done with hunting. I’ll get a normal job.”

“And I wasn’t lying. I’m willing to support him if he doesn’t want to work either.” Alexander reminded.

“I swear, when planning your wedding, remember that Easter has several fantastic venues.” She pointed between them before saying one more good night and heading out. Alone in the living room, they shared a look. A tired smile crossed Michael’s face as he motioned towards the back door. Alexander followed. Some additional things needed to be discussed out of the range of uninitiated ears.