My phone rang, waking me up. I snatched it from the bedside table and hit the side button to turn the ringer off. Lyle's eyes slitted open for a moment before drifting shut again. He was asleep again in seconds. I looked down at my screen, where the call was still waiting to be answered. It was my parents.

A debate raged through my mind. I could ignore the call and try to go back to sleep, but just seeing their smiling picture on my screen had my adrenaline racing. I had to tell them about Lyle, and the sooner the better. Waiting would only make me more anxious, and they would pick up on something being wrong. I didn't want them to think I regretted this, though I was honestly still coming to terms with it.

I took too long to debate and my screen went dark. I was just starting to relax when the display lit up again and this time, I knew I had to answer. They would worry if I didn't and they would call Penny, who would go looking for me in the room I wasn't currently sharing with Serena.

I didn't want to wake Lyle again but I was still naked, so I was stuck in the room. I shut myself in the bathroom and hoped it damped the sound enough before answering the call. "Hi," I said nervously. How could one syllable sound so tremulous? Maybe they wouldn't pick up on it.

"Jasper, honey? Are you okay?" Mom asked.

I squeezed my eyes shut. "I'm great." I didn't sound great and I knew it, but what else could I do? Blurt out the truth? Maybe that was the way to go. Rip off the metaphorical band-aid.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, sounding concerned.

I bit my lip and tried to come up with a response, but my mind blanked and I took too long. Mom said, "Hold on, Jazz. I'm getting your father."

I could hear movement in the background and my father's low voice in the background. Mom whispered something I couldn't make out before there was more shuffling and static through the line. Finally, Dad said, "Jasper? We're both here. What's going on?"

I took in a deep breath and exhaled audibly. "Everything's fine," I said. My voice sounded steadier this time.

"Something's up, Clark," Mom said. "I know it."

"Maybe Jasper doesn't want to talk about it right now," Dad said to her.

"Is it Penny?" Mom asked, ignoring him. "Owen sounds like a nice man, but is he treating her well?"

"Owen's great, Mom," I said, though I hadn't actually seen much of him. We were shut in a van for most of yesterday, sure, but I hadn't exactly been feeling social. I knew Penny was deliriously happy with him, though, so I didn't feel like I was lying to my parents.

"Rose, you just grilled Ellie about Owen last night. Ellie was singing his praises," Dad reminded Mom. Ellie was her sister and Charlotte's mother.

"She also said that her new son-in-law is loads better than ours," Mom said. I could tell she was pouting and it made me laugh. The anxiety that had been crawling up my throat eased back a little. I loved my parents. There had never been a time I broached a difficult topic with them and regretted it. They were always there for me, I knew that. I could tell them about Lyle.

"Mom, Dad," I said. "I need to tell you something." I squeezed my eyes shut and bit my lip, trying and failing to keep my heartrate even. Instead, it raced with nerves and my fingers started trembling enough that I feared I would drop my phone.

"We're listening," Dad said. His voice was calm and steady. It reassured me.

"I'm mated."

There. Not so bad, was it?

But then Mom yelped and I heard static over the phone again. Dad's laughter came over the line, but it sounded distant. More static, then Dad said, "Your mother dropped the phone. You still there?"

"I'm here," I answered. I sounded breathless, like I'd been running. I felt breathless, too.

"You met someone last night," Mom said. Her voice was higher-pitched than usual and I knew she was excited. "Tell us about her."

"Or him," Dad chimed in.

"Him? Why would you say that?" I asked, the panic clear in my voice.

There was a long pause, then Dad said "Oof" like the breath had been knocked out of him.

"Dang it! I can't believe you won!" Mom said.

"Um, Mom? Dad?" I asked.

"Sorry. We had a bet going," Dad explained. "I always thought you might pair with a man. Based on your reaction, it looks like I won the bet."

"Don't tell him that!" Mom said in a whisper. "It's insensitive! Jasper, we love you no matter what, you know that. And I'm sure we'll love your mate."

"Um, thanks." How had my father guessed when I never had? Were there clues that I had missed?

"So, tell us about him," Dad prompted.

"Well, his name is Lyle," I said. Starting with his name seemed safest.

"Lyle," Mom repeated. "Where's he from?"

"I'm not... actually... sure. But he agreed to move near you guys."

More static came through the line and I heard Mom whooping. Dad laughed and she giggled as muffled sounds of movement came through the line. What were they doing?

"That's great, Jazz! It's a huge relief that you and your sister will both stay close to home," Dad told me. I heard clapping in the background and guessed that Mom was still celebrating.

"Yeah, I'm glad too. But there's something else you should know." And this would be the hardest part. I had never heard of people mating with such a different species before. Wolves and coyotes were considered unusual enough as a match, but even in the wild they paired up sometimes. You would never see an actual cougar mate with an actual coyote.

"You're nervous," Mom observed. "It's okay, Jasper. Whatever it is."

I loved my parents. Her reassurance was the only reason I was able to tell them. "He's a werecougar."

Silence.

I waited for some kind of response, but none came. I almost pulled my phone away from my ear to make sure the call hadn't dropped, but I knew they were just shocked. Of course they were – this was an expected outcome. Now I just had to wait while they processed and came to accept it. Because they would accept it. They had never let me down before.

I waited a little longer and was about to prompt them for a response when Mom said, "Okay."

"Okay?" I repeated doubtfully.

"It's... unusual, but that doesn't make it bad," she said.

"I can see why you were so nervous," Dad said. "We love you, Jasper. We're going to love your mate. I don't care what species he is as long as his primary form is human."

Mom snorted, which got Dad laughing. I couldn't help joining in. "Thanks. I love you guys."

"We love you too," Dad said. "Now, why don't you get back to your mate? We'll talk more later. You'll have to let us know when you and your sister are coming home."

"If you guys stay up in Canada for too long, we're coming to you. I want to meet your mates," Mom added. "I've never met a werecougar before – I'm looking forward to it."

"I'll keep you guys updated," I promised. "Love you, bye." I hung up and leaned back against the sink, propping my head in my hands. I breathed deeply and exhaled in relief. My parents knew and they hadn't made a big deal out of it. Dad was even excited I had mated with a man. They might be privately worrying about Lyle's species now that I couldn't hear them anymore, but I didn't think that was the case. Once they recovered from the surprise, they had taken my news in stride.

I used the restroom while I was there and wished I had my toothbrush and deodorant. That would have to be my first order of business today – getting my things out of the other hotel room. I had texted Serena last night telling her she had the room to herself. Serena, who had a knack for knowing when people didn't want questions, had simply replied, "Okay."

I really liked Serena.

I left the bathroom and looked back to the bed, where Lyle was still sprawled out. His eyes opened lazily as I neared the bed and a slow smile blossomed on his face. "You told your parents," he said as he propped himself up on his arms.

"Yeah." I couldn't help grinning at him.

"It went well," Lyle concluded after his eyes roved every part of my face.

"It did." I dropped down onto the bed and Lyle immediately pulled me against him. I rested my head on his shoulder, which was surprisingly warm. In fact, when I traced a hand from his collarbone to his thigh, I found that he was warm all over despite being exposed to the cool morning air.

"What would you like to do now?" Lyle asked. He sounded curious, but his eyes were heated and I knew his mind was on more intimate activities than I was prepared for right now.

"Now I retrieve my things, then I want a shower. And you're going to have to meet my traveling group today. Penny – my sister – isn't going to let me get away with disappearing for the whole day." Though I could always tell Char I needed some space. Char could probably distract Penny enough to earn me a little peace.

"Sounds good. Give me ten minutes." Lyle moved to sit at the edge of the bed. He stretched out his torso and arms before stretching his legs out before him. A look of utter content was on his face as he flexed. I almost wanted to stretch out, too, to see if it could make me feel as happy as he looked. Then Lyle kissed me and all thought flew from my head. When he tried to pull away, I clutched at his head and kissed him harder. Lyle bit and sucked at my lower lip, clearly seeking entrance, which is when I remembered that I didn't have a toothbrush.

I let him go and stared up into those stunning eyes of his with a grin. "Go on, get ready. We can pick that up again later."

Lyle was completely unperturbed, though a glance down told me he was more than ready to continue things now. Instead of complaining like I would have expected, he just smirked at me and walked away.

While Lyle took a quick shower, I checked my phone. I had a text from Penny asking, "Are you coming down for breakfast?" and another text from Serena saying, "Penny's starting to ask questions."

I opened the message from Serena and replied, "Stopping by the hotel soon to pick up my things and eat. Hold her off for now if you can."

Serena replied almost immediately: "No problem." A second text came through right after it, saying, "I hope you realize I'm dying of curiosity."

I laughed and closed out of the messages in favor of scrolling a web comic while I waited for Lyle. I'd explain everything to Serena and Penny – and everyone else, I supposed – right after I had a shower and brushed my teeth.