here so soon.
Making her confront her new direction in life was part of his plan and an important first step in helping her to face the truth. Hopefully, eventually, she would get past being afraid of the unknown.
For the time being, she needed guidance. After tonight, he was determined to turn her over to Rena. Females were so much better than males at dealing with personal issues, whatever species they belonged to. Some kind of innate nurturing thing had been twisted into female DNA.
That’s what he told himself, anyway.
Rena wasn’t exactly softhearted, but she would step up to the plate if he asked her to. He knew Rena harbored a lust for him that the she-wolf never fully kept hidden, but he considered Rena family. She wasn’t the new rusty-haired human-wolf hybrid that his wolf craved in some strange and inexplicable way.
Rena was intuitive. She would see this. Although Rena wouldn’t think much of what he’d done to save Kaitlin, the she-wolf would never purposefully harm anyone who didn’t deserve it.
So. Hell. Why had he done what he had done, exactly? Why had he helped a human being? Chance? Coincidence? Serendipity?
Humans had not given this same kind of consideration to his family. After hunting his mother, they shot her, did terrible things to her body and then dragged her off. Illicit game hunters in on the secret existence of werewolves had hoped for a pricey black-market pelt, but hadn’t gotten their wish. His mother, also able to shape-shift at will, had robbed them of that last detail.
Michael scanned the lawn. With his sensitive hearing mechanisms on alert, he experienced an anticipatory spike in pulse rate. But it wasn’t Kaitlin who approached.
“I get it, Michael.” Rena effortlessly covered ground on long, shapely legs.
“What do you get?”
“She’s different.”
He nodded. “You noticed.”
“I wonder what it is, though.” Rena stopped beside him with her hands stuffed into the pockets of her jeans, and looked up at him. “What are you going to do with her?”
“I suppose that depends on how she turns out.”
“How bad was it for her? I know you wouldn’t do this unless it was absolutely necessary.”
“There wasn’t much to save,” he replied.
Rena sniffed the air. “Whatever happened to her happened near here? Some of her scent lingers.”
“Rogue vamp,” Michael said. “Possibly only days old.”
“Damn things are getting bolder. That’s the second attack in a week.” Rena nailed him with a shrewd stare. “Why did you do it?”
“I suppose I felt sorry for her.”
Rena’s expression let him know she saw through that answer. She asked, “Is this a new trend?”
“Hopefully not.”
Rena looked around. “Is she coming here to meet you?”
“Maybe she’ll show. Maybe not.”
Michael didn’t want to get into this now, since he’d have to go over it with the rest of the pack tonight. Rena was good at pressing the limits of trespassing on personal space, though. She’d been raised in a family of twelve.
“Oh, she will show, all right. You’ve mesmerized her,” she said.
“She’ll get over it. People often idolize their rescuers at first, until that new take on life wears off.”
“Yes, but Kaitlin’s new take on life won’t wear off. She won’t be able to go back to her old ways as if nothing happened, will she?”
“I’m hoping you’ll help her with her transition to this new life.”
“And I hope you’re kidding, Michael.”
He looked directly at her. “I can’t think of anyone better for the task, or that I’d trust with it more.”
Rena’s eyes were bright with an emotion she almost succeeded in keeping hidden. After helping to raise her numerous siblings, she wasn’t going to be amenable to babysitting again.
“Like me, Cade was human until he was bitten,” she said. “He’s calmer. He’d be a better keeper.”
“Cade is all male, as you well know.”
“You’re suggesting that no male can resist this
Making her confront her new direction in life was part of his plan and an important first step in helping her to face the truth. Hopefully, eventually, she would get past being afraid of the unknown.
For the time being, she needed guidance. After tonight, he was determined to turn her over to Rena. Females were so much better than males at dealing with personal issues, whatever species they belonged to. Some kind of innate nurturing thing had been twisted into female DNA.
That’s what he told himself, anyway.
Rena wasn’t exactly softhearted, but she would step up to the plate if he asked her to. He knew Rena harbored a lust for him that the she-wolf never fully kept hidden, but he considered Rena family. She wasn’t the new rusty-haired human-wolf hybrid that his wolf craved in some strange and inexplicable way.
Rena was intuitive. She would see this. Although Rena wouldn’t think much of what he’d done to save Kaitlin, the she-wolf would never purposefully harm anyone who didn’t deserve it.
So. Hell. Why had he done what he had done, exactly? Why had he helped a human being? Chance? Coincidence? Serendipity?
Humans had not given this same kind of consideration to his family. After hunting his mother, they shot her, did terrible things to her body and then dragged her off. Illicit game hunters in on the secret existence of werewolves had hoped for a pricey black-market pelt, but hadn’t gotten their wish. His mother, also able to shape-shift at will, had robbed them of that last detail.
Michael scanned the lawn. With his sensitive hearing mechanisms on alert, he experienced an anticipatory spike in pulse rate. But it wasn’t Kaitlin who approached.
“I get it, Michael.” Rena effortlessly covered ground on long, shapely legs.
“What do you get?”
“She’s different.”
He nodded. “You noticed.”
“I wonder what it is, though.” Rena stopped beside him with her hands stuffed into the pockets of her jeans, and looked up at him. “What are you going to do with her?”
“I suppose that depends on how she turns out.”
“How bad was it for her? I know you wouldn’t do this unless it was absolutely necessary.”
“There wasn’t much to save,” he replied.
Rena sniffed the air. “Whatever happened to her happened near here? Some of her scent lingers.”
“Rogue vamp,” Michael said. “Possibly only days old.”
“Damn things are getting bolder. That’s the second attack in a week.” Rena nailed him with a shrewd stare. “Why did you do it?”
“I suppose I felt sorry for her.”
Rena’s expression let him know she saw through that answer. She asked, “Is this a new trend?”
“Hopefully not.”
Rena looked around. “Is she coming here to meet you?”
“Maybe she’ll show. Maybe not.”
Michael didn’t want to get into this now, since he’d have to go over it with the rest of the pack tonight. Rena was good at pressing the limits of trespassing on personal space, though. She’d been raised in a family of twelve.
“Oh, she will show, all right. You’ve mesmerized her,” she said.
“She’ll get over it. People often idolize their rescuers at first, until that new take on life wears off.”
“Yes, but Kaitlin’s new take on life won’t wear off. She won’t be able to go back to her old ways as if nothing happened, will she?”
“I’m hoping you’ll help her with her transition to this new life.”
“And I hope you’re kidding, Michael.”
He looked directly at her. “I can’t think of anyone better for the task, or that I’d trust with it more.”
Rena’s eyes were bright with an emotion she almost succeeded in keeping hidden. After helping to raise her numerous siblings, she wasn’t going to be amenable to babysitting again.
“Like me, Cade was human until he was bitten,” she said. “He’s calmer. He’d be a better keeper.”
“Cade is all male, as you well know.”
“You’re suggesting that no male can resist this
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