made me raging mad, so it took a moment for me to understand Wolfie's response. Instead of answering immediately, the alpha had sunken down onto the ground to sit cross-legged, ignoring the sticks that I was sure were poking into his bare bum. And he added to the non-confrontational attitude by directing his words down into the ground. "No, I want Chase to talk to you because I'm a bloodling," he said. "I always muck these things up ."
A bit of a growl had come back into Wolfie's voice with the last word, but I finally realized that he was frustrated with himself, not with me. So I stayed silent as I mentally rearranged the past into different boxes in my head. If Wolfie were a bloodling, that would explain why he'd stayed in wolf form in the city. Most bloodlings were put down at birth, just like my little brother had been, and even the ones lucky enough to survive had trouble with their human forms. Bloodlings didn't shift to become human for the first time until they were Keith's age, and some of them took years after that to learn to speak. Wolfie probably did feel more comfortable with his milk brother acting as his spokesman.
On the one hand, Wolfie's past made me more sympathetic to his prior actions. But on the other hand, the fact that the alpha was a bloodling made me want to keep Wolfie even further away from Keith. Bloodlings were very much in touch with their wolf nature, and knowing Wolfie was a bloodling made me yet more worried that he'd tear into a pre-shift male. The knowledge didn't make me feel any more comfortable being alone in the woods with the alpha either.
While I was silently trying to figure out how to deal with this disaster, Wolfie had kept talking. "What I would have asked Chase to explain to you is that our pack lives on the far side of this mountain." Just speaking about his blood brother seemed to bring out the humanity in Wolfie's face and voice, so I let him continue unimpeded. "This whole county has been officially our territory for the last five years. I could tell you that you're the one trespassing. Not that anyone minds when a beautiful wolf like you comes across the mountain." As he finished, I realized that Wolfie was looking straight up between my bare breasts to get a glimpse of my face, which was turning beet red.
"I'm not a wolf," I stuttered, picking the least useful part of Wolfie's speech to fixate on, and I could see his more primal nature gleaming back through his eyes.
"Sure you are," Wolfie answered. "Even when we're in human form, we're all still wolves." Then he looked back down at the ground and moved on to a safer topic. "I would have asked Chase to tell you that we've been keeping an eye on your nephew, and that we'd be more than willing to help with his first shift."
Just imagining what kind of "help" Wolfie would give Keith made me gasp involuntarily. Then I immediately regretted my lapse because I could have sworn the huge alpha in front of me knew exactly what was going through my head. His shoulders slumped as if I'd slapped him, and the alpha lowered his voice another notch so I had to strain to make out his words. "Chase would have said that better," he muttered. Then, looking at my bare feet, he raised his voice a tiny bit and added, " Chase would be glad to come help with Keith's change. He's friends with Dr. Baker."
I sighed, thinking of the mess I'd left behind me at the mansion on the hill. I'd have to find a way to explain my weird behavior and wiggle my way back into Dale's good graces...plus sneak into my car to find some clothes before someone caught me running around the yard naked. Since Wolfie was currently acting oddly submissive, it seemed like a good time to take my leave and deal with this more pressing issue rather than to keep puzzling over the pack across the mountain. "I appreciate your offer," I told the top of the alpha's head as I turned to go. "I'll keep it in mind."
I
A bit of a growl had come back into Wolfie's voice with the last word, but I finally realized that he was frustrated with himself, not with me. So I stayed silent as I mentally rearranged the past into different boxes in my head. If Wolfie were a bloodling, that would explain why he'd stayed in wolf form in the city. Most bloodlings were put down at birth, just like my little brother had been, and even the ones lucky enough to survive had trouble with their human forms. Bloodlings didn't shift to become human for the first time until they were Keith's age, and some of them took years after that to learn to speak. Wolfie probably did feel more comfortable with his milk brother acting as his spokesman.
On the one hand, Wolfie's past made me more sympathetic to his prior actions. But on the other hand, the fact that the alpha was a bloodling made me want to keep Wolfie even further away from Keith. Bloodlings were very much in touch with their wolf nature, and knowing Wolfie was a bloodling made me yet more worried that he'd tear into a pre-shift male. The knowledge didn't make me feel any more comfortable being alone in the woods with the alpha either.
While I was silently trying to figure out how to deal with this disaster, Wolfie had kept talking. "What I would have asked Chase to explain to you is that our pack lives on the far side of this mountain." Just speaking about his blood brother seemed to bring out the humanity in Wolfie's face and voice, so I let him continue unimpeded. "This whole county has been officially our territory for the last five years. I could tell you that you're the one trespassing. Not that anyone minds when a beautiful wolf like you comes across the mountain." As he finished, I realized that Wolfie was looking straight up between my bare breasts to get a glimpse of my face, which was turning beet red.
"I'm not a wolf," I stuttered, picking the least useful part of Wolfie's speech to fixate on, and I could see his more primal nature gleaming back through his eyes.
"Sure you are," Wolfie answered. "Even when we're in human form, we're all still wolves." Then he looked back down at the ground and moved on to a safer topic. "I would have asked Chase to tell you that we've been keeping an eye on your nephew, and that we'd be more than willing to help with his first shift."
Just imagining what kind of "help" Wolfie would give Keith made me gasp involuntarily. Then I immediately regretted my lapse because I could have sworn the huge alpha in front of me knew exactly what was going through my head. His shoulders slumped as if I'd slapped him, and the alpha lowered his voice another notch so I had to strain to make out his words. "Chase would have said that better," he muttered. Then, looking at my bare feet, he raised his voice a tiny bit and added, " Chase would be glad to come help with Keith's change. He's friends with Dr. Baker."
I sighed, thinking of the mess I'd left behind me at the mansion on the hill. I'd have to find a way to explain my weird behavior and wiggle my way back into Dale's good graces...plus sneak into my car to find some clothes before someone caught me running around the yard naked. Since Wolfie was currently acting oddly submissive, it seemed like a good time to take my leave and deal with this more pressing issue rather than to keep puzzling over the pack across the mountain. "I appreciate your offer," I told the top of the alpha's head as I turned to go. "I'll keep it in mind."
I
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