No one ever asked me about him. It would be nice to talk about him for once.
“We’re not sure. He ignored the symptoms for at least a year. Maybe more. By the time he went into the doctor, he only had a few weeks left. We spent them in the hospital together.”
Wyatt shook his head slowly. “I can’t imagine. How old were you?”
“Barely eighteen. He transferred all of his money to me and made sure I could access my college fund before he passed. Moved me into a little apartment, too. My mom was never involved. I haven’t seen her since I was a toddler.”
“You were barely eighteen and handling life entirely on your own?”
“Mmhm. Luckily for me, I didn’t have a mate I wasn’t attracted to making everything more complicated.”
Wyatt’s lips curved the tiniest bit. “Yeah.”
I rinsed the oily soap bubbles from my hair and started again. Getting the grease out wasn’t fast or easy, but I wasn’t in a hurry.
“What do you teach at the university? I know Abby said her whole friend group is made up of young professors.”
I nodded. “That’s how we met. There’s a young professor program at the school. Technically, it’s a study. I teach Biology 101.”
“So you like science?”
“I do. Teaching definitely isn’t my passion, but the university is running a few research programs I was hoping I could get involved in. Unfortunately, the department head is a sexist jackass, and won’t let me participate until I’ve been here for five years.”
Wyatt scoffed. “That’s ridiculous.”
“I know. He’s my boss, though, so I can’t do much about it.”
“Have you looked into other jobs?”
“Yeah, but I’d have to move for everything I’ve found. Leaving my friends when I don’t have any family anywhere else makes me nervous, so I’ve turned down the offers.”
“I think there’s a research group in Moon Ridge. I’m not sure if they’re hiring, but I could reach out. I know someone who’s a part of it.”
“I would love that. It would definitely be worth a try,” I agreed.
My hair finally felt normal, so I scrubbed the grease off the rest of my body with dish soap, then stole some of Wyatt’s shampoo to clean my scalp while I was at it.
He watched me the whole time. His eyes were still hot, but there was something else in them that I couldn’t quite read.
“What are you thinking?” I asked.
“About having a mate,” he admitted. “I haven’t considered it for a long time. As a werewolf, you grow up expecting to have a partner to share your life with. Rejection is rare. Werewolves don’t prepare to spend our lives alone. We just deal with it if we have to.”
“How do you feel about it?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
Ouch.
The answer could’ve been worse, I guess.
“I guess I process better on my own too,” he said.
That, I could understand.
“You also have a complicated history with women, much like Finn.”
Wyatt grimaced. “Finn’s is worse.”
