At that, Sebastian’s agitated scent calms down. He sighs, then nods. “I’ll behave.”
I raise my eyebrow at Troy, and he dips his chin as well. Knowing that’s the best they can offer me for the moment, I focus on Emma. She seems so content in Troy’s embrace, wearing Sebastian’s boxers and t-shirt, but her eyes are alert.
“What do you mean, my safety?” she asks.
“The full moon is coming,” I begin, “tomorrow night.”
She glances up at Troy, then back at me. “And that’s a problem? You’ll…what? Wolf out?”
I can’t help but grin. “Yeah, basically. But there’s more to it than just sprouting fur.”
I lean my elbows on my knees and take a beat to organize my thoughts. I have to explain this so she understands the danger, and it’shard, telling all this to a human who had no idea we existed a day ago.
Then Sebastian’s hand lands on my shoulder, and he gives me a squeeze, offering support. I shoot him a grateful look. He always knows when I need his help. Finally, I turn back to Emma.
“You’ve heard stuff about wolves and the full moon in the human stories, right?” I begin. At Emma’s nod, I go on. “They got parts of it right. It’s almost impossible for us to remain in our human skin on the night of the full moon. Most werewolves willchoose to go somewhere remote, shift to their full wolf form, and spend the night running and hunting.”
She watches me intently. “Is that what you usually do?”
I purse my lips. “Not always. There’s a large pack not far from here, about four hours west, in the White Mountain National Forest. They have a safe hunting ground sectioned off, and sometimes, we run with them.”
Emma glances up at Troy. “Is it an issue, running with other wolves?”
He smiles down at her. “Nah. We know not to interfere with their pack, and they don’t mind us taking down a deer every once in a while.”
Her eyes grow wider. “You take downdeer? With—with your teeth?”
I freeze, scenting the air. She’s worried, more than before, so I know we have to tread carefully.
“That’s who we are, Emma.” I keep my voice level, trying not to betray my worry, trying not to get defensive. “We shift into wolves, and wolves hunt for their food.”
Sebastian twitches beside me. He’s probably remembering our last hunt. It had been a good one, and he’d been the one to take down that particular doe. He’s an amazing hunter, his sleek body allowing him to be faster and more agile than either Troy or me.
He lets go of Emma’s ankle and tucks his hands between his knees. “You wouldn’t have to go with us.” He glances from her to me and back. “And I can hold off from hunting for a while, if it freaks you out.”
I want to snap at him to quit talking nonsense, but I wonder—would I offer the same if Emma wanted it? Whatwouldn’tI give up to keep her?
Emma chews on her lower lip, then blows out a long breath. “No, I wouldn’t want you to do that. You said it yourself, Carter—you’re wolves. And I guess lots of people hunt, they just use guns instead of their teeth.” She lets out a quick laugh. “And I can’t really judge. I’m not exactly vegan.”
Troy’s rumble of approval reverberates through the room. He wraps his arms around Emma’s body and squeezes her closer to his chest. Her borrowed t-shirt rides up, exposing a sliver of soft, pale skin, and my mind locks on it completely. I stare at her, panting, until Sebastian snaps his fingers in front of my nose.
Then I jerk back and drag my hand over my face. “Fuck.”
It takes all my control to reel myself in. When I finally look up, all three of them are staring at me, their matched expressions of concern almost comical.
“Are you okay?” Emma asks softly.
I force my shoulders to relax. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. But that’s exactly what I’m trying to get to.” I point at my chest. “This? This is notnearlythe worst of it. The closer we get to the full moon, the harder it’ll be to hold back.”
Sebastian takes her foot again and adds, “Finding our last mate is ahugedeal. I’ve been hard since yesterday, and that’s not going away anytime soon. But combined with the power of the moon, it’s an explosive combination.”
Emma’s eyes go a little glassy at his confession. I want to tell Sebastian off for being so direct, but maybe he’s right. We don’t have much time to explain everything to Emma—or get her ready for what’s to come. Maybe we need to be as forthcoming as possible.
“I told you that we mostly like to turn full wolf and spend the night in the forest,” I say, redirecting her attention to me. “But we also have the option to remain in our half form.”
She focuses on me. “Do you go hunting like that, too?”
I swallow, trying to find the correct words. In the end, I settle on, “No. In our full wolf forms, we’re guided by our hunting instinct. There’s nothing better for a wolf than to run throughthe forest, chasing prey, then feast on it as a reward for a good hunt. But in our half forms, we’re driven by a different instinct.”
