Page 23 of Wild Wolf

“Because you’re a powerful witch?”

“Right.”

“I was told to take you at least fifty feet away from anything I didn’t want to have burned just in case.”

That earned a snorted laugh, and she ate more of her stew. “I’ve been getting old for a long time. Change is hard.”

“How old are you?”

“I see you’re a brave, brave man, Declan.”

“My mother warned me I could easily live to be several hundred years old, and it seems I’ve halted growth at a somewhat gangly eighteen. I never filled out.”

“Give it a few decades and you will. Desmond didn’t start filling out until he was closer to a hundred. I learned that gem because he was worried about Richard until he realized Richard really is just a pup compared to him. Age gaps are the norm among Fenerec. Richard was in his thirties when he met Nicolina. Fenerec-born and True-born mature early, and the Fenerec-born who don’t undergo the ritual tend to die young because their mature rates are faster. That’s something we’re just starting to really understand. Fenerec-born are also more likely to survive the ritual. I’m not Fenerec-born, but I’m a witch, and I’ve already exceeded my natural lifespan.”

I needed a lot more time than I had to understand the intricacies of life as a werewolf. “Frankly, all I really care about is whether or not you want the ritual done. I don’t mind putting myself in the line of fire to do it. If you want to become a werewolf, then I’ll help you become a werewolf.”

“You’re the kind who sees a problem and wants to solve it, although you’re far more inclined to cause trouble because you can,” Amber observed.

“Amber, you beat SEALs up for fun. Any man with half a grain of common sense finds this to be attractive, and the ones who don’t find it attractive are afraid you’ll beat them. Apparently, I’m the kind who finds it so attractive I’ll blurt random proposals when presented with a woman that capable. That was not one of my better moments, by the way. But when else is a man going to find a woman who is that capable? You beat SEALs up for fun.”

“If I had known beating SEALs was the ultimate method of flirting with men, I would have picked this hobby up a lot sooner. They kept telling me no, and it got on my last nerve, so I dealt with them and did what I wanted.”

Her words reduced my wolf to a drooling mess. “I was promised a video of you beating on SEALs, but I haven’t seen it yet.”

“I swear. It’s not that impressive. I just take them by surprise and use whatever tools are available at the time. It’s not a big deal.”

“Amber, Lane flattened my ass onto the floor. They aren’t exactly lightweights.”

“Lane caught you by surprise, you’d been shot, and you actually put up a decent fight despite being in shit health. I questioned him extensively about that. You about scared the life out of him because you played dead on him for a while there. He almost called in for a medic because you were such a mess, but since you hadn’t stopped breathing on him, he opted to monitor you instead.”

I grimaced. “I’m usually better than that.”

“You’d have to be in order to survive the shit the US government was having you do. I’ve seen your file. Elliot nabbed it at the same time he negotiated with the government to have you for the Inquisition. The government still believes you’re just a Normal, by the way, but that you might have aptitude to be a missed witch or Fenerec-born. And since Desmond likes you, the military opted to give you to the Inquisition. The military is viewing you as Desmond’s bodyguard.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“It’s good. It’ll keep that Vice Admiral from becoming too much of a pest. That man is an annoyance.”

“Haney?”

“Yes, him. He hasn’t been briefed on the Inquisition, as he’s considered to be too ambitious. He has been flagged as a concern for exposure of the supernatural. His general conduct with you has always been up for discussion, because you should not have been handled in the fashion you were. Considering your aversion to using lethal force, you shouldn’t have even been considered for some of those missions.”

“I’ve killed.”

“But it’s not your nature to kill. Desmond was concerned over how you’d handle killing Julie. You seem to have handled it fine enough.”

“She had been warned, and I wasn’t going to let her do anything to Anthony or Lane.” My wolf huffed at the mention of the woman. Petra decided Amber wasn’t a threat and opted to close her eyes and take a nap, using me as a pillow.

I kept on scratching the animal, considering the past and how I’d handled killing Julie. Time had mostly done its job, and while I still regretted her death, I didn’t regret pulling the trigger. I would have regretted inaction far more.

“That’s what I thought. We’ve been fighting over if you’re an Alpha or Omega. Your inclination to avoid lethal force is more of an Omega trait, but you otherwise behave as an Alpha. But then Sanders reminded us Sara often behaves like an Alpha because she’s surrounded by a lot of Alphas who need to be put back into their place. Your control over your wolf implies you’re Omega. No, that’s not right. You don’t need to control your wolf at all, which is an Omega trait. Desmond thinks if Anthony were to undergo the ritual, he’d shake out to be an Omega.”

I tensed. “Anthony?”

“He’s interested, but he won’t take the dive until he talks with you about it, or he finds a Fenerec to be his mate. He’s a good candidate, and considering his relationship with you, it’s a good idea. Lane’s a pretty good candidate as well, but he’d shake out more dominant. Military men usually do. He’ll need a lot of work before he’d be approved, though. Military types have to be reintegrated into society. You’ll need to go through reintegration and possibly therapy, but Desmond and his wife can help you with that. Wendy’s good with helping ex-military adapt to civilian life.”

“I’ve been in hiding for a decade.”