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“Just a little sparring with my brothers.”

She frowned. “This doesn’t look like sparring. They beat the shit out of you, Theo!”

“Wow, you sound like my father.” Maybe he meant it as a joke, but the pain in his eyes told her otherwise.

“He made you do this?”

Theo shrugged and then winced.

“He’s sick.”

“I know he is.”

“No,” Theo said with a chuckle. He winced in pain. “Don’t make me laugh, Fee.”

“I wasn’t trying to!”

“He’s really sick. He won’t get medical help. He doesn’t… He wants to pick the new Alpha before he … before he can’t.”

Fee felt absolutely no pity for the man.

“So why doesn’t he just pick?”

“He says he wants us to … earn it.”

She ran her fingertips over his bruised cheek. “This is fucked up, Theo.”

Theo’s eyes closed at her touch. “I don’t really want to talk about it, Fee. Can we just … not.”

She blew out a slow breath. Theo was always doing that when they were together. He wanted to laugh and flirt and have fun with her, but he never wanted to tell her anything real, anything about his life or his family or his pack. She only ever got the CliffsNotes version.

“Okay, fine,” she said, not wanting to push him when he was so beaten down. “If you don’t want to talk, you can be my guinea pig instead!”

Theo’s eyes opened, sea green staring back at her. “Your what?”

Fee gave him a mischievous grin. “My mother just gave me a few new recipes. I can fix you up.” If he wouldn’t let her help in an emotional way, she would help in a physical one.

“I’ll heal on my own.”

She inched closer, studying his injuries. She tipped forward on the uneven couch cushions and Theo caught her by the waist. His fingers flexed, squeezing her just slightly, a barely-there touch, but Theo’s eyes darkened.

Fee swallowed hard. Helping in a physical way held its own challenge.

“I know,” she said. “But I can test some things out on you. Please.”

His scowl softened.

“Okay, Fee.”

“Okay, good. Thank you.”

He was still holding her in place, his hands hot on her hips.

She cleared her throat and he released her.

It was ridiculous but she would add this to the memories of the other times he’d touched her, the other times when they tiptoed on the line between friends and something more. She had a whole secret place in her heart where she stored them. Sometimes when she was lonely, she would take them out and admire them, like a dragon with its hoard of treasures.

“So,” she said, standing up and getting back on track. “You obviously have some injuries on your face. What’s going on with your torso?”