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My throat grew tight as he spoke aloud the things I had been mulling over. He always had a way of doing that. "We don't know that," I said carefully.
He gave me a look. "Come now, Castor. If you want to fool yourself, that's fine, but you can’t fool me. You bit him while you were mating, did you not?"
I grimaced, because this was the last conversation I wanted to be having and he was the last person I wanted to be having it with. I could have happily gone my entire life and then some without Father Marius knowing anything about my sex life.
"Yes, but it's just a bite. It hasn't even healed."
"It would hardly be the first thing about him that has turned out to be an anomaly," he remarked. "Or you, for that matter."
I said nothing. He had a point. "I was wrong before. About Eddie. He's always been too gentle for this kind of work, but before, I thought that was a weakness I could train out of him."
"And now?" he asked.
"I think he's perfect," I answered after a moment. "I think the way he is, in spite of everything he’s been through, is something worth preserving and protecting, not a problem to solve. Yeah, maybe I am biased, but it's not just the wolf thing, it's…"
"You've grown attached," he offered. "You love him."
His words were like a knife in my chest, driving in the realization that seemed painfully obvious now.
"Yes," I said, because I wasn't sure why I should keep denying it. Not to him, not to myself, not to anyone. "I do."
"Interesting, indeed," Father Marius murmured. “And what if he hates you for it? For trying to protect him, even if it means taking away his choice?"
"At least he'll be safe," I said with a shrug. “I can live with him hating me, as long as he’s alive to do it. I just can’t handle losing him.”
He watched me for a moment in silence, his expression unreadable.
"What is it?" I asked warily.
"Nothing," he said. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you are starting to sound very much like an alpha wolf."
I gave him a half-hearted scowl. "I'm not sure thereisa right way to take that."
He chuckled. "Fair enough. If that’s all, you may go. I'll consider what you’ve said."
"But you haven't made a decision?" I asked.
"No, and in full disclosure, I intend on speaking with Edmond before I do."
I sighed. "I figured as much."
As I turned and walked toward the door, he called, "Castor?"
I looked back at him. "Yes?"
"No matter what happens, it is quite a rare and curious creature who’s fallen into our care," he said. "And I am not a man who believes in coincidence. I trust that you'll care for him properly from this point on."
His words surprised me, but they probably shouldn't have. "Yeah," I said, nodding. "I certainly will."
ChapterThirty-One
EDDIE
It had been a few days since Castor's return, as well as my second and final encounter with my sire. Fortunately, whatever hysteria had overcome me in the woods seemed to have resolved itself for the most part. I was far more concerned with the whole omega thing.
Castor and the others were still being vague about the matter. Of course, that made me even more suspicious.
So far, I was pretty sure Arrow was the only one who had been straightforward, if a bit more than I was comfortable with. Now that Castor was back and watching me like a hawk, I hadn't had the chance to speak with Arrow alone.
