Whispers of the Wolf

Her Secret

Alaric

I wanted to kiss him.

So much.

The way he was looking at me ... I had been completely caught in his emerald gaze, unable to move, to blink, to breathe. I was at his mercy and my wolf had been whining and howling, wagging his tail, his tongue lolling to the side. He loved being this close to his mate.

And so did I.

Radley was cute. So cute. Even more so up close. His smaller height and lean frame made me want to pick him up in my arms, hold him close and run with him. All the way to my bedroom back at the mansion.

And then I would make love to him for the rest of the day ... and all night, too.

A throb in my groin stopped me in my tracks, and I leaned against the wall in the hallway, right outside the door to the living room, clutching my chest as my heart picked up a happy beat, thumping hard in my chest.

I wiped a hand across my forehead, finding it damp and hot.

Fuck.

This one wolf had me wrapped around his paw and he didn't even know it. The way he acted just now in the kitchen ... it was almost as if he didn't know what to do with his feelings. I could see it ... right there ... in his eyes. He felt the mate bond. Just as I did. He felt the sparks as our hands touched, could feel the heat coming off of me, just as I had with him.

He knew.

So, if he felt the mate bond then ... that meant he had a wolf, right?

Maybe Dad was wrong, after all.

But then, why did he look confused when I mentioned the link breaking when Tala died? If he had a wolf, then he would have felt that ... wouldn't he?

I needed to talk to someone about this. All the books I had studied, the history of werewolves I had read about ... I hadn't come across anything like this.

Would Dad know? Or should I speak with one of the elders?

I glanced at the living room door. Claudia was one of the elders, lived quite close to the houses set aside for ageing wolves. She was a werewolf, although I had never seen her shift, but I was sure that was because she was getting older. It was more difficult for a wolf to shift at an older age - there was a higher risk of something going wrong, or breaking and not fixing properly. But that didn't mean the older wolves were useless. Quite the opposite, really. Although they didn't really shift into their wolves, their experience and knowledge of werewolf history made them invaluable members of any pack.

Claudia was one such wolf. And she lived with Radley. She would know if he had a wolf.

I should ask her.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed off the wall and stepped towards the living room door, stopping as I overheard my father speaking with Claudia.

"We're preparing Tala's pyre," Dad said. "The whole pack will be there. I'd like both you and Radley there, too, as you and Radley are part of this pack, whether you like it or not."

The door stood slightly ajar, and from where I was standing, I could see my father sitting on the sofa, leaning forward slightly.

I heard Claudia huff. I couldn't see her, but looking at where my dad's gaze was fixed, I was sure she was still sitting in the armchair by the fire.

"What would I tell Radley?" she asked.

Dad sighed and ran a hand down his face. "How about telling Radley the truth, Claudia? About where he lives? Who he lives with? Isn't it about time?"