Dropping his hands to her waist, Brett lifted her and sat her on the counter, then boxed her in with a hand on either side of her. “Being a wolf explains everything. It isn’t just what we become, Colby. It’s who we are. Who I am.”
While she stared at him, his eyes changed. The black vanished to be replaced by the most startling gold. Her heart slammed against her ribs, not in terror but rapt fascination.
“We live in packs. We have an Alpha…me. We have Hunters, those who guard and protect. We have healers, those who mend and repair. We have Trackers, who can find anything. We have dominants who want to protect and submissives, who love to be taken care of. In some packs, we even have Omegas.”
“Who live to be kicked around?” She meant it seriously, even if she couldn’t help the smartass. It was almost too much.
“No. Omegas reflect everything negative in a pack. They show us where we are going wrong. It can be ugly place to be, but they are to be cherished for that gift. And…we are getting off the topic.”
When he would have pulled away, she set her palms on his bare arms and he stilled as though held in place. “No, we’re not. You say we’re wolves as if it is an answer. If you asked me why I made dumb decisions in college or lost my temper with you or got snarky whenever I feel out of my depth or isolated, and I said it’s because I’m human, would you understand?”
“No, I wouldn’t. Point taken.” After nudging her thighs apart, he stepped between them and embraced her. The action felt so natural, she hugged him tight. “It is hard to explain what you have always been and never known any different.”
“Oh yeah, that I do understand. Mom has asked me for years why do I do what I do or decide what I decide and sometimes, I can answer it, but most of the time…it’s because I’m me.”
“Yes, you are an exquisite you.” The compliment left her flushed with pleasure. “And you need to eat.”
“Oh my God, you and food.” Yet, she laughed and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Fine, feed me Seymour, but keep talking.”
So he did, throwing together a meal of burgers, and hand-diced french fries. The pile of food on her plate had her raising her eyebrows, but not more than watching Brett pack away easily twice as much as she’d seen him do at any meal. “Wolf thing?” She motioned toward his plate with one of the fries.
“Shifting burns calories, using power burns calories, healing burns calories…”
“So no fat wolves?” If she ate like him, maybe even her high metabolism would take a knock.
“Oh we have ‘em,” Brett shrugged. “Body type is body type. Wolves come in all shapes, sizes, colors even. Some wolves are stronger, some are faster, some have other talents.”
Made a certain amount of sense. Was she really sitting there accepting everything he said as fact? Then again, the image of the man and the wolves and the wood flitted through her mind. When the hell had she seen that?
“It’s not about looks,” he murmured. “It’s about pack. It’s about running together, hunting together—playing together.” The emphasis on play sent another wash of heat through her.
“No seduction for you, buddy. Not yet anyway.”
“I like the yet. It means there’s hope.” Light, teasing and yet a distinct undercurrent flowed through the words.
“Can humans become…like you?”
“Yes.” No hesitation.
“Do wolves have illnesses? Birth defects? I mean, you have healers, so can they fix anything?”
“First, we can get sick. We have strong immune systems, but we can get viruses just like the next person…”
“Provided that person is a wolf.” She made a face at him, and his chuckle lifted the dour seriousness of his tone. Grinning, she took an impudent bite of her burger and motioned for him to continue.
“Yes, oh wise one, but we have humans in our packs too. Well, some do. Hudson River doesn’t, Willow Bend has them by the cart load and so does Delta Crescent.” He paused and she washed down the bite with a drink of water before giving him a questioning look. “I was waiting for your smart ass remark about the pack names.”
“I don’t have one…”
“Damn. Well if you think of one be sure to share it.” So perfectly dry in his delivery, she began giggling.
“I promise.”
“Excellent. As for birth defects…it depends on what you describe as a defect. I wouldn’t have said we had many before. That said we do have stillbirths and some women have trouble carrying to full term, perhaps not in the same numbers that humans do, but it happens.”