Chapter 16

“What happened?” Duncan asked.

They both started shouting, Nora through tears and not making much sense. Charlie was so angry he could barely get out more than growls, but I managed to piece together some of his words. It sounded like Nora hung up before Charlie got a chance to talk to his dad. Then Nora was wailing, and Charlie was shouting over her to be heard.

“Enough.” I didn’t raise my voice but the power pushed out of me. All three of the wolves went stock-still. I hadn’t done it on purpose, but I needed them to stop. Shouting over each other wasn’t productive, and Duncan had enough going on with his husband gone.

“You’re an alpha?” Charlie squinted at me. “You don’t look like an alpha. You don’t actlike one.”

“Charlie,” Duncan snapped, his eyes going wolf. “Apologize for your rudeness.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, sounding like he only partially meant it.

I nodded to show him I accepted it, but my brain was going a mile a minute. I’d never shown alpha abilities. Not really. And certainly nothing like this, where my influence affected others. Now here I was, in the middle of a practical stranger’s living room, exerting power I didn’t even know I had over unsuspecting wolves.

I felt horrible.

“I’m sorry, too,” I said, keeping my voice level. “I shouldn’t have gotten involved.”

Duncan stared at me for a solid moment before he gave me a tentative smile. “But you’re an alpha. You stepped in when you perceived a problem. That’s what alphas do.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I kept my mouth shut. Duncan turned back to his children, now that they were both calm, and began speaking to them about their behavior. No one was paying me any attention, and I used the opportunity to make my escape.

I took refuge in my bedroom. I sat hard on the bed and buried my head in my hands. What the hell was that downstairs? I still couldn’t feel my bear, but I’d been able to exert alpha influence on the wolves.

What the hell was wrong with me? And how the hell could I fix it? 6

I smelled Trey before I heard him. That sharp scent of wolf that was uniquely his with just a hint of citrus I now knew came from his soap. I was lying on my back, arm over my eyes, but I knew he was standing in the doorway because of his strong scent. Part of me felt like I should say something, but I couldn’t get my mouth to work.

“Sounds like you had an interesting morning.” Trey’s voice washed over me, a rumble of warmth. There was no doubt what he was talking about. I wanted to keep hiding but that was just rude. With a heavy sigh, I moved my arm and sat up, but I couldn’t meet his gaze.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, then made an effort to make my voice stronger. “I didn’t mean it, but I’m still so very sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. It happens.” He sounded like he meant it, but I still couldn’t meet his gaze. Instead, I watched his socked feet pace closer to the bed. He paused, then in a soft voice, said, “I think we should talk.”

My gaze snapped up, meeting his golden brown eyes for the first time. My voice came out in a strangled meep. “I said I was sorry. I meant it.”

“And I said there was no need to apologize.” He cocked his head, considering, then gave me a half-smile. “Or at least that’s whatImeant. You were being you. There’s no shame in that.”

He’d said words to that effect before, but I still had a hard time believing him. Trey sat on the bed, close but not touching, and I fought the urge to move. Whether I wanted to get closer or farther away, I wasn’t entirely sure. A little bit of both actually.

“There are other things we need to talk about.”

I eyed him warily. “Like what?”

Trey placed a comforting hand on my knee. The warm weight of it settled me. He moved his thumb in a gentle sweep, and that relaxed me even further. Damn, but he knew what he was doing. I had the strangest urge to spill all my secrets, and I didn’t even know why.

“Asher, why did you leave your clan?”

I scowled. I’d told him that already. “I didn’t leave. They shunned me.”

He made a soft, sympathetic sound in the back of his throat. “Why?”

“I told you. I can’t shift.” If my words came out a little whiny, well, I couldn’t be blamed.