Page 51 of The Wolf Professor

Max stalked off.

Looking around his study at the scattered papers and texts covered in colored sticky notes, he knew he should start writing the preface of his book, but gods, he had writer’s block like never before.

Ever since Charlie had arrived, it felt like his carefully orchestrated life was sliding out of his grasp. His usually ordered mind was hijacked by images of her beautiful body, her sweet smile, her wicked sense of humor, and her way of calling him out on his stuffy, old-fashioned views. The sweet taste of herlingered on his tongue. His nights were filled with dreams of making love to her. He resisted his cock, even though he woke with the hard-on from hell every morning. Tried instead to be cerebral, to sort this out the way he’d always sorted his problems out. With logic.

He told himself that this was simply lust.

But it was so much more than lust. He missed her, badly. Like a part of him had gone missing.

What if instead of being a dangerous evil beast, his wolf was simply trying to lead him toward happiness… towardlove?

The word lodged itself in his mind, and however hard he tried to focus on his reading, the thought wouldn’t go away.

Whether he liked to admit it or not, he was falling in love with Charlie.

His wolf clearly knew that, even if the learned professor was being remarkably dumb.

A sharp ring on the doorbell kicked his head up from his desk, a pulse in his neck thumping wildly. Had she come back early? Striding to the front door, Max flung it open, and his heart dropped to see a courier standing there with a package.

“Special book delivery. From Motham Palace, sir,” the goblin said. “Please sign.”

Max took the package to his office and opened it with care. The book inside was calledThe History of the Wolf Mutiny, written by a well-known chronicler of the day, Hughenden Filps, a griffin.

He turned a few pages, but for once, his heart was not in the past. At least, not Motham’s past—it was his own history he needed answers to.

Benjy’s words after the Hunt barbecue taunted him.There are two sides to every story.Right now, he needed to get to the bottom of his own story, didn’t he? To question the beliefs hismom had fed him his whole life. The rhetoric of being a lone wolf. A sigma. Of not needing a mate.

Call me when you’re ready to talk, Benjy had said.

Well, heck, he was ready now.

With a muttered curse, Max put the book to one side, grabbed his cell off the cluttered desk and messaged Benjy.

Need to talk. When are you free?

The response came back immediately.

How about lunch time?

Which was how Max found himself seated at a tacky plastic table in a café in the East Quarter at half past midday, drinking black coffee and drumming the tabletop impatiently with his fingertips. A motley array of species came in to buy their lunchtime snacks, casting sideways glances at his smart linen jacket and pants, his cashmere scarf. Yeah, okay, so he looked out of place, that was a given. But he wasn’t going to dress like a fucking feral to fit in around here.

Benjy turned up in overalls, covered in engine oil. “I just had to pick up a smash in the Wastelands. Another stolen car.” He grimaced. “The feral gangs are worse than ever right now.”

Max would agree with that, but he decided not to mention the feral pack he’d scattered on Saturday. Way too complicated.

A wizened little demon put a pie and chips in front of Benjy, and he cocked an eyebrow at Max as he tucked in. “Did you just feel like buying me lunch, or is this about our chat on Saturday?”

Max got straight to the point. “Yeah, it’s been troubling me since we spoke. I need some answers from you. About the past. Specifically, about my mom’s past.”

Benjy said through a mouthful, “Fire away.”

“She always told me she didn’t know who my father was. I need to know, Benjy.” He shoved his glasses up his nose and stared at his cousin hollowly. “Was my mom forced into the ruts with multiple partners?”

Benjy dropped his knife and fork. “No!” He almost howled the word. “Gods, she loved to twist the facts to suit her, did Angelika.”

Max drew in a deep breath. “So… what happened?”

“Your mom was rejected.”

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