Page 62 of The Wolf Professor

Charlie frowned. “You told me you didn’t know your father.”

“I didn’t. But Mom did.”

“Oh!” She sat up straight now. “Max, that’s huge.”

“Yep, I guess. Hearing it wasn’t something I was overjoyed about, but it did help me to make sense of what’s been happening lately.”

Charlie listened while Max told her the full story. About Alec Felcin, his mom’s lover.

“Oh goddess, you’re a Felcin!” she said in awe. “How amazing.”

He grimaced. “I’m not at all sure I share that sentiment.”

“Why not?”

He laughed, holding her tight. “I’ve always held myself up as this paragon of virtue, immune to all that stuff. Never affected by full moons, able to control my wolf nature. And now I find out I have the worst alpha blood running through my veins.”

“That’s probably what attracted me, that wicked Felcin blood.”

“Yes, well, maybe you sensed it before I did. And Charlie, it’s your presence that’s brought it out in me. As soon as you walked into my life, I was smitten. There’s this wild beauty in your soul, apart from the wild beauty of your body, of course. Andyour passion for history, and research.” He glanced at her shyly. “Wildness and rationality. It’s a fairly irresistible combination.”

“Well, I guess I get my wildness from my Aunt Eloise.”

He frowned slightly. “That first day you were here, you started to tell me something about her. Is she your mom’s sister, or your dad’s?”

“Eloise is Dad’s younger sister.” She said raising her head off his chest, her eyes wide with excitement. “Just wait til I tell you this. It’s amazing. Twenty four years ago, she joined in one of your family’s ruts and it cured her depression, helped her to start living fully again. And now she works as a cabaret artist on a cruise ship, traveling the world. My mom has always made out that Eloise was coerced to take part, but you know, I never quite believed it. But I’ve never met her, so I couldn’t verify that until I bailed Dad up last week, and made him tell me the truth.”

“That’s incredible. Are you saying that taking part in the rut helped her?”

“Absolutely, it cured her.”

Max was silent for a moment. “That’s not something I’d ever considered—that being chased in a rut could liberate someone.”

She gave his arm a playful little thump. “Max Hunt, read my master’s dissertation, would you? Sexual relations with monsters liberated many women through history.”

Max smirked sheepishly. “Okay, I’ll allow myself to be educated.”

“To me it came as absolutely no surprise,” Charlie said. “I’ve always had a hunch I’m like Eloise, even though she left Tween before I was born, and now, it makes total sense that I’ve fallen for a wolf.”

Max curled a lock of her hair around his fingers. “So you’ve fallen for me?”

“What do you think, Professor?” She arched her brows at him.

Max grinned. “Despite my veneer of sophistication, I am not, actually, as confident around women as I may appear.”

“I know.” She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips.

“You know?” Now he was slightly offended. He’d always thought he hid his shyness quite well. But then, he’d not been able to hide much from Charlie.

Charlie snickered. “You blush a lot. And often won’t look me in the eye. I guess you’ve trying to hide that red gleam.”

“Oh Charlie.” He sighed. “I admire you. Envy you too, if I’m honest.”

“Envy me?”

“Yes. You’re so sure of who you are. It shines out of you. And fuck, I’m not who I thought I was at all. I have a photo, or two. That’s my proof. That’s it. My mother’s dead, and she never uttered a word to me about any of this… Worse, she lied to my face about my father’s identity. Snuck off to see him behind my back, all through my childhood.”

“That must be so hard, Max, finding out that she deceived you.”

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