Page 63 of The Wolf Professor

He sighed. “Yes, it has been. But I guess, I am not totally surprised. My mother was a deeply conflicted woman with a brilliant mind. I loved her despite her faults. In some ways knowing that her mate rejected her helps me make sense of the bitterness I always sensed in her. But my father, the fact he’s dead, and I have no way to verify the truth of him siring me, or ever get to know him, that’s hit me hard, to be honest.”

Charlie stared at him. “You’re not planning to leave it at that, are you?”

‘What do you mean?”

“TheProfessor Max Hunt, who unearths the stories of the past, is not prepared to seek out the story of his own past? Seriously, that’s it? You’re not planning to investigate this further?”

“I… hadn’t got that far in my thinking,” Max muttered.

“Max, you have to seek out the truth.”

He was silent, digesting her words.

“Why not go to the mountains?” Charlie said. “Visit the Felcin pack. Verify the truth of this story.”

“I don’t even know for sure if the Felcin pack are still out there.”

“Well, you won’t know if you don’t try, will you? Get your wolf butt up that mountain.”

He huffed a laugh, dismissing Charlie’s comment as her usual exuberant way of teasing him. Then he glanced at her. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Yep, sure am.”

“That’s a crazy idea.”

She leaned forward, her eyes flaring with passion. “You and me. We’re researchers, Max. We unearth the truth. That’s what we do. We need to find out the true story about your father. Find out why he rejected your mom, why his family never came to find you.”

He nodded. “Maybe after Christmas.”

“Maybe before.”

“Hey, what’s this about, babe? Why the rush?” He took her hand and gentled it against his cheek.

“I want you to be comfortable with your wolf. To feel free to be yourself.”

“I am, Charlie. I’ve never felt so fulfilled, or happy as since you came into my life.”

“But you’re still holding back.”

He frowned. “Is this because I wouldn’t knot you?”

“Maybe, a teeny tiny bit.”

“What? Because I want to take care of you, to not harm you?”

“How can I convince you that you won’t ever harm me, Max?”

He stared into her eyes, so full of love and trust, and longed to believe her. He wondered what it would be like to be free of the fear of his wolf. What it would be like to embrace his wild self, unfettered by guilt and shame.

“I have a book to finish,” he said lamely.

“And a life to live…” she pointed out, then kissed him on the mouth. “And if you have to stay longer in Motham to get your research finished after that, would that be such a bad thing?”

Max knew that of course it wouldn’t be. He’d already relaxed his timeline, choosing not to fly back to Selig for a few more weeks. The thought of having longer with Charlie filled him with joy. But even so… this was a daft idea. “It’s the middle of winter, babe, the area will be impassable.”

“We’ll check the weather first, of course.” She beamed at him.

He opened his mouth, ready to say no. But the absolute confidence, the certainty glowing out of her radiant face, gave him pause. If Charlie thought it was the right thing to do, heck, why not? She’d already brought more facets out of him in the short time he’d known her than in his whole thirty-three years before that.

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