Page 23 of Cowboy Wolf Christmas

Silas looked toward the other wolf again.

“A broken nose doesn’t go unnoticed around here for long.” Cayden frowned.

“And what did your packmaster say to you?” Silas asked through gritted teeth.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer based on the mess of the pack’s current security plans, but something compelled him to ask anyway.

Hope, he quickly realized. Identifying the emotion. Cheyenne had filled him with it.

It’d been the first time he’d felt it in a long, long time.

“Maverick said you were right. Laid into me. Gave me a thorough talking to,” Cayden answered. “Tasked me with going out and looking for you after the storm cleared, but I did you a solid, man, and told him him you were holed up with Cheyenne.” Cayden winked. “Guess I was right.”

Silas snarled. So that was why no one had came looking for them. Why no one had picked up their phones this morning, because this asshole had lied and said they were fine when he hadn’t even bothered to search or confirm.

They could have still been stuck in that cabin. Or worse...

“Don’t you dare speak her name again,” Silas advanced on him, teeth bare. “You’re not worthy of it.” Of her. This little shit never would be.

Cayden threw up his hands in surrender. “Look, I was drunk before, being a douche, but I didn’t realize she was autistic, okay? There’s a lot of members of this pack, man. It’s a lot to keep track of and—”

Silas didn’t hear the rest of what the coward was saying because his mind was too busy reeling again. Suddenly, it all made sense. Cheyenne’s tender-hearted trust in him. Her willingness to take him at his word, believe. Her love of fairness, equity, her routines. The way she talked about textures and sensations like they were different from her, sometimes too much. Even the way she treated her tools. The way she laughed when she was nervous. Hell, even her blunt claim on the chair.

For a brief moment, Silas couldn’t breathe.

And he’d fucked her six ways till Sunday, taken her in ways she’d flat out told him no one had touched her before. His heart reeled. Did that mean he’d taken advantage of her? Her innocence? Her naivety? She couldn’t read other people’s emotions as well as he could.

But he hadn’t known . . .

No.

No, he quickly decided.

Just because she was a woman with autism didn’t mean she wasn’t her own person, an adult allowed to make her choices. She’d been just as into everything they’d done as he had been. But he could have been more gentle with her—emotionally. Physically.

Fuck, he was an ass.

Cayden was still talking, rambling now even. “But Maverick left me here as punishment, told me to make amends.”

“What did you say?”

“I said Maverick left me here as punishment and—”

“No. No before that.” It still hadn’t sunk in. He needed to hear it again. Confirmation he’d heard correctly.

Cayden paused, watching the realization dawn on Silas’ face. “You didn’t know?”

Silas didn’t answer. Just shook his head.

“I can smell her on you.” Cayden wrinkled his nose pointedly like he could tell everything that had happened between them. Likely could. Silas hadn’t showered since. “You disappointed?”

“No.” Silas shook his head again. “Never.”

It didn’t change anything. Not the way he felt about her. None of it.

Sure, it definitely explained some things. But it didn’t change a goddamn thing about how he felt.

“Good, because that wouldn’t be cool, man.”

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