Page 41 of Wolf Desired
“It’s because of Rafe, isn’t it?”
“I wasn’t expecting him to. . . to do what he did. But I wasn’t expecting what you and I did to happen, either. I’ve never done anything like that before. It just happened. All of it. Maybe it’s this damn program that has my head all screwed up and I needed to let go of the tension for a bit.”
She stepped closer and gave him a closed-mouthed kiss on his cheek. Short and sweet, and so very conservative because she had to focus on why she was at the DSA program.
“I don’t want to hurt you, but what we just did was too soon.”
“I’d love to take my time with getting to know you, letting you get to know me, but I don’t know how much time I have, Artemis,” he said with a serious expression that sent a chill through her. “At some point, my wolf will take control.”
“Then I’ll help you fight him. Just tell me how.”
He cupped her face with both hands until she stared into those gray eyes and saw the truth there. The reality slammed into her like a two-by-four.
“There is no coming back once that happens, is there?” she said.
“Not that I’ve ever heard. But I won’t know for sure until it happens. And when it does, I may not have much time to fight my way back.”
“Why?”
“Because once I go feral, Rafe and Maddox will put me down.”
CHAPTERELEVEN
ALYSSA
Shocked. That was the best she could describe how she felt after hearing what Tiernan said.
“You’re not serious,” Alyssa said to Tiernan. Except she knew from his expression he was quite serious. “A shifter goes feral and other shifters just put him down like a rabid dog?”
“It’s a close analogy, especially since humans have no cure for rabies and we have no cure for a feral shifter.”
“But you’re not animals. I mean, not all the time. I mean—”
He put two fingers over her lips to stop her from talking. “I know what you mean,
he said with the sweetest, most understanding smile. “You see us as humans or close enough that you can’t imagine a shifter being put down. I love that about you, that you don’t view us as animals.”
“That’s because you’re not. Your heart, your spirit, everything about you is as human as can be. Or perhapsshifteris the better word. I don’t know, and I don’t really care. I just know that you’re sweet, caring, sexy as hell, and I care about you.” Her voice softened at the last word as her body still felt warm and perfect after he’d loved her.
The backs of three fingers caressed her cheek.
“I don’t want to see any shifter put down, Tiernan. Especially you. Hell, even the phrase ‘put down’ seems so wrong. I don’t know what’s worse right now, the fact that you’re so cavalier about it or the fact that shifters could do that to one another. Kill for no good reason.”
“It’s not killing exactly. A feral wolf is out of control. Can’t be reasoned with. And the shifter is lost. Even if the shifter retains some sense of being, that’s no life.”
She turned away from him. She didn’t like how he was trying to soothe her at a time when she wanted. . . needed. . . to be angry. “Give it whatever euphemism you want. It’s murder.”
He dropped his hand to his side, realizing this wasn’t the time to touch her. “It’s our way, Alyssa. When a shifter goes feral, he’s put down before he can hurt anyone. Especially a human.”
“Don’t use humans are your excuse.”
“If a shifter, even a feral one, hurts a human, we risk bringing the wrath of all mankind down on our pack. Shifters do a lot you humans don’t realize, just to survive.”
He was talking about his own people killing him. And he’d named Rafe and Maddox as his would-be executioners.
Well, not with her around. “I need to speak with Rafe.”
“About me? Or you?”
