Page 71 of Conner's Luna

Uncle Alex looks surprised for a minute. "She noticed?" He smiles with approval. "Smart female. Savvy, too," he says with pride.

I rub my hand over my face, groaning in exasperation. "She noticed the spy program on her computer."

Uncle Alex nods, "but not the listening devices in the house? Gerald thought she may have been looking for them last night. Tell you what, I'll have his team come in and pretend to do a sweep to set her mind at ease."

My Uncle knows that Bailey and I nearly fucked this morning. Damnit. "No. Don't pretend. Get rid of that shit. She needs privacy," I demand. I need privacy. I don't want to seduce my girl if I know that all of ClearHowl is listening. What if she rejects me at first? Better to have privacy for her first time with me.

Uncle Alex's eyebrows quirk up. "We're not spying on Bailey. It's for her protection as well as part of a bigger investigation."

"Into what?" I ask him, curling my lip to flash fang.

"Honekier Labs," Uncle Alex says.

"Why? Is she in danger?"

Uncle Alex is quiet for a minute. "Honekier is the one who discovered the process of helping she-wolves successfully bear pups with males who aren't their mates," he explains very quietly. "There's been some speculation that he's trying to sell the technology on the black market."

"He's creating pups from non-mated pairs... like me," I say flatly. I knew Mom and Dad had to undergo some sort of treatment, but it's been uber-successful, so I haven't really thought about it too deeply.

"Yes. Your mom was on heat pills for all of T's pups. When they wanted your Papa to be the father she stopped taking her pills."

"It's that easy?"

"No," Uncle Alex scoffs. "Each pair of choice mates has to be carefully selected. They have to be genetically compatible, which is where Dr. Honekier comes into the equation. We've increased the ability of unmated pairs to have pups by twenty-four percent. He doesn't have all of the information, however. No one outside of the pack does."

I stuck in a pained breath, "does RedMoon know about this?" Another thought hits me, "are Trey and Lydia one of those pairs?"

"RedMoon has never officially been involved, but they know. Jennifer, your Dad's failed mate, refused to take the pills. She knew about them over two decades ago. The process hasn't changed much, except to become more successful in matching pairs."

"Am I in this program?" I growl.

"You are not," Uncle Alex says calmly. "But I will require a genetic evaluation between you and Bailey if this relationship between you two continues. Bailey is human and your wolf has already expressed an interest in her, correct?"

"You're saying that I could lose Bailey over some genetic anomaly?" I croak.

"There's no point in worrying about it right now, Conner. You are the product of the process, after all," Uncle Alex says calmly.

I press my palms against my eyes. "Why are you telling me this now? Why not tell me when Lydia rejected me? Is this why she rejected me? Did she and Trey think they could have pups because of this?" Goddess, it hurts to think that the same science that allowed me to be born has hurt me so badly.

"I don't know why she rejected you, Conner, but I do know that I don't have all the answers, especially where Lydia is concerned. I have Gerald looking into Honekier, but we don't have all the answers, yet."

Uncle Alex slaps my shoulder. "Now, go take your girl to Caluna. Convince her to transfer there, Conner. It's the safest place for her."

"She's afraid of moving so far from her dad," I murmur absently, my mind spinning with all of the information Uncle Alex just laid on me.

A slightly mocking smile twists Uncle Alex's face. "Honestly, Conner."

I look at him, feeling unsurprised, "did you already buy the company her dad works for?" I guess.

"It's still in negotiations," Uncle Alex replies a little flippantly.

---

19 - Jeans

Bailey

Conner slides another glance my way, but I studiously ignore him as the truck eats up the miles between C State and Caluna.

---