Page 74 of Moon Tamed

A positive result would have brought any hope of a relationship to an end. Only a blind fool could miss how hard Calden had taken his mother’s death.

I couldn’t imagine him being willing to put his child through what he’d endured.

Some things love couldn’t conquer.

“That’s good. And your base genetics?”

“I don’t have any base animal genetics that I’m aware of.”

“Then you’d pan out to be the same species of wolf as Calden. Even better. Mixed species relationships can get a little testy.”

I matched her in raising a brow. “Like an obvious cat dating a dog?”

She smirked. “Exactly so.”

“What sort of cat?”

“I’ll become an Earth species, large cat predator. He’s Earth-stock, and he would have gone home next year.”

Oh. I wondered what I could say to express the emotions battling within me. Piece by piece, the situation made more sense.

Sarai loved someone she would have lost, but fate had, while cruel in its uncaring way, given her a gift she’d never be able to repay.

“I hadn’t known those from Earth had animal genes.”

“We picked it up from somewhere,” she replied, and her grin widened. “His latent genes activated when he came here. It happens sometimes. He’s negative, too. In two or three years, he’ll start shifting. He already has symptoms.”

“Symptoms?”

“Oh, right. I guess they don’t teach much about shapeshifting outside of the Hunters?”

“Only the basics.”

“Shapeshifters bond with their partner. That bond lets the first shapeshifter create a second shapeshifter. Those of us with latent genetics either need a shapeshifter to help wake up our abilities or we need some help from another faction. My partner will be able to wake my genetics. His symptoms mostly involve cat-like behaviors. He used to hate being warm, but now he can be found curled up in front of any fireplace. He’ll sleep all day if I let him. Once he starts shifting, the symptoms will settle out, and he’ll be mostly human when human and mostly cat when shifted. Wolves tend to become protective, establish a pecking order if it isn’t a balanced partnership, and hunt early and often.”

I laughed. “Not much of a change for me at all.”

“You hunt?”

“Yes. I hunt rabbits.”

Sarai rolled her eyes. “Seriously? No wonder he’s following you like a puppy. Most of the women in our faction hate hunting. Some do it to make their partner happy, but that’s it.”

“Rabbits are free food on the table and fifty dollars in my pocket whenever I do a good job on the pelt. He’s not really following me like a puppy, is he?”

“Coraline, you’re blind. Today’s the first time he’s left you alone long enough I could get you to come to my office without him hovering. The instant he notices you’re not where he thinks you’re supposed to be, he’s going to fuss. That’s what wolves do. They fuss, constantly. They hover and fuss.”

Another piece fell into place. “You don’t like the hovering.”

“Not to that degree. I like attention on my terms. His terms are constant. If he isn’t catering, he’s hovering. He hovers sexily, though. I’ll give him that much.”

“All he has to do to accomplish that is stand there, Sarai.”

The woman heaved a sigh. “I know. It’s the worst. He just exists, and he’s worth looking at.”

“Do you know why he wears suits all the time?”

“You.”

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