Page 18 of Claiming the Wolf Daddy

Cole gave me a sidelong glance so I could advocate for myself. I nodded, and he stood to the side, his grip still firm on my hand.

“My name is River,” the young man began. “I came to this pack as an outsider. My mother was a human and died before I reached adulthood. The foster system put me here. I didn’t know much about being a shifter before coming here because my dad split when I was a kid.”

“Oh,” I said, not sure what to say to that.

“I’m sure it’s terrifying to be in a room full of shifters who distrust you, especially after you’ve already survived a bite,” he said. “I run a self-defense class for all the humans born to two shifter parents. We go over how you can protect yourself from anyone—man, woman, or wolf. Would you like to join us?”

“Absolutely!” I said. “I didn’t even know there was such a thing.”

“There wasn’t for a long time,” Victor said. “That’s why River’s in this room. He spearheaded it after we learned about the epidemic of bullying these human children were experiencing because they were different.”

“It’s been positive for everyone involved,” River said calmly. “Lots of interpersonal conflicts have eased up in the younger generations. Lots of kids grow up being able to choose whether or not they want to be a shifter in their own time.”

“River counsels for that, too. He might also be a valuable resource for your second, Cole,” Victor added.

“I’ll introduce them,” Cole said, nodding. “Actually, we could do that now if you have the time.”

“Sounds great,” River said, smiling at Cole. “Yeah, let’s get out of this stuffy room.”

“You coming?” Cole asked his grandfather.

“No, I still have some things to settle here. You go on ahead. We’ll be right behind you.”

I couldn’t decide if that was ominous or not.

I didn’t have to think about it too long, though, because Cole and River were quick to usher me out of the room.

Cole heaved a sigh as we stepped out of the study. He looked over my head to River, who walked on my other side like he was flanking me along with Cole. “Thank you for doing that. I’m sure you had to put your neck on the line for it.”

River shrugged. “I wanted to be sure you guys were good people before I said anything; otherwise, I would have spoken up sooner. But I could tell from how you kept checking with your mate nonverbally and the way you unabashedly stood up for her without taking too much ownership of her that you were the real deal.”

River looked down at me. “Not to mention, a woman who’s been bitten by a shifter and still allows herself to love one? That’s a beautiful thing.”

I flushed, feeling awkwardly transparent.

“I’m sorry for sharing that without your permission, Marley,” Cole said, his remorse clear in his tone. “I shouldn’t have done that. I got complacent when everyone was so kind and polite. I should have discussed it with you prior and come up with a plan.”

“Cole, it’s fine,” I said. I glanced around to make sure there were no prying ears nearby. “Did you tell the truth, though? About our emotions and being able to sense them?”

Cole nodded. “Yes. I started noticing it a while ago, and the longer we’re together, the more obvious it becomes.”

“The thing in the big room…”

“Oh, you mean the flutter of attraction you felt for my grandfather?” Cole asked archly. “Yeah, that was a surprise.”

“I mean, Vic’s a good-looking dude,” River said blandly. “Can’t blame a girl for looking.”

God, I was going to die of embarrassment. “Could we maybe not? It was purely biological and mostly because he looks so much like you.”

“He does?” Cole asked.

“Yep, the resemblance is creepy,” River said. “I would have thought you were father and son if it weren’t for the fact that he kept calling you his grandson.”

“Yeah, he does look shockingly young,” I agreed. “Although, I suppose now that I think about it, your parents also look young for their age.”

“Yeah, it’s different for everyone,” River said. “Some people age really slowly, while others age like normal, but when they hit their middle age, they don’t age much for decades. Me, I’m thirty-five, but I still look like a snot-nosed kid.”

“Thirty-five?” Cole and I repeated, shocked.

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