NOCB 023 - Pack 09 - Karen Whiddon - Return of the Wolf - 2009-06 by Nocturne

Author:Nocturne [Nocturne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2009-05-31T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

“A werewolf? Of course you are.” She heard herself say, curiously numb. Pushing off the bed and backing warily toward the bathroom, she forced a smile, knowing it looked as false as his had a moment ago.

Frowning, he dragged his hand across his chin. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”

“Definitely not,” she lied.

Moving quickly, he reached for her. Dodging, she fussed with her hair, something she always did when she was nervous, and kept her gaze averted. She couldn’t look at him, not now. He’d be sure to see her thoughts on her face.

“Say something.” His deep voice sounded as low as a growl. Worse, pain threaded through it.

She could feel his gaze on her back. “Honestly I don’t know what to say. This is all really…strange. Believing in reincarnation is one thing, but this…this is another. A werewolf, huh?”

“Yes. I know it’s a lot to take in, but stuff happens. I used the term ‘werewolf,’ but in reality we’d rather be called shape-shifters. Though I’m not full-blooded, I can still shift.”

“Not full-blooded?” Her voice sounded faint, but what the heck did he expect? He couldn’t go around making such wild statements and get absolute acceptance.

“That’s right.” He sounded as though he was relaxing a bit. “Actually, I’m a halfling. Half human, half wolf.”

“Aren’t they all,” she muttered, going along while at the same time wondering why she felt like she had to appease him. “I guess…congratulations?”

He laughed, the masculine sound sending shivers up her spine despite the weirdness of the situation. “No congratulations are necessary. I should let you know that it’s against Pack law for me to tell you this, with one very important exception.”

“Pack law?” Closing her eyes, she felt utterly defeated and miserable. Surreal. Totally surreal. Her one true love, the man she’d been dreaming about and waiting for her entire life, was a lunatic.

“That’s what we call ourselves. The Pack. We’re organized in councils at the city, state and country level. All secret, though.”

Suddenly she understood. He focused on the ordinary, the mundane, to help her get used to the idea.

As if she ever would.

“Right.” She shook her head as everything he’d said sank in. “You’re telling me there are more of you?”

“Yes. And many of us have human mates.”

“Mates?”

He nodded. “The other half of our soul.”

A moment ago she would have welcomed those words. Now she didn’t know what to think.

“This is all too much.”

When he came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, she jumped, startled. “I didn’t hear you move.”

“Don’t be like this.” Such sadness in his velvety voice. “This—you are too important to me.”

A few minutes ago, before his startling announcement, she might have responded in kind. Now all she could manage was a wooden nod. “Sorry. This is a lot to take in.”

Was it ever. Actually all she wanted to do was go back to the time before she’d realized he wasn’t right in the head. The time when he’d been the sexiest man she’d ever met, when they’d both been eager to explore their amazing sense of connection.

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