“No. She’s not…I mean I don’t…” Gareth glared at Brandi for making him swallow his pride. “Meeting your needs is not an inconvenience. I’m just not great with words. Don’t go with someone else. It’s not necessary.”
Brandi shrugged her shoulders. “Whatever. I just wanted you to know I’m not taking this personally. Hell, I never thought I’d be an ‘any man will do’ type of woman, but I don’t want to be anyone’s charity case either.”
“You’re not a charity case, so stop saying it. I’m going out to warm up the truck. Come out when you’re ready,” Gareth said, gritting his teeth. Sparing Matt one last hard look for the hell he’d started with the offer to call Mark, he headed out of the building into the cold.
Brandi crossed her arms as she watched Gareth go. “Thankfully, he’s not like that in bed. He actually drops the I’m-too-badass-to-care act there. That’s the only reason I’m going with him. Ariel, are you really as good as you seem?”
Ariel nodded. “Yes. So stop worrying. Tomorrow, see if Gareth will show you around. It would be helpful for us to know where we’ve landed.” She smiled when Brandi nodded, waved to everyone, and left.
Ariel turned then to Ryan and Heidi. “You two still good to hang together?”
Heidi looked at Ryan. “Ryan’s been great. I’m good with him. If it’s alright with everyone, I think I would like to see if Eva will let me help out here for a few hours. Ryan needs to check in with his work anyway. They keep calling him on his phone. I promise I will stay out of trouble. For some reason, I want…” She stopped and sighed.
“Don’t hold it in, just say it,” Ariel demanded. “Nothing can be stranger than turning into a wolf.”
Heidi nodded. “Okay. I think I belong here…like in this building. The urge is not explainable, but it’s very strong.”
Ariel looked at Reed, who was studying Heidi. “What’s your take on Heidi’s urges, Mr…what’s your last name, Reed?”
“Black Wolf,” Reed supplied. “My grandmother was a powerful Eyak Shaman. It is possible Heidi has inherited some of her healing talent. Each werewolf in a pack brings a gift which manifests shortly after their first shift. Except for alphas. Alphas are formed differently. I was quite surprised to find someone so cerebral like you had such a large amount of alpha in her.”
“Great. Damning praise from another werewolf named Wolf,” Ariel said, grinning when she earned a chuckle for her teasing.
“My name is Gray Wolf. Do you think that’s ironic too?” Matt asked.
Ariel turned her grin in Matt’s direction. “I think I’d rather answer your question after you’ve put out my fire.”
The vibrations of Matt’s chuckle travelled through her. His body talked to hers with great ease. It was going to be hard to say goodbye to the man when it came time to go on to whatever the next step was in her journey.
“Gray Wolf is my pack name. Black Wolf is Reed’s pack,” Matt explained.
“Oh. I thought you were the Wasilla pack.”
Matt shrugged. “That’s slang. The pack is officially named for the founding alpha’s family.”
Ariel sighed. “Is there some sort of textbook I could read about all this? Maybe a copy of Werewolves for Dummies or something? Like Reed said, I’m cerebral.”
“We keep our history in the oral tradition. It safeguards us from humans getting too interested. Let me walk Heidi back and talk with Eva for a few moments. We’ll leave when I return.”
“Can I accompany Heidi as well?” Ryan asked, a muscle in his jaw tightening when his alpha put a hand on Heidi’s arm.
Matt looked at him. “You can, but she is safe with me.”
“I never said she wasn’t, Matt. I just want a chance to say goodbye if Heidi gets to stay,” Ryan lied, crossing his arms.
Matt laughed and shook his head. “Maybe I should have issued the same warning to you and Gareth that Ariel issued to her females.”
“Well, it’s too late now,” Ryan said sharply.
Matt laughed again and motioned for the jealous male to come along.
Ariel looked at Reed when they were alone. “Are all werewolves so possessive of the females they’re having sex with?”
Reed smiled. “Yes. And it works both ways when the match is one leading to a mating. Ryan is pretty committed to Heidi already, though I’m not sure she returns the same level of interest. As for the other pair, Gareth doesn’t want to be involved, but he wouldn’t have intervened in Matt’s offer if he didn’t care for Brandi. I spent several months here when I first passed through. Gareth doesn’t keep company with females beyond a quick tussle. He’s lost too much and is determined not to care so much again. I share that trait with him.”
Ariel shook her head. “So are you saying it’s just going to be me and Brandi trying to figure out what to do with the rest of our lives? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
“You will always have a home in my pack, but not until I make sure my deceitful grandson has been eliminated. There is another who should be alpha, but he didn’t even compete for it. The younger generation has no sense of duty.”
“How old are your grandsons?”
“The current alpha is around Matt’s age, but with only half the maturity and wisdom. The other is younger, but only by twenty years.”
“Well with all those nanos running around inside you now, you might be nearer Matt in body age based on werewolf DNA. You seem to be getting younger—just one of the many things you and I need to talk about. There’s a click-off in the nanos to make sure they stop working or they’d burn out trying to keep us super young. I don’t know what it is though. Nanos were never my specialty, but watching just one of them under a microscope was illuminating.”
“Were you harmed by our blood exchange?”
“Not that I can tell. My size has altered so much in human form that I can’t measure the difference in myself. I’m both taller and bigger. Taller, I like. Bigger, I could have lived without. Brandi and Heidi said everything for them is just a lot perkier than before.”
Reed laughed and draped an arm around her neck. “Are all scientists so matter-of-fact?”
“Usually, but Brandi said I’m a different person from the one who asked Crane so many questions when he was getting ready to turn us.”
“I believe Brandi is correct. Does discovering your alpha side bother you?” Reed asked.
Ariel sighed. “If I told you the truth, you’d laugh even more.”
“Let’s see, shall we?” he demanded.
“The truth is that I could shift to my wolf and never shift back. Life in wolf form is very simple. Shifting back to human is what depresses me.”
Reed pulled her into his arms for a hug. “I don’t find it funny at all.”
He let her go when Matt pushed through the door and glared.
Reed smiled and wondered if the Gray Wolf alpha had any idea that his feelings were showing on his face.
Chapter 8
Ariel swung her long legs out to span down two full steps of the deck stairs. She was pleased they were so long now. Each day she felt stronger despite what she’d learned. She didn’t turn as she tried to explain things to Reed.
“Nanos are really molecular assemblers. Unlike what science fiction portrays, they do not create new things from nothing. It’s more like they reposition tiny particles of existing building blocks for optimal reaction in repair processes. This means if your body wants to use them to fix and replicate molecules, it can. But nanos can only work with what is already there. They do not really…create.”
She looked at the very fit, very handsome male beside her. “In you, new nanos are being born all the time. In each of the three blood draws I took from you, I saw more and more of them. Since you’re feeling vigorous instead of tired, only some of the nanos must be dedicated to the propagation task. Your body seems to have embraced the opportunity to reverse the aging process. My guess is the molecular machines will replicate their number to some pre-p
rogrammed stop point to avoid ecophagy, and then everything will go quietly into maintenance mode. Over time, some will die off, but most won’t for a good long while, short of a nuclear reactor going off around you.”
“Ecophagy?”
“Yes. Sorry for the big word, but I met the original scientist. He doesn’t like the term gray goo even though he coined it. Ecophagy is a theory that says if the nano machines inside us ever get too carried away with their programmed work they would turn our insides to gray goo in an effort to repair us and replicate themselves.”
“Doesn’t sound very promising. What is happening on the inside of you since the transfusion?” Reed asked, searching her gaze for truth. “I feel your trepidation, Ariel. You must always speak your truth to me, no matter your reservations. Am I going to become gray goo? Are you?”
Ariel picked at a piece of lint on her sweater wishing she had a real answer. “I don’t know what’s happening. The same level of growth I’m seeing in your blood is not occurring in my blood samples, though there does seem to be a little bit of propagation going on. Or at least, I wasn’t able to track much growth in the three samples Eva took from me today. Of course, half of two billion nanos, or whatever number is left in me after the transfusion, will still assist me during shifts. The feisty little suckers were able to make up the difference in my blood loss, so they’re obviously still functioning. We could live hundreds of years and die when the nanos wear out trying to fix us. On the other hand, one major illness could end everything. All I have is a bunch of theories.”
Reed looked off at the woods. “And yet you gave up some of that life you believe is limited to save me. I now owe you two life debts, Dr. Jones.”
“No you don’t—well, maybe one. If you hadn’t told me what to do in the lab, I would have let Crazy Crane get hold of me and we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. Since I wasn’t ready to die, I’ll take my half of whatever Crane forced into my body and be grateful,” Ariel said. Then she saw the depth of Reed’s concern reflected in his gaze. “Look—if it ends one day—it ends. I can’t change what happened to us. But I don’t have a crystal ball either.”
Reed leaned his arms across his knees. “Have you shifted since the transfusion?”
“No. I’m not shifting again until you tell me how to do it with my clothes on. Despite the last few days, I assure you I am not an exhibitionist. Matt gives every male who comes near me the stink eye as it is. Helping with my burning has made him nuts, I think. His possessiveness is annoying, but he’s been so nice otherwise, I haven’t said anything to him yet.”
Reed shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry to once again be of absolutely no help to you. I use my mind to keep my clothes hidden with my human form, but I can’t tell you how it works. Some werewolves can do it. Others can’t. I find it keeps things entertaining. Seeing werewolves reacting to their naked human forms is very funny.”
“Damn it. I was afraid you were going to say something like that. Accepting disappearing and reappearing clothes is as crazy as believing in string theory,” Ariel complained, kicking the bottom step with her boot.
“I don’t know about your theories. Would it help if I said werewolves don’t judge nudity the way humans do? No one would ever criticize your human form, regardless of its condition. They might comment on your wolf’s size, but only because she’s very large even for an alpha bitch…I mean female,” Reed corrected, grinning at Ariel’s offended glared.
“Don’t make me kick your ass. I hate the ‘b’ word with a passion.”
Reed chuckled. “Before I am reduced to gray goo, I need to fix some things in my pack. Are you going to be okay if I leave you alone with Matthew Gray Wolf until I get them done?”
“What kind of things?” Ariel demanded, her gut clenching. “The idea of you being somewhere I can’t see you is alarming on just about every level. My attachment to you borders on neurotic.”
Reed scooted closer and put an arm around her to hug. “I’m sorry. You’re not being neurotic. You’re learning to live with the wolf side I gave you, so it’s natural you’d look to me for guidance. I didn’t mean it to work out this way, Ariel Jones. Maybe I have become your father. I will return to you when my pack is back to normal. Maybe Brandi can give me information that will shorten my investigations.”
“What kind of information?”
“Let’s talk to Brandi together so I don’t have to tell another long story right now. Let’s give ourselves the afternoon to absorb all you’ve learned already. Spend some time relaxing with Matt. He’s running through the woods to burn off his energy so he won’t attack you once you’re alone again.”
Ariel felt power in the ground and looked up to see a giant silver and gray wolf emerge from the woods. “Are alphas always so…amazing?”
“Yes. Now go out to meet him. It will make your friend-with-benefits happy,” Reed encouraged, teasing her about her connection.
Sighing, Ariel slid down the other two steps and stood to her full height, which was even taller in the boots. She walked toward the wolf who was equal in size, if not bigger, than Reed. A bit of fear skidded through her unchecked as she got closer. It was an emotion she never felt at all with Reed. Images of Matt climbing up on his desk to cover her body with his flitted through her mind non-stop. The wolf stopped two feet in front of her to sniff the air.
“Yes, I’m having dirty thoughts about us, only in them we’re both human. There’s no fooling your wolf nose, is there?”
Matt hung his head and looked back at Reed.
“What are you worried about? Reed’s the one who sent me out to you. And you’re just as big as he is as a wolf—maybe bigger. He was right about your size being equal to his.”
Nose down, Matt walked forward and nudged her hand until it went to his head to stroke. Ariel laughed softly, and ran her hand over his crown and down his sleek neck. His whimper of pleasure was soft, but she heard it. The sound had her dropping to her knees to embrace him. It was all she could do to hold his giant wolf form in her arms. When he licked the side of her face, she giggled.
“Your wolf’s just a big old puppy dog, isn’t he?”
It only took a tiny push from Matt’s large form to put her flat on her back and staring up at a set of snarling teeth. Instead of shivering in fear, she had to fight another giggle.
“Now shift back to human form and make all my fantasies come true,” Ariel ordered, laughing at his wolf’s shocked reaction.
Whimpering and shaking his head, Matt backed up and away from her. His shift to human form had her swearing.
“I will give you the sexual favor of your choice if you will tell me right now how to shift with my clothes on,” Ariel said.
Matt chuckled as he reached down a hand. “I wish I could tell you just to see if you’d keep your word about the favor, but I swear I don’t know. One day it just happened. I’ve been able to do it since. I was probably around your age when I figured it out.”
“A declaration of what you can do is not the same as an explanation of how it is done. No special sex for you today,” Ariel declared.
Matt laughed as he pulled Ariel up to stand and it felt good when he saw Reed smiling at them. It was like gaining approval of his unwilling courtship. He also imagined the Black Wolf Alpha was hearing every word they said to each other as well.
“Come home with me and I’ll feed you again. I called Nanuka and asked her to shop for food. I made sure she bought more ham.”
As if on cue, her stomach rumbled at the thought of meat. “You sure are saying all the right things. I’m starved…and for more than just food this time, Matthew Gray Wolf.”
Smiling, Matt grabbed her hand and tugged her with him up the yard.
“We’re going home,” he told the Black Wolf Alpha when they were level with the deck.
“Good,” Reed said, grinning. “About time.”
“I want to be involved in any discussion involving the women. One of them may be joining my pack
soon,” Matt declared.
Ariel snorted. “Don’t go getting any ideas about us.”
Matt looked sideways. “I was talking about Heidi. Ryan called me several times asking how to get her to admit she likes him.”
Ariel rolled her eyes and swore. “Sorry I presumed.”
Matt smiled at Reed when Ariel refused to look at him.
Reed smiled back. “I have no problem with you knowing my truth, Matt.”
Matt had to let go when Ariel rushed to Reed and hugged him tightly. He looked off to keep from glaring over it.
Ariel smacked his arm hard as she stomped back to him. “Reed’s like my father. Get over that shit before I look for someone who can better handle how screwed-up my life is.”
Matt grunted and smacked her ass as he flew passed her in a full-out run.
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