“Elle,”Luciansaid.
She sighed. “Fine, but they don’t deserve it. They deserve to have to stand there naked as the day they were born.” She motioned with her hand and muttered under her breath. Suddenly, all of the males had on sweat pants. Pink sweatpants.
“Okay, ladies,” Elle called out. “They’redecent.”
“Nice,” Kara said with alaugh.
“Brilliant,” Stellaadded.
The male wolves didn’t look impressed. Elle didn’t care. They were beingridiculous.
“Ciro,” Lucian called to the Alpha. “Whathappened?”
The Italian Alpha looked at Lucian with glowing eyes. “Our females contacted us through the bond while we were on our hunt. They told us the unmated males were trying totouchthem.”
Elle watched the four unmated males and nudged her mate. “Do youseethem?”
Sorin looked at the males and then at the healers behind them. “They’re staringatthem.”
“We decided it was just a really,reallylong glance,”Karasaid.
“Jailbait.” Nickgrowled.
“Did he just call you Jailbait?” Heatherlaughed.
Elle smiled at the irritated look on Kara’s face. She shot her mate a glare worthy of a dominantfemale.
“Lucian, the unmated males are being influenced by the gypsy healers’ magic,” Elletoldhim.
Crina stepped forward. “That’s happened before, to Sally.” She turned to Sorin. “Remember them telling us about that inCostin’sbar?”
Sorinnodded.
“Ahh, yes,” Thad said in his deep, cool voice. “I had forgotten about the healers’ effect on unmated males, especiallydominantones.”
“What effect, exactly, do we have?” Stella asked, sounding as though she really didn’t want theanswer.
“But I am curious as to why they are just now being influenced,” Thad said as he rubbed his chin while looking back and forth between the unmated males and the healers. “Maybe it’s because the mate bond has grown in power since they’re out of the pixie realm and met their mates, and the spell that was blocking the pixie realm was masking it. And since they haven’t performed the Blood Rites, the females are still consideredfairgame.”
There was a round of snarls from the threemates.
“Okay, one more time,” Stella said raising her hand. “Whateffectare you talking about? Because it looks very similar to the effect that strong whiskey has on humanmales.”
“Gypsy healers are precious to a pack. Not just because they can heal or aid in the success of a pack birth, which is all too rare, but also because they have the ability to calm unmated male wolves,” Thad explained. “An injured, unmated wolf runs the risk of becoming feral. A gypsy healer can calm him with her magic. That same magic pulls those unmated males toward them like a moth to the flame. The three of you together must be magnifying each other’s power and yes, it is literally making them drunk on yourmagic.”
“Lucian,” Kale called out. “This will not work. Our wolves will not be controlled even against our own pack mates. They are trying to touch our lasses. You know what will happen if thiscontinues.”
Elle looked at Lucian and could see he was considering their earlier conversation with Adira. They’d been in a weighty discussion before Kara had burst into thehouse.
“You have two choices,” Lucian said. “You can complete the bond my doing the Blood Rites, or I can send the unmated males on a mission with Thad andAdira.”
“I vote for option two,” Stellacalledout.
“No offense, Fonz,” Kara called out next. “But I second Stella’smotion.”
“None taken, Jailbait,” Nick said and winkedather.
Lucian turned to look at the girls. “Heather, since the females have taken it upon themselves to speak for their mates, would you like to giveyourvote?”
