I hadn’t planned to involve myself in this beyond getting the boy back to human form, but now the urge to help him filled me. But if I did, would it mean more time around my mate? Could I continue to resist her if I had to keep seeing her?
I held my hand out. “I’m Luke. Also a wolf shifter. And I can help answer questions about it.”
Eli’s eyes slid over to Katie. I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she gave him a soft smile. “You can trust him, Eli. He wants to help you. So do I. And this might explain why you’ve struggled to fit in.”
“It would,” I said, and both their gazes swung to me. “I’ve heard shifter children can be a handful, and we tend to stick close to family. Strangers make the animal-half nervous.”
“That’s interesting. Does that extend to babies as well?” Katie tilted her head to the side. I fought to keep my eyes off her marking spot.
“As far as I know. I don’t have much experience with babies. Ask Ethan or Hannah. They have one.”
Katie nodded and turned to the teen, her warm smile filled with reassurance. “This is the information we need, Eli. This will help me find a place where you fit.”
Yearning flashed across the boy’s face before he quickly hid it again. He shrugged his shoulders and kicked at the dirt. “Whatever.”
I looked over to see Katie’s reaction, but she stayed calm, smiling at him. “It sounds like food is the first course of action. Then we can figure out the next steps.”
Austin and Emily joined us. My brother shot me a wink before turning to Katie. “You and Eli should stay on the ranch while he learns to control his shifter half. There’s an empty cabin next to Luke’s with two bedrooms.”
My muscles stiffened. I knew what Austin was doing. He’d guessed Katie was my mate and was trying to give me time with her. But the longer we spent together, the harder it would be to walk away. But I still agreed. It was selfish, and would only cause me more pain, but I wanted everything I could grab before she left.
Katie
After Eli demolished a plate full of food in the kitchen of the main house, he passed out in the cabin where we would stay while he learned about his shifter self. I, on the other hand, needed to go back into town and make arrangements with my boss, as well as grab clothes for Eli and me, but I was hesitant to leave him alone.
“He’ll be out for hours.” Austin plopped onto the couch in the small sitting area. “But Emily and I can stick around, just in case.”
“Emily’s my ride.”
“Luke can take you.” He grinned at his brother. “Right, Luke?”
Luke’s lips thinned, but he gave a sharp nod. Though the look he shot Austin was pure annoyance. If Luke wasn’t so obviously bothered by being involved with everything, I’d almost think Austin and Emily were trying to set us up. They’d maneuvered us into sitting together in the kitchen and now were sending us away alone.
I left them my number to call if Eli woke up and followed Luke to a large, older truck. He opened the door for me, and I slipped past him, my arm brushing against his. The brief contact set my heart racing, and I took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before slowly releasing it, trying to get myself back under control.
Luke rounded the front of the truck and slid behind the wheel. He sat there for a minute, hands on the wheel, not moving. The truck cab was large but felt small with him in it. His scent—a heady mix of leather, dirt, sweat, and something uniquely him—wrapped around me. My skin switched on, as if aching for his touch. I swallowed hard.
I seldom dated. Men never interested me enough to tear my attention from work. But something about Luke called to me. Was it because he was a shifter? I’d heard they possessed a powerful presence, though never described as attraction—more like nerve-inducing. I clasped my hands together hard. Attraction had no place between us. It didn’t matter that this reaction was new to me. I was here for Eli. Nothing more.
Luke cleared his throat as he drove toward the highway. “So, you’re a social worker?”
My gaze darted to him, surprised he was making conversation. “Yes. I work with kids like Eli, who struggle in foster care. The ones who need a little extra help to find where they belong.”
“That’s a tough job.” He kept his eyes on the road. “Most people lose patience fast.”
“I’ve been told I’m stubborn.” I shrugged, not telling him I knew how it felt to wonder where I belonged. That I still wondered most days, though I doubted I’d ever find an answer. “I just can’t seem to walk away when someone still has a chance.”
“Even when they turn into a wolf in front of you?”
The corners of my lips fought to rise. “That’s a new one, I have to admit. But hey, at least he didn’t bite me.”
A chuckle escaped from Luke. “You sound like my mom.”
“That’s a compliment, right?” I shot him a teasing smile.
“Biggest one I’ve got.” He paused, fingers flexing on the steering wheel. “She believed anyone could be saved. Even me.”
I studied his face, which flushed with embarrassment over what he had just shared. I almost let it slip by, but the urge to ask was too strong. “And were you?”
