“You really don’t know?” Jeremy said, the mirth fading from his voice. “I knew within two minutes of meeting Lucy, and this woman’s been at your place for hours.”
“Now hold on a minute, Jeremy Freeman,” Lucy said. “You haven’t even met her.”
“Don’t have to. His scent says it all.”
His scent… Malachi had noticed too, but… “No way.”
“Undeniable wolf biology, man.” Jeremy clapped him on the shoulder. “Welcome to the club.”
“That’s not what’s going on.”
“Cassius, back me up here.”
Cassius leaned back against the couch and gave Aaron a long, appraising look. Then he shrugged. “Could be.”
“Screw you,” Jeremy said. “Aaron, tell me what she looks like.”
“What?”
“Humor me.”
“I will not.”
Jeremy stepped in close and put his hand on Aaron’s shoulder again. This time he kept it there. “Keep it to yourself then, if you want. But for your own sake, do it. And another thing—did you acclimate her?”
“Mal insisted on it, for my sake and the pup’s.”
Each of his friends nodded at that. To shield a human in close proximity for days on end—the effort would exhaust a wolf to tears. Unheard of as it was, Ember’s invitation meant certain things to the pack, and acclimation was at the top of the list. They knew too that Malachi would have acclimated the guest, if he could. Shielding took an extra lot out of Malachi, no doubt because the threat level he had to shield was so much higher. Lunar Lane was the one place safe for the alpha to be exactly what he was, and no guest, invited or not, would be allowed to place that safety under strain.
Sudden inexplicable pride in her made Aaron blurt out, “She took to Malachi. She could look him in the eye when it was over.”
“And you?” Jeremy said with a finger-poke at Aaron’s arm.
Confusion, self-consciousness—crap, they could smell it on him. His face warmed. He tried not to duck his head. “What about me?”
“You said you acclimated her.”
“I…” Why couldn’t he just say it? “I guess I didn’t have to. When I tried, nothing happened. Um…” He bit his lip against a stupid grin. What was going on in his head anyway? “She just said ‘hi.’”
Lucy gave a little gasp.
“What?” he said.
Some message passed between the women. Sydney gave a tiny head shake, and Lucy gave a tiny acknowledging nod.
Aaron huffed. This was getting ridiculous. “What?”
“You don’t find it odd?” Jeremy said.
“Anyway,” Lucy said too loudly, “I hope you’ll bring her to the cookout tomorrow. I’d love to meet her.”
“Sure.” Of course he was bringing Ember. What else would he do?
The conversation turned to other things, but from that minute on Aaron’s body strained against a growing tug toward home. A final round of hugs, of reiterated thanks from Lucy and Jeremy, a farewell high-five to Zane’s good hand. Then he was in his truck.
A physical description of Ember. That’s where all the speculation about her had started.
Right, okay. Whatever, Jeremy.
