“I should go,” he said.
“You know you don’t have to,” Trevor said.
“Yeah, bro. Thanks.”
He could breathe deeply again, could uncurl his fingers from around the wood he’d been carving. Trevor’s confirming the nature of the cyclone in Ezra’s head—unsettling, but it had helped too. Knowledge was always better than the lack of it. You couldn’t build a plan on ignorance.
A bright aqua Toyota parked next to his truck, and the door opened, and out flew Kelsey: his new sister-in-law, a blonde of medium height and athletic build who flew most places she went. This time her destination was Trevor’s outstretched arms. They embraced as though they hadn’t seen one another for months.
“Missed you,” Kelsey chirped against her mate’s chest, and he growled gently, returning the sentiment.
Her eyes shone as they usually did these days—bonded to Trevor for about two months now, her welcome in the Sterling family renewed after a long silent absence she had never wanted in the first place. Ezra had been hard on her until he learned the whole story of the old breakup. But true to who she’d always been, Kelsey forgave him and moved forward as if there’d never been conflict between them.
She stepped back from Trevor to pat Ezra’s arm. “I hope you’ll stay for dinner.”
“Next time,” he said.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just had something to mull out loud, used Trevor for my sounding board.”
“Oh, good, I’m glad he could help.”
“Sure did,” Trevor said, his mouth twitching, mirth lifting his scent.
“You did. Thanks. I…I think I’ll stop and see Cassius and Sydney on my way home.”
Cassius might smirk at Ezra’s desire to talk now when he’d shut him out an hour ago, but he wouldn’t hold it against him. And Ezra wanted his thoughts too.
“If you want to see Cassius and Sydney, you’ll have to stay for dinner after all.” Kelsey grinned. “They’re coming over.”
So he did. They feasted on minestrone soup with meatballs (and an extra meatball plate for each wolf), salad, and garlic toast. After dinner Ezra motioned his brother-in-law to the guestroom-turned-Kelsey’s-office, not ready yet for the girls to hear this.
Of course Cassius was smirking before Ezra opened his mouth. And of course he said not a word.
“You already know what I’m going to ask you.”
“Going to make you ask anyway,” Cassius said.
Ezra sighed. Fair enough after he’d brushed Cassius off earlier. “Trevor said I smell…like a wolf who’s found his mate.”
“Huh. How about that?”
“Come on, man.”
“You sure you want me to be straight with you? Because you didn’t back at the coffee shop.”
“I was stunned at the coffee shop.”
“What made you notice her? Y’all have talked plenty of times before today.”
“Yeah, well, today…” Ezra leaned against the wall and folded his arms as if this could protect his dignity. “Today our hands touched.”
“That’s what did it?” Cassius folded his arms, a mirror pose, and let out a low thoughtful growl. “Yeah, could be. I knew a wolf who was acquaintances with his mate, thought she was attractive, good to have around, but it was all low-key until their shoulders bumped one day and then…” Another growl of contemplation.
“And then what?”
“You know what. Your senses are tuned to the sound of her, the scent of her, more intense than you’ve ever been tuned to another being before. Oh, and your innards catch fire whenever she’s in danger, whenever she’s hurting. Have fun with that one.”
