My mother always said it was about letting the males think they’re in charge.
But they suppressed our wolves on purpose.
They told us it was natural, that all packs did this.
Tieran said his pack started shifting at age five, something I wouldn’t be inclined to believe given his reputation. Except I saw pups running around on Wolfe Island.
Female pups.
Which means that even if Tieran is lying to me, so was Alpha Bryson. So were my mother and father and my entire damn pack.
And while I know Tieran’s reputation, I’m almost inclined to believe he’s not lying because he has no reason to. He’s helping me. He’s the only one who has been able to sense my disassociation and give me potential causes for it.
“That fire in your gaze is beautiful,” he murmurs, drawing my attention to him. “I can almost feel your anger, little wolf. Do you want me to help you shift back? Because I can. But it’ll hurt. Forcing a shift always does, which is why Alphas tend to shy away from it.”
I blink at him.
Or my wolf does, anyway.
Or maybe it’s me.
It’s hard to say. I feel so disconnected and lost that I’m not sure what is up or down.
But his words… his statement… his comment about Alphas shying away from commanding others to shift.
That’s… that’s not true. Alphas in my pack used to do it all the time to their females. It’s part of the mating ritual. It’s supposed to be sacred and special, something the male does for his chosen mate.
Or was that just another way to control the females?
My jaw clenches.
Really clenches.
Momentarily confusing me because I made my wolf gnash her teeth.
And Tieran’s knowing gaze suggests he saw it, too.
“You’re a fighter,” he says, approval underlining those words. “Do you want to try to take control yourself, or would you like my help?”
He’s already helping, his words alone seeming to give me the power to override my wolf. At least subtly.
Or maybe that’s my anger.
Anger he’s awakened with his truths and his outside perspective.
Have I been suppressed my whole life? Living in a world meant to keep women down, to control them, all to what, impregnate them?
What was the point of all the tests? The trials? Me proving my worth as a mating candidate?
They tested my speed, my agility, and my strength. All to what, ensure I was able to produce a worthwhile pup?
I… I don’t understand.
It feels too wrong. Too outlandish. Too insane to be true.
Yet I can’t deny the resounding truth in my soul that Tieran is telling me the truth.
He continues to brush my fur, waiting for me to give him my decision. Or perhaps waiting for a sign.
I can’t exactly speak.
But I can blink.
And my jaws appear to be clenched as a result of my own frustration.
What else can I control? I wonder, attempting to move my head to look at Tieran again.
My wolf obeys.
His eyes lock with mine once more. “Good,” he murmurs, his eyes grinning. “Try laying down.”
I do.
And my wolf allows it.
“Sit back up,” he says.
I lift up and meet his gaze once more.
He nods. “That’s it. You’ve broken down some sort of wall between you, helping to blend your wants and needs. To turn human, you’ll need to take full control and tell her to heel. Which, given what I’ve observed of your animal, won’t be easy.”
“We could try feeding her,” a deep voice suggests from behind me, causing me to spin on my rump to inspect the newcomer. Caius. I recognize his scent. Peppermint and spice. I’m not sure when I cataloged that information in my mind, but it’s there, giving me his identity along with his familiar voice.
He has thick brown hair, an athletic physique, pretty silver eyes, and a kind smile with dimples engraved in his cheeks.
“Well, hello, gorgeous,” he says, crouching in the doorway. “Don’t you look all nice and clean.”
Tieran grunts behind me. “She’s not a dog.”
“Says the male who was down here giving her orders to sit and lay down and off,” Caius returns without missing a beat, his gaze still holding mine. “How about some salmon, hmm? Maybe that’ll help placate your wolf enough to subside to your wants and desires.”
The sensuality in his voice stirs heat inside me, just like Tieran’s brushing request.
Something about these males, perhaps their power and Alpha auras, is calling to a foreign part of my being. I can feel it stirring beneath their knowing gazes, threatening to take control and leave me a writhing mess on the ground.