Where Foxes Hunt with Wolves - K.A. Merikan Page 0,79

place,” he said, winking.

Radek snorted, and a flush crept to his cheekbones, locks of hair sliding off his shoulder as he leaned in. “Oh, my God. That’s kinda kinky. What do you mean by ‘mate’? Like, their wife?”

Yev chuckled and rubbed his face to hide his growing embarrassment. For a moment he toyed with the idea of telling Radek everything about what a mate meant for a werewolf. How once mated, neither partner could bear to be with anyone but their mate, how all sexual interest in others faded, and how it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be loved and understood.

But such concepts didn’t really matter to Radek, so Yev settled on, “Yeah. We’re very loyal creatures.”

Everyone but him. The one werewolf who’d forever remain a stray who took his pleasures whenever he got the chance.

Radek chewed on that in silence, and Yev would’ve paid good money to know what was going on in that ginger head.

“And silver. Is that true? Should I have some for protection? In case the other werewolves—”

“No,” Yev growled without thinking. The idea of Radek wearing silver against his skin had Yev bristling. His reaction was visceral, rooted solely in the emotion of wanting no barrier between them.

Radek groaned. “‘No’ it doesn’t work, or ‘no’ I shouldn’t get any?”

Yev had to take a deep breath to keep a sneer from forming. “Do not get any. Please. I will provide all the protection you might need, because yes, it does work. Even its touch is agony, and the wounds take years to heal, sometimes never in full. When we are still pups, each of us is taught how much it hurts, so we never play with it or consider ourselves above its effect.” He held out his hand to show the small circle burned into the flesh over the base of his thumb. The scar was still pink and plump as if it had barely healed. “This scar is over thirty-years-old, and can still ache when exposed to moonlight.”

Radek held his breath as he traced the knuckle with just the tip of his finger. “Understood. What else… Oh. I can hear the foxes. They don’t speak in full sentences, but I understand. Can you speak to wolves?”

Yev smirked and bumped his forehead against Radek’s. It only then occurred to him Father and Mother shared that same gesture all the time, and he looked away, clearing his throat. “On a very basic level, we can understand one another. Wolves always respect a were-brother and will always answer his call for help.”

Radek lowered his head and squeezed Yev’s hand more firmly. “I didn’t answer their call. The foxes. I just fled and hid in your house, prancing around and eating egg yolks while they were being slaughtered. The little one in there,” he pointed down the corridor, “he was suffering all this time. I should have done something sooner.”

Yev’s face fell as Radek’s sadness somehow wound itself into his heart, like a copper wire that snaked its way into his flesh and jolted him with echoes of Radek’s grief. He rubbed the boy’s back, trying to ease the knots of tension as thoroughly as possible. “You couldn’t have helped him. You need to deal with your own problem before you can solve someone else’s. At least you started the process now. Doesn’t that count for something?”

Comforting another man felt so very new. In his world, a man licked their wounds on their own, yet Radek wasn’t rejecting his help or the soothing touch. Just like Ember had climbed into his lap, seeking protection, Radek only leaned closer against him.

“Why is doing the right thing so hard?” he whispered, and raised his arm to his face as if to push away his hair, but then huffed in frustration and rested the stump on his thigh again.

“I hear doing the right thing is often quite hard,” Yev said, pushing the red locks out of Radek’s face.

“Would have been much easier if everyone was decent. What if I’m wrong though? I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never actually run the company.”

“People have different ideas of what the right thing is. But you’re smarter than you think. I’m sure you can do it.”

Radek looked up, his eyes like pools of gold with a translucent glaze of tears. “What do I know? I’m just a fox.” He was trying to joke, but his smile remained shaky. Radek had a fighter’s spirit, and was ready to take on tough challenges,