Savage (Wolf Ranch #4) - Renee Rose Page 0,64
have been a better wife and all that. Staying and being miserable was what was important to them. I didn’t agree, and now we don’t talk. Pretty much, it was Todd or me, and they chose Todd.”
Janet clucked her tongue and gave me a soft smile. “We favor marriage for life, too. By we, I mean shifters. And we don’t marry, we mate. But you know all that. Now. The difference is, males would never hurt their mate, either emotionally or physically. Never.”
I nodded.
“Males are also as dumb as a box of rocks.”
I had a spoonful of dip halfway to my mouth when she said that. I dropped it back in the container and laughed.
“It’s true,” she said. She put her hand to her dark hair and patted it. “I have a mate, two boys of my own and the Wolf three. Plus a few other friends they’ve all brought home over the years. If you have questions about shifters, specifically male shifters… even more specifically about male shifters I’ve birthed, then fire away.”
I pushed back my chair and stood. Went to the fridge and opened it. Then shut it. God, did I have questions. Glancing over my shoulder at her, I said, “I… I don’t know if I’m ready for the answers.”
I opened the freezer, found a tub of Rocky Road ice cream and pulled it out. “Want some?” I asked.
“No, honey. Thank you.”
I dropped back into my chair, ripped off the lid. After grabbing the spoon from the dip and licking it clean, I scooped up some ice cream.
“Why didn’t he tell me?” I asked.
She sighed. “Box of rocks, remember? Did Audrey tell you how she found out Boyd was a shifter?”
“She didn’t tell me Boyd was a shifter.”
“She couldn’t, honey. I know she’s your best friend, but pack law is stronger than human friendships. She’d be endangering her mate and her unborn child if she did.”
“Toss in the baby and make me feel bad,” I grumbled.
“She found out when a teenage shifter got shot, and he shifted while she was helping him.”
My eyes widened. “Is he okay?”
She smiled at my concern. “Of course. Shifters have rapid healing abilities. But Boyd didn’t tell her before she discovered it the hard way. Marina found out when the barn roof collapsed at Audrey’s wedding reception.” She patted my hand again. “Audrey didn’t tell Marina either.”
I gasped. “She didn’t? Her own sister? Oh man, she must have been furious.”
“My point is, the guys are idiots. They think we females can’t handle tough stuff. They love to protect us, even from the things we need to know.”
“I didn’t even know I was mated.” I stared at her then blushed. “Oh my God, you knew.”
She nodded and smiled. “I am so happy to know Clint’s claimed you.”
“It’s because I’m having his baby.” I poked the ice cream.
“Definitely.”
That hurt. A lot. I stared at the lumps of chocolate in the ice cream. “I don’t want Clint if that’s all he wants. Todd didn’t really want me. He wanted a possession. My parents felt obliged to save face.”
“Honey—”
“I won’t be an obligation.”
“Male shifters aren’t like human men. The first time Clint breathed in your scent, he knew you were his. Forever.”
“That’s insane. His nose was broken the first time we met. That meant that… oh my God, I threw up on him.”
She laughed. “Yet he still wanted you.”
I covered my face with my hand. “He did.”
“The wolf finds his mate by scent. That’s how Tom found me. How Boyd knew Audrey was the one. The same went for Colton and Marina. Even Rob, and he’s alpha. You’re Clint’s. Baby or not. That’s it. The entire love story from his perspective is right there.”
“Seriously?”
She nodded. “You’re human, so you don’t have the same response right back. It’s much easier when it’s a shifter-shifter match.”
“I bet.”
“This is what’s probably torturing Clint right now—that you don’t understand the depth of what he feels for you. He’s never once questioned you being for him, and he never will.”
“You’re his mother, you have to say stuff like that.”
She shook her head. “I’m a shifter. It’s easy because when a son says he’s met his mate, he’s met his mate. Do you… do you care about him?”
I poked at the ice cream some more. “Yes.”
“Do you want him… forever?”
“I thought so, but… Janet, he’s… I won’t say because you’re his mom.”
“He’s an enforcer. I’ve heard. As a shifter parent, I couldn’t be more proud.”
My mouth fell open. “He kills people. I