Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,65

night through as a wolf. Feels uncomfortable. They were born like this. I wasn't. Lane lived as a wolf for years, so it's even easier for him. I..." I paused, looking for the right words. "The sounds get me. Wolf ears are more sensitive, and I feel like there's a riot going on outside, so I never sleep well."

"Oh." Now she was portioning out lettuce, cheese, and pico onto the tortillas. "Stir the beans and meat for me?"

"Sure."

But she kept going. "So, I was thinking about taking some chairs for those of us who won't run. Probably some blankets. I figured it's going to be cold, so I thought I'd take some cocoa and coffee, maybe even hot tea. But, um, would it be stupid if I asked for a fire ring so we can huddle around it?"

I mentally ran through the extra supplies we had. "Nah. How big, do you think?"

"Big enough to keep us warm?" She flashed me a smile. "I have no idea."

"I'll make one up there this afternoon. We've got some spare bricks from the last block of construction. Could use those to make a little edge around it, so no sparks will set anything on fire, and I could probably put up a pretty decent ring. Get some sticks, marshmallows, and chocolate for s'mores..."

"Chocolate is bad for dogs," she teased.

"All wolf, baby," I assured her, moving to set the bowl of meat beside her before bracing an arm on either side of her hips, caging her there. "We don't have the same issues as real wolves. And, so you know, you can pet us. You can ruffle our hair. You can play with our ears and tails. It kinda feels good, and no, we don't think it's a bad thing."

"So, I get a boyfriend and a puppy all in one?" She glanced back to grin at me.

I just leaned my hips into her ass. "Wolf, Elena. Full-grown. But I do like that boyfriend part." Then I kissed the base of her neck.

Her eyes closed as my lips touched her skin. "Not to ruin this moment," she said, "but your tacos are done, and I have a somewhat serious question."

So I kissed her neck again, then stepped back. "Ask away."

She passed me a plate and moved around to the bar, tilting her head to the other chair for me to join her. "What's the... I dunno... rule? The consensus on sex?" And she bit into her lunch.

I rolled mine up more like a burrito. "The lack of it, you mean?" When she nodded, I continued. "Lane's worried that the more he's with you, the worse he's going to be. Jealous, possessive, and such. Ian wants to make sure that you know he cares about more than the physical. Trent and Pax? They've got their tails tucked between their legs right now. Lane's pissed about the ordeal with Karen, and he hasn't been shy about telling us."

"And you?" she asked.

I bought myself a little time by taking a bite. Damn, but this woman could cook. The fact that I loved Mexican food didn't hurt, but it felt rude to mention that. Some white guy telling his Hispanic girlfriend that he liked the way she made tacos? Yeah, that would get misinterpreted somehow. It also didn't help dig me out of this hole at all.

"Um..." I paused to swallow. "I, kinda, get nervous when Gabby's home." My eyes flicked over to her, then right back to my food. "Elena, I don't have a clue what to do with a kid. I'm not opposed to having her around, but I don't know if I'm going to piss you off when I ask. I keep thinking that I'm going to say something stupid and insensitive." So I lifted the taco. "Like that I love Mexican food."

She just laughed. "Seth, it's ok to like Mexican food. I'm Mexican-American, and I'm not ashamed of that."

"Yeah, but, I feel like it's all fetishy," I told her. "The other guys don't get it. Racism isn't a thing wolves do. There are humans and wolves, that's the line. Well, other shifters, but we don't really see those."

"There are other shifters?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, a few. Bears, foxes, things like that. I mean, we've got a guy who's an African wild dog in the pack. You'll probably see him at the run, but there aren't enough of his kind around here, and most wolves would turn him away. We said that if he can learn