Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,111

nodded and then took off for the house. I turned to Ian. "It never slows down, does it?"

"Not really," he admitted. "Is it bad if I say I'm glad you're helping now?"

I huffed out a laugh. "It's kinda sweet, actually. Like an inadvertent compliment."

So he caught my hand. "No, it was a very blatant one. You are the perfect Alpha Female for this pack. You and your Sisterhood keep this place running in ways I would never think of." His fingers squeezed mine. "How are we handling this?"

"Step by step," I told him. "Lev doesn't know his son is into boys. We don't want to make that into a mess if we don't have to. Nikolai deserves to choose when he tells people. There's just - " I paused as my front door closed too hard and my daughter jogged toward me.

"Mom?" she asked.

"What does Theo know about exposure?" I asked. "Have you talked to him about condoms?"

"Yeah," she said. "No sex with a wolf without one..." Her eyes went wide. "Oh crap."

"What?" I asked.

She looked back at Roman. "Blow jobs."

"Shit," he breathed.

"What?" I asked.

Gabby just flailed her arms as if she was thinking and trying to make me stop all at the same time. "We told him that it's bloodborne, and that he has to be careful. We told him - and Samantha - about accidents, Xander getting shot and why we had to clean it up, that it can pass through mucus membranes during sex which is why condoms have to be used. I don't think any of us told Theo about, you know, in the mouth."

"I'm dying," Roman mumbled, sounding like he was talking to himself.

"You're not alone," Ian assured him. "But, you two need to find out what exactly happened. Someone needs to talk to Lev. Someone needs to talk to Theo. Was he even exposed, or is this just a seasonal allergy problem? The flu? Humans get sick easier than we do, and we should rule that out before worrying."

"They didn't mean to," Roman insisted. "I know that much. Theo has been talking about whether he'd want to wait to turn until after high school or college. He kept saying that he didn't want to go off to school and be alone, so it might make more sense to just wait until he had his degree. He didn't intend to turn now, Alpha. This wasn't intentional."

"Kinda got that impression," Ian reassured him. "Look, I know I told you kids that would get you kicked out, but I meant another trick like you two pulled. Accidents happen. We just have to make sure..." He paused, pulling out his phone. "Wednesday, 3:19 p.m."

"Moonrise," I realized.

He nodded. "Lane bit you right around thirty, maybe thirty-two hours before. It takes the virus twenty-four hours to activate, so a bite too late wouldn't trigger on that moon, but rather the next."

"Roman bit me the week before," Gabby pointed out. "I felt sick all week until about two days before. That's when the fever hit."

"It's Friday. If Theo is going to turn, then he'll do it in five days. So, you two find out exactly what they did. Get into their personal lives, Gabby. Make one of them tell you. Semen, blood, anything. I need to know. Even if there was exposure, we can't rule out something normal. Elena, have Ashley run to the store for every allergy drug she can find. Make sure she doesn't go alone? Take Vic, just in case Damon's out there." He blew out a breath. "And cold meds. I'll talk to Heather."

"No," I said. "You talk to the betas, because if this boy is exposed, he's not going to run like a wolf."

"Fuck," Roman groaned. "And I'm not sure Nik's ever seen a tiger turn. If we ask Lev..."

"If it comes to that," I decided, "then I'll talk to Lev. Just..." I pointed at his car. "Go see what's going on. If Theo won't give you all the details, then make sure Nik does."

"Yes, Alpha," Gabby said, grabbing Roman's arm to drag him towards the car.

The kids headed one way, so Ian and I headed toward the house. "Can you tell if this is lycanthropy - or whatever version - by looking?" I asked him.

"No," he admitted. "Not at this stage, I mean. When the fever hits, sure."

We made it inside and I immediately turned. "Ian, be honest with me? What are the chances that this boy has a headache that no medicine can touch