Mason


    My wolf, Colt, finally had enough of being suppressed.


    His growl ripped out of my throat as | felt my canines lengthening. One nipped my bottom lip, and | tasted. blood. | could’ve


    restrained him, but | let him show himself as much as | could without actually shifting.


    “Bro. Impressive as f uck,” Xander thought to me while aloud, his wolf, Hunter, also snarled.


    We were both on our feet, fists on the table, leaning toward the ancient vampire. Mchi turned his face. and waved a hand in


    front of it.


    “Boys, settle yourselves. | can smell your wolves all the way down here.”


    Xander’s wolf rumbled in his voice when he replied.


    “Mock if you want, but you will not dismiss us.”


    “Not when ites to our Luna,” | added with Colt’s growl edging my tone.


    Charlotte stood and waved her hands at all of us.


    “Let''s have everyone just calm down. Please. Xander and Mason, don’t make me have you removed from the room. We value


    your contributions to the leadership council, and | understand your concerns about your mate, but this is not the ce for


    antagonism!”


    “Tell that to him,” | muttered with a point of my chin at Mchi. The old bas tar d was smiling at us both. | reeled Colt back in by


    promising to take another long run with him. Outside, if we could manage it. | sat back in my chair.


    Xander followed me after a few seconds, but his wolf kept zing in his eyes. He bared his teeth and shook his head like a wolf


    shaking its ruff. For a minute, wasn’t sure he was actually going to stop his


    I


    change.


    Finally, he faced Charlotte with no signs of Hunter in him at all.


    “Look. We get it. We''re new here, and you don’t have many wolves at all, much less Alphas like us.”


    “I''ve never even heard of Alphas like you,” Charlotte said. “Your entire family is unique.”


    It could have sounded like she was just sucking up, but the smile on her face looked sincere. It settled me


    down alittle. Xander, too.


    “But you can’t just keep tossing out all of these bombshells and not expect us to get upset.” | finished Xander’s statement for


    him. “You all aren’t used to wolves like us, but we aren’t used to any of this at all.”


    “Fair enough,” Mchi said in a tone that sounded genuinely sorry.


    Charlotte shot him a fond look. “Vampires are well known to have a ir for the dramatic.”


    for all to get along and appreciate our differences.”


    “So how about instead of being all dramatic about it, then, you just tell us what we should be worried


    about for Lanie,” | said.


    “Yeah. Is she in danger of getting sick? Or ending up in aa? What?” Xander demanded.


    Mchi leaned forward in his chair. “Unfortunately, much as with everything else rting to my granddaughter in particr, we


    simply cannot be one hundred percent sure. There have been cases of hybrids. who, for some reason or another, have been


    unable to ess their full strengths, even with a lot of training. Some with a lesser m ental capacity, for example.”


    “Lanie’s one of the smartest women I’ve ever met.” | defended her boldly.


    Mchi inclined his head. “I agree. | have no doubts that she will be able to learn everything she has to. The problem lies within


    the scope of what that means.”


    Xander shot me a look and a thought. “Now what the hell''s he talking about?”


    “You''re not entirely sure what she’s fully capable of, so you can’t be sure you can teach her everything she needs to know. Am |


    getting that right?” | asked Mchi, who nodded.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Xander picked up where | left off. “So then what?”


    “The solution to that, fortunately, is a simple one. We teach her every skill we can think of. It will be quite intense. And first, of


    course, she has to be tested to see if she inherited the skills. So if the only way the two of you overprotective lunks will allow it is


    if you can be in charge of the safety protocols, then by all means, please set them up. But do it quickly. By the end of the day, if


    possible, so she can get started first thing in the


    morning.”


    My brother and | exchanged looks. He nodded, and | returned it. Xander gestured at Mchi.


    “We''ll need a list of the potential skills you''ll be testing and how you n to do it. If there are people you


    be asking to help you out, we need their names.


    Background information. Anything like that.” Xander sounded confident, and d amn, | did admire the way


    he was able to step up like that.


    Not for the first time, | wondered what it would be like to really rule the Constantine pack beside him.


    The longer we stayed here, the less confident | was that we’d ever have the chance.