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He laughs and shakes his head. “Don’t hold it against me, Nadia, but my family kind ofaremy friends. Jude is my best friend, even though he’s horrible half the time. Iris and I aresuperclose. I have friends outside of them, of course, but when it comes to closeness and confidants…they’re my guys.”

“Ugh,” I say, turning away from him and rolling my eyes. “That’s…adorably wholesome.”

My eyes stray to his dark hair again and my forefinger finds its way to the end of one strand, just petting the edge. Nothing he could possibly feel.

Cole laughs and I sigh, turning my face back to him, nudging him with my knee. “Hey, you’re being cagey and avoidant, distracting me with all this adorable ‘my sister is my bestie’ chat.”

“Oh, whatever, Na-na,” Cole murmurs, shutting his eyes. I’m glad for that because I don’t want him to see my smile when he uses my silliest nickname. “You’reinmy room, youjustcaught me in averyembarrassing moment –“

“Which I didnotrub in as much as I could have!”

“Yes, you’re an angel of gracious restraint,” he murmurs, the words thick with sarcasm, making me laugh again.

Damn it, I hate that he’s…funny. Sometimes.

“What could Ipossiblybe accused of holding back on here?” He holds his arms out wide. “My life is literally laid out before you.”

“Yes, just as your ex’sbreastswere likewise laid out before me,” I snap, even as I laugh, pulling my fingers away from his hair.

His hand moves faster than I can see, snatching my wrist and halting its movement away. “Don’t stop doing that,” he growls. “It was nice. And Rose’s breasts hold absolutely no charms for me anymore.”

I scowl, hating that he could feel me playing with his hair and gave no indication. But I roll my eyes and obey my liege lord, the stupid future idiot King of our nation, and return my hand to his hair, twirling it around the ends of my fingers.

“Come on,” he murmurs, visibly relaxing as he moves his hand to his stomach, where it rises and falls along with his breath. “Ask me…anything you want, Nadi. I know you have questions.”

I sigh a little, my eyes going a bit vacant as I admit to myself that…yeah. I do.

He hums low in his throat, inviting.

“Cole,” I say quietly. “What’s it…like? Being a wolf?”

He hums again, thinking about it. “Guess it’s…hard to say,” Cole says quietly, breathing deeply, I thinkverymuch enjoying his scalp massage in a way that, for such a big powerful guy is…

Okay, fine, god damn it, it’scute.

“What do you mean?” I whisper.

“I mean that I’ve always been a wolf,” he murmurs. “So, I don’t have much of an idea about how to explain what it’s like. It’d be like what it’s like to be a human –“

“Oh, I’d definitely have an answer for that,” I murmur, twisting my fingers just atinybit and thinking ofallthe ways I could describe to him what it’s like to be a human in a wolf world.

But he just laughs and lifts his hand to smack at my wrist a little, silently bidding me to play nice.

I comply. “Okay, well, what’s it like tobea wolf then?” I ask, turning my head to the side and watching his expression. “Like when you shift?”

He hums, nodding like that’s an easier question. “Well, it’s…it’s very cool.”

I laugh, thinking it’s probably an understatement, which just makes him break into his fairly gorgeous smile.

And that makes me smile, too. But…he can’t see that, with his eyes closed, which is all the better for me.

“When I’m my wolf,” Cole continues, voice going a bit soft and thoughtful. “Things are a lot simpler. Like…you’re an animal. Your needs and your instincts shift. And it’s not like I forget that I’m Cole, or my thoughts go away – Irememberthings. They just seem to fall to the back of my mind, the basic necessities of life coming forward.”

“Like what?”

“Like survival. Protection of my friends and family. Food for sure – you get really hungry, and everything smellsamazing.”

My fingers still. “Do you like…eat rabbits?”