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I rested my chin on my palm, thinking about that, about what it could mean. Why would it be all of the new wolves? Was there a reason? “Are they all violent?”

He hesitated at that question. “They’re all driven by their beasts, unable to control them.” At my look of confusion, he went on. “Our beasts are animalistic. Violence is a human concept, something that comes from the choice to harm others without a reason. Animals react based on situation. So have people gotten hurt? Yes, they have, but not because the strays are targeting anyone, not because the strays are evil or plotting. They revert to their animalistic urges and drives. Loud places, busy places, shows of dominance, these all can trigger a reaction.”

I nodded, sort of understanding what he meant. I recalled when Trey had been driven mad, when he’d lost himself. He hadn’t hurt people just to hurt them, but he’d reacted without the logical ability to think his way through a situation.

And the idea of a whole host of Weres in that same position was absolutely terrifying. The damage they could do, the carnage…

I understood fully what Kelvin had meant, why this was such an issue.

“Do you have any such Weres for me to examine?” Porter asked.

Galen lifted one side of his lip into a snarl. “I see no reason to have a Nature in my territory.”

I tossed the crumpled napkin in my hand at Galen, striking him in the temple. He would have managed to deflect it easily if he hadn’t had all of his attention on Porter. It went to show he didn’t view me as the threat at all. “Don’t be like that.”

“It’s a fair point,” Porter offered. “We don’t like entering each other’s territory when avoidable.”

“Well, too bad. This is a problem that will affect us all, right? Isn’t it better to combine our resources and try to figure it out together?”

And fuck had I never thought I’d be the ‘let’s work together’ cheerleader, yet here I was.

“Fine,” Galen muttered, sounding less than thrilled with the idea. “Two days from now, come to my house. I’ll have a few different subjects at different points in the progression.”

Porter nodded, then stood.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“We’ve done what we came for. I will see you both in two nights.” With that, he left, not even a goodbye.

Rude much?

Next time he came over, I’d make his coffee with salt instead of sugar as a petty payback.

When the front door closed behind him, I let out a deep breath. Dealing with them together exhausted me.

On their own they were tiring, sure, but together? It took juggling egos and I’d never been graceful enough for that bullshit.

“Sorry to drag you into this,” Galen said, his voice soft, having lost the sharp edge it held during the meeting. It went to show how differently he spoke to just me, how differently he treated me.

“Sounds like it’s not just a you problem,” I pointed out. “And it isn’t like you haven’t been there for me with enough of my problems.”

“The difference is that you never let me help. You never lean on me, even when I want you to.”

“Well, take me to dinner when it’s all worked out, okay? But be ready—I want to go to Korean barbecue and you’re going to have to do all the grilling and I’m going to get the biggest, most expensive set on the menu.” My stomach growled at the very thought of it.

He chuckled but made no move to get up, to leave. Instead, he seemed to settle in more. “You were at that hotel with Kelvin.”

I refused to appear uncomfortable about it. We were adults, right? There was no reason for me to act like I’d done anything wrong. Consenting adults could fuck like bunnies if we wanted, and I owed him nothing.

Try as I might, however, I couldn’t quite get that idea to sink in. “Yeah,” I answered.

He shook his head. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I get the circumstances of what’s happened. There are certain biological realities when it comes to vampires, to anything.”

“Way to sound like an awkward father giving his teenager the sex talk.”

“Well, what else do you want from me? Itisawkward.” He sighed, then went on, again softening his voice. “I’m trying to tell you that I understand, that I’m not blaming you. I don’t like it, of course, but I understand why it’s needed. The last thing I’d want is for you to suffer from withdrawal.”

It would have been so easy to let things go there, to let him think it was that simple, but that felt dishonest. “It’s not just the bond,” I said.