Page 22 of Enter the Lair

Brock looked at their youngest brother, Nicolas.“Shit, I totally forgot about that.”

Nicolas huffed.“Thank god for small mercies.You, dicks made me celebrate my first shift till I was twenty-five.”

Hunter laughed.“Yeah, but you actually believed there was a first shift fairy till you were fifteen.”

Nick flipped off his brother, but Devon felt his amusement, remembering the elaborate story they had all told young Nicolas.

Devon looked at his siblings as if seeing them for the first time.“I’m really a cougar,” he mused not meaning to say it out loud.

The boys all stood and talked at once.Mostly swearing.

Devon put his hand to his temple.“Stop.”

Hunter looked to his father then back to Devon.“Does it hurt?”

Devon rubbed his forehead as his brother’s emotions cooled.“I can handle one person being over emotional, but when you all do it...It’s painful.”He looked at his mother.“I never avoided you or my brothers because I didn’t love you.”Then, to his father.“My misinterpretation of your disgust made it difficult for me to be around you too long.”

“You thought I was disgusted with you?”Galen asked, mortified.

“Yes,” Devon replied.He felt the emotional spike as expected.The surprise was the way in which it drained away immediately.Everyone in his family immediately breathed away their initial reaction to replace it with love and acceptance.This was the difference between a coyote and a cougar.“When Razel captured me, he told me about the rape.I didn’t believe him even though I could sense he wasn’t lying.He asked me if any others in my family had my ability.”

Galen rubbed his wife’s back.“He manipulated you, son.”

“I know that now.He is desperate for an heir.”

Galen looked concerned.“He wants you to take over the coyote pack?”

“I think so.They haven’t had any mates in this generation.Time is running out for them.As you said, longevity is one of our abilities.We outlive all the other shifter species.I think he wanted that ability injected into his species.”

Talen leaned forward.“It doesn’t work that way does it?We have never discussed this before, but can we cross species and produce viable young?”

Galen rubbed a finger along his lip.“We find our mates among the humans.Despite the differences in the species that has always been the shifter way.My father told me about a wolf mate that was raped by a hyena.Her mate had been killed, so she decided to travel to her homeland before rejoining her pack.”He ran a finger down Marie’s face.“My father met her during his travels.She was only in her seventh month when she went into labor.She died in childbirth and my father took care of the baby until it was old enough to travel.He sought out the wolves.When he presented the child to the pack leaders it shifted into a wolf.They were grateful for his help and we’ve had a good relationship with them ever since.”

“So, the wolf gene was dominant,” Devon said.

“Possibly or she got pregnant just before her mate died, and in her grief didn’t realize.Either way, the cub was born a wolf.”

Hunter tapped a finger on the table.“So, Devon, how exactly does this thing work?You can’t read our minds or anything can you?”

Devon huffed.“Wrong species.Coyotes sense the emotions of those around them.Razel feeds off the fear of his prey.He gets a rush from it.”

Galen rubbed his chin.“So, you sense what the animals around you feel?What about humans?”

“I can’t sense human emotions at all.Only animal and shifter.Animals are simple.Ruled by their instinct to hunt, feed, mate and protect their young.Shifters are more difficult due to the trappings of man.Ambition sometimes overrides instinct.”

“How far away can you sense?Can you sense Sasha?”Galen asked.

“I’m familiar with Sasha so that’s easier.Talen picked her up an hour ago and took her to play with Sadi.Lucy is playing tug a war with her right now.”

Talen held up a hand.“You said you couldn’t read minds.How did you know all that?”

“Animals associate emotions with different actions.When Sasha sees you, she gets extremely excited because she associates you with seeing her mother and the treats you and Lucy sneak her.”

Talen smiled.“Oh, those.”

“Food is a primal instinct, and it has a distinct emotion.Playing like Sasha is doing right now is pretty obvious.”

Galen’s eyes narrowed.“So, you know when an intruder is on our property before we do.You were at the house before Sarah arrived.Though no one called you.”