Page 19 of The Mating Need

Nikita did not smile. This was too serious. “Tristan, I can’t keep an eye on her all the time. What are we going to do with Jenny? What if she shifts into a wolf again and someone sees her again? She puts all our people at tremendous risk! Why can’t we simply coax her into mating withTroy?”

The Silver Wizard, the love of her life and the guardian and judge of all shifters, glanced at the forest. “Leave her be for now. She must work things out on herown.”

“But…”

Tristan kissed her forehead. “My love, you must understand this part of our guiding and judging Lupines. They have to follow their ownpaths.”

“Even when those paths are filled withrisk?”

His mouth thinned as he glanced at the forest again. “You know the rules as well as I,Nikita.”

Her stomach roiled. “I do. Jenny is allowed that one mistake. One more and you will be forced to destroy her. You must, for the sake of keeping our peoples’ secretsafe.”

But instead of nodding, Tristan stared into the forest. So odd, unlike him, as if Jenny were a puzzle he could not figureout.

“Notquite.”

“You’re forgiving her… twice? Why bend the rules for her? Because she was scared?” Niki searched his face. “Or something else? You’ve always told me our people must learn to blend into this world or you will be forced to send them into thenext.”

“There is something about her, and until I can verify my suspicions, we cannot and should not touch her. Only keep watch overher.”

Watch over her? “And if she gets into trouble again? What if someone tries to shoother?”

“Jenny can take care of herself.” Tristan kissed her cheek. “Now, let’s return home. I have a different kind of hunger to appease, and only you can slakeit.”