“Please, tell me what happened.”

“I chased him as far as I could. Once he got into the more populated areas, I had to let him go. Anyway, I needed to make sure you were okay. I didnʼt mean for you to see me. I just wanted to be certain that you hadnʼt been hurt. I was watching so closely for some sign that you were about to fall apart I forgot I was supposed to be hiding.” His grey eyes bore into mine.

“How did you know it was me?”

“It was the eyes.” I would know those eyes anywhere.

“You really are amazing, you know.”

He would have to settle for a blush as a response.

“Anyway, after I left you, I went back and tracked his scent. Liam got into town just before dawn to find me slinking around the tent city near Centennial Park, which made him furious.

He tried to force me into the Jeep, but I wouldnʼt budge.

“He had to wait almost thirty minutes for dawn to come so I could Change and tell him what was going on. Liam went to take care of things while I recovered. By the time I could walk, it was clear he would never be able to hurt anyone again.”

“What did Liam do?” My voice sounded foreign, as if it was coming from another place, another person.

“Liam didnʼt attack first.”

“What did he do?” The alien voice was devoid of emotion.

“Iʼm not a doctor, Scout. How am I supposed to know?” My mouth opened to repeat the question for a third time. It seemed, though, that he was as unwilling to hear it as I was. “His right hand was crushed. His arm, nose, and collarbone all looked broken, too. He was coughing up blood, so there was probably some internal injuries. I donʼt think it was anything fatal, but, like I said, Iʼm not a doctor.”

My shoulders slumped in relief. “How did Liam get to you before dawn? Isnʼt he a werewolf too?”

#

“Of course heʼs a werewolf. It runs in the family.”

“But you said that you had to stay in wolf form from sunset to sunrise on the night of a full moon.”

“The rules donʼt really apply to Liam,” Alex said with a wry smile. “He has an amazing amount of control. He made his first successful non-full moon change when he was fourteen.

By the time he was sixteen, he could change at noon on the day of a new moon.” Alexʼs words were saturated with admiration and envy. “Itʼs not even supposed to be possible, but neither is changing back to human during a full moon.”

The fact that Liam was such a good werewolf wasnʼt really surprising. It was clear that he was different than Alex. More other. More wolf.

Alex casually reached over and placed my hand in his. “Youʼre cold,” he said, misinterpreting my slight tremble. “Maybe we should head back.” Like Hades we would. “Iʼm fine. Iʼve got a million burning questions to keep me warm.”

“A million burning questions, huh?” He tried to appear put out, but I could see a rogue dimple.

“At least a million, and Iʼm prepared to stay out here all night if that is what it takes to get answers. I mean, unless youʼre too cold...” Growing up with Jase and Charlie taught me one truth about boys - the best way to ensure they do what you want is to question their masculinity. I could tell by the set of Alexʼs jaw he was no exception.

“Iʼm not cold. This is balmy compared to Montana.”

“So, youʼll stay and answer all my questions?”

This time the weariness on his face was real. “Iʼll try.” That was good enough for me. “So, being a werewolf or Shape-Shifter or whatever is inherited, right?”

“Yes.”

“So, Jaseʼs kids will all be able to turn into a coyote during the full moon?”

“Jaseʼs sons will start changing sometime during adolescence. Itʼs one of the perks of puberty, like a deeper voice and chest hair.”

“Only boys? Girls canʼt be were-whatevers?” That hardly seemed fair.

“Itʼs rare for a girl to be born with the gene. Most of the ones that do, donʼt survive the first change, if they last that long.”

Something about they way he said “if they last that long” didnʼt sit right with me. “Why wouldnʼt they make it to puberty?”

“The childhood mortality rate amongst female Shifters is abnormally high, most likely due to the bodyʼs inability to accept the physiological changes associated with being a Shifter,” Alex said as though he was reading aloud from a text book. He often did that when we were debating issues for our newspaper articles. It meant that he didnʼt believe a word of what he just said.

That bothered me. Why would he tell me something he didnʼt believe? And if it wasnʼt some sort of allergic reaction to being half-wolf (or half-coyote) that caused little girls to die, what was? Not knowing was going to drive me crazy, but pushing the issue might make Alex less inclined to answer the rest of my questions. Reluctantly, I moved on.

“Does it hurt? Changing, I mean.”

Alexʼs loosened his vice-like grip on my hand. “In the beginning. The first time I Changed I thought I would die before everything got in the right place, but you get used to it. Now itʼs more uncomfortable than painful.”

“How does it work? Itʼs not like wolves and humans have the same physical make up. I mean, they have more teeth than we do, and smaller internal organs, and a tail, for Peteʼs sake. And coyotes are tiny compared to people. Where does Jaseʼs extra 100 pounds go when heʼs Coyote Jase? Or is he the worldʼs biggest coyote?” My mini-rant managed to illicit nothing more than a laugh from Alex.

“Whatʼs so funny?”

“You want me to explain magic?”

Of course I did. “In the most scientific terms possible, please.” He gave me one of those full-force smiles that made my heart skip a beat. “I thought you might feel that way,” he said, reaching into the pocket of his coat. “Thatʼs why I have this.”

“What is it?” I stared at the package he placed in my hands.

“Your Christmas present. I wrapped it myself.”

No kidding. Only a boy would require half a role of Scotch tape and five feet of Pokemon paper to wrap a single present.

“I thought you didnʼt plan on seeing me tonight.”

“I didnʼt.”

“So, you were just carrying this around in your coat pocket in the off chance you ran into me in the middle of the night?”

Alex ducked his head and peered up through his lashes. “Promise not to freak out on me?”