“He was able to partially shift?” It was rare that their inner animals surfaced to any degree before puberty.

“Yep. The footage was uploaded to YouTube. The anti-shifter extremists pounced on the whole thing, claiming Dexter is a freak that even his pride doesn’t want. They said Dexter needed to be ‘put down’ like a rabid dog. We’ve been hiding him from them.”

His wolf flexed his claws, wanting to lash out. “The kids have had a tough time.”

“They have.”

Entering the parking lot, Ryan whipped into his usual parking space. “I want to ask you something.” He just hadn’t been sure how to bring it up. Makenna looked at him, expectant. “Do you want to contact your uncle?” Okay, he probably should have eased her into the subject a little better.

Caught off guard by the question, Makenna sucked in a breath. “I haven’t given it any thought. There’s a lot going on right now. I need to concentrate on the shelter. I’ll worry about my uncle at a later point.” For some reason, that made Ryan scowl. “What?”

“You don’t always have to put others before yourself.” It was pissing him off more and more.

That put her on the defensive. “I don’t always do it.”

He grunted.

“No, I don’t.”

He grunted again.

“I don’t. Look, my uncle isn’t exactly going anywhere. There’s no rush to deal with that. But the shelter . . . that’s a ‘here and now’ problem.” She sighed, admitting, “And maybe I don’t want to deal with my past just yet. Maybe I want some time to let it all sink in. Maybe.”

Ryan cupped her nape and drew her close. “That doesn’t make you weak.”

“I never said it did.”

“You were thinking it.”

Yes, she was. “You wouldn’t put something aside temporarily. You’d deal with it straightaway and then move on.”

“Because I don’t feel even half of the emotions that you do. I’m numb to a lot of things.”

She gave him a pointed look. “There’s nothing at all wrong with you. Being reserved and logical doesn’t make you—”

“Emotionally detached? That’s exactly what I am.” He’d accepted that.

She framed his face with her hands. “You are a good person, Ryan Conner. You take care of your pack, you have strong family values despite your childhood, and you’re someone people respect and know they can rely on. You can’t be emotionally detached; you care about people.”

“In my own way. But I don’t care about people the same way you do.” Maybe that was why he was so protective of the people in his life—he was compensating for the things he couldn’t give them. Maybe not. He didn’t see that it really mattered either way. “Except when it comes to you.” There were so many emotions tangled up in what he felt for Makenna—some familiar, some not. “It’s different with you.”

“It’s the same for me, you know. Just because I have a bigger . . . emotional repertoire than you, doesn’t mean I feel strong emotions for everyone.” Makenna paused, nervous at revealing so much but knowing he deserved to hear it—maybe even needed to hear it. “You once said I step into other people’s lives but don’t allow them to step into mine. You were right. I don’t give much of myself to people. You have all of me.”

Warmth built in Ryan’s chest and seemed to flood every part of him. This female . . . she could get to him in a way that no one else ever could. She wasn’t just under his skin; she was inside him. She was part of him. The best part. “I’m keeping it all.” She deserved more than those possessive words, deserved to hear what he felt, and it pissed him off that he couldn’t articulate himself.

Sensing his internal struggle on some strange . . . almost metaphysical level, Makenna put a finger to his mouth. “I don’t need words. Everything you do shows me you care. Now come on, let’s go inside.”

Ascending the cliff steps, they went into the mountain and strode through the tunnels. As they neared the kitchen, they found Tao and Riley having some kind of standoff. Several other wolves were gathered around, who all seemed amused.

“You’re being dramatic.” Riley sighed. It was very like the raven to blow off people’s anger—she didn’t let much get to her. Makenna liked that about her.

Tao’s spine locked. “Dramatic?” He pointed at Savannah, who was standing behind Riley with Dexter and Kye. “She bit someone.”

“She’s not poisonous; she’s only four.”

Noticing Makenna, Savannah coiled and sprung in the air. Makenna caught her easily, smiling at the melted chocolate on the little girl’s face and T-shirt. “Hey, cutie, how are you?”

Her little face scrunched up. “I don’t like it here.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not allowed to bite the mean old lady.”

Makenna did her best to contain her smile. “Why would you want to bite her?”

“She said something mean to my Riley.” Savannah was very protective of the raven.

“Sweetie, the old lady says something mean to pretty much everyone.”

“Then why can’t I bite her?”

Hearing Jaime and Taryn laugh, Makenna asked, “Is Greta okay?”

“She’s fine.” Taryn waved away her concern. “She’s milking it, of course, for attention, said she could feel the poison working its way through her body and needed to go lie down.”