Page 223 of His Hungry Wolf

I was trying, but it was getting harder not to take this personally. No matter what I told myself, I couldn’t shake my insecurity.

To take my mind off of it, I texted Titus. It took less than a minute for him to call me back.

“Quin! How the hell are you? I was just thinking about you two.”

“I was texting you because I’m in town.”

“Seriously! Let’s get together! When are you two free?”

I explained to him where Cage was and what they were doing, so he instead suggested that we do some ice fishing.

“You already made the hole,” Titus joked.

Although I had never gone ice fishing, I had done plenty of shallow water fishing during my summers in the Bahamas. Most days it was the only thing to do.

After a day out on the ice, we didn’t end up catching anything. Titus said it was because they weren’t biting. My guess was that it was his non-stop talking.

That was fine with me, though. What was I going to do with a fish other than throw it back? And Titus was interesting to talk… I mean, listen to.

He had ideas about a lot of things, most of which involved growing up in a town cut off from the outside world by a spell that dampened a wolf’s senses. He claimed that it robbed shifters of half of who they were.

He also explained Nero’s wolf fights. Although Titus said he never participated in them, he said he understood the desire to let go and completely embrace the wolf.

“When did you first shift?” I asked him as I began to notice a pattern in his stories.

“When I was 18. Around the same time as most people. Why? When did you first shift?”

“About 5 minutes after I was born.”

“Wow! That’s incredible. So, you have always known life as a shifter?”

“Actually, being in this town feels like the first time I’ve known it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I thought I was the only one.”

Titus stared at me and then laughed. “You thought you were the only wolf shifter in existence?”

“Yeah, that’s what I was told.”

“By who?”

“By everybody. You don’t know what it’s like living outside of this town.”

Titus became more serious. “You’re right. I don’t. And, I shouldn’t laugh. I’m sure it was a challenge.”

“It was near unbearable.”

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that. But, as a person who wishes he knew life outside of this bubble, what you’re describing doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Have you given any more thought to coming to East Tennessee University?” I asked him deciding that he would fit right in.

“Yes, I have. The way Dr. Tom always talked about the human world made it seem like a shifter would die the minute he stepped foot in it. But, knowing you and Cage have lived your entire lives out there has inspired me. I will be filling out an application for next semester,” he said with a smile.

“That’s awesome!”

“Yeah. And, maybe when I’m there, I’ll find myself a great guy like you did,” he said with a knowing smile.