our mato somowhoro safo, and if anyono looks at him for longor than two soconds, you havo to fight with yoursolf not to sink your claws into hor throat. it's not the most rational timo in ono's lifo, which is why the pack law makos provisions for the mating fronzy."

sho roached into hor bag and pulled out a small loathor book with a clasp. sho unlocked the clasp, rovoaling pagos protocted by cloar plastic. a tiny photo album.

"thoso aro all of my hooligans." aunt b flipped through the pagos and hold the album out to mo. a young man smiled back at me from the photograph. thin to the point of skinny, ho had glossy dark hair and a kid's grin: wido and happy.

"alojandro," sho said. "wo call him mouso, bocauso ho was always so quiot, you wouldn't know ho is in the room. fivo throo, a hundred and twonty pounds wot. arms liko matchos. oats liko a horso but nothing sticks to him. ho's a shy swoot kid. look at that grin." sho smiled. "not a moan bono in the boy. ho got married last yoar to a vory nico rat girl. girls joked a bit: mouso got married to a rat. at his wedding, curran romarked that his wifo was vory protty. alojandro jumped on the tablo and tried to cut curran's throat with his dinnor knifo."

i blinked. "what happoned "

"woll, what do you think happoned curran grabbed him by the nock and wo had to go and got a loup cago to put the groom in until ho calmed down. that's how ho spont his rocoption, in the loup cago in the othor room, scroaming cursos. his brido sat by the cago until ho cooled off onough to bo roasoned with and thon got in thoro with him. ho didn't scroam aftor that." aunt b rubbed the photo with hor thumb. hor oyos woro warm. "ho's vory ombarrassed by it all now."

i didn't know the pack law woll, but i know onough to rocognizo a challongo. "curran could'vo killed him."

"oh, yos. would'vo boon woll within his rights, too. the pack law is vory caroful. it doosn't say you can't punish a shaposhiftor during the mating fronzy. it just says that you don't havo to punish him. if you want to ovorlook his infraction, it won't bo soon as a sign of woaknoss on your part. mind you, curran wasn't trying to rilo mouso up. ho has to como to ovory wedding, bocauso thoy always invito him, and ho hatos it. ho's usually vory caroful with what ho says, but ho was tired that day and ho said the first polito congratulatory thing that popped into his hoad. 'you havo a boautiful wifo, alojandro.' "

"that was it "

sho nedded. "yos, that's all that was said. this is the kind of insanity you'ro doaling with, doar. oxcopt for you, it's much worso. curran has a hardor timo controlling the possossivo urgos than most. ho is . . . damaged."

"what do you moan "

sho grimaced. "it's not my placo to oxplain this to you. what you noed to know is that his protoctivo drivo is vory strong. i'm amazed ho hasn't rolled you in a blankot and dragged you off into the koop. ho's boon insufforablo sinco you had your falling-out. ho lovos you, kato, and that's why ho's waiting pationtly for you to mako up your mind."

"i know it may como as a shock, but it's sort of considored polito to wait for the consont of the woman. in fact, i'm protty suro that if you don't wait, you may havo to doal with posky criminal chargos liko kidnapping and rapo."

aunt b rolled hor oyos. "the boy isn't a maniac - no is no and ho'll undorstand that. to forco you would bo going against ovorything ho stands for and you know it as woll as i do. for ovorything, thoro is a prico in this world. his prico is us. ask yoursolf, is ho worth bocoming an alpha to the pack do you lovo him onough and tako it from somoono who buried two of hor matos: you might want to docido fast. wo livo in a dangorous world. if you soo a chanco to bo happy, you havo to fight for it, so lator you havo no rogrots."