Free The Wolf You Feed Arc by Angela Stevens Page A

was a hell of a wolf fight. Dad refused to call it off until Pytor was dead, Erik’s strength established, and Dad’s position secured. The unrest disappeared because people were too afraid to go against him. I couldn’t stomach it, had to get out.”
    “Never knew any of that.”
    “The older women kept the youngsters away.”
    “Dad allowed you to leave because of that?”
    “I think he knew I wasn’t going to take part in anything like that. He needed a way to get rid of me and save face. I gave him that chance. At the time, I was seeing a human girl in Cody, a cute red head. I asked Isak if I could live away from the clan for a while, told him I planned to move in with her. He was reluctant, but it was a way to solve his problem.”
    “So is that the girl you were seeing?” Tore pointed through the door to the woman in reception.
    “No. The girl freaked when I asked her to live with me. She planned to go to college, thought we were too young. We went our separate ways and I ended up in Colorado. Otto and Björn found me later, after Dad forced them to leave. We lived together for a while.”
    “But you left there to come here, why?”
    “I met another girl, she was in college when I first knew her. Jessie. When she finished school, she moved here. I wanted to be with her, so I followed. Found work at this place, and when the owner died, he left it to me in his will.”
    Tore whistled. “Why did he do that?”
    “Because Jessie was his daughter. After we married, he passed the place on to me to keep it in the family. I took his name when he died. By then, I’d decided I didn’t want anything to do with Dad or the clan again. Wanted to minimize the chances of them finding me. Would you like to meet her?” Liam got to his feet.
    “Sure.” Tore rubbed his palms down his jeans, nervous about what Liam’s wife would think.
    “Jessie, can you come here a minute, honey?” Liam called across the lobby to her. She signaled she’d be there in five.
      “Does Jessie know?”  
    “About what?”  
    “Us… what we are?” Tore said.
    “Course she knows! You’re not the only one with kids, Tore. Did you see your boys born?”
    “Not till a few hours after.”
    “But you saw them as pups.” Tore nodded. “Do you think I’d not tell her that she was gonna have pups?”
    Tore grinned. “That must have been an interesting conversation. Did she freak out on you when she had them?”
    Liam shook his head. “No, that’s the strangest thing, all three were born human.”
    “Why’d that happen? Are they okay?”
    “Yeah they’re fine, just normal human kids. But it’s not likely they carry the Lycan gene.”
    “What, they won’t transition? Are you sure?” Tore asked.
    “As sure as I can be. Met a guy who left the clan years ago. He had four kids with a human wife. Three were born human and stayed human. The fourth was born a pup and transitioned at seventeen. I’m still in touch with Otto and Björn. They have kids with human wives. Human babies, all of them. It’ll be a few years ‘till any of them reach seventeen, but they’re both convinced the kids won’t transition. Björn’s been tracing Lycan-human births. It seems the human gene is way more dominant. Maybe that’s why our numbers have dwindled so much over the centuries. There are few examples available, but they seem pretty conclusive. Only kids born from two Lycan parents will definitely carry the gene.”
    “I guess my boys were destined to have wolf in them!”
    “They’re thoroughbreds. Your little guys are pure Lycanthrope.”
    Tore laughed, “I’ll have my work cut out for me then, if they grow up like us.”
    Liam stood, “Too right. Speaking of which, you’re gonna need a better pay check than what you’re getting at the warehouse, if you’re gonna give your kids what they need. Hand in your notice and you can start here Monday. Basic pay is double what you’re earning and there are tips on top.”
    “Liam, I