West had Asher and Hyssop stay the night. He had more bedrooms than he knew what to do with so it had been no imposition. In the morning, while his staff made breakfast, he read The Wall Street Journal at the table.

A hand suddenly forced his paper down. “Morning!”

“Morning, Asher,” he answered, perfectly composed. “Where’s your elder?”

Asher sat at one of the cherrywood chairs, yawning. “She’s tired from the bus ride. She’s sleeping late.”

West frowned. “I still can’t believe she came by land.”

Ash shrugged. “You know how clan people are. They live in the middle of nowhere and they catch rabbits and grow lettuce and have Gatherings. They hunt in the woods, they fight each other, and they shift. They definitely don’t ride in airplanes. Even a bus is pushing it!”

“Don’t let her hear you talking about clan life like that,” West said, straightening out his paper. “You should show some more respect. Clan life is special, Asher. Elemental.”

“It’s ’specially boring.” Ash yawned again. “And you’re not interested in it, either, so don’t even pretend. What did you two talk about when I was making tea, anyway? Can you say?”

“She’s here to keep an eye on you,” West said, glancing up. “She’s hoping she might convince you to go home.”

“Not yet,” Ash said indifferently. “Eventually.”

“Eventually, you might get sick of driving to the Catskills every weekend just so you can shift and run wild like you need to.” The ice shifted in West’s glass of morning cognac. It was already melting. “There’s nothing wrong with going home someday. It’s not a defeat. Don’t be afraid of listening to whatever she has to say. In fact, I understand your people could use you now.”

Ash raised an eyebrow. “You sound like you want me to leave.”

“I don’t. I’m just being fair. And I’m saying that Selkirk has certain attractions that New York will never have. Like wolf women.” West folded the paper closed. “And your elder deserves to be listened to, even if you decide against her advice. She came all this way.”

“Yeah. I s’pose that’s true.”

“We’re animals,” West said, lowering his voice so the maid wouldn’t hear as she brought in the egg and sausage platters. “We need the wilderness. That’s why most of our people live there. Just remember that.”

“I do.” Ash grinned. “But I love New York. And I’m fine being the black sheep.”

West had to smile a bit. “As am I.”

“Shall I bring the coffeepot?” asked the maid, interrupting from the doorway.

“Yes, I think so,” West answered. “Thank you.”

Ash yawned again. The maid brought out some toast, a sliced orange, the coffeepot, and a pitcher of fruit juice, then disappeared.

“Anything else to share? From Hyssop?” Ash pressed.

“She said I should get a woman,” West said, half-smiling.

“You should. Don’t I always say that?” Ash dumped half the platter’s sausage onto his plate. “You must be dying for it. I know I am. Human girls are sweet—damn, are they sweet—but I don’t know if they can really take the place of shifter girls. It’s the only damn downside to this city.”

“What about MeetYourMate?” West asked, checking the time. He had a meeting soon. “What do you think? Chicory loved it. It’s how she got her man.”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Ash said slowly, “but I don’t know if I’m really ready for it. It’s for serious stuff. Mating. I just want to rut.” He grinned. “You should do it, though. I can tell you’re ready for it.”

“Why do you say that?” West asked coolly.

“Man, you’ve got this persona, successful business guy, cutthroat, moneyed, top of the world, yadda-yadda.” Ash shoved more sausage in his mouth. “But it’s like you said, right? We’re animals. You’re an animal. You need a mate, and anyone who really knows you knows that. You’re not sharing this, all this” —he gestured around the breakfast room— “with anyone, and that sucks. And let’s be real. You’re thirty-two and you can’t put it off forever. If I’m burning for a taste of shifter girls at twenty-eight, you must be dying to mount and keep one.”

West gazed at him. It was the truth. He’d spent so long in the city, thrown himself so hard into his career, insinuated himself so deeply into human society . . . but it couldn’t erase his basic instincts. He needed a woman. A shifter woman. A mate.

“I’ll try MeetYourMate,” he said, finally. “And I’ll let you know how it goes. But right now, I have to leave. I have a meeting.”

“Later!” Ash said cheerfully. “I’ll just finish this breakfast, okay?”