“It’s not gonna be as bad as you think, sis,” Lenny said refilling my wine glass. “The Pensiones are super cool peeps.”

He and George were throwing their first dinner party at my old apartment they now shared. Never mind that only Jack and I had been invited and the evening centered around preparing me to meet my future in-laws this weekend.

“I know,” I said, sipping my wine. “Jack told me they took you in when your family—I mean, pack kicked you out of theirs.”

“Kicked me out.” A bitter laugh bubbled out of Lenny, and George reached over and squeezed his hand. “Right. That was after they tried to kill me. Said they didn’t want me spreading my defect to future generations.”

I glanced from Lenny to my brother and Jack then back again. “You mean homosexuality? But that’s . . . that’s crazy.”

Lenny sighed settling lower in his chair. “That’s pack mentality. My dad told me, We’re meant to breed, boy. You can’t make babies with another guy so what good are ya? Whatever went pear-shaped in that head of yours needs to stop with you. Can’t risk weakening the pack. And then he pulled out his pistol and shot me.”

“Ohmygod . . . Lenny, I’m so sorry,” I said, my mouth gaping like a fish. “I didn’t think bullets could kill werewolves.”

“Silver,” Lenny said.

“That really works?”

“If it’s shaped into a bullet and shot out of a gun?” he asked, then shook his head. “No.”

The three of them chuckled at my confusion and I resisted the urge to flip my fellow dinner guests the bird. I’m all about etiquette.

“Sorry, sis,” Lenny said. “Truth is we’re hard to kill, but we’re not immortal. Our kind has what you might call an allergy to silver. It slows us down, and hurts like hell if it gets inside us. But it won’t kill us on its own. A bullet, though? If it rips through vital organs and we don’t shift before we bleed out, yeah. It’ll do the deed.”

“Then what’s the point of using silver bullets?”

“Keeps the dude from shifting,” Lenny said. “Can’t shift, can’t heal. My dad used a silver bullet to keep me from shifting, then loaded me in car and dumped me in the woods to die. Bastard.”

George squeezed his lover’s hand again and the two shared a comforting look.

I blinked, trying to wrap my brain around the mental image. Lenny’s father really was a bastard. “How did you survive?”

“Whaddaya think? Dug the fuckin’ thing outta me, shifted, and got my ass as far from those sick fucks as possible.” A cheery smile suddenly lit his face. “Hopped a bus cross the country and started fresh in New York City. Where I bang whoever I want.”

Jack chuckled. “That’s one way to describe it.”

I looked at Jack. “And your pack took him in? They don’t have a problem with homosexuality?”

“Jack took me in,” Lenny hurried to clarify. “It was Jack who smelled me running the streets here. He found me and gave me a choice. Join his pack or get the hell out of the city. After I told him my sad tale, he made the same ultimatum. So I joined his pack.”

Jack’s gaze shifted to me. “My family is very much tied to nature, accepting its example as law. Homosexuality occurs in all species and is therefore an undeniable part of the natural order. We cannot know the purpose for the occurrence and we are not so disrespectful as to withhold acceptance until Gaia, or God, or . . . whatever explains itself to us. For us, it is enough that nature allows it, and so we accept. What nature sees as unnatural it destroys without our aid or input.”

“Lenny’s original pack doesn’t seem to share your live and let live mentality,” I said.

Jack’s gaze shifted to his pack mate. “No. Unfortunately there are those of our kind who have been influenced by humans over the centuries. I don’t know that there’s anything to be done about it. But, as I said, nature is quite capable of correcting that which defies her law without the aid of mankind—or wolfkind.”

“Right,” Lenny said, pushing his fork through what was left of the peas on his plate. “Though she takes her good ol’ time about it.”

Jack exhaled, knowing Lenny’s desire for nature to avenge him all too well. He turned to me. “The point is that my family is open-minded and accepting. Just . . . be yourself and they’ll love you.”

Lenny snorted. “They better or Jack’s screwed.”

Worry stabbed through me. “They really have to give you the okay before you can marry?”

“Yes and no.” Jack took a gulp of wine, showing his frustration. He swallowed. “If I want the alpha position I have to find a mate that the pack will follow. In that way, yes, I need their approval. But it’s not like I don’t have a choice.”

“Would you ever make that choice?” I asked, swallowing around the sudden knot in my throat. “Marrying for love over position?”

Jack’s eyes met mine. “I . . . don’t know. My plan has always been that I’d never have to find out.”

“But plans rarely work out the way we think,” I said.

“True.” His smile flickered at the corners of his mouth—the good smile, the one that said he was being honest with both himself and me. “Let’s just say that I still want to lead my pack and change the direction my father has taken some things. But . . .”

“But?” I asked.

He looked away for a second, staring at his half empty wine glass. “I’m a well-educated man. I’ve been preparing to become alpha my whole life. I’m attuned to my pack and I have a clear vision for its future. I’ve always known what I wanted and what I didn’t want. But . . .” He lifted his gaze to mine. “I’ve begun to wonder lately if what I once saw as a painful obstacle to be avoided might possibly be the one thing that makes life—and all its triumphs and disappointments—survivable.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Lenny said, turning his attention to George. “Havin’ someone in your corner, someone you can count on and trust, someone you love, makes everything better. Success, failure, whatever.”

“Yes, but saddling yourself with the wrong person can mean a lifetime of misery,” Jack said, then finished his wine in one long gulp. “Just ask my parents.”

“You’re not your old man, dude,” Lenny said. “He threw away a good thing because he was too full of himself to see it.”

“My father is stuck in the past, yes. But he’s also smart, decisive, driven. He holds pack above all else. Trust me, I know. His love of pack blinds him to everything else, even the pain his actions bring to those he loves. There is nothing he wouldn’t do, or sacrifice, for the greater good of his people.” Jack’s eyes turned cold and he stared across the table at Lenny. “Tell me I didn’t just describe myself. I won’t make his mistakes. I won’t allow someone to be foolish enough to love me.”

“You’re not stuck in the past,” George said. “You’re the one who’s going to lead your people into the future.”

“That’s right,” Lenny said. “You’re nothin’ like your father. Not really.” The last sentence wasn’t said with the same confidence as the first and I felt the doubt chilling the air.

Time for a topic change. “So, what are your plans for the pack? I mean, besides the whole marrying for life thing.”

Jack’s green eyes shifted to me, and their iciness made my breath catch. He looked away, reaching for the wine bottle, refilling his glass. “It’s not that I’ll do away with mating for life, but if one discovers they’ve made a mistake they won’t be forced to stay in that relationship.”

Jack took a sip, then set his glass on the table beside his empty plate. “Our people deal in absolutes far too often. Mated, not mated. Alpha, omega. Loyal, disloyal. We don’t accept middle ground on anything. That attitude works for wolves, but not for people. We evolved from humans, after all. Our intelligence enables us to question, to reason, to think independently of the whole. We hesitate, we make mistakes. We should not be judged based on those all-too-human qualities. If we make a mistake, it’s ours alone rather than the fault and responsibility of everyone in our line.”

“You’re thinking of little Mike,” Lenny said. “You’re right. Totally.”

“Little Mike?” I asked checking my brother’s reaction. George shrugged telling me he was as much in the dark as I was.

“Marcus’ younger brother,” Lenny said.

“There are rumors that Marcus plans to challenge my father for alpha,” Jack said. “If he succeeds he’ll take over the pack and everyone in his line after him will stand as heirs to his position. If he fails . . .”

“Frank Pensione will have him, and his line, banished from the pack as a threat,” Lenny said. “Right now that’s just Marcus and his younger brother. But once they marry, even their kids and their kid’s kids will be enemies to the pack.”

“That’s awful,” I said. “Why would he even risk it?”

Jack shrugged. “For power. It doesn’t happen often. In fact, I don’t remember the last time someone challenged the line of succession. But Marcus is the son of my father’s beta. So beta is the highest he can rise in the pack. Unless he makes a challenge for a higher rank.”

“Beta,” I said. “That’s like second in command, right? Second letter in the Greek alphabet.”

“Yes and no,” Jack said. “Our pack has a council of elders who help the alpha make decisions. The pack beta, while high ranking, is more of a, um, peacemaker. He settles disputes and helps enforce the alpha’s commands. It’s a respectable position, but apparently not enough for Marcus.”

“That asshat’s always had designs on your life,” Lenny said. “Been causin’ you grief as long as I’ve known you.”

Jack smiled, but I didn’t really think he found any of this funny. “We were rivals from the moment we met. If I did well, Marcus complained that I’d gotten special treatment. If I failed . . .” He shook his head with another snort of laughter. “Jesus, he’d never let me live it down. I couldn’t win. The guy made my childhood a living hell.”

“And all the while, you had to know that one day you’d have to count on his conceited butt to have your back—to be your beta,” Lenny said. “Bet you never imagined you’d have to fight him for your birthright.”

“Actually, I did,” Jack said, brows going up as he looked across the table at his pack mate. “He used to whisper it to me all the time. I’m gonna be alpha one day, he’d say. And I’m going to kill you to get it.”

“Nice,” I said, sarcasm on full.

Jack raised his glass, chuckling. “Yeah. He’s a peach alright.”

“Wait. Does he fight you or your father?” I asked.

Jack swallowed and lowered his glass. “The challenge is made to the current alpha. Right now, that’s my father.”

“Marcus is a big guy,” Lenny said. “Most betas are. But Frank Pensione’s no shrinking violet. He’s older, though, and the pack’s ready for a change. It’s not all about brute force. An alpha has to have the pack behind them. Their loyalty gives the alpha a kind of power that . . . well, I’m not sure how it works, but you can’t win a battle for alpha without it. Marcus stands a better chance of beating Frank than Jack, but the odds are still against him.”

“So he’s a coward and a traitor?” I asked

Lenny barked out a laugh. “You said it, sis.”

“But his brother isn’t,” Jack said. “If Marcus challenges my father and loses, Mike will be punished for his brother’s actions. I can’t let that happen. I will be alpha, even if I have to kill Marcus to take it back. But not because it’s my birthright, or because I’m power-hungry. I’ll be alpha to protect my pack . . . all of them. Even if it’s from my father’s backward thinking and my beta’s twisted envy.”

I stared at Jack, seeing him a little differently than I had only a few minutes before. He was still the sexy, rumpled Prince Charming of Wall Street he’d always been, but now I understood the reason behind his unrelenting, workaholic, drive.

It wasn’t arrogance that had kept him out of any sort of serious relationship, it was fear of repeating the mistakes of his father. And it wasn’t self-importance and entitlement that made him bully his way in business, it was love of family. He’d do whatever it took to protect the people he loved. I get that.

“Okay, enough of the gloom and doom,” Lenny said. “Time to get you ready for the really scary shit.”

“Oh God.” I grabbed my wine and took a big gulp.

“What are you talking about?” Jack asked, his expression softening. “There’s nothing for her to be afraid of.”

“Ah, that’s because you’re seeing it all through the eyes of someone who’s grown up among us.” He glanced at George then back to Jack. “Trust me. It’s scary from the outside lookin’ in. You don’t want her screamin’ her head off the first time she sees one of them drop their skin, do you?”

“Oh.” Jack’s smile flattened. “Right.”

“They drop their skin? Really?” I asked, trying not to laugh at the absurd thought. I still found it surprising how far they were taking the werewolf thing.

Lenny nodded, his smile big—too big—maybe a little crazed. “See? She needs to see it to believe it.”

“Okay, Kate,” George said, scooting forward in his seat. “Just stay calm. No matter what happens just don’t freak out.”

“You want to show your fiancé, or should I?” Lenny asked Jack.

“I am not the entertainment,” Jack said.

“Valid point.” Lenny pushed back from the table, his chair scraping my scuffed wood floor.

“You’ve seen this?” I asked my brother. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. Of course. I’m going to be doing it myself this weekend. I better know what to expect,” he said.

Riiiight. Lenny pushed the couch closer to the TV and kicked the area rug out of the way.

“You’re just going to switch forms—become a wolf—right here—right now?” I asked him.

Lenny nodded, pushing his wild dark curls from his face. He pulled his shirt off over his head and toed out of his cowboy boots. When he started unfastening his jeans, Jack pushed straighter in his chair.

“Maybe this isn’t the best idea,” he said. “There’s not much room and your claws could damage the floor.”

“Relax, dude. I’ve shifted here before,” Lenny said, and shoved his jeans and underwear to his ankles.

Suddenly I knew way more about my brother’s lover than I ever wanted to. Lenny high-stepped his feet free of his jeans, and peeled off his socks, tossing them to the far corner.

He rolled his shoulders, shaking his arms like an athlete preparing for an event. “Alright sis, get ready. And don’t forget, no screaming, no sudden moves. I’m not wholly myself in wolf form. There’s a beast in me and in wolf form the beast is driving the bus.”

The lanky man closed his eyes, concentrating. Within seconds a subtle vibration shook his body. Lenny bent over, the vibration growing more intense. Muscles and bones rolled and pressed under his skin, deforming his body and reshaping it as I watched.

“Ohmygod . . .” My breath stuck in my chest, terror freezing my muscles.

Long thick fur grew as if in a fast-motion movie, quickly covering his flesh even as a tail sprouted, and his face stretched, contorted and reshaped. Soft grunts and gushes of air as he released his breath then held it again, accompanied the nerve-rattling sound of bones snapping and skin stretching like a rubber balloon.

He dropped forward to hands that shrunk and reformed into long powerful legs and fat, clawed paws before he landed. His back legs changed only a heartbeat after his front and within seconds the man I knew as Lenny was gone. In his place was a wolf that looked more like a large husky than the typical horror movie monster.

“You okay?” Jack asked.

I nodded, my throat too dry to speak. I snapped my mouth closed, my hands white—knuckling the seat of my chair. Jack reached for my wine glass, and handed it to me. It took a second to unclamp my fingers from my chair, but I took the glass and downed the contents in three long gulps. I dropped my hand to my lap, almost losing my hold on the glass.

“Werewolves are real,” I said in a mumble. I blinked. “Werewolves are fucking real.”

Lenny shook from head to tail, settling his reformed skin onto his bones, then trotted over to my brother. I stiffened as he drew near, instinct screaming for me to put as much distance as I could between the big animal and me.

But a soft whine squeezed out of him and George reached out and stroked Lenny’s long muzzle, the wolf lovingly pushing into his hand. It really was Lenny in there, somewhere inside. This was what my brother would become in a day or two. This was what I was marrying.

I looked at Jack, in his tailored shirt and expensive slacks. So civil and distinguished, sipping his wine. But inside the sexy Prince Charming of Wall Street lurked the body and soul of a wild animal—a beast—a wolf.

And a part of me couldn’t wait to meet it.