Page 37 of His Realm

I smiled at her.

“Or maybe it has to do with what’s added to the bloodline.”

“The mother’s blood, not the father’s,” I reasoned. “Then the trait to change into the wolf is carried by everyone in the line of Ascalon, as we surmised, but something from the mother triggers the transformation.”

“Yes. But not any mother. Think about it. Messina has…many children,” she said softly, and I knew it hurt her to think about it. “So then why does Alrek not change into the wolf of Maedoc?”

“Well, for starters, he’d be the wolf of Maddox,” I said snidely. “Since he’s not a Maedoc at all.”

She chuckled and reached out to squeeze my hand. “Careful, or the great spirit will judge us both too catty to be allowed into the Otherworld.”

I grunted.

“But truly, why has not another of Messina’s vast brood become what Cassius could and Varic can?”

“Then we’ve discovered the truth. The secret sauce is the royal mother.”

She nodded, waggling her eyebrows at me.

“Who was Ascalon’s mother?”

“I don’t know, and I doubt that’s in any written record. Only the sons are important. It’s called history for a reason.”

I shook my head at her.

“What? It’s true.”

“It is. So now, as far as anyone knows, Ascalon was the first wolf of Maedoc, and he had two sons.”

She tipped her head in agreement.

“And he passed the gene to both, but only Magnus ever shifted.”

“That we know of,” she corrected me.

“Yeah, but wouldn’t there be mention somewhere of Decimus being able to make the shift? I mean, someone had to have seen him if he could do it.”

She tipped her head back and forth. “If all the Noreia believe the trait is carried solely in the firstborn in the line of the king, then perhaps having them think differently would be a detriment.”

“So you’re saying maybe Decimus could change.”

“Perhaps. It was said that he always rushed into battle and fought far afield, walking back only when all the enemies were vanquished and he was covered in blood.”

“All alone?”

“Yes.”

“Nobody ever thought to question that?”

“Who would think to question the king’s brother?”

“I get it,” I conceded. “And if he turned into the wolf and killed everyone who saw him shift, there wouldn’t be anyone to report back.”

“Precisely.”

“Still, that doesn’t explain why Gaius, or even Julia for that matter, can’t—as far as we know.”

“Gaius might be able to make the change, Julia as well, but neither has ever had the need, so they simply have not.”