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I’m okay.
Your wolf isn’t.
I close my fingers around his. He’s listening.
Rylan looks across the gathering. “Anything else?”
Samuel raises his hand. “The shewolf doesn’t know any of that.”
Rylan turns toward him.
“She doesn’t know which wolves think it’s wrong. She just sees one male wolf making her uncomfortable and everybody else letting him.”
“Exactly.”
Rylan walks a few steps across the front of the gathering. “I understand what you’re telling me. Male wolves need other male wolves. You train together. Fight together. Hunt together. Protect this pack together. Sometimes having a group behind you can be the difference between facing a threat alone and having wolves at your back.”
He pauses.
“But if keeping that protection requires you to ignore behavior you know is wrong, somebody else is paying for your safety.”
Silence spreads.
“That shewolf can’t hear your private disapproval. She sees a group of male wolves surrounding one of their own while he makes her uncomfortable, and not one of them cares enough to stop him. Why would she feel safe around any of you?”
Nobody answers.
“If he’s really your brother, hold him accountable. Don’t help him become a worse wolf because you’re afraid he won’t like you anymore.”
An older warrior nods. “Sometimes your friend needs to hear it from another male wolf.”
“Exactly. Because apparently when his mate tells him, she’s nagging.”
Laughter breaks through the tension.
“But when she stops talking, some of you better start worrying.”
The laughter fades.
Rylan glances toward the direction Luna Selena took the shewolves. “They’re talking with your Luna right now. Peacefully. They’re telling her what they need, what they fear, and what they want changed. That’s a good thing. They’re still communicating. Now is the time for us to listen and make changes too. Don’t wait until anger replaces conversation.”
A male wolf near the front grins. “Especially when they smile at us, Alpha.”
Rylan chuckles. “That beautiful smile is exactly why half of you lose your damn minds.”
Laughter rises again.
“A beautiful face, the chance to get your dick wet, and somebody to show off to the other guys, and suddenly common sense abandons some of you.”
Joshua laughs. “He’s not wrong.”
“Rarely am.”
The laughter grows before settling.
Rylan’s expression turns serious. “The joke aside, attraction isn’t respect. Wanting a shewolf doesn’t mean you value her. And showing your friends what you have doesn’t mean you know how to treat what you have.”
His attention moves toward some of the younger male wolves. “And since we’re talking about self control, let’s actually talk about it. You’re going to see beautiful shewolves. You’re going to be attracted to some of them. Your wolf may notice them too. Self control means understanding that every desire doesn’t require an action.”
