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superwolves?”
    He blinked at her. Okay, maybe not .
    Jerome interjected again. “Anything’s possible. Now that we know there’s some genetics involved, it’s possible he didn’t have the right genomes to convert. A simple blood test should tell us if he’s been receiving anything unusual.” Jerome looked at the wolf. “Would you agree to that?”
    The wolf stood rigid. He didn’t move for several moments. Finally he nodded subtly.
    Heather felt relieved. Making progress here . “Do you think you’ll find the same drugs in him I had in me?”
    The wolf flinched, baring his teeth.
    Heather took his head in her hands. “Relax, big guy. I’m safe now. And you are too. The Spencers are good people. Whatever happened to you in the past, you can trust everyone on this ranch.”
    Jerome shook his head. “I doubt we’ll find the same drugs in your wolf. I think the goal of the Romulus must have something to do with making the males stronger and the females weaker.”
    The wolf growled.
    Jerome chuckled. “He knows things. It’s not a coincidence he’s here.”
    Heather gripped his fur tighter. “Maybe he heard about this ranch being used as a refuge for women.”
    She couldn’t deduce anything from his reaction to her statement. She’d have to wait for him to shift to get more answers.
    When they finished lunch, Jerome went to the barn for several minutes to retrieve supplies. With all the horses they had, they kept a full supply of basic medical equipment. He returned with a syringe and a few vials. He handed them to Heather. “You should do it. You’re the nurse around here, and he’s likely to bite my arm off if I try.”
    Heather turned her chair a few inches and lowered her stiff leg to the ground to square up with the black wolf. He didn’t move. He stared at her with wide eyes. “Can I have your paw?” She held out a hand, and he lifted his front leg to her thigh. “Just a blood draw. These guys can send it to a lab and get some answers.” Her fingers shook. Drawing blood from a random stranger or a farm animal was one thing. Inflicting pain, no matter how minor, on her mate was another. Especially without his verbal commitment.
    But he didn’t flinch.
    Natalie handed her a cotton swab, which Heather used to clean a spot on his front leg. Steadying her arm, she slowly pierced her wolf’s skin and drew out three vials of blood.
    She looked him in the eye when she was done. “Okay?”
    He stared at her, narrowing his gaze as if to say, “How weak do I look?”
    “I think he needs a drink.” At the very least. She’d hoped to lure him into shifting with thirst, but if it was beyond his control, that would be cruel.
    Natalie grabbed a dish, filled it with water, and set it by the back door. “Try not to get water all over the floor, big guy. I’m the one who has to mop it.”
    The wolf padded across the floor. Heather’s heart ached. What if he couldn’t shift? What would it mean for her life? “I need some air.” Heather lifted herself up and limped toward the door next to her mate.
    “Are you sure you’re okay?” Natalie asked.
    “I’m fine. Getting better by the second. In fact I think I’ll find a nice, quiet, snake-free area and shift again. That should help finish off the healing.” What she really wanted to do was get her mate out of the house. In wolf form he couldn’t possibly be comfortable for such a long time inside.
    Heather walked outside into the afternoon heat and immediately thought better of her plan. But her mate had perked up at the idea and lobbed ahead of her, glancing back every few seconds to make sure she was following. “I’m coming, big guy.” She followed him to the tree line and then sat on a stump to remove her clothes. “Turn around. I know I joked about my underwear earlier, but I’m not getting naked in front of a man who hasn’t managed to reciprocate, wolf form or not.”
    The wolf sat and faced toward the barn as though he were on guard.