“He impersonated you? Oh my God.”

“Yeah. Only what the fuck were my words. The worst part about it? After Ben found out I took a beating for him, he said thanks. Didn’t even apologize for the fact I was tortured for an hour.”

“When did all this happen?”

“Mmm…” He gave it a little thought. “Austin was in high school, or just leaving. We weren’t living here, so I don’t remember. We stuck around long enough to be there for Austin’s childhood, then would visit for extended stays. After that, we diverged and did our own thing. Well, everyone except Ben, who followed me around like a shadow.”

I swept my hair back and tucked the pillow beneath my head. Wheeler appeared uncomfortable, so he locked his fingers behind his head, which left me staring at his armpit. I wrinkled my nose when he glanced at me.

“Don’t like the view?” he asked with humor in his voice. He dropped his arm again and scooted away. “The pack is oblivious to his gambling addiction because he’s portrayed it as a career. To them, I’m the problem child.”

“But why?”

“Look at me, Naya. Do you really have to ask?”

“So that’s why you started changing your looks? You were mistaken for Ben, and were afraid he’d keep doing it.”

“The damage was done. He’d ruined my reputation with a few clients, and the bitch of it was, I couldn’t explain. Telling the truth would mean betraying my brother, and that’s not what a loyal wolf does. The tats put an end to his impersonation game.”

“And the chain?”

He scraped his bottom lip with his teeth. Wheeler had more definition in his face than Ben. There was a shadow along the contours of his jaw, his brows sloped at a different angle, and his body type seemed tougher. I grinned when I mentally compared them to spaghetti—one raw and stiff, while the other was cooked and soft.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Nothing. I was just imagining you as a noodle.”

“You’re a strange woman.”

“So I’ve been told.”

A smile played on his lips and he wiped it away with his hand. “I doubt that.”

“Not everyone finds me attractive. Some don’t like my playful personality, but this is who I am. So what if I’m a little flirtatious? I enjoy life too much to sulk about it.”

“Sounds like you’ve had nothing but good times.”

I sat up on my elbow. “Just because I have a positive outlook doesn’t mean my life hasn’t been seasoned with tragedy. I had to watch my mother die in a human hospital.”

“Shit. I didn’t know. Sorry.”

“How could you?” I eased back down and shivered. “My papa died when I was just a little girl, and it was up to my mama to take care of me. She worked her tail off to support us, and she did it the right way. Three jobs—and none of them involved taking her clothes off. She left behind some money, but not enough. Her plan was to keep working that pace to give me a future. Mama always said I was too much for any one man, so I needed to make enough money to live on my own. It’s hard to find another panther. Most of our kind keep it a secret, although I’ve heard about some places in the country where they’ve congregated in large numbers.”