The Heartwood I will find you.

Even his mannerisms reminded her of Burke; the outside-of-the-box thinking, the guarded way he spoke. Meldresi did not know Burke's relationship with this male, who she assumed was his son, since Burke never spoke of his family. She prepared herself for any kind of reaction from the wolf: anger, sadness, closed resentment, before explaining herself.

"You look an awful lot like another wolf I know..." she said, her husky, sultry voice coming back to her unbiddened. She was not trying to seduce the boy at all, but she supposed that being away from her pups for longer and longer periods drove her back to her natural seductiveness. "I wished to know your name to see if you are truly kin to this wolf, or if this is merely a coincidence. I would not be surprised by the latter."