Coen POV
He growled lowly in triumph before freezing, Wren was screaming internally about making it seem as if Wren was in control, even if his instincts were acting up. Less suspicion of the wolf closer to the surface would be better. As much as Coen wanted to claim his mate then and there, he knew human mates were tricky. They did not do such things immediately and frankly, neither would Wren want to do so immediately.
Darn human complexities! Coen knew there were others vying for her attention and perhaps affection. While Wren may be able to tell more about human body language, with control of the boy's body, Coen's sharpened senses allowed him to sense protectiveness from the snake prince, wariness from Lash, and alertness, but not fear, from Warren. All of them seemed to view him as a threat to his mate.
Well, Warren didn't, he was more trying to read Coen's mental state and do damage control for any evidence that rumor about Coen would spread. Technically, a true werewolf didn't have a wolf, but was able to change and had some wolf characteristics they tried to suppress. Having a wolf with a separate identity more than suppressed mannerisms or instincts was seen as wrong. Coen didn't understand it, but Wren had repeatedly told him their life would get a lot harder if people thought them cursed. It would be more than wary of them. Some people might try to kill Wren for Coen's existence.
Wren POV
Slowly, as Sarah stroked Coen's hand that was gripping the bench, Coen relaxed, slipping back into Wren's head. Coen may be relaxed, and the motion may be soothing, but Wren was worried about how she figured it out. They hadn't had more than one lunch together and he'd been standing behind her at Power Placement. Perhaps her powers allowed her to glimpse something that should have given him away. Or maybe his partner was pretty darn observant. No matter the case, Wren was worried. Most cursed werewolves didn't find their mate. They weren't born for someone, but if their mate already existed as a perfect match, then the universe would place the mate bond. But many mates never knew that the cursed wolves were not natural-born werewolves. Very few could tell the difference between the wolf and the man, just assuming a different mood. But his mate not only figured it out but didn't seem to be any more scared.
The neon yellow kid leaned towards Sarah's ear, hand cupping his mouth and fingers brushing her cheek, and whispered "What just happened?"
Wren couldn't stop the growl that Coen's bled-over instincts caused.
The green girl - Layla was it? - squealed in not fear, to Wren's astonishment, but in delight.
"A werewolf!" she squealed again.
By now, both Wren and Coen were very confused.
The green girl turned to Sarah. "Does it work?"
His mate let out a chuckle. "Yes, my power works."
Another squeal.
"I am so excited! That means it works on a partial animal!"
Wren didn't know whether to be offended - He was not an animal! - or relieved that she didn't seem to realize that he was fully human. Coen was a partially human wolf, but largely animal.
"Does it not work on animals?" Wren heard Warren speak.
"Not on dogs, cats, a few species of birds, although I've yet to try a parrot, sharks, many species of fish, or crocodiles."
"Why are you listing such creatures? Wouldn't it be easier to just say 'no'?" Wren asked. "What might be different about a parrot or other animals?"
"Intelligence," Sarah answered. "Parrots are thought to be very intelligent. As are dolphins and elephants. My theory is that the ability may be limited by the sentience of a species. We have a theory that the more an animal relies on instinct, the less likely my power is to work on them. I would say the ability to make choices, but dogs ruled that out. They can make choices, but perhaps they are too driven by instincts to count. I haven't met the more highly lauded animals. But, at least for you, it works. And werewolves are more instinct-driven than some other creatures, but also highly intelligent. I don't know if it would work on an ordinary wolf or even newborn vampires. They're driven by instinct before they get to a certain age. If you call bloodlust an instinct that is, perhaps the drive for food and hunger is comparable."
"You have yet to tell me what your power actually is."
Sarah tensed. Wren grew wary. His mate was hiding something. Sure, he was too, but what about her power would she want to hide?