Alexei Sokolov:
"Cats don't really like me. I'm surprised your cat does," Nikolai said softly, his voice full of wonder as he stroked my cat.
She was purring in his arms, her little body relaxed against his chest as he gently scratched behind her ears.
I couldn't help but feel a surge of warmth watching him handle her so tenderly.
My cat was usually skittish around strangers, but here she was, curled up comfortably in his arms, content and trusting. It surprised even me.
I tilted my head, genuinely curious. "Why don't cats like you?" I asked, unable to hide my confusion.
Nikolai glanced at me and chuckled, his fingers still gliding through her fur.
"Well, I'm a wolf shifter. Cats…they can sense that somehow, I think. It's like how dogs can sense danger or pick up on things human usualu don't. I guess they just instinctively know I'm a wolf, and maybe they don't trust that." He laughed softly, almost self-deprecatingly.
