personal favorite: Lupine Sociology—How Werewolf Society Works.
As if they could possibly know. Unless a were was teaching the class, they’d be basing it on a lot of conjecture and a few hastily written books on the topic. Shapeshifters, wolf or otherwise, weren’t too keen on sharing the inner workings of our society with others.
But Cash kept insisting he knew more about the paranormal than I did, simply because he was studying the laws. Over the past couple months it had developed into a sore subject between us.
Which was why I wasn’t too keen on the idea of him tagging along for my runs. He wouldn’t be in any danger from me, but I worried he wouldn’t be able to look at me the same if he saw me in my wolf form.
I think he sometimes liked the idea of dating a werewolf more than he liked the reality.
“How long have the vultures been out front?” I sipped my coffee and looked out the front window. “Goddamn Terry Masterson is standing in my lilac bushes now.” I tapped on the glass, wagging my finger at the middle aged man.
“They were already here when I got up.”
I heard the unspoken alone at the end of his sentence. I moved from the window to him, raising on my tiptoes to kiss him, balling his shirt up in my hand to keep him drawn close to me. Cash kissed the way I imagined romance novel heroes kissed, all quiet intensity I could feel right down to my toes.
I used to like reading romance, but since the supernatural community had gone public, it seemed like every author wanted to write about a werewolf hero.
I knew too many werewolves to think they were suitable fodder for romance novels.
When I pulled back from the kiss, he looked sated, less inclined to ask me about my run. And I felt more relaxed than I had since leaving the park. I was still a bundle of nerves about the terrifying woman I’d seen, but less so than before. I was glad he had stayed here instead of going to his apartment when he found me gone in the morning.
“They were asking me about a church or something. Do you have any idea what they’re talking about?”
Cash shook his head and wandered back into the kitchen to get our breakfast pastries. After a long run and the exertion of shifting, I’d probably eat a half dozen eggs once he was gone, but I didn’t think any human needed to see the eating habits of an adult werewolf.
My phone started to ring, the giddy sound of “Uptown Funk” brightening my morning ever so slightly. When I pulled my cell out, I noticed two missed call and several texts I must not have seen while I was driving.
“Hello?”
“Oh thank God.” The voice was female and familiar, but it took me a minute to register who it belonged to.
“Amelia?” Uncle Callum’s second-in-command. Amelia was an older woman, and until this moment I’d thought she was unflappable. Except now she sounded like she was in a state of panic, which didn’t bode well at all. I felt my blood go cold and asked, “Is it Ben? What happened?” The only reason I could imagine Amelia calling me in such a tizzy was if my twin brother had gotten into a scrape or was in serious trouble.
But Ben was the levelheaded twin. He was the one who always did the right thing, who followed the rules and bent over backwards to prove to Callum he was the natural choice to step up as pack king. As far as I was concerned there was no contest. I had no real interest in becoming the Queen of the South. Nothing could sound drier or more tedious to me than dealing with pack politics all day every day.
If only I knew what I wanted to do instead.
When your sister has already saved the world, you have an awful lot to live up to.
“Ben? No, honey, Ben’s fine. Are you okay?”
I let out a sigh of relief to know my twin wasn’t in danger. “Of course I’m okay.” I glanced out the window as I kicked off my runners. “Does this have something to do with the reporters standing on my lawn?”
“Haven’t you seen the news?”
After wandering into the living room with my coffee in one hand and my phone wedged between my ear and shoulder, I plopped onto the couch and turned on my TV. Cash returned with