couple years back. It’s a favorite back home,” I said.
“Werewolf?” Hunter asked looking at me. He didn’t look impressed in fact he looked almost offended. I wanted to laugh because I knew it would only get better. I explained the rules of the game.
“This is stereotyping,” Hunter grumbled.
“So, we have to kill the werewolves because they want to eat the villagers?” Jen asked nervously.
“Yeah, well we have to figure out at least one of the two possible wolves in play.”
That earned me a smirk from Billy who then elbowed Jameson whose lips started to twitch into a smile.
“Maybe we should play it the opposite then, being there are more wolves here than human,” Billy joked.
The table got a little quiet after that. I looked down at my card face down. Ironic he should say that because my card told me I was a werewolf. I felt a hand touch my knee lightly until all its weight rested on my knee. I peeked up at Hunter who was watching me, worry flashing across his face, before he went back to neutral.
I touched the hand he had laid there. It was fine. I knew I was only half-were. I had known my whole life. At least now that I had found Hunter, I had found a comfort for my wolf’s spirit. And I could feel her. That was more than I had ever had before. I bit the inside of my cheek. I wanted to tell that to Hunter. To tell him that he gave me a piece of my wolf that I never thought I would have, but that was for a more private time.
“Where would the fun in that be then?” I winked and we started the game. The game had a phone application that announced when each player went.
The more we played the more I realized that Hunter was a talented strategist, unlike the outspoken and loud Billy. Hunter was the opposite. He was quiet and waited for the right moment to derail us all from finding out who was the true werewolf.
I found myself disappointed that after our first round Hunter’s hand left my leg. But I was hopeful. He seemed more open and relaxed the more we played. With each passing moment, he opened up a little more.
He still played a brutally strategic game, adding in dry humor here in there that had us in fits of laughter. I noticed that, the entire time, he never really smiled. Even when he was relaxed - his shoulders back, his hands unclenched, but he still never let a full smile spread across his face. And I knew right then what I had to do.
I had to make him smile.
We started another round of the game and I looked at my card at the start of the round. I was a villager, which meant I could look at any one person’s card and see what they were. I had gotten this card before, and I always looked at one of the twin’s cards because they seemed to be the ones that would be the trickiest. It was hard to tell with them. This time I looked at Hunter’s card and smiled. This was going to be fun.
“Everyone open your eyes,” the app announced.
We had five minutes to talk amongst ourselves about who we thought might be the werewolf. Usually when I played the seer, I would wait a bit to try and catch someone in a lie. But this time I was going to play a little differently.
“Hunter is the werewolf. I’m the seer and I saw that he’s the werewolf.”
Hunter turned to me his brow was furled with confusion. I just smiled at him. I knew that he was one of the villagers and it could lose this round for us, but I wanted to try to get a rise out of him.
The others looked at me. I could tell that at least one of them was the werewolf and was wondering what the hell I was doing.
“Well if she says she’s the seer, I believe her.” Jen agreed with me.
Hunter lips pressed together.
“That is a damn lie and you know it Colette.”
“Do I?” I joked, taunting him.
“You know just as well as I do that I am not the wolf.”
His eyes got a dangerous glint to them.
I was pretty sure I was the only one that could rile him up this fast. The others tried to goad him, but he never bit. For me, it appeared, he was