I laugh, genuinely touched by her enthusiasm. "I'd be happy to help. I could use the practice before Monday when I get roped into whatever assignment Villeneuve has waiting for me."
"So the job is going well?" she asks. "He hasn't tried to lure you into his office so he can grind your bones for his tinctures?"
"You've been talking to your brother," I say flatly.
She cackles. "I'm just surprised you managed to get those idiots on board."
"What do you mean?" I ask, even though I have an idea.
"You really don't get how shifters work, do you? Especially alphas."
I sigh. "They're not happy about it. Me spending all this time around Villeneuve… but at least he filed the pack application. And now I can start paying for my own stuff."
"Oh, I'm not talking about the pack's crazy conspiracies about Professor Hottie," Sadie says with a smirk. "Look, even if you have a job now, none of them are going to be okay with taking your money."
She has a point, as much as I hate to admit it.
Before I can respond, my phone buzzes with a text. I glance down to see Killian's name on the screen.
TOP DAWG
We're ready whenever you are. All four of us are practically climbing the walls.
I feel a flutter of nervous excitement in my stomach. Today is the day I've been both dreading and looking forward to.
Watching the pack run in their wolf forms for the first time since that terrifying night when I fled through the forest.
"I have to go," I say, gathering my things. "The pack is waiting for me. They're doing their run today."
Sadie's expression softens slightly. "First time seeing them shift since the bonding?"
I nod, unable to hide my apprehension.
"You'll be fine," she says, surprisingly gentle. Gentle enough it actually makes me more nervous for some reason. "Those four would gnaw off their own paws before hurting a hair on your head. Can't make any promises for the fleas, though."
And there's the Sadie I know.
"They do not have fleas and you know it," I say, rolling my eyes as I stand. "I'll text you about that banishing spell."
"You better," she calls after me. "I want all the benefits of my future sister-in-law being the TA for the hardest prof on campus. Gimme all those nepo points."
I laugh and wave in acknowledgment as I push through the door and head toward the forest that borders campus. The afternoon sun is warm on my skin, but a cool breeze makes it a perfect day for a run, according to Sean's enthusiastic texts all morning.
As I walk, I try to sort through my complicated feelings about what I'm about to witness. The last time I saw the wolves in their shifted forms, I was running for my life. Before that, my only experience with a shifted lupine of any variety ended with half my face being carved open.
Not exactly positive associations.
But these aren't just any wolves. They'remywolves. My mates. My pack. The bond between us buzzes with reassurance, as if they can sense my anxiety even from a distance. Through it, I can feel their excitement, their eagerness to share this part of themselves with me.
They've already proven they accept me. All of me, even the parts I struggle to face. I want to do the same for them.
The forest path winds deeper into the trees, away from campus and curious eyes. The pack house sits on the edge of a protected wilderness area, giving them plenty of space to run without fear of discovery. As I approach our meeting spot, a small clearing about half a mile from the house, I feel their presence before I see them.
Four distinct energies, familiar as my own heartbeat now. Waiting for me.
I step into the clearing and find the guys standing in a loose semicircle, still in human form, dressed only in loose shorts that can be easily discarded.
"You came," Killian says with clear relief. He steps forward, taking my hands in his. Shit, he really does look tired, like he's as stressed out about this as I am for some reason. "We weren't sure if you would."
