“Sexual intercourse? What are you, a nun or a doctor or something?”
“I am.” I smiled, thinking back to my profession and how I intended to help those in need.
“A wise life choice. But I can’t talk to nuns.”
“Because you’ll catch fire if you touch one?”
“Spontaneously combust. Prudish ain’t my type. Gives me ball rashes. Gotta go. Nighty night, Saint Ivy from the Ive!” he singsonged arrogantly.
I growled. It might have been inaudible to humans, but Rudolph heard it. His laughter halted suddenly and, again, I heard that strange sound. Some sort of…growly moan.
“So, youarea werewolf.” He exhaled. “Your growl was?—”
He broke off. Silence.
I glanced at the phone, wondering if we’d lost connection.
He cleared his throat once more. “Which pack are you from?”
“Come on, you already know my name. I don’t need more stalkers,” I teased, but he didn’t find it funny.
“Stalkers?” His voice sounded too serious.
“I, um, was kidding. Sort of. I had a few, but my brother took care of them a little.”
He huffed. “I would have taken care of thema lot.”
“Er, I’m from Comet.” I decided to keep the tiny detail that my father was the actual Alpha to myself. I swallowed the lump in my throat, anticipating his answer as I ventured, “And you?”
“Nice try. I don’t give out personal info to stalker nuns. You’ll beg me to join your church, and I can’t have the other nuns mad at me for taking sides!”
“But you asked me first! It’s not right?—”
“That’s strategy. I can’t risk you showing up at my pack with your buddy Camilla.”
I clicked my tongue. “She’s not my buddy, and her name is Ludmilla?—”
“And I don’t care. Gotta go now, baby nun.”
Then—click. He hung up.
I was left telling the dial tone what a jerk he was.
Boiling over like my kettle, I furiously went into the settings and blocked his new number.
For the second time.
CHAPTER 10
YVAINE
Four days had passed since I’d blocked the number of the parasite renamed Rudolph. Ninety-six hours of being unable to stop thinking about that voice. Four days since my wolf, Zelda, had acted like a promiscuous hound.
That was also the day the ache in my chest had begun. I screened myself. The most plausible causes were heart- or lung-related, but the results showed I was as healthy as a baby elephant.
Tiziano asked if I had met my mate, the other potential cause of the sudden onset of pain. In our world, it was impossible not to know when you were betrayed by your mate. Acute chest pain, combined with a literal bleeding heart, was like a trap created by the Moon Goddess herself to catch unfaithful mates. It was how we knew precisely when Gaius cheated on Makena, and vice versa, every single time.
However, my pain was like a little arrow trying but not quite reaching my heart, just scratching the surface without penetrating. Tightness, a little shortness of breath.
