I blinked.Isheblushing?!
Not my business. I trusted them with their decisions.
“Nah, I don’t have the time.” Amaia looked away, focusing very hard on her stew. Which she had already finished.
As the conversation flew by—with Tiziano yacking on about his new war plan for the wereball game against the DDs in two months—wine and cider flowed freely in the overcrowded diner,and roasted ham and mashed potatoes and cakes were devoured without reservation.
A food coma was inevitable.
Bunny Doc! How are you this morning? Heard your pack won against those Crooked Claws losers. Should I congratulate you for stealing candy from a pack of pups, or scold you?
A laugh bubbled up from my throat before I groaned.
My entire body hurt. I could name every muscle that ached, and I was embarrassed by the whimper that escaped my chest when I propped myself up on an elbow to check my brain-shaped alarm clock. 5:18 a.m.
Running with Dad had turned into a full-blown workout.
I had to admit the sad reality: I, Yvaine of Comet—future neurologist, rational thinker, and sworn enemy of social stereotypes—had become one of those creatures whose first act upon waking was to check their phone.
Another big yawn came, half interrupted by another groan for my burning abs. I still had time before my day kicked in, with two late classes that afternoon. After lazily stretching my arms in a way more cat-like than wolf-like, I decided to make breakfast for all my roommates and neighbors. All still asleep.
Zeus was nowhere to be seen, likely bullying squirrels again.
Slipping on my fluffy slippers, a sharp sting lanced up my thighs, and I headed for my usual ice bath.
I sat on the closed toilet lid and undressed, but my sweater got stuck over my head. Once I finally yanked it off, I tossed itacross the room by mistake. It snagged on the frame next to the mirror—a small square with the tenth PET scan of Ian’s cancer.
Sighing, I massaged my chest clockwise. The strange ache above my left breast had come and gone four times in the past three days. It had even woken me up last night, short-lived but bad enough to leave me with tears in my eyes. I’d already booked a mammogramanda pancreas scan, an underestimated organ.
Tiziano kept saying maybe I’d crossed paths with my mate and that he was cheating, consciously or not.
But that madezerosense.
“I would’ve smelled my mate,” I hissed out loud as I immersed myself in the ice bath. My hands gripped the wooden rim, pins and needles attacking my feet first.
When a mate cheated, you would feel the same amount of pain, no matter thehow. The Moon Goddess apparently ranked a kiss just as high on the betrayal scale as full-on sex. Honestly? I thought she had a point. Once your mate chose someone else, the how didn’t really matter anymore.
Back straight, jaw tight, I endured the ice bath, breathing through the discomfort like I breathed through life. Staying put in the uncomfortable.
Later, dry and dressed, stretching my arms up before promptly pulling my shirt down again when a breeze from the parted window kissed my belly, I let my slippers shuffle through the kitchen without lifting my feet.
I took out the croissant maker from the cupboard, planning on baking at least forty for my perpetually ravenous werewolf friends.
I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my contacts, looking for Lucien’s.
No, I wasn’t about to ghost him just because he was some short, greasy-haired weirdo. I didn’t judge people based on their shampoo loyalty. Lucien made me laugh so hard yesterday, I’deven cried in the middle of class. Of course, my pack members had immediately reported it to my father, who had then mind-linked me in a panic asking who needed to die.
And maybe all these Lucien attributes could even help me get over this little crush.
Because, fine, I was almost fond of him.Fond-jacent.
The call connected after several rings.
“Hello, Bunny Doc.” His voice drifted to me, all raspy and grumpy, like a sexy bear woken too early from hibernation.
“Whoa, you sound like a grizzly. Maybe take a shower and wash your hair. You know, cold water works wonders,” I joked—with some honesty.
“What?” he mumbled.
