I rolled my eyes. He seemed to forget that we’d been friends since we were kids. I knew him better than my own brothers. “You’re so full of shit.”
He whistled—the griffin equivalent of a laugh. “I’m just trying to meet some new people. Have a little bit of fun.”
Now that I was a business owner, his idea of fun and mine were two completely different things. He liked to get shit-faced and pick up girls at clubs, I liked staying in and playing video games before crawling into bed at nine. We were in totally different places in our lives.
I’d recently opened my gym, Leviathan Fitness, after moving here to Briar Glenn six months ago. It was the perfect up-and-coming small town to open a business in, and thanks to a grant from the city, I was able to purchase the former rec center, converting it into a state-of-the-art gym.
Things had been slow at first, but membership was growing every day. Now that we were finally turning a profit, I could breathe a little easier.
We headed inside my office and Fallon scanned the room. “So what did you need help with?”
I plopped down in my desk chair and threw back my head. Gods, he was dense.
“I didn’t need help with anything.”
Fallon sat in the chair across from me, propping his paws up on the corner of my desk before I shoved them off. “Did you give any more thought to taking me as your guest to the wedding? I know you were gonna go with Jade, but now—”
Jade.
My ex.
The breakup was still fresh, and even though I was the one who broke off the engagement, I was having a hard time adjustingto being single. I guess that was to be expected after a fourteen-year relationship.
“Come on,” Fallon pressed. “I can be your wingman.”
“I don’t recall a time that you were ever Atlas’s wingman,” a suave British accent chimed in.
Our friend Cyrus shuffled inside, his tentacles propelling him across the floor. He was a kraken, an ancient species of monster that was so rare that most lived their lives without ever meeting one. The three of us were roommates in college, when a tense living situation evolved into a lifelong friendship.
“I was before he started dating Jade,” Fallon said. “Atlas could have been living it up in college but instead—”
“Enough,” Cyrus hissed, showing his sharp teeth as a warning.
I didn’t want to reminisce about those days. They were long gone. And for good reason.
“Okay. Okay,” Fallon said, holding up his talons. “Message received.”
“I don’t even want to go to the wedding,” I said, raking my claws through my fur.
Stuffy music. Uncomfortable suit.No date.
Attending a wedding after calling off your engagement was a special kind of torture. Nothing reminds you of your shortcomings quite like other people’s happiness.
Wouldn’t it be enough to send a gift?
Unfortunately, I felt obligated to attend. A few months ago, the mayor himself had strolled into Leviathan Fitness with a wedding invitation addressed to me in hand. Apparently, he’d invited all the small-business owners on Main Street to join in his daughter’s special day. It would be a great networking opportunity. I’d been so busy opening the gym that I hadn’t had much of a chance to get to know anyone outside of the few friends who’d relocated here with me.
“You say that now, but I know you. You’ll get there and you’ll have a great time. People are always drawn to you, A-man.”
Cyrus nodded his agreement. “He’s right. People can’t resist that charming tail of yours.”
I groaned. I hoped they were right. “I guess I’ll go.”
“That’s the wolf daddy I know,” Fallon said.
“What did I say about calling me that?” I barked. Him and that fucking nickname! He was the last person I wanted to call medaddy.
Fallon gave me finger guns with his talons. “You know you love it.” He stood up and stretched out his wings. “I gotta get going. I’m training that hot older woman today and I want to make sure I shower first.”
