“Tall, dark, and dreary,” quips Rob.
“Huh?”
Rob snorts. “Sophie appears attracted to troubled, broody guys; I’m not sure if she thinks she can ‘fix’ them, or she merely likes their edgy personalities. She’s not into squeaky-clean guys like you… or me.”
“Did you ask her out?” I snap, my pulse rising along with my temper, which is unexpected. I’m generally even-tempered and rarely roused to anything remotely approaching the hot anger suddenly coursing through me.
Holy conflagration! How much worse will my reactions become when the full moon comes around, and I’ll be without Sophie?
“Chill out, wolf,” growls Rob in a commanding voice, and I’m grateful. I take some deep breaths and get my overactive imagination and racing heart back under control.
“Yeah, I asked her out a few times,” he continues. “Sophie turned me down flat each time… in the nicest possible way, of course, since I’m Jake’s beta and best friend.”
“Good.” My spike of unreasonable jealousy subsides, and we both laugh. After a quarter mile or so, I say, “You said Sophie likes tall men; I’m tall.”
Rob chuckles. “Okay, you’ve got that going for you… and she does seem to like werewolves. So perhaps you have a chance, a slim one, of convincing Sophie to date you. But you and I share those attributes, and they didn’t work for me.”
I shake my head. “I don’t understand how I can yearn for a woman who won’t even give me a second glance. It makes no sense.”
Rob sighs. “Who ever said love makes sense?”
I’mjittery as I climb the stairs inside Howling Shores Pub that lead to the second story, a large, open space with fitness equipment at one end and locker rooms at the other.
If I can’t join Jake’s pack, then I don’t stand a chance of being able to remain in Riddle Hill. Where would I go? And how could I woo Sophie if I’m packless and homeless? I glance down at my white, Oxford-cloth shirt and neatly pressed khaki slacks; maybe I should have worn something looser since I’ll need to shift, but how could I make a good impression in baggy sweats?
Pausing at the top step, I grit my teeth, determined not to allow self-doubt to gain the upper hand. I try recalling something useful from my assertiveness training, but my mind’s a blank. Then Jarrod’s grinning facepops into my head, and I can almost hear him say, “Hey, wolf cub.Lighten up and have some fun!”
I smile at the memory.You’re on, Jarrod.
“Hey, Teddy.” Rob must have been waiting for me by the stairs. “Let me introduce you around.”
We head toward Marv, who grins. “Teddy and I are well acquainted.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right.” Rob chuckles and then takes me over to Wes and his mate, a pretty werewolf named Maisie. By the time we’ve made the rounds, I’ve met nineteen adult pack members; I’m good with names, but even I’m having a difficult time remembering all of them. Most of the adults are married; their children are home with sitters this evening, but Rob told me when they have family events, their full pack numbers forty-nine.
Jake calls the meeting to order, and we sit on the workout mats scattered around the center of the wooden floor. He runs through a pretty typical pack agenda: several complaints that Jake delegates to Rob and Marv to investigate, an update on the Riddle Hill Summer Fest in a few weeks, and a report on lone wolves in the area. Apparently there’s a werewolf in Sturgeon Bay who’s not checked in with the pack, and then there’s me.
Everyone swivels their heads toward me, and I look at Jake, who gives me a nod. “Teddy Barker worked for my step-dad’s aunt, Dragonfly Spellman, for three years. During that time he was not a member of any pack.” There are a few murmurs, but Jake raises his hand, and the room grows silent. “Teddy has explained to me the circumstances in detail, which align with what I know about his last pack. Teddy has indicated his desire to joinour pack, but as you know, I don’t make unilateral decisions when it comes to new members. This is something for the pack to decide.”
Jake waves his hand, and I stand up. “Teddy, it’s time for us to meet your wolf.”
The ladies head toward their locker room to change, giving us all some privacy as we strip down to gym shorts or loose sweatpants before transforming. In an actual fight, everyone would shift on the spot, shredding a lot of garments in the process. Werewolf families probably spend more on attire than any other species, given the number of times young cubs lose control and shift before peeling off their layers.
While I’m folding my clothes in a neat stack next to the wall, most of the guys are tossing their stuff onto the floor. Arching my eyebrow at the messy piles, I transform slowly and methodically, retaining full control throughout the process. I hear more than a few whines and even some whimpers escaping from some of the other guys, and I’m glad I’ve managed to remain quiet despite the discomfort.
I turn toward Jake and wait, not sure how he wants to run this part of the meeting. The women re-enter from their locker room and gather in a loose knot in the center of the room.
“Line up-p,” barks Jake through his muzzle. “R-reverss or-rderr!” Nineteen werewolves jostle into position; clearly they’ve done this before and know what their alpha expects. I notice Rob is at the end of the line, standing behind Marv, and I figure reverse order means weakest to strongest.
Looks like I’ll be challenging each adult wolf in the pack; it’s certainly the best way to assess my stamina and skills, but I’ve never fought nineteen adults in a row before.
“Ted-dy.” Jake waits until I join him before providing instructions in wolf-speak. “Walk-k dow-n-n the line, look-k each wolf-f in the eye… an’ you kno-ow the dril-l-l. Chal-l-lenge me last-t.”
I nod and take several deep breaths, hoping to quell my nerves enough to not lose my supper. My stomach is nothing but a fistful of knots as I head over to the first werewolf, Maisie. When we lock eyes, she lowers her gaze. I tap her shoulder with my right paw to indicate dominance, and she steps out of line, heading over to the opposite wall.
Well, that was easy… perhaps I’ll only need to fight half a dozen or so tonight.
Hah! Wishful thinking on my part; when I reach the fourteenth werewolf in line, a sturdy female, she locks eyes and then charges, knocking me to the floor. I’m temporarily winded, but I’m larger and stronger. We wrestle for a few moments before I manage to flip her onto her back, pinning her shoulders. She looks away, breaking eye contact, which is the signal I’m looking for; she accepts my dominance, and the fight’s over. As I give her a hand up, she smiles.
