“This is Averly’s ex-best friend, Leah, how can I help you?”
I chuckled. “Drama queen.”
She scoffed. “Since when do you just go on a camping trip and not tell me? I thought you were abducted! I went snooping around the hospital thinking you had gone in for a rabies shot and this lady made me leave the premises.”
I swallowed hard. “No rabies. I just… needed to get away. The… ugh, near death wolf thing really freaked me out. I’m camping solo.”
“You’re scared of the dark, you would never camp solo,” Leah pressed.
Dammit, woman, let it go!
“Fine, I came up here with a guy. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Come over tomorrow and I’ll tell you all about the moose I saw.”
“You’re acting weird.” Leah was a conspiracy theorist and Sasquatch Society tracker. She didn’t just let things go. She dug in her heels until she found the truth. She was relentless. “And I don’t give a crap about a moose! I want to hear about the guy.”
“I’m losing signal. I love you!” I screamed.
“I’m still pissed! You owe me free drinks forever!” she yelled into the phone and I hung up.
I sighed, and after quickly changing into the jeans and t-shirt, I slid my cell into my back pocket. Stepping out of the bathroom, I caught Maddy and Brayden talking. “I know she—”
They stopped when I neared. “Stop talking about me behind my back,” I said a little more forcefully than I intended.
Maddy gave me a grin, like she liked seeing me be sassy.
“My brother was just saying how he thinks you’re a rare—”
Brayden cut her off. “Stop. She’s heard enough for one night.”
His sister frowned and crossed her arms.
“I’m a rare what?” I asked.
Brayden swallowed hard. “Do you remember me? Or do I look familiar to you?” he asked.
I screwed up my face in confusion. “Of course I remember you, my memory didn’t go when I got bitten. You came into the bar and nursed one beer the entire night, then I basically woke up in your arms at the hospital.”
His face fell and Maddy gave her brother a sympathetic look. “He means before. Did you remember him frombefore?”
“Before what? Like the night with the grey and black wolf? I’ve figured out by now that you were the grey wolf.” I kept trying to give them what they wanted, but they both looked so disappointed.
Brayden’s apparent disappointment was hard not to take personally, but when he walked over and opened a to-go bag from the Burger Dock, an animalistic need came over me and all other thoughts left my system. I tore across the room, my mouth salivating and my stomach suddenly feeling like a bottomless pit.
He grinned, pulling five burgers out and placing them on the table. “Go on, we’ve already eaten.”
I sat, not caring about manners, and ripped the wrapper off one of the burgers before shoving it into my mouth. A moan ripped from my throat when the sweet cheese spread across my tongue.
“I hear that first meal is heaven.” Maddy sounded wistful.
“Huh?” I muffled over a full mouth.
“Maddy and I come from a long line of born wolves. We’ve shifted since birth and don’t remember it. But others who are bitten wolves say that their first meal is… indescribable.”
Wolves could beborn? Interesting. I was halfway hearing him and halfway focused on the fact that there was honey on the burger. It was sweet and sour andgone.
I ripped into the next one and groaned loudly. “My fav,” I told them both.
It was the Sticky Burger, which had a thick meat patty, cheese, bacon, andpeanut butter. Sounded awful but it was amazing. It’s the one I got every time I went to the Burger Dock.
