“Shut up. You know I’m not a good cook.”
I shove him out of the way and flip him off.
“You aren’t. You’re shit. Last time you were in the kitchen cooking, you burnt a pan advertised as not burning. I think the entire company had a crisis over that. So kindly fuck off. I’ll finish up.”
“Hey, man. That was one time!”
“The only time, but it was enough.”
I turn the stove off and pull the sauce from the heat, moving to the freezer and pulling out some Italian sausage links to throw in a new pan.
“Well, fine. How was work?” River asks as he chugs his cider next to me before grabbing another one.
“Good as it can be.”
He burps again and finishes another can.
“Help yourself,” I say dryly, but he ignores the sarcasm and lowers himself onto a chair facing me.
As I work to grate the Parmesan cheese, River leans back, opens his mouth, and blabbers. It’s a real skill set if you ask me. Love my brother, but fuck, he can talk.
“You hear about those Howlers breaking and entering all over town?”
“Yep.”
“Wonder if they’re from one of the clans up north.”
“Could be.”
“Ooh, or maybe they got kicked out or something. Maybe they, like, broke the rules and were exiled.”
“Could be. Won’t know until they’re caught.”
He hums and taps his foot on the ground. “Maybe they weren’t alpha enough, you know? Maybe got kicked out for not having a knot or something.”
I peer over at my brother, who is chewing on his bottom lip.
“Every alpha has a knot.”
He shrugs, not looking at me. “Yeah, guess you’re right.”
“Maybe they’re not even really Howlers. They could be werewolves. Never know.”
“Werewolves? As in the ten-foot-tall human-monster hybrids? Shit, I thought those were extinct. Scary fuckers.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe they’re just in hiding. Probably lots of creatures out there we don’t know about.”
We’re silent for a while, and when he crumples the can in his hand, he sighs. “Dinner almost ready?”
“Almost.”
“You heard from Skye or Mav lately?”
“Nope. They’ve been busy.”
“Yeah, nesting and shit, I’m sure.” He says that slightly despondently, but his cheery nature, something he got from Mom more than our dad, shines through a moment later. “Anyway, guess what? I got a raise at work. I’m thinking about getting a house, a little one on the outskirts of town, kind of like you.”
“That’s a good idea.”
