Page 6 of All Packed Up

He blinked, hiding those pretty glowing eyes from her for a split second before revealing them again.

“Ah… yes.” Rubbing a hand over the back of his head, he glanced back toward the way they’d come. “I do need to clean up the glass though, and barricade that window. It’ll be too cold for the ladies to change in the morning otherwise.”

Her traitorous little heart softened for this big, sweet beta.

“I’ll wait here,” she offered.

As he turned his back, she realized she didn’t even know this stranger’s name.

Wendy waited. And waited. She scooped Knuckles up and gave him a cuddle, his purr comforting in her ears. But then she waited some more, and finally, when the curiosity and boredom became too much, she sat her fur baby and her bag down and followed after the beta.

“What’s your name?” she asked, grabbing the broom by the entrance to the women’s locker room.

It startled the beta, and he cursed as he pulled away from the window. In one hand was a roll of black tape, and in the other was a torn trash bag. His hands were still shaking, and something a lot like guilt pierced her.

There was an answering tug, like a strand of her hair had just been pulled, and she shook her head.

Go away, she thought desperately.

“You don’t have to,” he began, but she just eyed him as she started sweeping the glass away.

It was her fault it was broken, after all.

And this beta didn’t even seem to mind.

“Name?” she prompted again while he stared for another second.

Her question seemed to pull him out of whatever stupor he’d been lost in, and he shook his head.

“Nic. My name’s Nic. What’s yours?”

“Wendy,” she offered.

“Nice to meet you under these totally normal, not at all suspicious circumstances,” he drawled.

Despite the weirdness of her evening, she felt her lips curl.

“Totally normal,” she agreed, and swiped the broom across the floor.

Glass tinked and clinked as it was gathered by the bristles, and it was definitely guilt that pooled in her stomach all over again.

“I’ll try knocking next time,” she murmured softly. Her damn hair was in her face again, and she tugged the strands away from her slowly heating cheeks.

That’s as much of an apology as the beta would get, so he better—

“Hopefully we can avoid a next time,” he responded.

Wendy paused, broom in hand, and glanced over her shoulder.

What did that mean?

Was he gonna murder her? That would certainly ensure there wouldn’t be a next time.

But then he continued with, “You can ride this heat out safely, and then you can figure it out from there.”

Oh.

That was… surprisingly nice. Which was suspicious all in itself.