Page 21 of Twisted Howlidays

“You need to get down off your high horse. The man was only trying to impress you. And it worked.”

“Yes, he impressed me until it was revealed that he was tricking me with a false narrative. And a false narrative is also known as a LIE. A lie by any other name is still a lie. And on top of all that, he pulled that fairytale shit about me being his mate. I barely know him, why would he want me to be his mate for life? It’s creepy if you ask me.” She shivered at the thought.

“You just don’t get it yet. Everyone around you is trying to get you to listen to your wolf’s heart. But the problem is that you only trust your human brain. And that is what I mean about being bullheaded.”

Her wolf finally slunk back into the shadows. Seizing the moment of peace, Kendra closed the laptop and crawled into bed. Surprisingly, sleep wasn’t elusive.

But sleep didn’t provide the needed rest, instead, it brought her memories to life. Immersed in a dream world, her wolf ran alongside Ryan’s. Together they surveyed the snow-covered mountains. The sensation was so realistic, she could feel the crisp air filling her lungs.

Returning to the hot spring, they shifted back to their human forms, very much like what happened. But in her dream, there was no hesitation, no small talk. She threw herself on him, pressing her bare body against his. Their lovemaking was wild and uninhibited, culminating when their elongated fangs simultaneously pierced each other’s flesh as they climaxed together.

The lonely howl of a lonely wolf echoed through the valley, waking Kendra from her restless sleep.

“Seriously?”

“You know it’s him, calling us.”

“This is ridiculous. And now I’m stuck here for the next three or four days? Good God. He’s going to be pestering me in my dreams and when I’m awake. It’s pretty damn clear what is going on. He’s obsessed with me now.”

Her wolf laughed. “Just give in. By the way, the big Twisted Tail Christmas party is tonight. It’s your perfect chance!”

By dawn, the howls had subsided, and Kendra rolled out of bed. The last thing she wanted was to be holed up with her vivid memories and her persistent wolf. She showered, dressed, and headed to Cam’s Diner for breakfast and much-needed caffeine.

Driving to the diner, she could barely concentrate on the road. He was on her mind, more than before. Slowing down in front of the café, she looked at every truck to make sure Ryan wasn’t inside. Once the coast was clear, she finally went inside.

“Good morning. Just yourself this morning?” Cam asked.

Kendra felt like everyone in the café, including in the kitchen was staring at her like she was a three-eyed goldfish in a bowl. She supposed everyone expected Ryan to be glued to her side. “Yep. Just me. Would it be okay to take a booth in the back?”

“Wherever you like,” Cam said, bringing her a carafe filled with coffee and a menu. “Do you need a minute?”

“No. I’ll take the French toast and bacon. Thanks.”

“You got it.”

Settled in, she sipped her coffee and opened her laptop. Despite participating in a scam, she knew the only way to make the deadline was to use the photos which had been staged.

“Good morning, Kendra.”

Kendra looked up to see who had spotted her in the booth, and she blushed when she saw it was Bailey. “Oh, hi, Bailey.”

“I’m glad you’re here. Do you mind if I join you?”

Kendra shrugged. “It’s a free country. I suppose.”

“Good. I’ve been wanting to apologize for everything.”

“It’s okay, really. You were quite convincing. At least I was fooled.”

“That’s the problem, I think. You feel foolish. Please don’t. See, when Ryan came to Gavin and me, desperate and begging us to help him…well, I knew his hare-brained scheme would backfire.”

“What was he so desperate about?”

“You. I’d never seen him like that. You’d think he was a kid who just found out Santa Claus was real. He was just bubbling on about you. He had hatched some plan to spend time alone with you, thinking he could prove who he really was without scaring you off.”

“So, he wanted to show me who he truly was, by faking everything. Genius.”

Bailey laughed. “Exactly.”

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