Page 5 of Reformed Wolf

I took a short shower, then spent a few minutes primping in front of the mirror, outlining my eyes in black, before heading into my walk-in closet. Instead of the PJs I would normally be putting on at this time of night, I grabbed something more appropriate for a club. Shimmying out of my suit, I pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans, a white long-sleeved t-shirt, and a slate-gray vest. It was understated but comfortable. Nothing loose that would get snagged when I climbed the fence.

Next, I set the stage. I made a bag of microwave popcorn to fill the room with its scent and set the bowl beside my bed, then I rumpled the blankets, fluffed the pillow, and turned on my TV, programmed to play an entire trilogy of epic fantasy films. That should cover me for at least eight hours. With the volume down low, Edgar would hopefully assume I’d fallen asleep watching something.

Now? my panther asked again, as eager as I was, even though he wouldn’t have a chance to take his fur where we were headed. He was simply living vicariously through me, feeding off the adrenaline.

Now, I agreed.

Outside, full dark had crept across the landscape, reducing the estate’s lawn and garden to an inky black, with plenty of places to hide. Hoping the sound would be disguised by the movie in the background, I eased open the patio door and slipped over the balcony rail. My panther lent me his eyes, and together, we prowled across the lawn, through the bushes, and paused to listen for sounds of pursuit. When all remained silent, I pushed off with my powerful legs, aided by my shifter strength, vaulting over the stone wall and landing on the far side in a near-silent crouch.

This was my last chance to live a little before being mated to a total stranger. Consider it a stag, party of one.

Chapter 3

Tristan

As the truck rumbled down Main Street and the streetlights flicked on overhead, I had to force myself not to speed. It felt like my boots were lined with lead, forcing my foot down on the gas pedal—either that or it was just my wolf. With the moon rising and dusk settling in, he was getting harder and harder to contain. It made me wonder if Vesta was wrong about sending me to the city tonight. Things could too easily go sideways.

Brushing off the sliver of doubt that threatened to spread through me, I rolled down the windows and drew in a deep breath. Jude promptly hit the button on his side, rolling his back up.

I threw him some shade. “Dude, what’s your problem?”

“It stinks,” he growled, sulking, his arms crossed over his chest.

“It’s the city, of course it stinks. You’ll get used to it,” I said, gnawing on a stick of red licorice. After all the healthy meals back at camp, I couldn’t get enough candy when I was in the city. Just another part of my indulgence.

“I don’t want to get used to it,” he snarled back, his lip curling to show the tip of sharpened canine. “It’s dirty and polluted… and full of humans. It’s gross.”

Peeking at him from the corner of my eye, it was hard not to laugh. For such a tough alpha, he really was just a big softie at heart. There was no doubt he cared about the members of our pack, especially Malachi, but he hadn’t grown up with the rest of us. His past was a mystery to us all, and Shan had ordered us not to pry. That didn’t stop me from being insanely curious, though; it wasn’t natural to hate humans so much. He’d obviously had a bad experience before.

Smirking, I rolled down all the windows then put a lock on the controls from his side. He punched the button a few times futilely, then slumped down in his seat. “Asshole,” he muttered.

“You love me.” Then I leaned my head out the window, wind tugging at my hair, and howled. Jude couldn’t contain his smile, no matter how grumpy he was.

We’d already been to the bank. It was always the first stop I made, while I was still sober enough to think straight, to ensure the pack’s financials were in order. Shan employed a badger shifter named Griffin, and every time I came into the city, he and I sat down to discuss where to invest. So far, we’d done pretty well. The problem was that we’d had to move after our old pack was brutally attacked, leaving only a handful of us left. And with having to start over somewhere new, the initial cost was eating into our capital. There was the cost of construction, higher demand for store-bought food as we got the garden restarted, and Shan was determined to upgrade eventually. Even if we did most of the work ourselves, it wouldn’t be cheap. Griff assured me it could be done, though.

I flicked on the turn signal and slowed down, and Jude’s head jerked up, eyes glowing his wolf’s green. “Why are you turning?” he asked, tension settling into his shoulders. He hadn’t even gotten out of the truck at the bank, choosing instead to sit in the parking lot with the doors locked.

“I’m hungry.” I pulled into the burger place, with its glaring neon sign illuminating the truck’s interior with gold. “What do you want?” I asked as I got into the drive-in queue. I knew he wouldn’t want to eat inside, so I didn’t even bother to ask.

Jude’s nose wrinkled as he sniffed the air. “It doesn’t smell like food.”

“Close enough. Don’t be so picky, man. Live a little.”

“Live? I’m more likely to die eating this garbage.” He faced away from me.

Cheeseburgers, my wolf requested. Extra pickles.

Pulling up at the menu board, I leaned my arm on the doorframe and placed my order into the microphone. “Yeah, can I get six cheeseburgers with extra pickles, a dozen nuggets, two large fries, and an extra-large root beer?”

“And a vanilla shake,” Jude added, leaning across the console to yell out my window. “Please.”

I laughed, shaking my head as we crept forward to the first window to pay. “Hypocrite,” I teased. “You know I heard they can’t legally call them milkshakes because there’s no milk?”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Did you happen to notice those nuggets aren’t called chicken nuggets?” Touché.

It didn’t matter that the windows were down, the inside of the truck still filled with the greasy, salty smell of takeout. My mouth was watering, my stomach twisting itself into knots. Luckily, it was only a short drive to the motel I always stayed in. It was cheap, discreet, always had vacancy, and the best part of all, it was just a short walk down the block to the club I frequented.

Jude snorted as he surveyed the rundown building. “You seriously expect me to sleep here?”

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