Page 66 of Vicious Luna

“I suppose that’s true,” she sighs, reaching up to comb her fingers through her hair. “But still, you have to wonder about the what-ifs. Like, what would it have been like if you’d always known you were a shifter? If you’d grown up with other shifters, maybe the two of us would’ve met under different circumstances.”

I nod slowly, part of me wishing that were the case.

“How are all those dog jokes landing now?” she teases, smirking.

I shake my head with a low chuckle. “Probably shouldn’t have called you beastie."

“Kinda funny that you did, actually. My mom’s nickname is barbie beast. She’s a tall blonde like me, and a badass fighter.”

“So, the apple clearly didn’t fall too far from the tree, huh?” I remark.

She rolls her eyes, the faintest blush rising to her cheeks. “I’m just saying, if you ever meet someone who looks like an older version of me, watch your back. She’s a hit first, ask questions later kinda person.”

“And your dad?”

“He asksallthe questions,” she laughs. “They're yin and yang, a perfect fit.”

My brow furrows in confusion. “He’s still around, then? I thought your brother was Alpha.”

“He is. My dad retired a couple years back.”

“Huh. Didn’t realize that was a thing.”

“Well, you didn’t know much about the inner workings of shifter politics, did you?” she replies smugly. “I don’t know where you guys were getting your information from, but it was clearly lacking.”

“Every time we learned something, it’d get flipped on its head,” I murmur, recalling all the times we were left scrambling to put the pieces together. “Like the healing thing. We knew werewolves could heal themselves, so when we saw one with glasses, we were completely thrown off.”

Avery chuckles to herself, shaking her head. “It’s a recessive trait. I actually carry it, but my eyesight isn’t affected. My mom wears contacts, though, and my aunt wears glasses. My cousin, too.”

“Any weird recessive traits where a wolf can die from cancer?” I mumble.

Her smile fades, eyes rounding in sympathy. “Not that I’ve ever heard of, sorry. Plus, if your mom was a shifter, she would’ve guided you when your wolf came in.”

“That just happened, though,” I point out.

She shakes her head again. “Your wolf was already there; he was just dormant. Most shifters get their wolves around puberty. You just kinda wake up one day and there’ssomething else sharing your brain. It’s weird, but cool when you think about it. And for us, it’s exciting. We know it’s coming, so growing up, we’re all anxiously waiting for our wolves to make their appearance."

“So everyone who lives here is a shifter?”

“Yep,” she replies, popping the P. “And I just answered like ten of your questions in a row, so it’s definitely my turn.” She pauses to chew on her lower lip again, considering. “Are all the rest of the hunters human?”

“As far as I know,” I say with a nod. “Is that redhead who brought me in your ex?”

“Who, Ares?” she laughs. “No, he’s just a friend with a crush.”

“No mutual feelings there?”

“I’d eat that boy alive,” she comments, waving a hand dismissively. “Besides, I still have like nine more questions to catch up.” She leans forward, narrowing her eyes on me. “Do you think my friends are hot?”

“Not as hot as you,” I deadpan.

She clucks her tongue, rolling her eyes.

“What?” I ask.

“You didn’t say they weren’t.”

I roll my eyes, huffing out a breath. “Well I’m not fuckin’ blind. I don’t want to fuck them, if that’s what you’re asking.”

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