Page 39 of Matched into the Mob

“What you’re about to see will be like nothing you’ve witnessed before.”

“That’s what they all say.” I rolled my eyes.

SIXTEEN

RANGER

Finally.My beast had not been so patient this last day and a half.

I undressed in the garage, and according to the thermometer on the wall, it was about as cold as it was outside.

Hurry or I’ll freeze out there.

Opening the garage door, I hunched over as the wind hit my face, and goosebumps hurled themselves over my skin as though they too wanted to be done with the frigid weather.

The rain had eased, but the garden near the river had been destroyed. Soil had been washed against the fence, and the gates were leaning at awkward angles, destroyed from the force of the water. The driveway had deep vertical craters running from behind the house to the front gate.

Dad would be pissed about the garden.

I squelched through the mud and waved to Matt who was leaning against the window. His lips, the same ones I’d kissed, were smudged with chocolate, and I pictured me licking off the sugary goodness and kissing him again. He had a bag of chips stuffed under one arm and was holding the soda can.

Take your fur.

My skin vanished as fur unraveled over my limbs and torso. No matter how many times I shifted, this experience reminded me of zooming down in an elevator and leaving my tummy behind. It was thrilling, nothing matched it until… until I met Matt.

My beast stood on all fours gazing at our mate. Matt hadn’t moved or run away or shrieked. But he was shaking the can of soda, and his hand movements became more frantic as he gripped the aluminum can. He clawed it while his other hand ripped the pull tab and soda sprayed over the window and himself.

He froze, his mouth in a yawning gape.

I’m taking my skin. He needs me.

Racing into the garage, I ignored my muddy feet, and leaving my clothes where I’d left them, I tramped into the main room. Matt was resting his head on the glass, surrounded by crumbs, soda, and wrappers.

I led him to a couch, kicking the rug back so I wouldn’t ruin it, and flung a blanket over his shoulders. I took him into my arms. The phone was nearby, so I called Flint to ask for advice, but he didn’t answer and neither did Dad.

If I’d been expecting a magic cure-all solution, I was disappointed. Showing him the real me wasn’t a bandaid, but instead, introduced a further complication. I had to get used to the human world viewpoint and come up with creative solutions to explain what he thought of as fantasy.

“What was that?” Matt finally spoke.

“Me. All of me.” I explained how until then, he’d only seen one side of me.

“Is this what the mafia is? A bunch of guys who share their existence with a… a… wolf?”

He didn’t say dog.

“Shifter mafia, yes.”

“Shifter. Shifter. Hmmm, so you shift from one to the other.” He grinned, but this wasn’t a smile that nuzzled around my heart. It was more manic, and it matched his glazed eyes.

He needed to eat something other than the crap he’d been stuffing in his mouth. But what? Uncle Arnie froze eggs in ice cube containers, but I’d have to get to the pantry.

And you need to clean the floor. My wolf was imagining my dad’s reaction to the muddy footprints.

“Am I going to wake up soon?” Matt snuggled into me. “This is one weird dream, but I loved your wolf, every part of him, from the head to the tippy toes.” He lunged for my dick. “And your length. Can I snuggle with it?”

Matt needed to get warm and sleep, so I lay him on the sofa and covered him with the quilt. “Close your eyes. The dream will end soon.”

“Goody but also not. Will I see your itty-bitty wolf again?” He tickled my chin before closing his eyes.

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