Page 9 of The Wolf Professor

In the year since he’d been here to deliver a lecture, the city had gotten far more cosmopolitan.

There, suddenly right in front of them, was the Right Bite with its checkered red and white tablecloths on tables out on the street, and multi-species monsters sitting and lunching and chatting.

“Ah, we’ve arrived,” he said with relief. “Go and grab a table and I’ll get the menus.”

CHAPTER 5

“Charlie, is that you?”

Charlie nearly jumped out of her skin. She’d been so deeply immersed in watching Max’s broad shoulders and lean hips as he went to grab the menus that she hadn’t noticed the large orc approaching.

It was her ex, Tod, gawking at her, his face flushed a deep green. Gosh she hadn’t seen him since they split up six months ago.

“Tod, hi. How are you?”

“I’m good, yep, great. What are you doing here? I thought you had a job in Be-Tween.”

“I did. But now I’m working in Motham.”

“Cool.” Tod grinned like an idiot, unable to take his eyes off her. “Doing what?”

“I’m research assistant for Professor Hunt.” His blank look told her Tod didn’t know who that was. He’d never shown much interest in history; that was another reason they’d split. They didn’t have enough in common. “He’s an expert on the Great War and the early days of Motham City.”

Tod nodded, far more interested in staring at her. “You’re looking great, Charlie,” he said.

“You too, Tod.”

Suddenly Max appeared. He gave Tod the once-over, his topaz eyes inscrutable.

Charlie jumped up. “Professor Hunt, this is my friend Tod, from uni.”

“Hello,” Tod said. For a second it seemed like both males grew in stature, almost as if they were muscling up to each other as they stood their ground, chest to chest. Tod was tall, but Max stood an inch taller than the young orc.

There was definitely a wolfish energy in Max’s demeanor. Almost… surely not… apossessiveenergy?

Whatever it was, it made Charlie’s pulse quicken.

In a second it was gone, and she had to wonder if she’d imagined it, as the two males shook hands. Then Max handed her the menu and Tod hovered. “Well, um, maybe now you’re working in Motham, we could catch up.”

“Sure, that would be nice,” Charlie said as she took the menu from Max and sat down again.

When the orc turned to leave, Max flashed those white teeth at him. Or had he bared them?

“I think the young man is smitten with you,” Max remarked as he sat down opposite her.

“Oh, it’s not that, it’s just…” Charlie felt her cheeks heating. “We used to date at uni, that’s all.”

“You ended it, right?”

“How can you tell?”

“His lovesick look.”

She felt his gaze on her face as she searched for an answer. “He wanted to get serious, and I guess I wasn’t ready to.”

“Because he was monster and you’re human?”

“I didn’t say that.” Charlie held the menu tightly and eyed it without seeing a thing. She glanced up to see his eyebrowshitch over the top of his glasses. “Because your mom wouldn’t approve?”

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