Page 16 of The Wolf Professor

She’d second that.

“Wow, is that really you, Professor Hunt?”

Max tensed at the high-pitched squawk behind him as they walked through the foyer. He swiveled to see not one, but two, and then a third identical magpie come flurrying up, their wings ruffling as they ground to a halt, their claws scraping on the parquet floor.

He barely managed to stop himself from flinching. He’d always had issues with birds flapping. It was just one of those things he didn’t take to.

For some people it was spiders. Snakes. Whatever.

Birds were his nemesis.

As well as the flapping, he couldn’t stand their infernal twittering. Really, did they not realize libraries were supposed to be quiet places?

They stood in a row, beaks clacking as they looked from him to Charlie. “Oh, hi there, Charlie,” one of them said.

“Hi, Amanda, Alice, Josie,” Charlie replied, then turned to Max. “These guys are in their final year of Motham College. They’re triplets.”

“Not obvious, right?” One of the three giggled. “Professor, could you sign my journal?”

“And mine.”

“And mine, pretty please.”

They all scrabbled in their sparkly purses and presented him with glittery little books and pens with feathered tops.

Dutifully, Max signed, his fingers stiff and awkward as they gripped the pen. His autograph came out as its usual squiggle, but the magpies didn’t seem to mind. In fact, they barely looked, just stuffed their journals back in their purses.

In unison they turned to Charlie and one of them piped up, “Are you coming to the quiz night this week?”

“Youmustcome,” twittered the second. “Our team always won when you were on it.”

“Maybe you could come too, Professor Hunt?” The third bird in the row cocked its head.

Quiz nights were his absolute worst nightmare. Max held up his hands and shook his head. “Not my jam.” Wasn’t that the word these gen Z-ers used?

They turned back to Charlie with renewed enthusiasm.

Unable to take any more of it, Max muttered to Charlie, “I’ll wait over by the notices. No rush. Finish your conversation.” Then he stalked to the other side of the foyer and stood perusing the posters advertising events around Motham.

It was the usual offering of concerts, art gallery openings, and plays that any large city had. A country and western singer at the POD, a fae from Selig called Grilka Grey. He’d never heard of them.

His gaze scanned down to a poster promoting a film premiere. A slushy romance, by the look of the title. He stood staring at the very familiar blue eyes and blonde hair of the lead, before realizing that it was his ex-girlfriend, the elf actress. Bloody hell. Couldn’t he get away from his past even in Motham?

And then his eyes caught on the striking design of another poster. A forest, some swirling shapes almost like intertwined bodies. Very artistic, Max thought.

He peered closer, adjusting his glasses.

Wait a minute, those swirling shapes were… naked bodies and a… silhouette of a wolf’s head against a full moon.

His eyes widened as he read the words on the poster.

The Winter Solstice Rut.

December 21st

Tickets now on sale.

Solsticerut.com

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