Page 27 of The Wolf Professor

“You made it, cuz. Let’s take a look at you.” Max found himself held at arm’s length by two huge hairy arms. “You’ve put some meat on your bones since your mom’s funeral.”

“It was a difficult twelve months leading up to her death, no doubt I forgot to eat at times.”

“I get that. Still pale, though. You need to get out in the elements a bit more, mate. Get some wind and sun on your face. Not good for you, all that sitting at a desk.”

Max shrugged and Benjy started to walk him toward the group seated in a semicircle around the fire. “Anyhow, come and say hi to the rest of the pack. You probably won’t recognize most of them. All grown up now, your cousins are. Janny, come and say hi to Max.”

Janine, a plump, pretty woman with a snub nose and shaggy dark hair tied into a loose ponytail, came rushing over and gave him a great big kiss on both cheeks, then a brief nose bump, wolf-style.

Max blinked; he hadn’t done that in a while.

“Hey gorgeous, look at you! Though you look like you’re dressed to go to a fancy restaurant. You’ve clearly forgotten what a Hunt get-together is like.” She laughed boisterously, thencalled to her husband, “Bring out one of those furs for the lad, Benjy, he’ll freeze in those clothes.”

Max made polite noises of refusal. And no, he hadn’t forgotten what a Hunt get-together was like. He remembered all too well being a kid cowering on the edges of their raucous parties.

Benjy threw a thick fur over his shoulders, then introduced him to the other cousins. Max didn’t recognize any of them—he hadn’t seen them since he was ten years old. They were all grown up now, and most of them far bigger and brawnier than him.

He'd just taken a seat by the fire when Janine came back with her arm around a pretty girl with light gold eyes, her dark hair streaked with blonde. She had tattoos and piercings everywhere. She barely looked eighteen.

“This is our girl, Taryn. She’s at Motham College studying graphic design.”

“Didn’t get her artistic talent from us, did she luv?” Benjy grinned at his wife. “Must be from your mom,” he directed at Max.

“Taryn’s just built our website,” Janine said proudly.

“For the car yard?” Max asked.

Benjy guffawed. “Naw, wouldn’t catch Taryn lowering herself to that.”

“For the Solstice Ruts,” Taryn answered with a challenging smile.

Max swallowed hard. “Right.”

“This year’s winter rut is going to be big; we’re getting lots of take-up. Have you seen anything about it?”

“Oh, er, yes, something caught my eye,” Max said, wishing the conversation would end.

“Oh, fantastic, where?” Taryn asked.

“Oh, you know—I think I spotted a poster, somewhere.”

Taryn’s smile widened.

“The ruts are what are making us coin these days,” Benjy added. “Only so much you can get out of wreckage and selling used cars.”

“Would you like to take a look at the website?” Taryn asked.

Max really wouldn’t, but there was no way to refuse without seeming churlish. “Sure.”

“I’ll go get my laptop.” With the enthusiasm of a gen Z, she dashed off. The mention of her laptop made him think of Charlie and their banter this morning, and for some reason a warm glow bracketed his heart.

Quickly he switched his thoughts away from Charlie. Maybe being around pack was doing strange things to his psyche.

In seconds, Taryn was back. She sat down next to him, swiping her bleached hair behind one heavily pierced ear and flicking through screens with long fingers, covered in big silver rings.

“Here,” she said. “This is the home page. I designed the banner—it’s the same as on the posters and fliers.”

Max couldn’t help but be grudgingly impressed.

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