Page 49 of The Wolf Professor

But now, it didn’t seem to make any sense at all.

CHAPTER 19

As Charlie drove out of Motham City toward Tween, a steely determination ran through her veins.

She had to find out about Aunt Eloise’s experience with a wolf.

Had Eloise really been ravaged, traumatized, and needed extensive therapy to get over the experience, as her mom liked to imply?

Or was the truth very different?

Mom would never tell her the facts. But Dad would. And suddenly it felt urgent to unearth the truth, because very soon she hoped she would be bringing Max into their home. Proudly standing by her wolf.

And she didn’t want secrets and lies to get in the way of that.

As she drove through Be-Tween, past the café where she used to work, it looked like a toy town full of neatly dressed professional young humans. Folks who played with working in Motham City, then ran back to the safe haven of their cute little satellite town. Bah, she was done with this place. Whatever happened between her and Max, Charlie knew she’d never go back to her neat little apartment and barista job in Be-Tween.

She sped away from its streets and down the long road toward Tween, the oldest of all the valley human towns.

From the flood plain that Motham had been built on, the countryside gradually became lusher, the rolling hills covered in crops and vineyards. Humans had settled in the valley for a reason. For two hundred years they’d kept these fertile areas all for themselves while monsters suffered.

But to Charlie, where the monsters were, that was where the joy was.

When she reached the gates of Tween she checked her pass—Human, Sullivan family—on the now computerized gate. Already her body was tense, more so as she drove through the picture perfect streets with Christmas decorations strung everywhere. The totally manicured nature of the place made her feel antsy.

She didn’t go home to her parents’ ivy clad house near the town square.

Instead, she drove to her dad’s workshop on the outskirts of Tween, where he crafted beautiful cabinetry for wealthy high breed humans. At least this place was vibrant. His tools were scattered around haphazardly, the radio blasting out music. wood shavings covered the floor.

Hank, a minotaur who had a special pass to help her dad in his business, was busy varnishing some cabinet doors, no doubt to be fitted into a smart kitchen in the most elite part of town.

“Is Dad around, Hank?” she asked. The minotaur touched a horn, a sign of deference to a human. “No need to do that,” she told him. “Not for me, remember?” He wouldn’t if he was in Motham, after all. But she knew that in order to keep their work pass, monsters had to show deference in Tween. How she hated the bigotry of it all.

“He's out back unloading some wood from his ute,” Hank said with a more relaxed grin.

She found her dad in the yard, piling sweet-smelling planks of pine up against the fence.

“Hey, Cupcake.” He strode over and gave her a big hug. “What are you doing here, I thought you were working in Motham?”

“I am, but I’ve got some paperwork to collate for the professor, so I thought I’d come visit you guys and do it in Tween.” It was kind of the truth, she figured.

“Enjoying the job?”

“Yes, really enjoying it.”

“Have you been to see your mom? She’s worried about you.”

“Later. I need to brace myself first.”

He laughed. “I get it. Want a cup of tea?”

Charlie assented and they chatted as her dad boiled the kettle. She told him about the archives at Motham Palace, the stunning wood-carving on the cabinet that housed Athelrose’s diary. She left out certainotherdetails of her visit to the palace, of course.

Soon after, Hank left in the ute to deliver some cabinets, though he wouldn’t be allowed to fit them; her dad would have to do that. Monsters were only ever employed outdoors in Tween.

When they were alone, seated at her dad’s work bench, Charlie said, “Dad, I have something to ask you.”

Her dad cocked his head at her. “Okay.”

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