Page 18 of Hunted

I wonder when they organized all this because it wasn’t the last minute decision I initially believed when Penny declared what we were doing after we finished eating Chinese food. “Don’t you want to go for a run?”

Honestly, I miss running. But now I’m six months pregnant, it wouldn’t be safe for the baby for my body to go through such a monumental change. I couldn’t shift even if I wanted to. For the final three to four months of a shifter’s pregnancy, her body silences the need to shift.

My wolf is still in my head, growling, whimpering, all signs that she is still present, but she just won’t be running around sniffing the grass or exploring the forest until after I’ve given birth.

After the baby comes, going for a run in the forest is going to be one of the first things I do. It’s one of the best feelings ever. I miss it.

“We can go for a run whenever,” Helena says. “Someone pass the candy.”

“Shit. I forgot.” Penny suddenly scrambles up from the couch, tossing the bag of candy to Helena, who fumbles to catch it with a muffled curse.

“Forgot what?” I call after her as she sprints out of the den.

“The thing I brought for you.” I shiver when she lets in a blast of chill air, and glance at the others who seem as confused by Penny’s mad dash as I am.

She’s not gone long.

She returns holding a large white cake box that she thrusts at me. It smells so good that I know exactly what it is. “Here. As a thank you for being so supportive of my baking, I made this for you earlier.”

My stomach grumbles as I drag in another deep inhalation of the sweet and lemony cake coming from the box. And I hug the box with my grabby hands because it smells delicious.

Tina and Helena eye the box with unmistakable hunger. Zoe just looks confused. She hasn’t tasted Penny’s famous lemon chiffon cake yet, so she doesn’t know what she’s missing.

I hug the box. “It’s mine.”

“Quit being greedy,” Tina says, setting her nail polish aside. “We’re family. That means you have to share the cake.”

“What happened to you not having any room for anything sweet because of the orange chicken?” Helena reminds me.

“That was before I knew what Penny baked for me. It’s mine. The cake is all mine.”

“You sound like a gremlin.” Penny grins. “You know that, right?”

“I do not,” I say, indignant.

They all look at me.

I huff. “Okay,fine. I’ll share. Zoe, you can have the biggest piece because you’ve never had the cake before.”

She frowns. “Why do you keep saying the cake like that?”

“I’ll grab plates and a knife,” Penny says and disappears into the kitchen.

I open the lid, turn it, and show her the beauty that is the cake.

Zoe licks her lips as she leans toward it. “That looks like a good cake.”

“It’s the best,” Tina agrees. “Light like angel food cake and perfectly sweet.”

Penny returns from the kitchen and we all finish up with the foot spas, pause the movie, and dig into the lemon cake.

I eat far, far too much.

Between bites of cake, I laugh so much that I have to go pee.

Girl’s night was exactly what I needed.

It’s the perfect opportunity to spend time with my pack and shrug off my anxieties and fears and just embrace having a pack who cares.

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