Page 61 of Way of the Wolf

“Oh, they did. Back in the day.” Jasmine waved dismissively. “But they’ve been back for ages, and I finished school here. There are more wild mountains and forested lands left here, and they liked the hunting better. Also, there were job opportunities forsoftware engineers. Dad’s a big geek and works in game development in Redmond.”

“A geeky werewolf sounds great.”

“Mom thinks so.” Jasmine winked. “She’s a real-estate agent now and kind of knows about you because you work for the Sylvans. She’s kept tabs on you for your mom. We almost went over to see you a couple of times but weren’t sure… Well, nobody was sure if you wanted to see the pack.”

“I didn’t think the pack wanted to seeme.”

Wistfulness filled me. After my cousin’s attempts on my life, it was hard to feel that my instincts had been wrong, but I wished I had known at least some of the pack didn’t resent me, that we could have stayed in touch. In light of Mom’s illness, I especially wished I hadn’t waited so long to check in on her. But would the family have let me get close?

I glanced at Augustus, but he was naked now and down on all fours, on the brink of changing. I looked away.

“Some care more about people’s choices than others.” Jasmine waved again. “Someknow we need all the help we can get to ensure the pack—allpacks—survive into the future.”

“Yes,” I said.

My conversation with my mother came to mind, her bringing up the loss of the ability to spread the wolf magic through bite and how our kind were dwindling.

“I need to talk to you about something when we get a minute.” Jasmine glanced toward the sky, as if the moon were an hourglass, sand ticking down until we all had to change. In a way, it was. I could feel it compelling me, calling to the wolf. Maybe she did too. “It’s about?—”

A growl came from the trees beside the driveway, and Jasmine stopped.

Emilio hadn’t changed yet, but he was engaged in tug-of-war with a wolf who had. He had the gift box tucked under one armwhile he gripped a foot-long sausage with the other. The wolf had its fangs sunk into the other end, growling as it tried to pull the prize free. They werebothgrowling.

“IsaidI’d divvy it up,” Emilio said. “With aknife. You can’t just tear it in half and take off with that much. You’re ananimal.”

“You’d think they didn’t have the ability to go to Walmart in human form and buy their own sausage logs,” Jasmine said with an eye roll.

“I got the gift boxes from a farm store,” I said. “Grass-fed meat without preservatives, so they’re probably a lot more appealing than the typical grocery offerings.”

“Probably? You’re not sure?”

“I didn’t buy any for myself.” A touch of embarrassment warmed my cheeks, and I didn’t confess that I couldn’t afford to purchase expensive stuff, not for myself, except maybe for a special occasion.

“Because you don’t crave good meat? Or because…?” Jasmine gestured vaguely at me. Apparently, my niece’s family keeping tabs on me meant she also knew about the potion. I sighed, wishing that had remained a secret.

“I crave it. Also rich dark chocolate and fancy espresso made from high-quality beans. It’s tough maintaining a budget when you have expensive tastes.”

Jasmine laughed. “Tell me about it.”

The friendly laugh made me relax an iota. Maybe there was hope of reestablishing a relationship with my family. But would I have to stop taking the potion permanently for them to accept me? I doubted the pack would welcome a mundane human who’d forsaken the way of the wolf. There was, after all, a reasonwe hadn’t spoken in so long.

I didn’t know if Icouldstop taking the potion. What if I lost it as a wolf and killed again? Someone innocent who didn’t deserve such a fate? Even after all this time, the past haunted me.

Another growl came from the side. Emilio fell on his backside as the wolf won the tug-of-war and took off with the entire sausage.

Emilio didn’t land hard and rolled to his feet quickly, showing easy athleticism, but it didn’t matter. The wolf was already gone.

“Looks like Benito already had a successful hunt for the night,” came my mother’s dry voice from the porch.

Though the words seemed to be for everyone, she gazed over at me. Most of the pack had changed, and more than a dozen wolves also gazed at me.

My anxiety and damp palms returned. The night before, I’d changed successfully and had no trouble hunting, no pain in my joints or limbs to indicate my advancing age. But what if I couldn’t do the same tonight? When it mattered?

Mom removed her clothes, draping them over the railing with others.

“Time to go.” Jasmine stepped back to do the same. “We can talk after. Don’t go home right away, okay? It’s important.”

“Okay.”

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