Page 20 of Love, A Curvy Girl's Guide

“Shut up, Dennis,” Dayton snapped. “This isn’t funny.”

Frank cleared his throat, silencing them. His gaze softened when it landed on Haley, but his voice was firm. “Take a seat, Haley. You deserve to know what’s going on.”

Haley perched on the edge of a worn recliner, clutching her hands in her lap to keep them from trembling. “So... someone explain. Please.”

Frank nodded slowly. “You’ve all heard the stories about the seventh son of a seventh son, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Duke said, rolling his eyes. “The family werewolf curse. We’ve all heard the bedtime stories, Dad.”

Frank’s jaw tightened. “They’re not just stories, Duke. They’re real.”

The room fell into stunned silence.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Dennis asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Frank sighed. “Ian... he’s a werewolf. The curse is real. And the bite he gave Haley—it created a mate bond. That’s why she’s feeling... off.”

Haley’s breath hitched, her heart pounding in her ears. Mate bond? The words sounded foreign and impossibly intimate.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Dayton muttered.

“Do Ilooklike I’m kidding?” Frank snapped.

The brothers exchanged uneasy glances, their bravado cracking under the weight of the revelation.

“What does this mean for us?” Dennis asked, his voice quieter now.

“It means the pack knows,” Frank said grimly. “They’ve been waiting for this. And now that it’s started, they will eventually want all of us—me included—to come live with them. But for now, it will only be Haley and Ian. I would imagine that when you boys find your mates, you will need to join the pack. At least for a little while.”

“Live with them?” Haley blurted, her voice rising. “You mean in some kind of wolf commune? I can’t just pack up my life and leave! I have a job! My dad—he needs me!”

Frank’s face softened. “I know, Haley. But this isn’t just about you. If we don’t learn how to control this... it could be dangerous.”

The weight of his words settled over her like a suffocating blanket. Dangerous. The bite, the bond, the chaos—it was all spiraling out of control.

Dennis crossed his arms. “We’re not going anywhere. This is our home.”

“It’s not just about Ian,” Frank said. “The curse is in all of us. It could trigger in any of you at any time.”

The room went deathly silent.

Even Dennis paled. “You mean... we could all turn into wolves?”

“Yes,” Frank said. “And it’s better to be prepared than to wait for it to happen.”

Haley’s head spun, her mind racing with a thousand conflicting thoughts.I can’t leave. I can’t live in some forest with werewolves. I have a life. A family. Responsibilities.

But beneath the panic, a quieter voice whispered something more terrifying.

What if you don’t have a choice?

ELEVEN

Haley sat frozen in the living room chair long after Frank had finished speaking. Her mind swirled with disbelief, anger, and a creeping sense of dread that refused to let her go. The room felt smaller, heavier, as though the walls were closing in on her.

“I need to get home,” she said, hurriedly.

Bridget and Frank exchanged a worried glance before Frank’s voice broke the silence. “Bridget, why don’t you take Haley upstairs? She’s had a rough day.”

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