Page 39 of Love, A Curvy Girl's Guide

“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” Verity said, her voice faltering. “I just... I wanted… We were supposed to be best friends, Haley. And then Ian comes along and you completely ignore me. I wanted people to notice me. To see that I’m just as good as you are. I had no idea that packs or Alphas even existed, much less werewolves.”

Haley’s breath caught, a mix of anger and heartbreak washing over her. “You didn’t just betray me, Verity. You betrayed Ian. The pack. And for what? To feel important?”

Tears welled in Verity’s eyes, but Haley pressed on. “This isn’t about you. It’s about the lives you’ve endangered. So we have to fix it. Lives depend on it—our lives.”

“What can I do?” Verity asked.

“You’ve taken a step in the right direction by pulling it down,” Ian added. “I think a retraction post or publicly admitting that it was just a joke gone wrong would go a long way. I honestly don’t know if it will be enough. But we have to try. Do whatever it takes to undo the damage you’ve caused.”

Verity looked away, her expression conflicted. “I’ll... I’ll think about it.”

Haley leaned closer, her voice low but firm. “No, Verity. You’ll do it. Because if you don’t, it’s not just the Iron Claw Pack coming to silence you. Every pack in the nation will be after the person that’s revealed their secret. This is serious. And I won’t be able to stop them.”

Silence filled the room as Verity absorbed her words. Finally, she nodded, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “I’ll do it. I’ll fix it.”

Haley stared at her for a moment longer. “Okay, let’s get started.”

It took them another hour to concoct a new short video to film. It started with Verity talking about the viral video. She admitted that the video wasn’t based on any living person, but was about her favorite paranormal video game. She claimed she didn’t know why people took things out of context and she would be more careful in the future to include the game cover. Then she gathered her worn copy of Shadow’s Thrall and showed it off.

“This is a video game based on the Lycan Mating Games series. They are spicy werewolf books with shifters, a secret sex school, and more. I’m sorry if anyone was hurt by the earlier post, and especially sorry that some of the comments were socruel towards real people I love and care about. That was never my intention.”

It wasa stilted goodbye to Verity, one that felt far more like a final farewell. It was hard walking out on a friendship that Haley had cherished so deeply. While she didn’t hate Verity, there was a level of distrust now that would be hard to breach. Things might not have been shattered, but they certainly were broken.

Only time would tell if the friendship was truly beyond repair.

Ian squeezed her hand as they reached the car. “You okay?”

Haley nodded, though her heart ached. “I think I will be.”

They drove off, leaving Verity to face the consequences of her actions, and Haley to pick up the pieces of what came next.

TWENTY-FOUR

The grand hall of the tribunal felt like a medieval courtroom—a cold, cavernous space with stone walls and too many watchful eyes. Banners from the Iron Claw Pack and the three neighboring packs hung like heavy shadows overhead. The air crackled with tension, thick enough to choke on.

Haley stood beside Ian, her fingers laced tightly with his. She could feel his pulse—strong, steady—but his jaw was clenched hard enough to crack teeth.

At the front of the room, the tribunal sat behind an curved stone table: Alpha Lena of the Riverbend Pack, Alpha Donovan of the Black Ridge Pack, and Alpha Riker of the West Hollow Pack. To the left of the tribunal sat Garrick Thorn, Alpha of the Iron Claw Pack. His usual calm authority was marred by the rigid set of his shoulders and the tick in his jaw.

Haley could hardly believe this was really happening.

“The tribunal will come to order,” Alpha Lena announced. Her silver-streaked braid rested over one shoulder, and her eyes were sharp enough to gut them from across the room. “We are here to hear the case of Ian Johnson, a wolf from the Iron ClawPack, and Haley Wheat, human, who are accused of exposing the existence of werewolves to the human population.”

A growl rumbled through the crowd. Haley’s stomach lurched. There was a big ring in the center of the room. That had to be where the fights were held, if someone happened to lose their case against the tribunal. The idea of Ian having to fight Garrick to the death had Haley feeling faint.

“Alpha Garrick Thorn of the Iron Claw Pack,” Lena continued. “You may present your statement.”

Garrick stood, his expression carefully neutral. “The events in question took place when a social media video posted by Ms. Wheat’s friend, Verity Jones, went viral. The video contained speculative commentary about wolves and referenced Ms. Wheat as the woman’s best friend. However, it did not mention her by name, nor did she mention Ian Johnson’s name.”

Haley’s hands clenched.Damn it, Verity.

“Ms. Wheat and Mr. Johnson were tasked with neutralizing the threat,” Garrick continued. “They confronted Ms. Jones, had her remove the post, and assisted in obtaining and destroying any related media. Ms. Jones willingly signed a nondisclosure agreement. She posted a retraction and explanation that her video was in reference to her favorite paranormal shifter romance series. All evidence from the original video has been eliminated.”

The three alphas exchanged glances. Alpha Donovan leaned forward, his eyes glinting. “And what of the human witness who initially told Ms. Jones about the wolf sighting?”

Haley’s stomach twisted. Aunt Nora.

Ian answered this time, voice low but firm. “Mrs. Scrabbly. She claimed she saw Haley and I kissing, and then she said she saw a big dog that could possibly be a wolf. Verity has assured her aunt that what she thought she’d witnessed was only her imagination.”

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