Page 60 of Rugged

I’d read all theHarry Potterbooks. I knew how this worked. Johnny had said it was a full moon, and I hadn’t thought anything of it. But in the story, Professor Lupin was a wonderful man who couldn’t help what he became at the full moon. That must be what was happening with Johnny. Why he sometimes lost control, like at the bar the night before. Why he was afraid that he would “go too far“ with me tonight.

I couldn’t fault him for that, could I?

I knew Johnny didn’t want to hurt anyone. That he cared deeply about those around him, including me.

I had great compassion for his plight. It must have been horrible to be subject to another side of yourself every time the moon was full.

I wasn’t going to reject him over this. I loved this guy. Warts and fur and all.

I definitely didn’t want them to go hunt him. Should I keep it to myself?

“Johnny…”

“Did he really bite you?” Becky asked kindly. Calmly. Too calmly.

I looked at her with wide eyes. How could she be so matter of fact? Did she know?

My hand came back to the place on my neck wherehis tooth had nicked me. They didn’t know my little cut was from a bite. I could have cut myself all kinds of ways.

Which meantthey knew.

“He’s a wolf.” I said it as a statement, not a question.

“Yes, honey,” Becky said in the same tone of voice that a parent used when they had to admit Santa wasn’t real.

We were at the ranch house now, and they hustled me into the kitchen. Audrey grabbed a paper towel, folded it up, and pressed it to my neck to stop the bleeding. “Get me the medical kit,” she said to Marina.

So they knew about Johnny, and they accepted him anyway. I knew they were nice people. I was so glad they had his back.

But–oh God–what were the implications for me?

“Am I infected now too?” I squeaked.

Natalie pushed me into a kitchen chair and sat down in one facing me. She held my hand that wasn’t holding my sheet around me.

Her eyes pinned mine. “You’re not infected. It’s not a disease. They’re a different species from us.”

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly very dry. “They?”

Did that mean…

Wolf Ranch!The very name of the place was a giveaway.

“All the guys are werewolves?”

“Wolf shifters.” Marina arrived with a first aid kit, which she set on the table and opened. “Not werewolves.”

Becky immediately pulled out alcohol swabs, ripped one open, and handed it to Audrey.

“What’s the difference?” I asked, my eyes darting between them.

“Werewolves don’t exist. They’re the things of horror movies. Lore handed down through history from humans who saw wolf shifters and didn’t understand them. That’s why we keep their existence a secret. Otherwise, they’d be hunted and killed.”

Audrey cleaned my wound and inspected it which stung now from the alcohol wipe more than anything else. “This isn’t too deep. And it looks like it was just one tooth.” She met the gaze of her sister over my head, but I couldn’t interpret their look.

I didn’t have time to ask though because I heard Johnny shouting outside. “Lyssa? Fuck, Lyssa?”

The door flew open, and my boyfriend stood there–buck naked in front of everyone–his wild eyes seeking out mine. He was dirty, sweaty, and had a piece of grass in his hair.

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