Page 17 of Wanderlust With Wolves

Something flickers in her eyes.

And then?—

She smiles.

“I’d like that.”

And just like that, my day feels lighter.

Even as I leave her, even as I head toward duty and obligation, the weight of waiting for her isn’t so unbearable.

Because she wants to see me again.

And that?

That’severything.

Chapter Eight

RIBBONS, RITUALS, AND UNSPOKEN THINGS

Maya

I need a break.

I love my job, but after staring at my laptop for hours, trying to make my brain produce coherent words, I need something else to focus on. Something indulgent.

So, naturally, I head to the lodge.

The spa treatments here are divine, and even though I’ve already memorized the menu, I still pretend to browse, letting my eyes drift over the offerings like I haven’t already planned exactly how I’m going to pamper myself.

This isnice.

A world away from my usual routine—military-speed showers in the van, self-care that consists of drugstore sheet masks, and stretching in a gas station parking lot when I’ve been driving too long.

As I’m debating whether I should upgrade to a body wrap (because if I’m going all in, I might as well goall in), Luna appears, looking completely unbothered by the fact that she isan enormous, graceful wolf woman carrying a basket of ribbons and dried flowers.

She stops when she sees me and grins. “I have an offer.”

I raise a brow. “Oh?”

“You help put up Sweetheart Wilds Festival decorations, and your treatments are on the house.”

I narrow my eyes. “What kind of labor are we talking?”

Luna waves a hand. “A little ribbon tying, floral arranging, ambiance creating—just things to make the lodge look extra charming while the boys are away handlingimportant wulver things.”

“Uh-huh.” I lean back, pretending to consider. “So manual labor in exchange for luxury?”

Luna smirks. “Precisely.”

“Deal.”

I don’t regret my decision.

Not one bit.

Because forty-five minutes later, I am sprawled face-down on a massage table, melting into oblivion as a pair of expert hands undo every knot of tension in my body.

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