Page 78 of The Good Boys Club

“Felix didn’t shift last night, then?” I said, realising he was still sitting with the other unshifted wolves and non-betas.

“We were all expecting it, but no. It’ll happen soon, though, I’m sure,” Clem said. “Thank you for telling him you were sixteen when you shifted for the first time. You eased a weight from his shoulders.”

“That’s no problem.”

“How old were you really?” she asked.

“Six.”

“Wow. You’ll have to tell me all about it at some point. It’s fascinating.”

“First time I did it, I destroyed the living r—” I started to say, but cut myself off as Dylan sat back in her seat, leaned close to Mash and whispered in his ear. Mash laughed and picked something invisible from her collar. She playfully pushed him away, but her hand lingered on his shoulder.

Clem followed the line of my sight, but said nothing.

Riley came to sit down as the other betas began filing into their seats, but Dylan was still touching Mash.

I shouldn’t be annoyed. I didn’t have any claim on him beyond the one we were faking. He was free to flirt with whomever he wanted, though within limits in front of his pack.

I tore my gaze away, but the sound of Mash’s bassy laugh drew my sights again. I had no right to be jealous of her—of them. No right whatsoever. And I ought to be thinking about how Mash’s flirting could actually benefit my job application . . .

Yet . . . if that woman didn’t get her paws off my fake mate this very instant, I was gonna lose my shit.

I cracked my knuckles one by one, starting with my thumbs.

“It’s totally normal to feel like this,” Clem said, placing her hand over mine, stopping the crunching. “I know the feeling well. When the mate bond is as new as yours is, you’re preparedto rip throats. There’s never been anything between them, though. Mash and Dee-Dee, they’re just very good friends.”

“Hmm?” I murmured, not taking my eyes off them.

“I went to school with her. Dee-Dee was in my class at Lykos Academy. If my memory serves me correctly, you have nothing to worry about. Mash is very much the opposite of her type.”

“She keeps touching him,” I said through clenched teeth.

Clem leaned a little closer to me. “I’m not saying this is the cause,” she whispered. “But it certainly couldn’t hurt to reinforce your scent markings again. To ward her off him.”

I raised an eyebrow.

She pointed to my neck. “My theory is you guys are peeing into jugs and then wiping it on each other”—gods—“which is fine. Loads of wolves do it that way, and I guess it’s especially weird for you not being werefolk. You’ll probably never understand all of our bizarre customs. But if you want people to know he’s yours, undeniably and incontestably yours, you’ll want to . . . apply it straight from the tap, if you catch my drift.”

Oh, I caught her drift alright. I made a face. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

She shrugged. “It’s personal preference for sure, but if you want everyone to understand they can’t go around manhandling your mate, you’ll wanna get him nice and covered in your scent.” She drew out the word covered. “There’s nothing wrong with doing it; it’s a natural and ancient werewolf custom. But this generation do it less and less. Everyone’s so happy to eat ass these days, but not piss on each other. Tell me what the difference is.”

I’d chosen a really bad moment to swallow my baklava. I choked. Chopped syrupy nuts shot dangerously close to my nasal cavity. I put a hand over my mouth in case of flying debris. My ears retracted with the momentary lapse of focus.

Clem slapped me on the back.

I slipped out of my chair and onto the floor so people wouldn’t stare, but they were anyway. I could feel all the eyes on me.

“Gods, I’m sorry,” she said, still massaging my back.

I cleared my airway as best as I could, felt my ears to make sure they were still there—still fluffy, still werewolfy—and straightened into my chair.

Mash was there, hovering over the table. “What’s wrong? You dying?”

“No, I’m okay,” I wheezed. “Your sister was talking about eating ass.”

“Clem! Not before dessert, for crying out loud. Also, get your grubby paws off my mate,” Mash said. Clem whipped her hand away from between my shoulder blades. “For that, I’m taking your sweets.”

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