Page 24 of It All Started with a Bite

“How long have you been a witch?”

“Since I was born, so longer than you’ve been alive.”

Ellie missed the sarcasm and brightened.

Mrs. Chen gave her a sharp look. “No, you can’t just become one.”

Ellie visibly deflated.

Mrs. Chen cut her eyes to me. “The Hawthornes are trouble.” She sipped her tea and pretended not to see the perturbed look Ellie, Bo, and I exchanged. “That pack has been in Amberford since the town was founded. Did you know they own half the businesses here?”

“No, I didn’t.” I hesitated before carefully adding, “Is being rich their only crime?”

“It’s not about the money. The rumor mill is rife with stories about them. Strange disappearances. Small mom-and-pop businesses going under.” Mrs. Chen frowned. “Let’s put it this way. No one messes with the Hawthornes. Not if they want to live to see another day.”

My stomach sank.

It appeared I was now a member of a mafia werewolf pack.

Mimi jumped onto the table and fixed me with a piercing stare. “You’re his luna, aren’t you?”

Mrs. Chen spat out her tea.

I frowned at the cat. “How did you know that?”

“You smell different. Not just because you’re newly turned.” Mimi flicked her tail. “You have the same aura as Samuel Hawthorne. Like you’re his mate.”

I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that.

Mrs. Chen patted her mouth with a paper napkin. “This is worse than I thought,” she muttered grimly.

Unease coiled through me. I’d never seen my neighbor so uneasy. Not even when she found the college kid in her petunias.

She met my wary gaze. “Abby, you are now the luna of the most influential werewolf pack on the East Coast.”

My mouth went dry. “What?”

“The Hawthornes aren’t just one of the powerful supernatural families in Amberford,” Mrs. Chen explained. “Their reputation and authority reaches far afield.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Ellie glanced awkwardly from me to Mrs. Chen.

Our neighbor shook her head. “No. It means Abby now has a lot of enemies. People who will want to use her or hurt her. A luna can be a pack’s strength, just as she can also be its weakness.”

Bo whined and pressed against my leg. Ellie hunched her shoulders.

Heat flushed through my body. “I didn’t ask for any of this.”

Mrs. Chen watched me for a moment. “No one ever asks to be turned.” She patted my hand. “But fate has a way of putting us exactly where we need to be, whether we like it or not.” She hesitated. “Maybe this was always meant to be.”

9

How to Train Your Werewolf

Eight hourslater found me standing in my bedroom and staring at my closet.

I was trying to figure out what constituted appropriate attire for werewolf training.

“How about your old yoga pants?” Bo suggested from my bed. “You know, the ones with the hole in the?—”

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