Page 5 of Accidentally Wedded To A Werewolf

Jackson pointed at the roof. “I’m telling you, one day soon that roof’s gonna?—”

“The roof’s not going to cave in,” Oliver said.

Jackson shrugged. “If you say so. If it does, I’ll come help fix it.”

“It won’t happen,” Oliver said icily. “I fixed it myself. It’s a solid roof.”

Another gust of wind rocked the inn. A breeze blew through, making Beth and Jackson shiver.

Ben gave him another pointed look. Oliver shuffled his invoices around, pretending to look busy. He didn’t even know what he was stacking. He’d have to actually sort them out later. They looked important.

Sabine smiled over at Beth. “Are those the chocolates we were talking about?”

“What?” Beth shrank against the drafty wall, her back spikes poking into the wallpaper. There was a ripping noise, and Beth jumped forward, gasping. “Oh god, sorry.”

“No harm done,” Sabine said, holding her hand out for the bag of chocolates.

Ben turned to Oliver. “We’re going to give them out to guests. You know, leave one on their pillow.”

“Right,” Oliver said. “For all the many, many guests who come through this…charminglittle town.”

Ben gave him an irritating grin. The same grin he gave Oliver every time Oliver complained about their alpha dragging them to backwater Alaska to set up an inn in one of the only monster-centric towns on the West Coast. Oliver had half a mind to shut it down as soon as Grandmother transferred her role as alpha to him, which should be happening any day now. They wouldn’t move out of town, of course—they were safe here. Oliver could put up with the annoying locals if his pack was protected. But they were losing money faster than they were earning it. Claw Haven was a safe place for quiet monsters, not a tourist trap. That was why they moved here. What was the point of having an inn in a town nobody passed through?

Oliver waited for Beth and Jackson to shuffle out into the cold. Then he turned to Ben and hissed, “Why are we even doing this? We openedmonthsago. This is stupid.”

“Because Grandmother thought it was time,” Ben said, fixing Oliver with a pointed look.

They were supposed to have the party when they opened. But Oliver kept putting it off, saying they weren’t ready, there were still things around the inn that needed to be fixed.

Grandmother saw right through him,obviously, but she let him have his way for a few months before finally putting her foot down.

We’re an inn, she reminded him when she sent him to drop off invitations.Our doors are supposed to be open.

Not to the people wholivehere,Oliver had argued. The townsfolk of Claw Haven already had homes to go to. They were meant to take in tourists—if this town ever brought in any. As if Oliver would actuallywantany. Strangers were dangerous. Every one of their rare guests made Oliver’s hackles go up. He had to stop himself from growling at the last one: a smarmy human businessman who was in town for his daughter’s wedding and smoked in the lobby despite their very clear NO SMOKING sign. It had taken Oliver ages to get the ash out of the carpet.

Sabine made an impressed sound, digging in the bag of chocolates. “These are so good, Ollie. You have to try one.”

“Give him the wolf one,” Ben suggested.

Another drop fell from the roof.

Oliver groaned. “Where the hell is your kid with the bucket? We have an inn to fix, we don’t need parties. Or chocolate.”

“For someone who hates the inn so much, you sure talk about it a lot,” Ben said. He scratched the counter, his nails too sharp. Not claws yet but getting there. Their wolf qualities slipped out if they got too emotional.

“You know, everyone put in a lot of work setting up this party. You’re being a real?—”

Leo burst into the lobby, carting a rusty old bucket, his light-up sneakers flashing.

“—A-hole,” Ben finished hastily.

“Asshole,” Leo said triumphantly, throwing the bucket down under the leaking ceiling, where the drips were turning into a steady stream.

“Leo,” said Ben and Sabine, whirling to scold him in unison.

Leo shrugged, sitting down on the floor next to the bucket. “What?Youall say it.”

A low, familiar voice made them all turn around. “It’s an adult word, Leo. You can use it later.”

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