Page 29 of Finding the Forward: Part One
Jonas was allhave fun, be careful.
Still, I wanted to see where this went. Yes, I’d get my little kitten mewing, if not tonight. Soon.
Chapter Nine
Verity
Well, that got dirty fast. Heat flooded my core as I took a moment to finish my cake and compose myself.
Everything I’d felt on the plane was still there. It also made me wonder, was he looking for me? Or was it a coincidence?
Especially since it wasn’t about the sweatshirt.
I sipped my tea. “Sorry, I... I didn’t mean to monopolize the conversation. Please, tell me you won the big game?”
“We did. It was the best game of my career–and the Hurricanes won the championship,” he told me, looking ecstatic.
Relief washed over me. “Oh, good. I was worried that I’d make you lose. But you won and then theytradedyou?”
“That was why I was so wound up about the seat. Winning meant I couldfinallyget traded to the Knights and be with Dean, Jonas, and AJ,” he confessed. “We’re forming our pack.”
“Your pack. You wanted to get traded so you could start your pack. That makes so much sense,” I breathed, getting it instantly.
The fact that my giant lumberjack had a pack didn’t deter me as long as we weren’t crossing any boundaries.
“We were dumb and didn’t form a pack back before we went pro. Though we hadn’t met AJ yet. We also didn’t think it would takesix yearsfor us to all make it to the same city.” He took a sip of coffee.
“Congratulations.” Six years? That seemed impossibly cruel.
“The paperwork is done and ready to be filed. We’re just waiting out the city’s residency requirement. It’s six months here–and you have to have four people to form a pack. It’s different than back in Boston,” Grif added.
“I’m so glad you can form your pack now.” The rules to form a pack were different in different places, though these seemed quite strict.
“We got our pack tattoos over the summer, Dean designed them. AJ picked our name. We’re the Lune Noire pack.” Grif pulled off his sweatshirt and showed me the Celtic hockey tattoo on his bicep that I’d seen peaking out from under his sleeve earlier.
“I love them! Black Moon? You’re werewolves? On the plane, you did have the scruffy werewolf beard. Sorry, I read a lot of paranormal romance this summer.” I couldn’t help it, even if I shouldn’t poke fun at it.
Grif gave a little snarl. “I’m going to eat you up, little girl.”
“Oh no, don’t eat me,” I laughed.Oh, yes, please eat me.
“My beard was bushy for finals. Can’t cut off the luck.” His smile went all the way to his eyes.
“True. I’m guessing it’s not your last name?” The parents had all changed their last name to Thorne, which Dad had picked, and also used it as their pack name.
“We’re all keeping our own last names for now because we’re all established professionally. Not sure AJ’s ever read a paranormal romance. Jonas has probably read werewolf books,” he chuckled.
“Jonas sounds like my sort of guy. You’re all hockey players?” I took another sip. I’d always felt more comfortable with athletes than academics. Another thing that made my parents think less of me.
“AJ’s retired. Let me assure you thatthis,” he motioned to the two of us. “Is okay. They know about you. They know I’m here with you. I’m a little surprised Dean hasn’t shown up. He likes to be the center of attention and issocurious about you.”
He told them about me? Hope lit up inside me. Now that I found him it would be difficult to let him go. Part of me already wanted him to be mine even though we barely knew each other.
“I think every pack has one of those,” I laughed, relieved that he wasn’t breaking any pack rules. The last thing I wanted was to bethatalpha.
Getting his phone, he showed me a picture of two little red-headed boys in hockey gear.Adorable.
“This is my husband, Dean. We met playing hockey when we were five. This summer, we finally got married. Now we both play for the Knights. He’s a goalie.” Grif switched to one of them in suits.
