Page 67 of A Wolf of War
Not that the teenage girl buried inside her was complaining. She was busy swooning over the handsome, dangerous werewolf who had taken her hostage and…
Willow started shifting in her seat as her pussy began to pulse. She knew without question that both men could scent the change in the air, and the knowledge made her cheeks burn.
They were polite enough not to mention it. But that didn’t mean they hadn’t noticed.
“So, Willow. How are the kittens?” Lachlan asked, breaking the silence with a steady, measured tone that she welcomed.
“They’re adorable.” Her voice softened, but there was a rasp to it. “I really wish I could show my sister. She’s always loved cats.”
The words scraped her throat.Every now and then, the truth of her circumstances crashed back down like a sheet of ice water. She knew she was adapting, making the best of it because that was what people did when their sanity depended on it. But admitting that didn’t make the absence of her sister sting less.
“Well, I’m sure she’ll love them when she gets to meet them.” Lachlan’s eyes stayed on her, unreadable. “Do they have names yet?”
“I’ve got a name picked out for the dog Milo won’t let me get,” Titan cut in, leaning back in his chair.
“Shut up, Titan.” Lachlan didn’t even glance at him, still fixed on Willow.
She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at the youngest of them. “Why is your name Titan?”
Titan blinked. “I—what?”
Heat crept into her cheeks, the realization that she might have been rude landing late. “I just mean, it’s an odd name, I guess.”
“She’s not wrong,” Lachlan chimed in. “It is pretty odd.”
“It’s traditional!” Titan whined, feigning offense as he pressed a hand to his chest.
“What tradition?” Lachlan countered without missing a beat. “My name is traditional. Your name is a god complexwaiting to happen.”
A laugh bubbled out of Willow before she could stop it, light and unguarded. For just a moment, the tension at the table thinned, replaced by something dangerously close to normalcy.
“Alright, seriously, what are the kittens’ names?” Lachlan asked, inclining his head toward Willow again.
“They don’t have names yet.”
“Titan, go grab the rest of the shit from the kitchen.” Milo cut into the conversation, carrying a plate of pancakes piled high in one hand and a jug of maple syrup in the other.
Titan didn’t argue. He pushed back from the table and went without a word.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Willow turned to Milo, who had just settled in beside her. “You don’t have to be such a dick to him. He’s a kid.”
“First of all, Willow, he’s a full-grown man,” Milo said, rolling his eyes.
“A full-grown man who’s killed people,” Lachlan added evenly, as if he were reminding her of the weather.
Willow blinked, the weight of thewords landing heavy. They were right—Titan wasn’t innocent. He wasn’t some boy she had to shield from Milo’s corruption. He’d taken lives, just the same as the rest of them.
And yet, something in her still wanted to protect him.
“Also, word to the wise,” Lachlan said, tapping his ear, “he can hear you patronizing him.”
She blushed, a hand rising to cover her mouth.
Fucking werewolf bullshit superpowers.She didn’t think she’d ever get used to it.
***
After breakfast,Lachlan headed out for a multi-day shift, and Titan was sent off on some urgent errand. The previously upbeat atmosphere disappeared quickly after that, leaving Willow to retreat back to her room.
