Page 52 of Awakened
Marie’s lips twitched. “You know, they’re a lot older than you realize.”
“Huh.” I turned back to Taylor and found them smiling at us. “How old?”
Marie snorted. “Older than me.”
I frowned at her, my eyes instantly going to the gray at her temple.
“I’ve had a hard life.” She chuckled and brushed her fingers over her hair. “It ages you.”
“Ah. Are they as old as Cookie?”
As if summoned, Cookie hooked her arm through mine. “You never ask about a lady’s age.”
“Fuck you,” Marie mumbled, took a swig of her beer, and walked away.
“Sorry.” I cringed. The last thing I wanted to do was offend the oldest member of our pack. At least, I’d thought she was the oldest.
“No worries, Beta.” She bumped my shoulder. “Weres are so tight-lipped about their ages. I think it’s a holdover from when we were in hiding. You’d think that The Great Reveal never happened with how some of them act.”
“You still haven’t told me how old you are.”
Her smile grew, and she patted my hand. “I’m 243 years young.”
I whipped my head toward her, blinking rapidly.
“What?” She smoothed her fingers down her cheek. “I take care of myself. If you’re lucky, I’ll share my secrets with you.”
“Yes, please.”
Cackling, she led me to Melanie, then caught a whiff of someone smoking a joint and went in search of it.
“How are you doing?”
Melanie beamed at me, wrapping her arm around Beau. “Tired, but great.”
“It gets easier. Thank Goddess.”
Beau gazed down at his wife with so much love and adoration it made my heart ache.
I want that.
It wasn’t the first time the thought of an actual relationship had floated through my mind, but it was the first time I felt ready to even consider risking my heart. The realization was jarring.
“She was a natural. I bet she’s able to control the full moon shift before the end of the year.”
With dopey, love-sick eyes, Melanie grinned up at him. “Really? Taylor said it’s not unusual for it to take a couple of years for a turned-wolf to be able to fight the itch of the full moon.”
He wrapped his massive arms around her and pulled her flush against his barrel chest. “Yeah, but they aren’t you.”
Kill me.
“I’m just going to—” I pointed toward the bonfire.
They didn’t care. They were too busy kissing the ever-living shit out of each other.
As I was mingling with my pack members, a car pulled up.
“Les, Loverboy’s here.” Alex nudged me, pointing across the field with her beer can.
