Page 20 of The Awakened Wolf

This was true. The four holes were still visible in the left shoulder.

“I’m not biting through your disgusting, smelly hoodie.” Kiana’s black lips pulled back, revealing her glistening wolf maw.

“Okay, okay,” he said, peering around the corner into the larger room. “But you can’t tell anybody.”

He stood and peeled off the hoodie. The T-shirt beneath came with it in one smooth motion, revealing a flawless row of chiseled abs. No, that wasn’t even fair. Have you ever seen one of those male models who looks like his abs have developed new abs? Like he has a thirty-six pack or something? Yeah, that was the first third of our new friend. Then came the strong pecs, like muscular pillows you could imagine resting your head upon, if their owner were so generous.

The cherry on top was his popping biceps, like he’d been one of us for years already. I’d reached full shock and awe, or so I’d thought, but then the fabric cleared his neck, and from it emerged a stubbled jaw, strong bones, and dark curly-ish hair that fell into his long-lashed hazel eyes.

Evan grabbed my arm and hissed, “Holy shift.”

Chapter Eight

“Cody Chism,” I murmured.

We never called him by his name, only ‘Jayla’s future husband’, but I knew it from every poster in every subway station in the city, including the one where I’d first met Sebastian. Hell, there had probably been one under all that graffiti in the 91st Street station this morning. I’d turned the world’s most famous cat into…

His mouth turned up at the corner. “In the flesh.”

“This is bad.” Evan’s fingers dug into my arm. “What if his disappearance is on the news already? Or his transformation?”

“I know it’s bad, Evan. And you pointing that out isn’t helping.”

I was sure I’d done something worse in the past. I just couldn’t think of it now. Prior concerns about whether my shifters had children or jobs or lives came rushing back. Of course, they had lives. And jobs. Like being super-famous television stars.

Oh, Gods, I’m fluffed.

Fortunately, I could see the confusion on my sister’s face at my reaction. Her complete ignorance of pop culture was finally working out in my favor because she didn’t recognize Cody. We’d find out soon enough if what was done was done or if we could reverse this situation. But first I had to find out how bad it was.

“Were you with anyone at the park, Cody?” I asked carefully.

“Nah. I was just hanging out on a rock, practicing meditation because my, uh, boss says I’m not doing it right, when I heard a bunch of shouting. It was weird. At first, I just ignored it because, New York… am I right?” He forced his famous smile like his publicist could see him, but it didn’t reach his infamous bedroom eyes.

“Ah, yeah totally,” I said, not wanting to rush him, but eager to get to the point.

“So anyway, they come closer, and I see it’s anti-shifter protestors, and I think that’s hilarious. You know, kinda meta. To protest something that doesn’t exist.” He laughed darkly. “So I go a little closer thinking I could film them and maybe use some of it like found footage for the show. But with each step I took, I could feel their anger in the air and was like… breathing it in. Suddenly I’m shouting along with them and somehow I’ve got a sign in my hand? It was wild. Like someone had taken over my body and I was inside like, ‘Yo, why we all freaking out about a TV show again?’ And then like, ‘Wait, this is my TV show!’ But I couldn’t stop myself.”

“Like body snatchers?” Evan asked.

“Yeah, like part of me knew it wasn’t right but that wasn’t the part in charge of my body. Then all the wolves showed up, and it was like… the hold on me disappeared, and I was like, standing in the middle of a thunderstorm, soaking wet, people all around me all screaming. I thought they wanted autographs, then I started seeing bodies.” He shook his head, running his hands through his hair. It fell back into his eyes in delicious slow-motion. “Like waking up but you wake up into the nightmare.”

I wasn’t sure if the collective intake of breath from everyone present had more to do with his story or the way his eyes and hair worked together to make the world seem like a better place. There was something familiar in his features, though, someone I couldn’t quite place. Probably just him, since he was famous,

“All this time, I thought my… thought she made all that mental crap up.” He shrugged, those otherworldly eyes sliding off to one side. “But now I’m wondering if she took Evan’s Werewolves 101 course.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt this charming journey down Recent Memories We’d All Like to Forget Lane,” Kiana interrupted, “but can I bite him now?”

Cody’s eyes went stretchy like twin balloons.

“It’s okay,” I said inside his head, as my sister had just done, and threw her a glare. “This is another thing we can do sometimes. Consider it Werewolves 201.”

“No, this is a thing we can do in wolf form and that Alphas and Betas can do to subordinates.” Kiana scowled. “All the other communication that seems to be happening lately…” She eyed me and Evan. “…is aberrant and needs to stop. And we are not werewolves.”

“It’s okay,” Cody said, turning his left side to her. “Go ahead.”

“It has to be your right side.”

“Is it going to scar?” This came out jittery, nerves finally getting the best of him.

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