Page 60 of The Awakened Wolf

Jayla stared at his lips. “Whenever you want.”

“Cody!” Moira stamped her foot so hard the table rattled. “It’s time to go.”

“Wait!” Kiana tugged on her hand. “I didn’t even get to tell you why I let him go so he would lead you here!”

“Excuse me.” Moira offered her a tight smile and untangled their hands. She stalked across the room and grabbed Cody by his hood, yanking him backward just as his hands were reaching for Jayla’s face. “Get in the car, Cody. I will be down shortly.”

“Mom, stop!” he whined. “I think I’m, like, in love with her.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Moira snarled, and then she held out a hand to Jayla. “No offense. I’m sure you’re a very nice girl.”

“I’m going to be a doctor,” Jayla said as if that might sway Moira’s opinion.

“Oh, sweetie,” Moira said, patting her son on the chest. “He’s not smart enough for you. Keep looking.”

“I can’t.” Jayla slid off the front of the table and grabbed Cody’s hand. “He’s mine.”

Moira closed her eyes, and judging from the fluttering of her lips she was counting to ten. I glanced up at Sebastian, who was watching the scene unfold with an expression of deep secondhand embarrassment. Pressing my cheek over his heart, I privately whispered, “Yeah, you did sound that silly sometimes.”

His arm snugged around my waist, and he kissed the top of my head. I never thought I’d be grateful for the way our relationship started, but I would hate to have to live with memories as cringe as the ones Jayla and Cody were currently making.

“Cody, you will not do this to me,” Moira said quietly. “This isn’t real. You’ve had a very scary week, and you’re in a very fragile place, and this is all just pheromones, okay? I’m taking you back to L.A. and—”

“No,” Cody growled, jerking away from her. He wrapped his arms around Jayla and glared at his mother with a petulant expression made for close-ups. “She’s mine.”

Moira’s jaw worked angrily. “Fine. I’ve tried being your mother, but we both know I’m better at being your boss. If you don’t get in that car and come back to L.A., you will be in breach of contract, and I will be well within my rights to replace you. Is that what you want? You want season three to start with some cheap Cody Chism knockoff?”

“Mom, you’re embarrassing me in front of my mate,” Cody pouted, nuzzling his nose in Jayla’s short curls. Her hand had found its way onto his broad chest. “I brought you here. You said your peace. Just go home. I’ve got a phone now. I can call.”

“No, I won’t replace you,” Moira muttered. “I’ll write you off. You won’t even get a heroic death. We’ll just… do a little time jump and…” Moira bit her lip, her eyes darted wildly back and forth as if considering the possibilities. “I’ll make her a lesbian. It won’t be a hard sell. Is that what you want? To get unceremoniously dumped and never mentioned again?”

Cody’s brow furrowed with confusion. “You know that’s a character you made up, right? And I’m, like… a real person you actually made?”

“You know what?” Moira walked away from him. “I like this idea, so I’m actually going to go work on it while it’s still fresh. Stay here. Get married. Have puppies. I don’t care. We’re in a nosedive, and this…” Moira shook a finger at no one in particular. “This could get us back on top.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,” Jayla waved her hands in the air. “Let’s all just calm down before we make any rash decision. Maybe I could just come to L.A. with you?”

“I just gave you a job!” Kiana shouted. “You’re not going anywhere. And neither are you!” She grabbed Moira by the arm and yanked her around. “I let him bring you here for a reason, and now that I know who you are, I’m even more certain you owe us.”

“Owe you?” Moira peeled Kiana’s fingers from her arm. “For what?”

“Nobody was paying the slightest bit of attention to us until your show came out, and then suddenly everyone on earth wanted to know if we were real or not, and if we run around naked all the time or not—which we don’t, by the way, so maybe you could fix that if you don’t get canceled over this.”

“Are you threatening me?” Moira looked halfway delighted by Kiana’s nerve.

“I watch the news,” Kiana said. “I know what everyone is saying on both sides of the issue, and you are very likely to be without a job by the end of the summer, along with all of the cast and crew members who depend on you, so I am offering you the chance to set the record straight.”

“And how do you propose I do that?”

“Make a movie. A true movie. About us.”

“You want me to… make a biopic?” Moira chuckled.

“I don’t know what that is.” Kiana looked at me helplessly. “Elyse, what do I mean? A movie that’s real.”

After I picked up my jaw and fastened it back on, I said, “A documentary?”

“Sure,” Kiana said. She grasped Moira’s hands, and I swear I had no idea my sister had the capacity to be quite so touchy-feely. “Make us look good, make yourself look good. Before they round us up and kill us.”

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