Love, A Curvy Girl’s Guide (A Curvy Girl’s Guide to Shifters)

Chapter 23

TWENTY-THREE

H aley parked in front of Verity’s townhouse, her pulse hammering in her ears. The porch light was on, and a faint glow from the living room window suggested Verity was home. Ian climbed out first, his presence steady and reassuring as he waited for Haley to join him.

Haley’s legs felt like lead as she climbed the steps. She didn’t bother knocking; she pushed the doorbell, hearing the chime echo inside. Moments later, the door swung open, and Verity appeared, her face shifting from surprise to wariness.

“Haley. Ian,” Verity said, her voice clipped with irritation. “What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk,” Haley said, her tone firm. “Now.”

Verity hesitated, glancing behind her before stepping aside to let them in. The tension in the air was palpable as they entered the cozy living room, the silence stretching taut between them.

“What’s this about?” Verity asked, crossing her arms defensively.

Haley didn’t mince words. “It’s about your post. What did you mean by it?”

Verity scowled. “It was a joke, Haley. I didn’t expect for there to be so many trolls in the comments. It just happened. I’ve taken it down.”

Ian let out a sigh. “It’s more than just a post.”

Verity’s face flushed. “Look, I wasn’t calling you a dog, Haley. It was just weird that my aunt saw you two kissing and then Ian was gone and a wolf was there instead. It didn’t make any sense. It was almost as if Ian had changed into the wolf. But that is impossible. I didn’t think it would?—”

“You didn’t think at all,” Haley cut in, her voice sharp. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“Haley,” Ian broke in, “she doesn’t understand.”

“I understand that you both are being a little overdramatic about this,” Verity huffed defensively.

“You’ve put many lives at risk,” Haley added angrily. “You’ve put our lives at risk.”

The color began to fade from Verity’s face. “What do you mean?”

For the next few minutes, Ian explained what had really happened that night. He told Verity of the curse and where he and Haley had gone. With each new discovery, Verity’s eyes grew larger and her hands clenched tighter together.

“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” Verity said, her voice faltering. “I just... I wanted… We were supposed to be best friends, Haley. And then Ian comes along and you completely ignore me. I wanted people to notice me. To see that I’m just as good as you are. I had no idea that packs or Alphas even existed, much less werewolves.”

Haley’s breath caught, a mix of anger and heartbreak washing over her. “You didn’t just betray me, Verity. You betrayed Ian. The pack. And for what? To feel important?”

Tears welled in Verity’s eyes, but Haley pressed on. “This isn’t about you. It’s about the lives you’ve endangered. So we have to fix it. Lives depend on it—our lives.”

“What can I do?” Verity asked.

“You’ve taken a step in the right direction by pulling it down,” Ian added. “I think a retraction post or publicly admitting that it was just a joke gone wrong would go a long way. I honestly don’t know if it will be enough. But we have to try. Do whatever it takes to undo the damage you’ve caused.”

Verity looked away, her expression conflicted. “I’ll... I’ll think about it.”

Haley leaned closer, her voice low but firm. “No, Verity. You’ll do it. Because if you don’t, it’s not just the Iron Claw Pack coming to silence you. Every pack in the nation will be after the person that’s revealed their secret. This is serious. And I won’t be able to stop them.”

Silence filled the room as Verity absorbed her words. Finally, she nodded, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “I’ll do it. I’ll fix it.”

Haley stared at her for a moment longer. “Okay, let’s get started.”

It took them another hour to concoct a new short video to film. It started with Verity talking about the viral video. She admitted that the video wasn’t based on any living person, but was about her favorite paranormal video game. She claimed she didn’t know why people took things out of context and she would be more careful in the future to include the game cover. Then she gathered her worn copy of Shadow’s Thrall and showed it off .

“This is a video game based on the Lycan Mating Games series. They are spicy werewolf books with shifters, a secret sex school, and more. I’m sorry if anyone was hurt by the earlier post, and especially sorry that some of the comments were so cruel towards real people I love and care about. That was never my intention.”

It was a stilted goodbye to Verity, one that felt far more like a final farewell. It was hard walking out on a friendship that Haley had cherished so deeply. While she didn’t hate Verity, there was a level of distrust now that would be hard to breach. Things might not have been shattered, but they certainly were broken.

Only time would tell if the friendship was truly beyond repair.

Ian squeezed her hand as they reached the car. “You okay?”

Haley nodded, though her heart ached. “I think I will be.”

They drove off, leaving Verity to face the consequences of her actions, and Haley to pick up the pieces of what came next.