Chapter 15
JULIET
I’m almost certain I’m sitting at a table with a werewolf.
The Wild Rabbit is a busy restaurant with people talking and laughing and eating in every inch of the place.
To go along with the name, the walls are covered in framed images of famous bunnies.
The decor should be tacky, but instead, the mismatched elements come off as shabby chic.
I’ve only ever come in to pick up some takeout from the bar, getting an outside glimpse of the revelry.
Tonight though, I’m seated at the largest table in the place with the local crafting group.
Zoey was the one who texted me about coming to Sip ’N Stitch. I don’t knit, or crochet, or sew, but I figured I could bring my paper crafts and drink just like the rest of the members of the group.
Besides, it’s time I lay down more roots in this town. Make more friendships. Get more allies to keep a certain wolf from sending me on my way.
As I carefully cut out paper leaves, I glance out of the corner of my eye, attempting to study Courtney on the other side of Zoey.
She, like Thad and Roderick and Warner, gives off wolfy vibes.
I don’t know what part of my brain picks up on the clues, but I’m almost positive she goes hairy at the full moon.
Part of my mind tells me I should be scared. For me and for Zoey.
But the charismatic woman has been friendly all night, joking about love lives and drawing the attention away from me when a club member or two got a little too nosy.
Doesn’t seem like Courtney is here on Roderick’s agenda. Not looking to intimidate me into abandoning Pine Falls.
If anything, Courtney seems interested in becoming my friend.
Maybe she’s close with Thad, and he told her to go easy on me?
Could this werewolf be my ally?
The possibility is hard to fathom after my experience with the Bear Valley pack. Most of those wolves knew the kind of partner Cory was. They saw the bruises. With their supernatural hearing, I’m sure they caught the way he would yell at me, even if he did it behind closed doors.
None of those wolves offered any help or comfort.
In fact, there was a faction of the pack, led by the pack leader’s daughter, who went out of their way to make my life hell, even outside of the house.
Janeen was a tall, blonde, gorgeous woman who could be meaner than a honey badger when she didn’t get her way.
She wanted Cory.
He wanted me.
Therefore, she hated me.
After I learned the truth about Cory’s personality, I would’ve been happy to hand the asshole over.
Mainly because I’d be passing him to a fearsome werewolf that could tear into him if he tried to lay hands on her.
But I had no way of conveying my longing to leave him to Janeen without word getting back to Cory.
The moment he found out I was trying to pawn him off, I’d pay the consequences.
So, I kept my mouth shut and dealt with her small acts of cruelty.
All the while, we could have been on the same side.
Still, Janeen probably wouldn’t have teamed up with me even if she knew how I really felt. Humans were seen as less than in the Bear Valley pack.
I’d thought Cory was different at first. He didn’t pretend I was invisible or sneer at me when I tried talking to him. When we first met, he was charming, flirtatious, and protective. I thought I’d found a man to build a life with. I thought I was in love.
Turned out, Cory thought of me as property. Something to be owned. Something to be used. He’d said he loved me, but how can you claim to love a person if you don’t see them as an equal?
“Do you ever worry about paper cuts?” Courtney leans back in her chair so she can talk to me around Zoey, who sits between us.
Her question pulls me from the past and back to the present moment in The Wild Rabbit.
I’m not trapped with Cory anymore. Pine Falls is my home now, and I’m going to make friends and build a life here without fear.
“Not really.” I extend my hand to show her the calluses on my fingertips. “My skin is tough.”
She reaches out her own palm to cup mine briefly, and I’m proud that I don’t flinch at her touch. “Damn, these are farming hands. Don’t tell me you earned them from working in a library.”
I chuckle in response to her teasing smile. “No. Got these from rock climbing.”
Courtney’s eyes widen. “Rock climbing? That’s badass!”
“Yeah.” I smile and shrug. “Haven’t gone in a while though.” It’s been so long that I’m surprised my calluses haven’t disappeared.
The last time I went climbing was when I lived in Bear Valley. There was a decent cliff face a couple of miles outside of town, and as long as I went on foot, Cory didn’t give me a hard time about going. When I hiked somewhere, he could track me down.
I’m always aware of that now. How my scent must cling to things. How it could give me away if Cory ever goes to a place I’ve been.
The thought of it makes leaving Pine Falls, even for a short trip, uncomfortable. As if I might expose myself.
But that’s letting fear rule my life, and I’ve decided I’m done with that. If I was brave enough to camp out overnight with Zoey, I can be brave enough to travel for some good cliffs to climb.
And maybe even be brave enough to befriend a wolf.
“Do you ever climb?” I ask Courtney.
“Me? Ugh. No way. Heights are not my thing. Feet firm on the ground is what I say!” Then she leans toward me, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “But legs in the air if the moment is right.” That comment comes paired with a waggle of her brows.
I bite my lip to keep from laughing, but Zoey lets out an inelegant snort, having overheard.
This woman has no filter.
Hester’s words come back to me.
“Do not get comfortable around the nice people in the world. Get comfortable around the honest ones.”
Courtney might not be shouting from the rooftops that she’s a werewolf, but her genuine responses and raunchy jokes scream of a brutally honest nature.
As the Sip ’N Stitch meeting wraps up, everyone pays for their drinks and packs up their crafts.
I carefully tuck away the tissue paper I was cutting before walking outside with Zoey and Courtney, smiling as the two of them debate glitter versus sequins.
But when we get to the parking lot, my happy expression fades from my face at the sight of a werewolf waiting on a bike.
The guy isn’t Roderick, but his brother Warner. The man is handsome, with a teasing smile aimed at Zoey.
“Your chariot awaits!” he announces, offering a helmet.
Zoey faces Courtney and me with a blush and a smile. “Warner is giving me a ride. I’ll see you both around.”
My instinct is to grab her arm. To drag her away from the charming wolf.
It’s a mask. He’ll hurt you, the panicked voice whispers in my head.
I thought she was leaving town soon. Why is she looking at him like he’s something important to her?
“Juliet?”
The sound of my new name snags my attention, and I shift my gaze away from the flirtatious pair to find Courtney staring at me.
“Huh?”
“Did you drink too much? You look sick.” She presses a warm hand to my forehead. “You need a bucket to hurl in? I’ll find you one.”
The offer is almost enough to get me to laugh away my panic, but not quite.
“Sorry. No. Just … had a bad memory.”
Courtney looks from where Zoey is climbing on the back of Warner’s bike to me. The woman seems to understand more than I want her to.
“Did you know I rescue chickens?” she asks.
I blink, trying to make sense of her shift in conversation. “You what?”
“Chickens. I rescue them.” Courtney hooks her thumbs in the belt loops of her jeans. “They usually come from factory farms. They’re a mess when I get them.”
“Oh. That’s nice of you.”
“Yep. I’m a gods-damn angel.” She grins, then tilts her head toward the biker werewolf. The guy is whispering something to Zoey, and her face lights up with a grin, her eyes twinkling. “Warner helped me build the coops.”
“Um … cool.” Where is she going with this?
“Yeah. I didn’t even ask for his help. I just mentioned it, and he showed up the next day, ready to work.”
My eyes go back to Warner and Zoey, where the wolf is taking a moment to make sure my friend’s helmet is properly clipped under her chin. His hands are gentle, as if Zoey’s head is precious and requires delicate handling.
“You trying to tell me something, Courtney?” I murmur the question, though I think I’ve already picked up on what she’s putting down.
“Just that Warner helped me build a home for rescued chickens.” She shrugs. “Why? What did you think I was trying to tell you?”
I shake my head, even as a smile pushes at my cheeks. After a moment of hesitation, I make a decision. Maybe it’s a risk. But I’m tired of being scared.
“You know, I think I’d like to see those chicken coops one day.”
Courtney’s grin splits across her face, and her joy is almost too beautiful to behold. “I’d love to have you over. Anytime.”
And just like that, I’ve befriended another wolf.