Chapter 5
Five
T here was a chocolate wolf on the pillow the next morning.
It would’ve been sweet, Luna considered as she waited for Hector to pick up, if it didn’t mean that someone had snuck into her room while she was sleeping.
The landline clicked. “Stranded fiancée?”
Luna laughed, twirling the chord of her bathrobe. “Are you just answering every unknown number like that?”
“Every landline number with an Alaskan area code,” Hector said. “How was the night? No nibbles?”
“No one ate me,” Luna replied, turning the wolf chocolate over in her hands. She popped it into her mouth and chewed. “Oh wow , that’s delicious.”
“Hmm?”
“Nothing.” Luna swallowed, already missing the bitter taste. She didn’t usually like dark chocolate, but this was delightful. “Do you remember that time you invested in those terrible cheese graters?—”
“There’s still a market for graters that scream when you grate things, babe.”
“My point is,” Luna said, licking chocolate off her teeth. “I didn’t laugh at you that hard. Because I love you.”
“Alright,” Hector said. There was the sound of glass clinking on his end of the line, and Luna groaned as she imagined him sitting on some beach in the Bahamas. “What did you do?”
“ I didn’t do anything.” Luna bit her thumbnail, wincing when it pulled a strip of pink manicure off. “But say I stumbled into a totally unwanted, unconsummated marriage with a werewolf who hates me almost as much as I hate him. Would you be mad?”
There was a long silence. Then Hector snorted.
“I said not to laugh,” Luna whined. “This isn’t funny!”
“Your mom and brother will find it hilarious,” Hector said. “Your dad’s going to laugh and then tell you to sue the hell out of them.”
“I’m not going to sue them,” Luna argued, fitting her feet into the snow boots Sabine had given her last night. “They’re nice. Weirdly nice, actually. Not the guy I’m stuck with, but everyone else. Also, are wolves really affectionate with each other? Because I spent ten minutes around them, and they are constantly touching.”
“That’s a wolf thing,” Hector said confidently. “Wait, back up. What the hell happened at that party?”
“I didn’t even make it to the party. The roof caved in.”
“What?”
Luna sighed and explained the rest of her night. The mystery booze, the snow, the roof. Her scowling, closed-off husband, who seemed just as enthused about the situation as she was. His sweet family, who had treated her alarmingly nice, even if the uncle was super goddamn creepy.
“And they dragged my car out of the snow and fitted the wheels with chains, and I think they want to take me to buy warmer clothes,” she finished. “And they keep joking that I’m family! At least until the snow thaws and they can go up the mountain to get the weird divorce flower.”
Hector started giggling.
“Shut up,” Luna told him. “I’m suffering !”
She rubbed her chest. Sabine had mentioned it when they were in her bedroom gathering clothes. You’ll be able to feel him , she’d said. It won’t be as powerful since you’re not a wolf. But you’ll be able to feel him a little. Right there in your chest.
And there it was. It had been warm when they’d been in the same room. Now it was cold, a small sliver of it right in the center of her chest. Trying to make her go toward him. He wasn’t far. Still on the property. Wait, why did she know that?
“So,” Hector said when his laughter trailed off. “When you say unconsummated ?—”
A knock on the door drowned the rest of his words out .
“I have to go,” Luna blurted. “Love you. Hope the mai tais are tolerable!”
She threw the landline back into its cradle, relieved by the distraction. Any other time, she would’ve welcomed Hector’s teasing, but for some reason, she didn’t want to hear him make fun of her for this. It felt weird. Like she was doing something wrong. Which she hadn’t, obviously. She’d never even touched the guy, let alone slept with him. And still, she had this strange guilty feeling as she flung the door open.
Sabine waved a thick jacket at her. “Hey! Just wanted to drop this off.”
“Thanks,” Luna said, pulling on the jacket. It was heavy , perfect for the Alaskan weather she hadn’t packed for. “Oh my god, this is perfect. Thank you.”
“No problem.” Sabine brushed her hair out of her eyes, and Luna made sure not to stare at the deep scar that rode over her left eye. She pulled it off, at least. Luna had been taught young that if you were confident, you could pull almost everything off. Sabine wore quiet confidence in spades.
“Was that your fiancé I heard?” Sabine asked. “He sounds cute. What’s he like?”
“He’s great,” Luna said. “His family makes kitchen appliances.”
Sabine waited. “But what’s he like?”
Luna tried to remember what his most recent magazine interview said about him. She didn’t often have to tell people what Hector was like; they already knew who he was.
“He’s cute and funny,” Luna said. “And so, so fun. That’s why we’re perfect together. He found out that his fiancée got accidentally werewolf hitched, and he laughed his butt off.”
“Wow. Sounds like a laid-back guy.”
“He is. He’ll be on a deck chair in the Bahamas right now, soaking up the sun. Or moon. I don’t remember what time it is over there right now.”
She headed into the hall. Sabine fell into step beside her easily.
“I can take you into town after I drop Leo off at school,” Sabine offered. “Or an aunt can take you. They have knitting club with the minotaurs later.”
“I was actually looking forward to some me time,” Luna said, trying to wince as cutely as possible as they headed through the lobby. “Thank you, guys, so much for snow-proofing the car. And lugging it out of the snow. I’ll throw in a tip when I pay for the sign!”
“Thanks,” Sabine said slowly. “Are you sure? Californians don’t have the best luck on Claw Haven roads in the winter.”
“I’m sure,” Luna said as she opened the front door, shivering at the slap of cold air. At least it wasn’t snowing anymore.
“Wow, that’s icy. This jacket’s a lifesaver. Well, bye!” She closed the door in Sabine’s hesitant face. She didn’t even make it down the snowy ramp before a familiar voice stopped her.
“—can tell me how to do it,” Oliver said from above her. “But I’m gonna be the one doing it. Alright? ”
Luna strode out into the driveway and craned her head.
Oliver stood on the snowy roof, looking far too assured for someone standing on a holey roof in the snow. In shorts , no less. Luna eyed his toned thighs, the hair dark and thick, getting thicker as they vanished into his too-tight fabric. She wanted to squeeze them. She was pretty sure most of that want was her own. The bond in her chest pulsed with heat, melting the ice that had been building up while she’d been apart from him.
“Course,” said a voice to Luna’s left. She looked over to see a dragon standing in the driveway, smoke drifting up from his scaly nostrils.
“Just want to save you trouble down the line,” the dragon continued, thumbing his belt. “Not worth fixing anything properly until the snow melts. Too damn slippery up there.”
“Werewolves heal fast, Jackson,” Oliver reminded him, frowning at the tarp he was nailing down over the hole.
The dragon’s wings twitched where they were folded against his back like he was expecting to have to use them soon.
“I know. Still doesn’t mean you should give yourself a broken leg when you go tumbling off—” He noticed Luna and was startled. “Well, hey, stranger. You must be the wife. I’m Jackson. Heard you’re stuck here until the snow thaws. Luckily, you got here just before spring. How’re you doing?”
He stuck out a hand. Luna shook it, surprised at how smooth the underside of the dragon’s palm was. No scales, just supple leathery skin.
“I’ll be better once I’m somewhere they don’t know how to put snow chains on car tires,” Luna told him, trying not to glance back at Oliver’s toned thighs. “I’m an LA girl at heart.”
Jackson laughed. “Well, let us know if we can make your stay more enjoyable. The Musgroves are a good bunch, but they don’t know all the spots us locals know.”
Luna’s eyes lit up. If she was stuck here until the snow thawed, she’d need to kill time until then. “That would be amazing! Do you guys have a spa around here? The inn doesn’t do massages.”
“No spa,” Jackson said after a moment. “We have restaurants, cafes, a bakery, a flower shop. Movie theater. Pottery place. We got a lot of beautiful spots if you’re willing to walk. Mountains over there—great for hiking once the snow clears. The ocean’s right over there… I guess that’s too cold for humans right now.”
Luna kept her smile intact. Hopefully, this guy was just bad at pitching. There had to be something worthwhile to do around here.
“Everything except the ocean sounds great ,” she chirped. Then, because she was still shivering despite her thick coat and her skin could really use some soothing, she added, “So, like… not even a mud pool? Somewhere that does body wraps? Facial treatments?”
“We have a skincare store,” Jackson replied.
Luna clenched her teeth. “Alright! Well, thank you so much. I’ll keep that in mind. So nice to meet you, Jackson!”
“Nice to meet you, Luna,” he replied. He tipped his head up toward the roof again. “Oliver, sure you don’t want to escort this young lady into town? You did say you were going in for supplies.”
“I’m sure,” came the immediate reply.
Luna made sure Jackson couldn’t see her as she rolled her eyes. She strode toward the parking lot, ignoring the warmth in her chest. It ebbed with every step, replaced by a numb cold that the car heater did nothing to help.
Luna shivered as she walked down the sidewalk with her shopping bags. She was bundled up, but the cold in her chest had spread to her fingertips. She hoped Oliver was having fun in his stupid shorts. Why wasn’t he affected by the weird cold that kicked in whenever they were apart?
She pulled her jacket tighter, focusing on the town around her. It was a lot cuter when she wasn’t battling through a snowstorm. Someone had already shoveled the main roads, so Luna had been able to cruise slowly down the street without worrying about hydroplaning. The middle of town was small enough that she could park in one spot and walk around, getting everything she needed without tiring herself out. It was nice. She loved LA, but it was annoying having to get in a car every time she wanted to go somewhere. If the weather was okay, she could’ve walked into town from the inn. Admired the mountains on one side of town, the ocean glittering on the other. Sure, there wasn’t a lot to do here, but it was pretty damn beautiful.
Luna paused in the middle of the sidewalk. Shopping bags dangled from her arms as she wrestled her phone out, snapping a picture of the snowy scenery. She still didn’t have much data on her phone, but her laptop worked fine if she worked on the side of the room closest to the inn’s router. She could post it to her Instagram later.
She turned back and instantly bumped into a huge minotaur carrying an armful of flowers.
“Crap,” Luna said, barely managing not to spill her bags of clothes all over the cold bricks. “Sorry!”
She shrank back from the minotaur with a wince. He was huge , and his face was so blank she couldn’t tell if he was going to get annoyed with her. Then he opened his mouth, and his flustered tone made it clear she had nothing to stress about.
“No, that’s on me,” the minotaur said worriedly, steadying her with a large hand. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry, I had these guys in my face.”
He shuffled the flowers around, then paused. “Oh! You’re the human from the party last night. I’m Joshua, and I own the flower shop just over there.”
“Luna,” Luna said, following his gaze to a dinky flower shop that had a sign dangling from the front doors: BACK IN FIVE. She did recognize him now that she looked closely. He’d been holding a vase of lilies, the second one to come in and gape at the hole in the roof.
“Nice to meet you properly,” he said, shifting from hoof to hoof. “Well, I should get going! These guys aren’t gonna wrap themselves.”
He bustled off, petals falling to the sidewalk behind him. Luna had to stop herself from staring. There were so many monsters out for a morning walk: people covered in wings or feathers or scales, nodding at each other or stopping in the middle of the street to chat. If you stopped in the middle of a bustling LA street, you’d get yelled at.
She readjusted the bags on her arms. She had everything she’d come into town for, plus a few extras. Time to get out of the cold. Hopefully, the ache in her chest would die down when she was under the same roof as that jerk.
She turned back toward her rental car and paused. There was a chocolate shop over the street. Prickles , the sign declared. A chocolate cartoon hedgehog curled up next to the word, smiling out at the street.
Luna headed into the shop. A bell rang over the door, and Luna had a strange thrill. I’m in a little chocolate store in a little town that has a little bell over the door. This is the most whimsical thing that’s ever happened to me.
The store smelled like sea salt and dark cocoa. Luna took a hearty sniff as the hedgehog woman behind the counter whirled around, her spikes skimming the scratched-up chalkboard behind her.
“Oops,” said the hedgehog woman, eyes wide. “Hi! Hello! Can I get you anything? We have samples.”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Luna said happily. She stepped toward the bowl that the woman was holding out and paused. She recognized those little wolves. “Oh, hey! These are yours? I had one this morning, and they were delish.”
“Oh,” the hedgehog woman said, flushing all down her muzzle. “Thank you so much! They’re a new recipe.”
Luna popped a chocolate wolf into her mouth and gestured around the empty store. “New business?”
The woman toyed nervously with her apron. “We’re still getting the word out.”
“Yeah? Newsletters, ads, sponsorships…?” Luna watched as the woman’s eyes got wider and wider.
“Um,” the woman said. “Kind of just… posters. We’re not a very touristy town.”
Luna frowned. “You could be. You guys have mountains and seaside and forest. And that whole monster wonderland going on, for people who are into that kind of thing. You could do a lot with it.”
The woman nodded. Luna got the feeling she would’ve nodded at anything Luna said. She seemed the type.
“I’m Luna,” Luna said.
“Beth.” The woman’s tiny hedgehog hands twisted tighter in her apron. “I’m sorry, but are you the human staying at Musgrove Inn? Everybody’s talking about it.”
“Great,” Luna muttered and pulled up a sunny smile. “That’s me!”
“Oh.” Beth’s shoulders hunched. “Where’s Oliver? Is he not with you?”
Luna laughed. Beth must not have the whole story if she thought Luna’s accidental husband would want to tag along into town with her.
“No, he’s back at the inn. Hopefully not falling off the roof.”
“Oh,” Beth said again. Her brow furrowed. “I hope he’s alright. I had werewolf friends who got bonded in college, and they couldn’t be on the other side of the house before the pain set in.”
Luna waited for that baffling sentence to make sense. When seconds passed with nothing becoming clear, she asked, “Excuse me? Pain?”
“It’s a side effect of the new bond,” Beth explained hesitantly, as if afraid she was being tested. “Did—did he not tell you that?”
Luna thought back to Oliver up on that roof, hammering down a tarp and not looking at her once. Of the cold in her chest, spreading to her fingers and making it hard to hold her bags. Of Sabine saying, it won’t be as powerful since you’re not a wolf.
“No,” she said icily. “He didn’t.”