Chapter Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Eight
Tegan
The days leading up to the full moon seemed to fly by.
Atlas kept me busy with early-morning workouts, and in the evenings, I’d go over to his place and we’d cook dinner together.
Selene was doing a great job taking on more responsibilities at the bakery.
I was so happy with how things were going that I might be able to take a vacation this summer and leave things in her capable hands.
That was a big step for a control-freak workaholic like me.
Tonight, while Atlas had his monthly full moon run, I was having a movie night to catch up with my friends.
Dec and Selene were snuggled on the couch, buried under throw blankets, and I was busy in the kitchen getting everything together.
In preparation for movie night, I’d bought a ton of snacks and made a pitcher of alcoholic margaritas for the two of them to drink while I sipped on a nonalcoholic version.
“Thank you guys for coming over,” I said, setting a big bowl of popcorn on the table.
“I was worried you forgot about me.” Dec pouted.
I put my hands on my hips and stared him down. “I could never forget about you.”
I’d been eating at the diner less, and I knew he missed me coming by. I made a mental note to carve more time for him out of my schedule.
“See how she is, Selene,” Dec said. “She gets a boyfriend and completely abandons us.”
Selene flicked a piece of popcorn at him. “Stop being jealous. I’m happy for Tegan. Atlas is a great guy.”
“You’re just happy you get to work more hours at the bakery,” he huffed, plucking the piece of popcorn off his blanket and popping it into his mouth.
“Oh, speaking of the bakery. I have something for you, Selene.” I hopped off the couch and went to the hall closet. I pulled out a gift bag and handed it to Selene. To thank her for all of her help and encouragement, I’d gotten her a little gift.
She reached inside the bag, pulling out a brand-new apron I’d had embroidered with her name. Even if she didn’t continue working with me at the bakery, she could still use it at home.
“Tegan!” Selene said, holding the apron out in front of her. “I love it.”
“That is so cute,” Dec said. I was shocked he didn’t ask me where his gift was, but I was thankful he was letting Selene have her moment. She deserved it.
“It even has my name on it,” she said, running her fingers over the embroidery. “Thank you so much.”
“I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate your help with the bakery. It’s been nice to step back a little bit.”
“It’s no problem,” she said. “You know how much I love it there.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do when you go back to school in the fall.” Her body went rigid. “You are going back, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Oof, Tegs. This is a sensitive subject,” Dec said. He raised his brows and took a sip of his margarita.
Selene groaned. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“I mean, fall semester is pretty far away,” I said. “You’ve got time.”
“I get the impression that Mama and Papa Jimenez wouldn’t be too keen on the idea of their future engineer dropping out of college,” Dec said.
Selene’s parents were accomplished. Her mother was a pediatrician, and her father was a veterinarian.
They had high expectations for their children, and they’d already expressed disappointment in her brother’s degree in forestry.
Their daughter dropping out of engineering school to work in a bakery would be another devastating blow. But this was Selene’s life.
I shot Dec a look. “I think you should do whatever makes you happy. There’s always the pastry school in Rock Harbor,” I suggested.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Selene said, sounding more upbeat. “Maybe I’ll go check it out.”
I hoped that she would. I’d even go with her to show her around campus.
“All right, that’s enough heavy talk for today,” Dec said, reading the room. “When are we going to talk about you and Atlas?”
I grinned, just like I did every time I thought about Atlas. “Everything is going great.”
It really was. We’d just started dating, but everything between us felt so easy. So natural.
“Have you met his friends yet?” Selene asked.
“I’ve met one in passing. He works at the gym as a personal trainer,” I said. “They want me to come over for game night.”
“Oh, you love board games. That’s perfect,” Selene said.
I laughed and shook my head. “Not board games. Video games.”
“Maybe they’ll play Mario Kart.” Dec grinned into his glass.
If that was the case, Atlas’s friends were going to be in for a real surprise.
“If he’s inviting you to something like that, it’s a good sign,” Selene said. “It means he’s serious.”
“I’d say things were already pretty serious if he agreed to meet us at the diner right after their first official date,” Dec said.
“They also became official after their first date,” Selene added.
“Do you think that was weird?” I asked. I couldn’t even remember when I introduced my ex to my friends, or when we made things exclusive, but it definitely wasn’t right after our first date.
“Tegan, I hate to break it to you, babe, but you aren’t in your twenties anymore, and neither is he,” Dec said. “We’re getting to that age where you take things seriously if you want to find someone. There’s no point in wasting time with someone if you don’t see them as forever material.”
“Agreed,” Selene said.
Forever material was what I wanted, and even with Atlas’s recent breakup, I felt like that was what he wanted, too.
“But you know, we can’t talk about forever if we don’t talk about how he is in bed. Is it good?” Dec asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
He was ridiculous.
“It’s good,” I admitted. “Like, really good.”
Dec slapped his knee, nearly spilling his margarita all over my couch.
“I knew it! He looks like he can fuck. Those slightly awkward hot guys who don’t know they’re hot are always the best in bed.”
I snorted. He wasn’t wrong.
“I’m super curious about the whole knotting thing,” Selene said.
“Me, too.”
I’d been curious since the moment I saw it, and having sex with Atlas had intensified my curiosity.
“You’re just going to have to work up to it,” Dec said nonchalantly.
Selene and I snapped our focus onto him.
“Excuse me,” I said. “Do you have experience with knotting and you’ve been holding out on us?”
He shrugged, casually adding, “Not with a wolven.”
My mouth hung open. “And I thought I knew everything about you.”
“I don’t kiss and tell,” he said, tipping his nose up.
I laughed, almost spitting out my drink. “You most definitely kiss and tell.”
“Seriously, though,” he said. “Just let Atlas work his magic and you’ll get there.”
Yeah, Dec and I were talking about knotting in two very different places, but with lube and the right prep, I wanted to think anything was possible.
“As much as I’m enjoying talking about the stretching abilities of the human body, are we going to watch this movie or not?” Selene asked. “I had a long day and I’m just barely hanging in here.”
“Yes,” I said. “Let me top off everyone’s drinks before we get started.”
They held out their glasses and I grabbed them on my way to the kitchen.
Warm orange light streamed through the window behind the kitchen sink, drawing my attention.
I set the glasses on the counter and stared outside, watching the sun sink behind the forest. As soon as the moon appeared in the sky, Atlas would be out there somewhere, running through the woods and doing whatever it was that wolven did during the full moon.
I understood his reasons, but I wanted to experience the other side of him. Wild and unrestrained, like how he was in my dream.
A thrill ran through me at the thought.
“Tegan,” Dec shouted. “The drinks? We’re about to lose Selene over here.”
“Coming,” I said, snapping out of it.
I took one last glance out the window before I filled their glasses and joined them in the living room. Someone, likely Dec, had already queued up the movie. A recently released rom-com that wasn’t on streaming services yet, so I’d have to cough up $5.99 to rent it.
“About time,” Dec said when I passed them their drinks.
I replied by flipping him off, making him burst into a fit of laughter that seemed to momentarily rouse Selene.
She yawned, murmuring a sleepy “Thank you.”
We really were losing her. If I had to guess, she’d be asleep in the next fifteen minutes.
“You’re welcome. As in you, Selene. Not you,” I said, giving Dec a look.
I plopped down on the couch, tugging my blanket onto my lap and making sure my phone was within reach—just in case I received a last-minute text from Atlas.
We started the movie, and while I was thankful for my friends and their company, there was no way I was going to be able to concentrate. Not with a certain wolven running through the woods and through my mind.