NINE
I spentthe rest of the day organizing my stuff. The rest of the pack left me alone, by some blessed miracle, though Teagan sent me half a dozen texts checking to make sure I really didn’t want to go to graduation. After the sixth time, I assured her that I would rather rip my own fingernails off, and she got the message.
When I’d finished putting away the last of my things, I glanced at the time on my phone and grimaced.
Graduation was starting.
It felt weird not to be there, even if I didn’t necessarily want to be. Whether it was my anxiety or just my personal issues, I felt sort of guilty about ditching out.
“What do you say we head out and grab some sheets for my bed, and some ice cream?” I asked Rocky, scratching his head.
He was a surprisingly good companion, following me around and licking me an insane number of times, snorting at my stupid jokes and giving me his wolfy grin whenever I teased him.
Though he definitely wasn’t anything like a normal dog, I liked having him around.
He gave me another wolfy grin in response to my question.
I tugged some panties and shorts on, considering how it would go if I tried to bring a gigantic wolf into Walmart like he was my pet. Pulling my shirt over my head and tossing it into a pile of other dirty clothes I’d made near the door, I mumbled to myself, “Should probably call one of the pack dudes and ask…”
Rocky growled threateningly, and I glanced down at my boobs before looking back at him. “What? They’re just nipples. You saw them yesterday. And your human has them too, though his aren’t quite as squishy.” I grabbed my bra, buckling it on. “Or squishy at all. I don’t think your human has a single damned ounce of fat. The man may as well be a statue carved by…” I glanced back at the wolf. “You know, I’m just going to stop myself there before I bury myself any deeper in this weird-ass hole.”
I grabbed a clean cropped tee out of my closet, tugging it into place.
The wolf growled at me, poking his nose at my belly before glaring at me and then shaking his head.
I wrinkled my nose. “You don’t want my belly showing?”
He nodded emphatically.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s a belly, dude. Get over it.”
Grabbing my purse off the dresser, I threw it over my shoulder and looked at my contacts, checking my options.
Tea… Ebony… Dax… Elliot… Zed…
I knew Elliot would probably be just leaving his job, and Tea and Ebony weren’t back at school yet. Zed would be heading into work in an hour or two, probably, since he usually worked nights. Dax… well, I didn’t know what his job was. Probably should’ve asked.
Chewing my lip, I weighed my options before finally lifting my phone to my ear.
“Hello?” Zed answered almost immediately, his voice gravelly.
“Hey, it’s Del.” I paused, and added quickly. “Rocco’s mate, in case you forgot.”
He snorted. “I didn’t forget.”
“Good, I guess. Anyway, uh, do you think they’ll let me drag wolf-Rocco to Walmart with me? I saw a few other wolves walking the streets on my way here yesterday, but I don’t want to get kicked out or anything.”
“Moon Ridge is full of werewolves. There are humans here too, but all of the humans know that we exist. No one will bat an eye at Rocco following you through the store; you might get a few sympathetic looks, or offers for hugs from other women in your situation, though.”
“Oh, wow. Alright. Thank you.”
“Sure. Anything else?”
I glanced at the wolf. “Are there any like… signs that’ll let you know when the wolf’s going to bite you?”
“Nah. If he thinks he’s going to lose you for any reason, he’ll lose his shit and bite you early, but otherwise he’ll just follow you around until he’s decided that you’re not going to leave him.”
I nodded, even though Zed couldn’t see it. “Okay. Thanks again.”