“I thought Rocco’s brother died.”
“If you ask anyone but Rocco, that’s the answer you’ll get.” The guy kept cooking, still not glancing backward at me.
My mind went back to the two sets of furniture.
Two beds.
Shit.
“Alright, then.” I let go of Rocky’s fur and quietly walked up the stairs, trying not to glance behind myself to make sure Ryder didn’t follow me.
I stepped into the bedroom I’d claimed as mine. It was exactly as I’d left it, which told me Ryder hadn’t made it into my room yet.
Quietly, I grabbed the duffel bag I’d left in the closet.
I should never have assumed I’d be welcome to stay in Rocco’s house—or in his spare room.
And now my car was broken—I’d have to sleep in his driveway, pay a tow truck to drag my car to the nearest mechanic, and cross my fingers that whatever was wrong could be fixed very, very cheaply.
If it couldn’t…
Well, guess I’d be living in the woods, like I was a damned werewolf myself. I supposed I could always ask Rocky to bite me, so I could sleep as a wolf. At least then, I’d be warm.
When I grabbed the first armload of clothes from the closet, Rocky realized what I was doing, and growled at me.
“Shh,” I warned him, pressing my finger to my lips. “I’m intruding, and it’s time for me to go.”
He snarled, and sat down on my bag.
I gave him an exhausted stare.
He glared back.
“Clearly, your human intended this room for his brother.” I gestured to the room. “Which you lied to me about. Again.”
He at least looked slightly ashamed about the lie.
“I get it, okay? You want a mate. Rocco doesn’t. That’s fine; I’m not the girl who’s been sitting around, hoping for Prince Charming to whisk me away. Clearly, there’s some weird shit going on with your family, and that’s fine too. I understand weird family shit. But I’m not just going to sit around here because you want me to, alright?”
I continued, “I’ve got to find a job, find a place to stay, find a way to make money so I don’t end up on the streets—or in the forest. There is no backup plan for me, which means I literally cannot afford to wait around and drain my bank account buying sheets and food and shit.”
“I’ve never seen someone pour their heart out to a wolf before,” Ryder drawled from the doorway.
I jumped, screeching a bit while I glared at him. “What the hell, dude?”
“You were talking loud.” He shrugged.
I glared back. “I’m moving out, alright? Rocco’s friends are the ones who put all this shit together and told me I could move in here. I wasn’t trying to push any boundaries or make shit weird.”
“You’re being chased by a werewolf. Isn’t that weird enough?”
I scowled. “Just give me ten minutes to pack up.”
He said nothing, turning and walking down the stairs.
My heart was still pounding hard when I shoved Rocky off the bag. He moved easily, which told me he was alright with me packing—finally.
I stuffed the clothes into the bag and then turned back to the closet.