TWELVE
The next morning,I dressed in the big, scratchy clothes we’d found me for work, and zipped my combat boots on too. Rocky remained beside me, and my fingers were tangled in his fur when I met Rocco’s dad in the driveway of his house.
He gave me a tired grin when he saw me. Though I hadn’t seen Rocco smile in person, I immediately saw the resemblance between him and his dad thanks to the pictures on the plaque his mom had hung on the wall in the store.
He held a hand out. “I’m Oscar Hughes the second—Ozzy, to friends and family. Which includes you now.” He winked at me.
My cheeks warmed a bit as I took his hand, and shook it with the one that wasn’t tangled in Rocco’s fur.
“I’m Madeline Wooley the first, but I usually go by Del.” I winked back
His grin widened. “Let’s get your tools moved over to my truck then, Miss Del. You’ll be riding in the company vehicle with me.”
I nodded. “Sounds good.”
We got Rocco’s assload of tools into the back of his dad’s truck, and then Rocky and I climbed into the passenger and middle seat. Rocky was in the middle one, which was so tiny that he pretty much ended up sitting on my lap, but I didn’t mind.
“Thanks for this,” Rocco’s dad said, giving me a quick smile. “Oscar used to work with me, before his wolf started hunting, so it’s been a long year and a half on my own.”
“Thanks for giving me the job. I’ll be more of a distraction than a help for a bit, but hopefully I’ll figure everything out quickly.”
He flashed me another grin that reminded me so much of the Rocco I’d seen in the pictures. “We’ll turn you into a professional.”
I laughed. “I look forward to it.”
As he pulled away from the house, I couldn’t help but hope that Rocco didn’t hunt me for a whole damned year. Though I knew he wouldn’t be interested in me as anything more than a friend, life couldn’t really move forward until he was back in his human form.
The day was incredibly long.When I got home, I showered, then ate a shitload of food at the dinner with the pack, and then crashed. I wasn’t used to waking up early for work, but I’d get used to it.
Rocky and I fell into a pattern after that.
Work, dinner with the pack, sleep. Work, dinner with the pack, sleep. Work, dinner with the pack, sleep.
It was exhausting, but in a good way. It felt good to be working hard, strangely enough. And I was definitely not a fast learner when it came to home improvements, but Ozzy made everything easy. He was never annoyed no matter how many times I had to ask for help or ask questions, and he joked around constantly, making me laugh and grin throughout the day.
I’d never had a great relationship with my own dad before he and my mom abandoned me, but Ozzy started to feel like the father I’d never had. I ate dinner with him and his wife whenever I didn’t eat with the pack, and we always ended up playing cards or board games after cooking and cleaning up together.
I’d always wondered what it would feel like to be a part of a close family… and now I knew.
And I loved it.
Ryder only came by Rocco’s place every couple of days, and even then, we only ever saw each other for one or two minutes. He never really spoke to me, even though I was dying to ask why he hadn’t told his parents he was still alive. I felt terrible for keeping that secret, but I assumed that there was a reason Rocco hadn’t told anyone. And even though I didn’t know Rocco, given the way everyone loved him, I trusted his judgment.
I talked to June on the phone every couple of days, but since I couldn’t really explain the werewolf shit that had become my life, we didn’t talk for long.
A month passed quickly,and then another.
We were halfway through my third month in Rocco’s house when Rocky and I got home late, after a night of teasing and laughter with the pack.
I was ready to collapse in bed, but as soon as the door shut behind me, my eyes landed on the man on the floor.
Or… not a man.
Ryder was on his hands and knees, parts of him partially-shifted as he panted and snarled. His entire body was twisted painfully, and horror clutched my chest when I saw him.
I’d seen the pack members shift a few times, and it had never looked like that.
It looked… wrong.