Page 74 of Rocky Top

“You’re not a chihuahua.”

“You don’tknowthat.”

She stepped forward and took my hands. “I do know that Rocky’s been pacing like a caged animal outside my house every night since. He’s hurting, Birdie. He didn’t want this for you. But he couldn’t let you die.”

I pulled away, hugging myself. “And now what? I can’t go back to my normal life. I work with humans, Eliza. What happens if I start shifting during a meeting?Howling,on my tiktok?”

Eliza chuckled, and I glared at her. She sobered. “Look, I get it. I didn’t know about any of this either. Not until Knox threw it at me like a hot potato. I’m still learning. Still adjusting. But I’ve seen what they are. What theyreallyare. And they’re not monsters. Not all of them.”

I sat down hard on one of her kitchen chairs. “I need to get out of here.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Mom?” Emma called from outside, holding up a daisy chain. “Can you help me tie this?”

Eliza squeezed my shoulder. “Take a walk. Clear your head. I’ll be right out.”

I left through the front and climbed into my car, heart pounding. I didn’t have a plan. I just knew I couldn’t sit still anymore. Ihad to breathe.

And wouldn’t you know it, my feet, well, tires, carried me straight to the Wild Dog.

I didn’t plan on going in. Just wanted to sit there, and glare at the place that turned my life inside out. But Rocky was already on the front steps, cigarette burning between two tattooed fingers, arms braced wide, elbows on his knees like he’d been waiting.

Our eyes met. I froze.

He stood, slow, cautious. “Birdie.”

I stepped out, folding my arms tight. “You got a minute?”

He nodded. “Always.”

We stood awkward in the gravel lot, the growl of motorcycles in the distance, laughter spilling out from behind the doors. The scent of motor oil and pine needles hung in the air as always but were suddenly so strong, they made me gag.

I cut straight to it. “What did youdoto me?”

He blinked, but didn’t shy away. “Saved your life.”

“No,” I said, voice rising. “You changed my life. Without asking.”

His jaw clenched. “You were dying. I didn’t have time to hold a goddamn town hall, Birdie.”

“And now what? I’m one ofyou?”

Henodded once. “It’s slow. You might have a year before the change. Your body’s adjusting. You’ll feel it in waves. Nightmares, cravings, sharper senses. But it ain’t gonna hit all at once.”

I shook my head. “I didn’taskfor this.”

“I know.”

We stood there, a solid six feet of air and tension between us. My eyes burned again, but I wouldn’t let them fall.

“What else don’t I know?” I asked.

Rocky exhaled a long drag of smoke. “Be glad it was me and not that abomination in the woods.”

“So, I’ll be like you?”

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