Page 10 of Howl You Doin'

"What kind of work is that?"

"I found a construction crew to rebuild the playground." She pulled up the quote. "Their rates are reasonable and they can start next week."

His jaw tightened. "No."

"No?" Fiona swiveled her chair to face him. "That's not an answer, that's a toddler's favorite word."

"We're not hiring outside contractors."

"The playground needs fixing. Unless you've got a secret construction company hidden in those tight jeans of yours?" The words slipped out before she could stop them. Heat crept up her neck.

His lips twitched. "We can't trust random contractors."

"They're not random. They're licensed, bonded, and have great reviews." She pulled up their website. "Look, they even did the renovation at Sacred Grounds Coffee."

"Still no."

"You’re impossible." Fiona stood, jabbing a finger at his chest. "What's your brilliant solution then? Let the kids play on broken equipment?"

"We'll figure something out."

"Figure something..." She stopped, an idea clicking into place. "Wait. What if we got volunteers from the pack? Make it a community project?"

Caleb's expression shifted from stubborn to considering. "Go on."

"I’m sure we've got carpenters, contractors, and general handymen in the pack already. Plus, it would show everyone coming together after the vandalism."

"That..." He nodded slowly. "That could work."

"Of course it could work. I came up with it." She dropped back into her chair with a triumphant smile. "I'll start organizing teams tomorrow."

"Good thinking, Ashwood." His hand brushed her shoulder as he straightened up. "Just run the volunteer list by me first."

"Yes, and would you like me to get that notarized too?"

He chuckled, the sound doing dangerous things to her concentration. "Smartass."

Thirty minutes flew by. Fiona flicked off the last set of lights, her keys jingling in her hand. "And that's another day of successfully preventing community center chaos."

"You mean another day of creating chaos," Caleb said, but his usual scowl had softened into an almost-smile.

"I prefer to think of it as organized pandemonium." She pushed open the oak doors, the cool night air carrying the scent of autumn leaves. The parking lot lights cast shadows across the asphalt, and somewhere in the distance, a car alarm chirped.

"You really have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"It's part of my charm."She turned to lock up, wondering if the flutter in her stomach came from their playful banter or just indigestion from lunch.

Heavy footsteps pounded against pavement. Wade burst around the corner, his usually neat brown hair disheveled. "Cale! Nightfang—they're coming!"

The temperature seemed to drop ten degrees. Caleb's entire demeanor shifted, his almost-smile vanishing faster than her last paycheck. The term 'Nightfang' meant nothing to Fiona, but judging by the way both men tensed, it wasn't good.

Then she saw them.

Three massive wolves emerged from the shadows between buildings, their movements fluid and predatory. The largest one, with silver-gray fur that gleamed under the streetlights, had to be the size of a small horse. Its companions, one russet and one dark brown, flanked it like living shadows.

Fiona's heart hammered against her ribs. The rational part of her brain—the part that usually handled things like taxes and grocery lists—informed her that wolves shouldn't be that big. The rest of her brain was too busy processing the fact that she was apparently starring in her own personal wildlife documentary gone wrong.

"Oh," she said faintly, her keys slipping from suddenly numb fingers.

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