Page 25 of Howl You Doin'

He stepped closer, close enough that she caught the woodsy scent of his cologne. "Tell me more about these schemes."

"Well, there was this one time-" She stopped, narrowing her eyes. "Nice try, but we're not done discussing your attitude problem."

"I thought we solved that with your spy plan."

"The plan helps find the traitor. Your growling at everyone like a rabid chihuahua is a separate issue."

He blinked. "Did you just compare me to a chihuahua?"

"Would you prefer pomeranian?"

The laugh that burst from him transformed his entire face, crinkling the corners of his eyes. Fiona's breath caught in her throat. She'd never seen him look like that before.

"Anyone ever tell you you're a pain in the ass?" he asked.

"Frequently. Usually right before they thank me for being right."

Fiona watched the volunteers file into the community center's main hall, their excited chatter echoing off the walls.The late afternoon sun streamed through the windows. She stood next to Caleb, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from him, as they waited for everyone to settle.

"Alright everyone," Caleb's deep voice cut through the noise. "Let's go over the festival plans."

Fiona stepped forwardwith her clipboard. "We've got the food trucks lined up, face painting for the kids, and live music from local bands." She glanced at her notes. "Oh, and thanks to Mrs. Chen's connection, we scored those amazing paper lanterns at half price."

"And speaking of connections," Caleb added, his tone casual but his eyes sharp, "we've got someone on the inside of Nightfang feeding us information."

The room burst into whispers. Fiona scanned the crowd, noting reactions. Most seemed surprised or excited, but Kyle, one of the newer volunteers, shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

After the meeting wrapped up, Caleb caught her eye and nodded. They split up, mingling with different groups. Fiona chatted with Jenny about balloon arrangements while keeping Kyle in her peripheral vision.

"So, about those centerpieces-" Fiona started, but stopped when she saw Kyle slip out the side door, phone in hand.

"Sorry, Jenny, rain check?" She hurried after him, her boots clicking against the floor.

Outside, the crisp autumn air carried the scent of fallen leaves and... was that cigarette smoke? She followed it around the corner, staying close to the building's brick wall. Kyle's footsteps crunched ahead of her on the gravel path leading to the woods.

"Oh, you sneaky little..." she muttered, creeping closer. Her heart pounded with the thrill of the chase, though a small voicein her head questioned the wisdom of following a wolf shifter into the woods alone. Then again, no one had ever accused her of having an abundance of common sense.

A twig snapped under her foot, and she froze. Kyle's footsteps quickened, heading deeper into the tree line. The setting sun painted everything in shades of orange and red, making it harder to keep him in sight between the trees.

"Great idea, Fiona,"she whispered to herself. "Chase the potentially dangerous shifter into the dark woods. This definitely won't end up like every horror movie ever made."

Fiona crept closer, keeping to the shadows of the trees. Kyle's voice carried through the crisp evening air.

"Yeah, they've got someone in your pack. That's what Rivers just told everyone." Kyle paused, listening. "No, I don't know who... Yeah, I'll keep digging."

A wicked smile curved Fiona's lips. Caught you, you sneaky little rat. Fire danced at her fingertips, warming her palms with familiar comfort. She stepped out from behind a thick oak tree.

"Hey Kyle, making a phone call?"

He spun around, nearly dropping his phone. "I was just-"

"Save it." Fiona thrust her hands forward. Fire erupted from the ground in a circle around Kyle, the flames reaching above his head. The heat made his face glisten with sweat as he backed away from the walls of fire.

"Caleb!" She projected her voice toward the community center, knowing his enhanced hearing would pick it up. "Got something you might want to see!"

Kyle's phone clattered to the ground as he raised his hands. "This isn't what it looks like."

"Really? Because it looks like you're calling Victor to tell him about our supposed spy." Fiona kept her focus on maintainingthe fire cage, even as leaves crunched behind her. "By the way, how's the reception out here? Must be great for all that tattling you've been doing."

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