Page 16 of Craved By the Werewolf
"Only basic witches use #Valpha"
"I need stronger coffee," I muttered. "Or alcohol. Definitely alcohol."
My phone rang again. This time it was an unknown number.
"Hello?"
"Vala! This is Becca Harwood from Channel 7 News. We were wondering if you'd be available for a quick interview about your relationship with Alpha Kaine and how it might affect supernatural-human relations in the region."
I hung up so fast I probably broke the speed of sound.
The phone immediately rang again. Different number.
"Northwest Paranormal Podcast here! We'd love to have you on to discuss the romantic dynamics between?—"
Click.
Again.
"Monster Mate Magazine?—"
Click.
"OH FOR THE LOVE OF—" I turned off my phone and threw it on the couch like it had personally offended me. Which, to be fair, it had.
In a few hours, I had to look Thorne in the eye and pretend the internet hadn't just planned our honeymoon.
I looked at my reflection in the dark coffee pot. My hair looked like I'd been electrocuted, I was wearing a tank top that said, "I'm Not Morning People," and I had the general appearance of someone who'd been hit by a truck full of mortification.
"Okay, Vala," I said to my reflection. "You're a professional. You can handle this. So what if the entire Mystic Ridge community thinks you and the Alpha are destined soulmates? So what if there are probably fanfiction stories being written about you right now? So what if you have to look him in the eye after everyone heard your entire malfunction on live radio?"
I paused.
"I'll be okay."
But first, I was going to need the strongest coffee known to humankind and whatever was left of my dignity.
"I'm so screwed."
6
THORNE
I'd been staring at the same security report for twenty minutes, reading the same paragraph over and over without comprehending a single word. The numbers on the page might as well have been written in another language for all the sense they made.
My concentration was shot. Had been since the moment I'd woken up to seventeen missed calls and a text from Kai that simply read: You need to see Glitter. Now.
I didn't want to look.
The internet had apparently decided that Vala and I were soulmates destined for matrimony, complete with fan-created wedding invitations and a betting pool on when I'd "officially claim" her. Someone had even photoshopped us into a movie poster titled "The Alpha and the Nightingale: A Love Story."
I'd thrown my phone across the room after that one.
"Thorne?" Raina appeared in my office doorway, tablet in hand and wearing an expression that meant she had news I probablydidn't want to hear. "Conference room's ready. Everyone's here except?—"
"Vala," I finished, standing and straightening my shirt. Professional. I could do professional.
"And Malrik's already making the lights interesting," she added with a smirk. "Kai's taking bets on whether he shorts out the projector before or after you start the meeting."
