Page 33 of The Howl
I snorted.
“How can you know the real me when I don’t even know the real me?” I waved a hand to indicate the room. “If I did, I wouldn’t be here.”
“An astute observation,” LuAnn said. “Perhaps Fenris could use a bit of self-discovery, too. I hear you’re a little late coming into your mate run.”
Fenris flushed, an unusual sight.
I didn’t see what the big deal was about his mate run. Who wanted to be saddled with a wife as a teen? Sure, he’d just turned eighteen, but that was still pretty young in the lifespan of a wolf.
In that moment, I realized both our species were pushed at an early age to be more than we were ready to be.
“Do you want to be my study partner?” I asked him.
One of the girls around us made a whining noise.
“As a friend,” I added quickly.
He looked at each of his girls. One by one, they reluctantly nodded.
“Sure,” he said. “I’d love to.”
I heard that statement for the truth it was. He was desperate for an escape. That was something I understood all too well. It had only taken one mildly attracted Eugene to make me want to hide. I couldn’t imagine constantly being surrounded by people who wanted me to pick them as a partner. And Fenris had been dealing with it for years.
“Perfect,” LuAnn said. “Since both of your issues stem from mating, let’s start with kissing without killing.”
“What?”
While I wasn’t the only one to say it, my voice was the most desperate.
My phone took that moment to ring. I scrambled to grab it out of my purse.
“I gotta get this,” I said, looking at the screen. “It’s Megan.”
I ran from the room before anyone could stop me. Thankfully, the halls were empty as I answered Megan’s call.
“Hey, Megan,” I said breathlessly.
“Hey. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just ran out of General Living Skills.” I couldn’t believe I’d just lied. It hadn’t been a conscious decision, just a desperate one. I did not want to tell Megan I’d been paired up with Fenris for kissing practice.
“You didn’t need to leave class,” she said. “I could have left a voicemail.”
“Are you kidding? It’s General Living Skills. I know how to live with humans. The class is a waste of my time. What’s up? Why’d you call?”
“I’m hoping you can help me pick out a dress. It’s supposed to be for a super fancy restaurant. Think high class, not hooker.”
I sniggered as I headed for my car. Megan’s call was the perfect excuse to escape.
“Turn on video chat and show me the options.”
She did as I asked and panned the dresses.
“Try the red one, the gold one, and that lavender one. Those colors will look good on you.”
She turned the phone around and shook her head at me.
“Those won’t work. I have a bruise and need something with a higher neckline.”
