Page 28 of The Night Wolf
Gareth turned to Sean. “This is his zombie phase. As soon as he’s eaten and had a cup of coffee, he’ll be what passes for normal.”
A scowl marred Caleb’s features, but he said nothing. Instead he went to the pot and poured a cup. He flopped in the chair, reaching up to brush his long brown hair from his face. He stabbed the stack of bacon, moved a mound of it to his plate, then went back for sausage, where he took at least six links. Then he picked up the bowl of scrambled eggs and scooped half onto his plate.
It was obvious Sean was impressed. Or maybe horrified. “Where does he put it all?”
“Would you believe that’s his morning snack? On the weekends, after he eats that, he’ll raid the refrigerator at eight, ten, and eleven, and then he’ll come back home at noon for lunch. After that, though, he’ll load up a plate and take it upstairs, where he spends a few hours studying. Caleb is going to be a geneticist after school.”
Caleb grumbled something but didn’t stop eating to reply.
Sean took a seat and served up a plate, which he handed over to Gareth, who was pleasantly surprised. “Thank you.”
Afterward, Sean filled his own plate and sat back to eat.
Gareth ate one of the sausages, then decided to talk with Caleb while he was unguarded. “So, Caleb, how’d you sleep?”
He shrugged. “Okay, I guess.” He sipped his coffee. “Where’s Mom?”
“She went back to bed. She didn’t get much sleep.”
His eyes went wide. “Mom? My mom? She’s always up by four, making breakfast, getting my lunch together, and pushing me out the door to school.”
“Yes, well, today she’s sleeping in. I’ll give you some money for lunch.”
Caleb squinted. “So she’s tired and gets to go back to bed. I’m tired and you’re going to send me off to school?”
“That’s what I’m telling you, pup.” Gareth smirked. “Besides, you’re getting to buy food, instead of eating the healthy stuff Dani makes you.”
Caleb’s eyes shone, and he gave Gareth a wolfish grin. “It’s pizza day, you know.”
“Aw, hell.” Gareth took out his wallet and opened it. “All I have on me is a fifty.”
Caleb grabbed the bill and stuffed it in his pants pocket. “That should get me through to dinner.” He smirked. “But I’ll be hungry when I get home.”
Sean shook his head. He got up and cleared the table while Caleb told Gareth they were studying genetic mutations.
Sean came back to the table. “Why the fascination with genetics?”
“It might not be what I go into. I have options, and I’m exploring them all. As for genetics, I want to prove that werewolves are an offshoot of humans. That a million years ago, our genes diverged, and wolves split off from the rest of humankind.”
Gareth shook his head. It was the same old argument. “Caleb doesn’t believe in Mother Moon. Apparently with the advent of the internet, kids today are smarter than their parents, and they reject the old beliefs.”
“I don’t reject them. Not exactly. I just think there’s more, you know?”
And Gareth did. Caleb was too inquisitive to settle for any old answer. He wanted—needed—to know the truth. Despite his seer ability, Caleb still believed there was more than met the eye.
“Sean, could you excuse us for a minute? I need to talk to Caleb.”
“Oh. Okay. I’ll…. I guess I’ll go back upstairs.”
“No, I’m not asking you to leave. Caleb, will you go to my office, please? I’ll be there shortly.”
“Of course, Alpha.”
Caleb got up from the table and marched down the hall to Gareth’s office. As soon as the door clicked shut, Gareth turned to Sean.
“What are your plans for today?”
“I’m going to go out and see about finding a job. If I’m going to be part of your pack, I need to pull my own weight.”
