“Anyway what?” I pressed.
Abby let out a soft breath. “There’s really no good way to put this, so I’m just going to jump in. Remember that time I told you I met a werewolf, and you thought I was on drugs?”
“It was the only logical conclusion.”
“Right. I’m not disagreeing with that. But it was true. Moon Ridge is full of werewolves. Nico is one. That’s why he has the same name as the wolf you met. And you were right—he’s not a wolfdog, he’s an actual wolf.”
I blinked.
And blinked again.
What she was saying was insane. Literally insane. But if it could somehow explain the way Stella had vanished, I couldn’t shut it down completely.
It wasn’t like the idea hadn’t crossed my mind.
Abby wasn’t the kind of person who’d get high enough to legitimately believe werewolves were real. And she wouldn’t lie about getting high if she had.
But how was it possible?
And how could it make sense?
“Are you still there?” Abby checked.
“Yeah, I’m still here.” I closed my eyes.
Then my computer.
When I opened my eyes again, I put the laptop back in my bag.
No amount of research was going to tell me what had happened to Stella. It seemed like there was a good chance Abby was the only one who could do that.
“Do you think I’m on drugs again?” she checked.
“Only a little.”
“Well, that’s progress.” The cheer in her voice seemed a little less forced. “Stella is a werewolf too. Her history is more complicated than mine, but she was a wolf for a long time before I met Nico and became one too.”
I closed my eyes again.
And squeezed them shut.
So werewolves didn’t just exist. Humans could become them.
I should’ve been horrified, but I wanted to know how it worked.
Abby added, “It’s kind of hard to explain, but basically, when a werewolf meets their soulmate, they end up stuck in their wolfform while they decide whether or not to make the relationship official. That’s why Nico was a wolf when you met him, and it’s why Stella disappeared. She’s been trapped in her furry form since she met Graham, and she literally can’t talk to you.”
“So you want me to believe this without any proof?”
There was a beat of hesitation. “Well… she actually just shifted back recently. I thought she would’ve called you by now, to be honest, but I think she’s otherwise occupied.”
“Otherwise occupied how?”
“I can explain better in person. Two of our pack members are going to come pick you up. They’re already in town, and we’re not quite there yet.”
“I have my own car, Abby.”
“One of them can drive it, so you have time to process.”
