She picked a clingy blue wraparound dress with lace trim. She didn’t wear it often, because it clung toeverything– every bump, every roll, as well as every curve. Had Cliff really meant it when he’d said he enjoyed every inch of her? She’d soon find out.
Then she headed out the door to look for Cliff. She needed breakfast, and she needed to call Chantelle again. She wished she had her cell phone. Cliff still wouldn’t let her have it, which was really going to be an issue pretty soon.
He insisted that they needed to finish their investigation into how she’d been turned. Pack security always came first, and the Elders and many pack members were still wary of her.
She couldn’t argue, because Cliff had just delivered three more months’ worth of product to Chantelle, with a message handwritten by Taylor saying that she was visiting Cliff for the week and had convinced him to give Chantelle as much product as she needed.
However, she wasn’t going to go through her life as a prisoner, and she really hoped that this wouldn’t go on much longer.
As she headed down the hallway, an older woman with a frown on her face met her and stood in her path. She was blonde, and perfectly coiffed and made up. She looked to be in her fifties, but her forehead was unnaturally smooth. She wore jeans and a silky white scoop-neck T-shirt, and somehow made them look elegant. Maybe it was the haughty expression on her face.
Taylor thought the woman looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place her.
“My name is Celia. I’ve come to familiarize you with life as a werewolf. Come with me,” the woman said abruptly.
Taylor felt a stab of hurt lance through her. “I thought Cliff was going to do that.” He’d mentioned something about training and meditation the night before. She couldn’t remember what exactly he’d said, though, because her brain had been turning to pudding from so many orgasms.
Celia looked down her nose at Taylor and made a snorting noise of disapproval. “Cliff is extremely busy preparing for the Alpha Trials. It’s honestly very selfish of you to impose on him at a time like this.”
Taylor felt her temper flare, but she followed the woman down the hallway, towards a side door that led outside.
“I’m not imposing – he was the one who told me that I’d need the…werewolf training. Whatever you’d call it. And I didn’t ask to be brought here.”
Celia glanced back and looked at her as if she were something she’d scrape off the bottom of her shoe. “You could always leave.”
“Are you a complete moron?” She glared at Celia. “No, I can’t leave. That’s been made very clear to me. So if you expect me to work with you, you’d better dial back on the ‘tude, lady. It’s early and I haven’t had my coffee.”
“Picking fights with pack members already,” Celia scoffed. “You’d make a very poor Alpha’s mate.”
“Actually, from what I’ve seen, anyone who doesn’t stand up for themselves around here gets trampled. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I haven’t eaten breakfast yet and I’m hungry. I’m going to go get something to eat and wait for Cliff to do the training.” She turned and started to walk away.
“So you want to interrupt him when he’s training for the fight of his life?” Celia called after her. She turned and started to walk away.
Taylor could have sworn that Cliff had said he was going to be the one to train her. Hadn’t he? Maybe he’d just said she was going to be trained.
Damn orgasm-brain.
Celia was stalking off.
“Wait!” Taylor called after her.
Celia didn’t stop. Taylor followed her out the side door, across an expanse of lawn, and through several rows of hedges.
The morning air was cool, and the dewy grass soaked her sandals. In the distance she heard a wolf’s howl. Once she’d thought the sound was beautiful and mournful. Right now, it sounded ominous.
Celia slowly turned to face her, as if she were doing Taylor an enormous favor just looking in her direction.
Taylor bit back her temper. “Fine, I’ll do some training with you this morning. I’ll eat later.” Her stomach rumbled in protest, but if it meant that Cliff would have more time to train, then food could wait.
“Honestly, it’s a waste of time anyway. I don’t see why Cliff is bothering to train you when he knows there’s almost no chance that you’ll survive the turn.”
A jolt of alarm shot through Taylor. Celia had said it so casually, as if it were something that Taylor should have known. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, Cliff didn’t tell you?” Celia’s lips curled upward into a cruel smile. “Only about ten percent of people who become werewolves through biting make it past their first shift.”
Chapter Twelve
Taylor felt a shockwave roll over her.
