“No, they’re pack Enforcers, so they have to stay fit. The athletes don’t train here. All the games training takes place at the Games Center outside the compound.”
“The games are in two months, right?” Mary said. “Do you compete in them?”
“Not me, no. Just our pack athletes. I had no idea you were interested in sports,” Jarrod said to Mary as the men leaped over a series of hurdles.
“I’m interested in sports,” Angela said cheerfully.
“Hah,” Mary scoffed. “There’s only one sport you’re interested in.”
“Oh my God, I think my cousin just made a sex joke. What did you do to her?” Angela asked Jarrod admiringly.
“Angela!” Mary said, scandalized.
“On second thought, don’t tell me. This is my cousin we’re talking about. I don’t actually want to picture it,” Angela said, making a face.
“He did nothing!” Mary set her coffee down on the table with an indignant bang.
That earned Jarrod a critical scowl from Angela. “Why not? Don’t you like my cousin? What’s wrong with my cousin, huh?”
“Look, Angela, they’re stripping down so they can shift,” Mary said desperately. God help her, she was pointing out naked men to her young cousin in an attempt to distract her from discussing Mary’s lack-of-sex life. She was a terrible person.
“Ooh, yes they are.” Angela got up and moved to get a better view.
Jarrod sighed. “The pack games are normally a huge point of pride for our pack, but with the accusations of cheating, this year, it’s causing a lot of tension. Even though all the athletes blood tests came up clean, everybody is demanding to know why, when my uncle took over as leader of the pack games, we immediately started winning so many competitions.”
“So you don’t think there’s anything behind the rumors?” Mary asked. Then again, it was Jarrod’s pack. Of course he wouldn’t think they were cheating.
“Nah. I think my uncle has found the one thing that he’s good at, which is being brutally competitive. We suspect that some rival pack is spreading rumors because they’re jealous,” Jarrod said. “Are the games really that important?” Mary asked. She’d never been much of a sports person, when it came to either human sports or werewolf sports.
“Oh, good God, yes. Among werewolves, the stronger packs get to have more representatives on the Alpha Congress, and also everyone is eager to form alliances with the stronger packs. They form voting blocs and can change laws that affect all packs.”
He frowned at that.
“What?” Mary asked.
“It’s just… Nothing.” Mary could tell from the look on Jarrod’s face that it wasn’t nothing, but if he wasn’t ready to talk, he wasn’t going to talk.
