Page 1 of The Lunatics

CHAPTER 1

Tell me I’m not making a huge mistake, Layla.”

I looked across the cabin of my truck at my best friend, Gia, trying to find the words to reassure her. The bonding ceremony was only a few minutes away. She’d picked a hell of a time to get cold feet.

“You’re not making a huge mistake,” I said. “We went over all of this last night. You seemed fine when we went to bed. What’s changed?”

She made an exasperated sound and raked her blond curls up off her neck. The tangy smell of her fear wafted through the cabin. “I don’t know. I think it’s just now hitting me what a big deal this is, and I’m kind of freaking out.”

“You have every right to freak out,” I said. “Choosing to take part in a mystical ceremony that will bond you to another werewolf for lifeisa big deal. Just focus on the fact that the Goddess doesn’t make mistakes. She knows you better than anyone else, and it’ll be the same with whoever She partners you with.”

Gia rolled her eyes, blue irises bleeding into the amber color they were as a wolf. That was the biggest indicator for how upsetshe was. She only ever lost control like this when she was on the verge of tears or violence. Her tone was laced with bitter sarcasm when she answered me. “Oh, yeah. I’m sure it will all work out in the end for the asexual shifter.”

I grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face the crowd that streamed past my parked truck. “Look. Look at all of these wolves. Look at the diversity among them. And they’re all here for the same reason you are. To find a mate. You think you’re the only ace shifter to ever look for a partner? You think you’re the only one who’s nervous or worried?” She was silent in response, so I pushed my advantage while I had it. “The Goddess always knows best. When have you ever known Her to put two people together and have it not work out in the long run?”

She pulled free from my grip and faced me, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. “It’s the part in between bonding and happily-ever-after that scares me.”

I wanted to reassure her, tell her that everything would be roses and butterflies from here on out, but that would be a lie. “You should be scared,” I said instead. “You know it’s never easy or straightforward with our Goddess. She puts people together you wouldn’t expect. She tests us. Forces us to change our ways or our minds or to learn some cosmic lesson designed to make us better people. Why do you think I haven’t taken part in the ceremony yet? I’m chickenshit.”

As I hoped, she laughed.

“But you’re braver than I am,” I told her. “Think about what you said last night. You’re tired of dating. You’re ready to settle down with a partner who understands and accepts you for who you are. No, this might not be easy, and yes, it is scary, but I’ve never known you to run away from something just because it was a challenge.”

Her lips lifted in a halfhearted grin. “I feel like you’re gearing me up to go win the big game.”

“I’m sorry. I swear I’m not doing that. I’m just trying to remind you of every reason you gave me for joining the ceremony. We’ve been talking about you doing this for months.”

She let out a heavy exhale. “Trust me, I’m aware of that.”

“I’m not trying to push you here, either,” I said. “It’s not too late to back out. Say the word, and I will turn this truck on and we can go home, no judgment. I just don’t want to see you let this chance for happiness slip through your fingers because you’re afraid.”

Gia’s voice was so soft when she answered me that even with superhuman hearing I had to strain to pick out her words. “What if there isn’t anyone for me? What if I don’t make a match?”

And there it was, the reason that it wasn’t just her fear scent stinking up my truck, but my own mingling in with it. I didn’t worry about her finding a match. Call it best friend bias, but any wolf would be lucky to find themself bonded to such a superior creature. Still, it wasn’t uncommon for wolves to have to take part in multiple ceremonies before finding a partner. Gia might not see it as pickiness on the Goddess’s part. Between her less-than-ideal dating history and her dad leaving her and her mom a few years back, there was a chance she’d see it as a rejection instead. My worry over her potential heartbreak kept me up long after she fell asleep last night and was what gnawed at me still.

I took a deep, steadying breath. “Listen to me. It would take one hell of a wolf to deserve you.”

She tried to shrug the words off.

“No, stop that,” I said. “The only reason you might not be matched is that no one here is good enough for you. And if that happens,I’mhere for you. Always. We will eat all of the ice cream and drink all of the vodka and maybe even start a fight or two. We will be sad together that you might have to wait another year to find a mate. And when you’re ready, we’ll pick ourselves back up and we’ll keep going. Because that is what we do.”

Gia leaned over and hugged me. “I love you. You know that, right?”

I dragged in a deep breath filled with the comforting smell of my packmate and best friend. The tension in my shoulders eased some. “I love you, too. And I meant what I said before. It’s not too late to leave.”

“No.” She pulled away from me and shook her head. “You’re right. I’ve never let fear get in my way before, and I can’t start now.”

“Okay, but I’ll be right here, the whole time, just in case you change your mind.”

“I kno—” Her focus shot past me, out the windshield, and her expression briefly registered shock before it flattened into open disapproval. “What aretheydoing here?”

I turned and followed her gaze just in time to see a gleaming black Range Rover roll past. It pulled into a parking space across the way from us and came to rest beneath the dappled shade of a large willow tree. The license plate readKOLBECK.

I leaned forward and peered through the road dust the SUV had kicked up. “No fucking way.”

The crowd that had streamed past my truck while we talked had slowed to a trickle, giving the stragglers a great view of our latest newcomers. One or two shot glares at the luxury vehicle. A man nearby spit in its direction. Still more started to talk some serious shit, loud enough that I heard them even with the windows up. The name on the license plate told them everything they needed to know. The Kolbecks were infamous among our kind.

Gia made a low sound of derision. “I thought those fancy city shifters didn’t take part in our bonding ceremonies.”