Page 259 of The Werewolf’s Wrong Mate

“I know. I was there for the murder rug incident.”

Cormac murmured, “A strong name for his wolf.”

Ian gave him a flat look.

I squeezed Ian’s hand. “I’m not saying no.”

Everything in him went still.

“I’m saying we wrap up my life properly,” I said. “My apartment. My work. My family. My very judgmental neighbor who has been feeding my plants and will absolutely assume you are a cult leader if you show up in all black.”

“I can wear gray.”

“You will still look like a cult leader.”

“I can smile.”

“Worse.”

A faint sound came from Ronan. It might have been a laugh, but if asked under oath he would probably deny it.

Sava looked at the sky. “You are not going anywhere until I clear her stitches.”

“I agree,” Ian said.

I stared at him. “Do not start agreeing with Sava against me. That is a dangerous marital precedent.”

My mother sat down hard in a chair. “So you are married.”

“I didn’t sign anything,” I said.

Aunt Linda poured tea. “Honey, after that courtyard declaration, I think paperwork would be redundant.”

Tessa, from the doorway, said, “You did tell everyone to kill you too.”

“I was in the moment.”

“You ripped your shirt open.”

“It was a sweater, and I was making a point.”

“You slapped a wolf.”

“He started it.”

Ian leaned closer and murmured, “I did growl.”

“See?” I said. “He admits fault.”

My father appeared behind my mother, heard only the last ten seconds, and immediately turned around.

“No,” he said. “I need coffee before this conversation.”

For the first time in days, the laughter around me didn’t feel like a defense.

It sounded strange in this place. Human voices and wolf voices mixing under the gray island sky. My mother and Sava discussing broth as if they had not nearly come to blows over painkillers. Aunt Linda asking Cormac whether all wolves were “that flexible,” which made him choke on tea and Sava threaten to rebreak his shoulder. Tessa sitting beside Evan while Henry slept across both their feet like he had arranged the match himself.

Awkward.