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Carl snaps his finger. "I remember him now! Oh, Addy, I thought it was going to be a one night thing."
I nod repeatedly. "I thought the same but here I am still thinking of him. Carl, he's so amazing. I've never met a man like him."
Carl lowers his eyebrows as he leans forward, dropping the napkin in his hand on the counter. He's concerned about something. I know what's coming.
The men in my family have never disappointed me when it comes to displaying their blind care for me. Carl is no exception. He may prefer spending his days pouring drinks for wolves and unsuspecting humans but he’s also like my overprotective brothers.
The only difference is he's a little less annoying than Lawrence and Damian and he knows when to give up trying to be protective.
"Do you know anything about him?"
I twist my lips to the left, my eyes darting up as I garner the little information I have on Luke in my head. This shouldn't be hard. I even know where he lives!
"I do." Then I proceed to tell Carl about Luke's grandmother and his apartment. No mention of Luke's neighbor. Not even that I have suspicions he's hiding something from me.
Why can't you tell me everything that's eating you from the inside, Luke? I can see the pain in your eyes. I can see the ocean of your ache threatening to drown you.
"Have you told your brothers about him?"
"Carl, you know they’re the last people who should ever find out about this."
Carl smiles and picks up his napkin. "Your secret’s safe with me."
"What? You're not going to tell me to stop seeing him?"
Carl flings the napkin over his shoulder. "If he makes you smile, why would I want to wipe it off your face?"
His words almost bring tears to my eyes. The very words I want to hear.
"But be careful. New wolves are always up to no good when they come here. They have a chip on their shoulder because they’re running from their shitty lives in their former towns. Maybe this Luke is different but whoever he is, Addy, don’t think he's completely flawless."
I mull over the words and as I walk out of Moonlit a few hours later, knowing what I need to do next.
Find out who the hell Luke Holland is.
Chapter9
Luke
The second test is harder.
I draw the scent of pine into my lungs as I glance around, waiting to find out exactly what the second test is. As I stand in the heart of the woods, warm sunshine prickles my exposed skin, reminding me that I have no clothes on.
Grindelvi didn’t ask me to meet him at a park or something. In fact, I was instructed to take a bus from Falview to a different street called Gaski, then from Gaski back to Falview, stop at the community's library and trek to the edge of town.
From there, I’d find the woods.Go into the woods. Switch off your phone and strip down to nothing. Wait for someone to get you.
Which brought me to this moment. Alone in a forest, alert. Naked.
Being naked isn't embarrassing. It's the thought of finding out this is some prank being pulled by a group of humans that is.
As a shifter, each time you morph into your wolf form you reveal your nudity to the dark, the dusk, or whatever time it is. It's our way of life and having to wait butt naked in the middle of nowhere isn't at all shameful.
Come to think of it, I’ve never explored these woods. Since I came to Falview, I’ve rarely had time to shift at night and run in the woods, howling until I reach peak power. Blood rushing. Energy vibrating. The core of my being complete.
I miss running. Just standing in the midst of a land typical of my kind, I want to dash into the woods, feeling my muscles tightening, bones reforming, claws shooting out of my fingers, fur covering me like a blanket and teeth taking shape into fangs.
My ears pick up footsteps to my left. I glance in that direction, fingers spread out to attack. I'll only reveal my fangs when I'm sure the person approaching is a shifter.
