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16
Sheila wasn’t in her bed when I woke the next morning. I figured that meant things went well with her hookup. At least one of us was getting some action.
I cringed at the thought. I could have had some if I wanted it, but I wasn’t interested in the pushy male who had his tongue down my throat. Lucas, I think Alec called him.
Tossing the sleeping bag aside, I climbed off the cot and stretched. I was still in the same outfit from yesterday and since I didn’t have a change of clothes, this was as good as it was going to get.
My temples throbbed and my tongue was like cotton. The forth cup of beer was probably a mistake. Since I didn’t drink often, I wasn’t great at holding my liquor.
I ran my fingers through my hair to work out some of the tangles, then slipped on my boots. Hopefully, there was coffee to be found. Then I needed to find Alec before I went to Greta. It felt a little weird with how we’d left things last night and I wanted to assure him that I would respect his decision to send me away. Though, honestly, I was sort of hoping that in the light of day, the news was better and maybe I wouldn’t have to rush out of here.
The common area was nearly empty but it was still early. Most of the shifters were probably sleeping off last night’s festivities. An elderly couple sat on a bench, a few others were gathered around a fire cooking something that smelled amazing, and some kids were playing tag. It wasn’t nearly the bustling chaos of last night but it was nice to see I wasn’t the only one awake.
“Lola, right?” A woman who looked to be in her late thirties signaled for me to walk over to her.
She had an espresso pot on a grate over a fire pit so as long as she was willing to share, I wasn’t sure I cared how she knew my name.
“Hi, I don’t think we’ve met formally,” I said.
“I’m Penny, Megan’s mom.” She smiled. “Thank you for what you did to help distract my girl. They told me that you got her away so she didn’t have to see Justin in that state.”
“Megan’s a great kid. I’m glad I could help. How is Justin?” I asked.
“He’s going to pull through.”
I set my hand on my chest, relieved to hear it. “Thank the gods.”
“I’ve never seen anything so scary my whole life,” she admitted. “The toxin is scary shit.”
My brow furrowed. “Toxin?”
“I thought you were from Wolf Creek?” she looked confused.
“I am, but I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.
“I thought everyone in Wolf Creek knew about their tactics.”
“I wasn’t really part of the crowd, if you know what I mean,” I said.
“Well, count your lucky stars you’re out of there,” she said.
“I do, every day,” I said.
The espresso maker started to spit and gurgle. She removed it from the rack and set it on a stone next to the fire pit. “Espresso?”
“I’d love some,” I said.
She poured us each a cup and then sat down on a bench. I took the space next to her and breathed in the aroma of fresh brewed espresso. “It smells amazing.”
“Nectar of the gods, for certain.” She took a sip.
“Can you tell me more about the toxin that was in your partner?” I asked.
“I can’t believe you didn’t know. But maybe it’s just the alpha and his favorites that use it.” She shook her head. “Fucking misogynistic assholes.” She glanced over at me. “Sorry. I know they were your pack.”
“Don’t apologize to me. You hit the nail on the head. Fuck the lot of them.”
She chuckled. “Alright, then. No love for Wolf Creek.”
