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“I know how much you must miss running with your pack,” he said. “I know it’s not the same, but none of the shifters here will harm you.”
“I don’t want to shift with your pack,” I said.
“If you’re going to run solo, give me a heads-up and I’ll let our patrols know not to approach any unfamiliar wolves. In the past, we wouldn’t need that precaution, but with the things that happened lately…”
“Your dad, you mean,” I cut in.
“Yeah, that,” he said.
“Don’t worry about me,” I said. “I don’t much enjoy shifting.”
His brows lifted. “Really?”
I sighed. I’d already said too much. Here came the judgement and lecture. “We all have our things.”
“That’s true,” he agreed. “Well, when you reach that point where you have no choice, just let me know. I can even point you in the opposite direction of our patrols, so you can have some privacy.”
My brow furrowed. Seriously? What was his play? Why would he offer that and not push? Why be so understanding? I’d never met a shifter who didn’t jump down my throat about shifting. Especially not a male. With my own father, I would hint that I’d shifted just to keep him off my back even while taking Jasmine’s potion.
“I’m heading to the lake today if you want to join me for a change of scenery,” he offered.
“No, thank you.” I closed the door before he could say anything else.
Something unfamiliar and restless felt like it was rolling through me, and I took a few slow breaths to steady myself. I hadn’t even thought about my wolf in a long time, but the reminder that the full moon was coming and the offer to shift seemed to have woken her from her slumber.
If I didn’t get a potion in the next few days, I was going to have to shift. I was so not ready for that.
ChapterThirteen
Morgan
It tookme all morning to find Zoe. Her hands and forearms were covered in dirt, and her face glistened with sweat. She looked incredibly out of place digging and harvesting in a community garden, but there she was, combat boots covered in mud, fishnet stockinged knees pressed into the dirt.
There were others gathered, too. Each working diligently on their own little square in the large fenced in garden space. Cheerful letters were painted on a wooden sign alerting passersby to what this space was. A smaller sign had a phone number with instructions to call to gain your own square for the spring. It was a strangely charming thing to find in the small town.
Zoe stood, then brushed the loose dirt off her hands and knees. “Hey, I was wondering when you’d get tired of your self-imposed isolation.”
“I have a favor to ask,” I blurted out.
“Okay, let’s walk.” She picked up a pile of carrots, then walked over to a large wooden table covered in vegetables. A sign hanging from the lip of the table saidfree, help yourself. Zoe added her vegetables to the table, then continued on. I followed.
“So, what’s the favor? Want me to smuggle you out of town? Turn your ex into a toad? Deliver a message to your witch friend?” she suggested.
“Okay, well, delivering a message is not what I came for, but I would love that. As far as my ex, that’s tempting.” I actually smiled despite the knots in my stomach.
She led us to a bench that was probably out of earshot for most of the shifters in the garden. At least I had to hope it was. I sat down, keeping a space between us. I didn’t know if she even had the skills to make this potion, or if she’d be willing to, but I had to try.
“So, my friend Jasmine used to make me a potion every month,” I began, hoping she’d fill in the meaning of the potion.
“Oh?”
She seemed to understand, so I went on. “Is that something you could do?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Are you asking me to set you up with birth control? Or just general menstrual cramps sort of things?”
“No, neither of those.” I was just going to have to say it. “It kept me from shifting.”
“Why?”
