Howl (Monster Boyfriends #1)

Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five

RAEGAN

S everal hours pass while I anxiously walk circles in the grass, waiting for Jamie to come out and tell me everything's alright. After Rhett insisted I come with him, I followed him to a rusted yellow Jeep, and we rode in silence to the pack’s property.

When we got to camp, Paloma made it a priority to properly clean and cover my wound. The cut from Banks’ knife wasn’t as deep as I thought it would be, so I was able to avoid stitches. It still hurts, so she gave me an aspirin to help fight infection and pain, making it feel a little better.

But as I pace back and forth in front of their house, my brain spits out all the ways Jamie might get out of facing repercussions for his actions. Surely Sheriff Simmons wouldn’t want to get involved in werewolf affairs, and Rhett wouldn’t punish Jamie for protecting me. He did what he thought was necessary at that moment.

But then I wonder what the rest of town will say.

Jamie put people in danger just as much as Banks by shifting in front of everyone. There’s a reason why he goes off to the woods alone every full moon. Though I now know for certain the mate bond prevents Jamie from hurting me in his wolf form, I can’t say the same about anyone else. Even Aidan said Jamie wouldn’t remember that he’s a friend.

I’m so wired I feel like I could power an entire city. I haven’t been able to sit down since arriving at the campground.

Jo called when she heard about what happened. She wasn’t at the festival, but by the time I talked to her, she already had the details from those who were. I tried to convince her I was okay, but I’ve learned by now those efforts are usually fruitless. She showed up ten minutes later, demanding to be let in the front gate. I think she actually scared Tyler.

Aidan is here too, but apparently he wasn’t scary enough to be let onto the property. It seems the vampire and werewolf beef really does run deep.

“Don’t they have, like, a mate clause in the werewolf handbook?” Joanna asks, twirling her hair nervously.

It sounds crazy, but I would love for there to be a handbook with some fucking rules in it for once.

But I don’t say anything. So Jo goes for something else. “Can you stop doing that? You’re making me a little dizzy.”

When she got here, I had to give her a rough recap of everything that’s happened over the past two weeks, and I’m grateful she’s taken this whole werewolf situation so well, but her calmness is starting to push my buttons. “What else am I supposed to do?”

Her response is cut off when the door to the building finally opens. Rhett steps out onto the porch and gives me a reassuring nod. I sink to the ground in relief, and my body crashes. I’ve been so tense waiting for news it feels like I’ve been hit by a truck now that I can finally relax.

Jamie comes out next. He’s wearing a black T-shirt just like Rhett’s and a pair of plaid pajama pants, having lost his clothes to the shift. He appears stricken with guilt as he stares at his own feet.

Rhett walks straight over to me and crouches down, placing a steady hand on my back. “He’s not in trouble.”

I look up dazed. “What?”

Rhett smirks knowingly. “Mayor Musthaven and Sheriff Simmons claim to have been too caught up in a pumpkin bowling match to have seen what happened.” Though I’m grateful, I know very well that’s a lie, and they know it too. “But after we left, they managed to convince the tourists it was all part of a planned Halloween skit.”

No doubt there was likely some witchcraft involved in the convincing. I’ll have to ask the coven about that.

I frown and blink rapidly. “But what about Banks?”

Rhett doesn’t miss a beat. “He threatened a fellow pack member’s mate. He’ll be facing his own consequences.”

“But we’re not…”

Jamie steps up then and adds, “He might have forgotten to mention we haven’t sealed that bond yet.”

I feel heat rush to my cheeks, but Rhett doesn’t appear bothered by knowing the intimate details of mine and Jamie’s relationship. Instead, he gives me a reassuring grin and helps me to my feet.

“Maybe you can fix that,” he suggests to Jamie, followed by a laugh from Jo that she tries to disguise as a cough.

And now my entire body is on fire.

Jamie gives him a pinched expression and tugs at his shirt. It’s a little too tight, but it clings to his muscles in all the right ways. “I appreciate your help,” he tells his uncle. “I really do. But we’ve got it from here.”

Rhett heads back up the stairs of the camper and salutes. “Whatever you say.”

Jamie looks to me. “Can we go home now?”

“Yes, please.” I take a step toward Jamie’s outstretched arms. As I rest my head against his chest, feeling the subtle beat of his heart in my ear, I feel more at home than I ever have.

“Come on,” Joanna says, “I’ll drop you off.”

Aidan is standing like a creepy statue as we reach the front gate. Jamie and I are used to his lack of need to breathe, but he seems to have taken Joanna by surprise, because she startles.

“Who the hell is that?”

Aidan frowns. “Who are you?”

“I’m Joanna Shepherd: friend and bodyguard. And you,” she points to Aidan’s stiff frame, “do not look like a werewolf.”

Jamie stifles a laugh and I hide my face in his side.

Aidan crosses his arms and narrows his eyes, taking in the feisty human mouthing off to him. “Why do you say that?”

Joanna doesn’t miss a beat. “Because you’re, I dunno, pale?”

I burst out laughing, and she turns to give me a clueless expression. “What? He is!”

“I’m pale, Jo. What is that supposed to mean?”

She side-eyes Aidan who is still glaring at her. “You just have fair skin,” she explains. “This guy looks like a vampire.”

Aidan’s face is vibrating with disgust.

I can tell he wants to say something smart, but Jamie coughs and clears his throat. “Joanna, meet my friend, Aidan. He’s a vampire.”

Her eyes go wide and her face flushes with embarrassment. I decide to relieve her of her suffering and leave Jamie’s side to go to hers.

“He’s not as scary as he looks,” I reassure her. But she only grumbles to herself. “And he can walk home.”

Aidan takes the hint and speeds off in the blink of an eye, leaving Jo even more stunned.

Jamie gets behind the wheel of Jo’s SUV and drives us back to the condo. Throughout the ride, I think about how wild these past two weeks have been, but I can’t say I regret anything. If not for all the scary moments, I wouldn’t have a new best friend to lean on, and I wouldn’t be so certain of how much I want to be with Jamie. Because while he’s still my best friend, he’s now so much more.

Jamie is the love of my life…and I want to be his mate.