Cursed Wolf

“So,what’s the deal with Yetis?” Tate asked. He g*****d to himself and ran his hand through his thick blond hair. “No…”

He crossed the line off his notepad a second before his brother Blake charged into the room.

“What are you doing? I told you to stay out of here.”

“There’s nothing in the fridge to eat.”

“Then go out and get something,” Tate snapped.

Blake bristled and closed the door. Tate collapsed on his bed, feeling his inspiration completely sapped. His brother was getting on his last nerve. Blake was going to have to get out of here before Tate snapped and bit his head off.

How was he supposed to practice his comedy routine with his irritating brother interrupting him every five minutes? Besides, he hated every joke that he wrote. Suddenly he didn’t feel funny at all. Why was it so hard to be funny on demand? It didn’t make any sense—it always looked so easy for the great comedians.

He needed a break. He’d been practicing all morning. He grabbed his coat and hurried out the door and down the stairs. He found Blake on sidewalk, charging toward the market.

“I thought I’d come with you,” Tate said.

“We could’ve taken the truck.”

“It’s a nice day,” Tate said, looking up at the clear blue sky.

They walked into Selkie Harbor Fish and Chips and made two orders at the counter. They were given their baskets moments later and took it all down to their table. Tate spread malt vinegar all over his fish and squirted a hefty portion of ketchup on his fries. Blake tentatively nibbled a piece of fried fish with an irritated look on his face. “Why do they have to ruin it with all the breading?” he asked.

“It’s good,” Tate said.

He devoured his plate and looked up to see Thorne, Heather, and little Maggie walking through the door. Tate waved at them and caught his brother’s eye. Thorne c0cked his head and then motioned to Heather, pointing over to the table. Heather gave them a wave and the three of them walked to the counter to order. Moments later, the five of them were sitting together at the table.

“It’s so nice to see you,” Heather said, helping her four-year-old daughter with her food.

“There isn’t anything to eat in the house,” Blake said, finally digging into his meal.

“I’ve been busy.” Tate took another bite of fish.

“Rex told us about your mate,” Thorne said with a knowing look.

“My match,” Tate corrected. “We haven’t mated yet.”

“Have you told her about the curse?” Heather asked, breaking her fish apart with a knife and fork.

“No. I don’t know how. I don’t want it to scare her off.” Tate wiped his mouth.

“My advice: don’t blurt it out the first time you meet.” Heather laughed.

“Are you wolves too?” Maggie asked Tate and Blake.

“We’re Thorne’s brothers. We are all wolves. Would you like to see?” Blake asked her.

Maggie’s eyes brightened, and she clapped her hands together. “Can I, Mommy?”

“Maybe some other time,” she said, looking nervous.

“Has she seen your wolf, Thorne?” Blake asked.

“Maggie has met Thorne’s wolf. It’s something we’re introducing slowly.”

“Very wise,” Tate said.

“Don’t you think you’re being a bit overprotective?” Blake asked. “The child wants to see the Winter wolves in all their glory. It probably wouldn’t be too much for her delicate sensibilities.”

Heather set her fork back on her plate and stared at Blake, slowly raising her eyebrows as she turned to Thorne.

“Please forgive my brother,” Tate said. “He has a screw loose.” Tate pointed at his head and twirled his finger.

“I’m the only one who’s thinking rationally,” Blake said.

He took his half-finished meal to the counter, threw his things into a to go box, and scurried out the door.

“I’m sorry about that,” Tate said.

“You don’t have to apologize for him,” Thorne rumbled.

“I feel responsible.”

“Blake is responsible for himself. He needs to deal with his own burdens.”

“I am sorry, though, Heather,” Tate said.

“It’s okay, Tate. Everything’s fine. I knew what I was signing up for,” she said, patting Thorne’s hand.

“That’s good to know.”

“I hear your mate is a famous artist,” Heather said.

“I don’t know if she’s famous. She has 20,000 followers on Instagram. Whatever that means,” Tate said. “I looked at every single one of her posts, and I think she’s amazing.”

They made small talk about movies and comedy and Heather’s work at the college. When they finished, Heather took Maggie to the bathroom to wash up.

“How are things with you and the new family?” Tate asked Thorne.

“Couldn’t be better. I love those two. Heather is an amazing woman. She blows my mind every day. I never thought that I could love for someone else’s child so much, but I love Maggie like she’s my own daughter. You wouldn’t believe a four-year-old could be so fierce.”.

“I’m glad things are working out for you.”.

“They will work out for you too.” Thorne gripped his brother’s shoulder.

Tate made his way home, hoping that Blake had decided to go somewhere else. Tate turned into the parking lot of his building and his phone rang. It was Dalia. He answered and pressed the phone to his ear.

“Hi,” he said lightly. “It’s nice to hear from you.”

“Would you like to come over to my place to hang out?” she asked.

“I would love to.”

“There’s a new comedy special on Netflix. I thought you might want to watch with me. I have two pints of unopened ice cream in the freezer.”

“How could I resist?” He smiled.

She sent him her address and he entered it into his GPS. Moments later, he was standing at the front door of Dalia’s house with roses and chocolates in his arms. He knocked and she answered.

She smiled with surprise at the gifts. She took the fragrant budget of spring blooms into her arms and inhaled deeply.

“Thank you. They’re gorgeous. Come in.” She stood back and invited him into her house. “I’ll get these in some water.”

Plants dominated the space, lining the tops of bookshelves and surrounding the picture windows on the far wall. She had eclectic, mismatched furniture in prints and patterns from all over the world, her bookshelves were packed with books and figurines. A big rose quartz sat on the coffee table.

Tate looked closer at her bookshelf. He’d seen the same titles in the witchy section of Luna’s store.

“Would you like some tea?” Walked back into the living room with the bouquet in a glass vase.

“Tea would be great,” he said.

He followed her into the yellow cedar kitchen and sat on the gray granite island. Dalia filled a tea kettle and put it on to boil. He loved watching her walk around her kitchen with the light streaming over her wild red hair.

She poured hot water into two earthenware mugs.

“Would you like cream or honey?”

He said yes to both. When she handed him the cup, he sipped the spicy sweat flavor with delight. She lead him back into the living room.

“Ready to watch the show?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

They sat down together, and she turned on the show he’d come over to watch. It started with a blast and he was cracking up on the first joke. Dalia giggled beside him.

The show was a collection of five different comedians, all with different personalities and routines. By the end of the show, he felt lightheaded from laughter. Dalia eyes glistened with humor and her smile filled her whole face.

“We never got the ice cream,” she said.

“We’ll have to watch another show so we can eat it.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said, disappearing into the kitchen.

She came back a few moments later with two pints of rocky road ice cream and two big spoons. She handed one to Tate and dug in to her own.

“I have a Monty Python and the Holy Grail DVD.” She started to look through her collection on her bookshelf.

“Nice! Let’s watch that.”

She smiled gleefully and placed the DVD in the player. She sat closer than before, their thighs touching.

The smell of her skin overwhelmed him. He was intoxicated by her scent.

“I’m glad you invited me over,” he said.

“So am I. This has been really fun.”

She looked down at her ice cream and poked at it with her spoon several times.

“The truth is, I didn’t want to be alone. My ex-boyfriend came over earlier and it scared me. I had a restraining order against him, but it just got lifted. So, unless I file another one, he can come around any time.”

“What did he do?” Adrenaline coursed through Tate’s veins.

“He walked in the house and started looking for his lighter.”

“He just walked right through the front door?”

“He knocked and I opened it. Then he pushed past to get inside. I threatened to call the police, but he ended up leaving on his own.”

Tate gritted his teeth. “I’m glad you called me. That man needs to be taught a lesson.”

“I hoped you could stay with me a while. Just in case he’s still lingering around.”

“You think he’s watching you?” Tate said, standing up.

He headed to the door and gripped the handle. Dalia grabbed his shoulder.

“It’s okay. Please just stay with me. You don’t need to go after him.”

Tate turned back to her. She had a pleading expression in her eyes. For now, he would leave the man alone. But Tate would not allow the man to cross that line again.