Hunt Me! I Crave the Chase (Spooky Boys #3)

“I know.”

He stared at me for what felt like a century before he nodded, lifted his mug to his lips, and took a languorous sip. “Maine,” he repeated, rolling the word around in his mouth. “Maine sounds nice. Fun. You’ll enjoy it.” Whipped cream decorated his silver mustache as he hummed thoughtfully.

I knew why Dad had said yes. It wasn’t because of the pack overflow problem, or the location, or the strong SAC associated town next to the land I’d told him I wanted us to purchase.

No.

It was the fact I’d shifted to humanskin.

The fact I’d spoken up at all.

Mama pulled me aside after the meeting was over. Her eyes sparkled, pine needles in her hair, a smudge of dirt across her cheek. There were creases by her eyes. Wrinkles. I was certain they hadn’t been there the last time that I’d seen her humanskin. She told me about autumn. About gold, orange, and fiery red. About the pale blue of the crisp sky and the smear of white snow that decorated the mountains.

She told me she was glad I was spreading my wings before I was stuck home for good. That it was good to explore while I was young.

I’d smiled, and it felt like a lie. But I couldn’t bring myself to care, because I was protecting something precious. Something special. Something mine, mine, mine.

Something I’d have to give up—because fate dictated I did.

But something mine all the same.

Wasn’t even sure I could last the full six months. Though the last moon had been surprisingly forgiving, that was not the norm. With every moon that passed, my shift got harder and harder. Longer and longer. Sometimes I’d remain shifted for days after the full moon rose—feral, trapped in alphaskin and locked away in the basement, only manacles and bruises for company.

“So…lemme get this straight,” Butters hummed. “You wanna make a ‘thanks for letting me sex you up’ gift basket for a human—who you love—but can’t bond with, because he’s human?”

“Right.”

“But Mom and Dad said you can bond with anyone.” Butters frowned. “You just have to choose them.”

I stared at him like he was stupid, because he was. “Have you ever heard of a human and a wolf mating?”

Butters frowned harder. Wrinkles multiplied. A car passed by on the street. The clock at the end of the hallway tick tick ticked away.

“No,” he shrugged. “I guess not.”

I wasn’t sure what I was hoping for? Maybe that Butters would tell me I was wrong. And that he’d seen it happen after all. Because if it had happened once it could happen again, right? For me?

But no, I wasn’t that lucky.

“I’m still going back home. I just…for now…let me have this.” I’d never been more disappointed to be right. Sulking, I sighed, scrubbing a hand over my hair, my lips wobbling. “Basket,” I said, a little hoarse. “Basket. I want to make…him a basket.”

“And you want to put scentless soap in it?” Butters smiled sunnily, taking pity on me because he could scent my sadness as easily as he saw it. He was half-naked, his hand scratching his belly as he lay sprawled across the sofa in our temporary den, his brow lowered thoughtfully. “Like the one Dad buys us back home?”

“Yes.”

“And you want my help?”

“Yes.”

“But why…me?” Butters squinted. “Why not Harry? Or Theo? Or even Jules? They’d be better.”

“No,” I shook my head. “I want you.” It made me a little sad how surprised Butters was that I would choose him, of all my older brothers, to go to for help. He may have been…not the brightest star in the sky, but he was still my big brother. Made me glad I’d trusted him first. Well, second. Seeing as Theo had known about Jeffrey since the vet debacle.

“Your funeral, man,” Butters blinked again, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “I wonder if you could get it from the grocery store. Pretty sure he special orders it back at home, but…” he shrugged and scratched his belly again. His ears flickered as he thought, long and hard. His tail was thumping, betraying his excitement at having been chosen.

Butters was…for lack of a better word—obtuse.

But he was the brother I usually went to for help because what he lacked in cleverness, he made up for with loyalty. I was sure he’d keep his mouth shut. He was just that kinda guy, and I had a human to woo—and soap to find.