Page 24 of Accidentally Wedded to a Werewolf (Claw Haven #1)

The bond rejoiced the second Luna walked into the room.

Cut it out, Oliver told it sternly.

The bond pulsed once, as if in rebellion. Oliver crossed his arms tight over his warm chest, sitting back against the couch. He already had the full moon jitters to deal with tonight. He didn’t need more bond bullshit.

“Let’s get this over with,” he said.

Luna gave him a judgy look. As did everyone else in the room, because Luna had insisted that this should be a family event. It’s Musgrove Inn, she’d pointed out when she floated the idea last night. Not Oliver Inn. Everybody should see what’s going into it.

And everyone had agreed and filed into the common room like they didn’t have better things to do tonight. Like everyone wasn’t twitchy and fidgeting with the full moon, ready to wolf out and roam the forest.

“Take all the time you want,” Grandmother said, pulling her long sleeves over her hands. “We have a busy night ahead, is all.”

Luna brightened. “Of course!”

She struck a pose next to the whiteboard she’d dragged Oliver into town to get two days ago. It had a towel draped over it, thick and fluffy since Luna had talked them into buying better ones for the guests.

“In one word,” she started. “How would you describe Musgrove Inn?”

“Drafty,” Ben called.

Oliver glared at him. Ben beamed, slinging an arm around his wife’s shoulders and knocking Oliver in the head in the process.

“Cool,” Darren tried, his homework abandoned in his lap. He was tearing tiny strips off the edges of the paper, restless and ready for the night.

“Boring,” Vida said from where she was sitting on the floor, headphones angled so she could listen with one ear. She’d had her music on full blast all day. Oliver had caught her headbanging in the lobby earlier.

Luna clapped. “Great ideas. I was thinking something more like…”

She turned and whipped the towel off the whiteboard. It had multiple lists scrawled down it. Two words sat at the top of the board: COZY MONSTERS.

“Cozy,” Leo yelled. He ran and leaped up across both his parents’ laps, burrowing his face into his dad’s stomach.

Ben grunted, patting his back. “Okay, bud, save it for later.”

Leo growled, digging his nose in harder. Fur sprouted over his arms.

“Save it,” Ben reminded him. He nodded pointedly at Luna. “Go on, Luna.”

Luna blinked. Then she pulled up another shining smile, stupidly charming for someone who looked like she’d fit in on a TV game show, holding a suitcase full of money.

“So,” she said. “I looked at your online presence, and I think we need to work on your branding. What you have so far is fine, but it needs a little sparkle. Something to tie it all together, let people know what they should expect in a few short words.”

Uncle Roy raised a grudging hand.

Luna blinked again, her smile going slack with shock. “Roy! Do you have an idea?”

Uncle Roy pointed at the whiteboard. “Where’s the logo? You said you’d give us a logo.”

“I’m still working on it!” Luna preened, ruffling her sleek blond hair. “I’m still deciding what’s going to work best for your branding. Which, I think we can all agree, should be centered around this.”

She tapped the whiteboard.

“Now, we can work on what’s inside the inn later.

Obviously, we need to up the cozy factor and get more cute.

Armchairs instead of those things you have out in the guest common room.

Maybe some adorable little monster-themed cushions and knick-knacks around people’s rooms. But anyway, let’s focus on everything outside the inn.

You have a beautiful mountain view! The ocean’s a ten-minute drive away!

And you have that gorgeous forest at your doorstep!

You have a bakery where dragons bake the bread, you have a minotaur with a flower shop and you have Beth’s sweet little monster chocolates. There’s so much to explore.”

Sabine spoke up, ruffling her son’s furry arms. “You should present this to the town, Luna.”

Luna paused. “Excuse me?”

“We’ve all heard you talking about how the town could…how did you put it? Rebrand,” Sabine continued. “We have a town meeting coming up. You could do a presentation. If Sweethelm Books and Prickles are interested, I bet others would be, too.”

“And you should talk to the mayor,” said Aunt Barney, undoing her sister’s braid. “Christopher will talk to anyone who wants to uplift the town. He’s the one who organized that beautiful mural you were taking photos of, Luna.”

Aunt Althea frowned. “Christopher’s on his honeymoon, remember? Won’t be back for a while.”

“Oh. Right.”

“I’ll make a note of it,” Luna said. She turned back to the board. “Anyway! When your guests are done seeing all the wonders of Claw Haven—”

“Which you will only make more wonderful,” Aunt Althea said. She twisted to look at Aunt Barney. “When was that town meeting again?”

“In two days,” Aunt Barney said. “Luna, you could make something like this for the town in two days, right?”

Luna hesitated. “Um. I…guess?”

“She doesn’t have to do anything,” Oliver said, glaring at his nosy family. “Luna, don’t listen to them. You don’t have to do any town meetings if you don’t want to.”

“Right,” Luna said. But her eyes were tracking in that way they did when she was planning something. Then she blinked, her smile coming up again. “Anyway! Once everyone is done seeing Claw Haven, they can come back to Musgrove Inn and get cozy by the fire!”

“The fireplace is walled up,” Oliver said flatly.

Luna pointed at one of the bullet points on her list. FIX FIRE.

“I like that idea,” Aunt Althea said, gold tooth glinting. “We could bake potatoes.”

“Hear, hear,” Ben said quietly.

Leo dug his nose into Sabine’s arm, letting out another low growl.

She stroked his hair absentmindedly, watching Luna with a smile so fond it made Oliver’s stomach twist. They shouldn’t treat her like this.

Like she was part of the pack. The snow would melt any day now, they’d go up the mountain and get the divorce flower and this whole mess would be over.

Oliver would be free of this warmth tying knots in his chest and making him ache with cold whenever he dared stray too far, and Luna would go back to her comfortable life as an heiress to an appliance company.

They’d never have to see each other again.

Which was a good thing, no matter what that traitorous bond in his chest said about it.

She had a fiancé. She had a life. She didn’t belong here in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere.

It took Ben nudging him for Oliver to realize that everybody was looking at him. Waiting. All of them fidgeting, restless, ready to shed their skin and become one with the night.

Everyone except him.

Oliver cleared his throat. “You’re still doing all of this for free, right? We’re not going to find a giant consulting bill when you leave?”

“Depends how nice you are,” Luna said. Then she folded. “No bill. I promised.”

“Plus, you’re bored,” Oliver said.

“Plus, I’m bored,” she chirped, smile still fixed in place. That damn dimple appeared next to it. Oliver’s heart thudded hard in his chest, hot and powerful.

Around him, his family squirmed. The moon was bright and gleaming, with no clouds to hide behind. They didn’t have long.

Oliver’s fingers dug into his thighs, forcing his nails to stay blunt.

“Okay,” he started. “That’s—”

“That’s enough for now,” Grandmother Musgrove said over him, standing gracefully. “Thank you for this, Luna. We can’t wait to see the rest of what you have planned.”

“At the town meeting,” Aunt Barney added.

“Oh!” Luna twisted her smooth hands together.

“I was kind of hoping to explain the socials tonight. And some tweaks you might want to add to your website. I have a lot of ideas on how to improve your interior design. No offense to whoever set this up, but if you’re maximizing coziness, you’re gonna want—”

She fell silent as Grandmother Musgrove rested a hand on her shoulder. Oliver could see the moment she clocked it: The old woman’s teeth were a little too sharp, her eyes brighter than usual.

“Another night,” Grandmother Musgrove said. “Or, if you wish, at the town meeting. I think you have a lot to offer, Luna.”

Luna flushed. “Oh! Um, thank you.”

Grandmother Musgrove turned toward the rest of the room, the air crackling with excitement. “Shall we?”

Leo let out a small howl and bolted for the door. Darren followed, the two of them colliding in a wrestling match, fur sprouting over their skin as they tumbled into the hallway.

“Wait until you’re outside, please,” Sabine called, nosing at her husband’s chin.

Aunt Althea and Aunt Barney followed them out, giggling like schoolgirls. Even Uncle Roy cracked a smile as he left, tugging Vida’s headphones off her head and dodging the bite she aimed at him.

Grandmother Musgrove was the last to leave. Her gaze lingered on Luna for a moment before she turned to Oliver, who sat stiff and unmoving on the couch.

“You’ll be alright?” she asked softly.

“Always,” he replied.

Her mouth quirked. She gave them both a considering look. Then she headed into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

“Wow,” Luna said. “Here I thought you guys were exaggerating when you said the full moon got you riled up.”

“Nope,” Oliver said flatly.

Luna looked toward the closed door. “Aren’t you going with them?”

Oliver swallowed. The wolf inside him prowled the edges of his skin, the moon pulling it toward the surface. But whenever he reached for it, his wolf retreated.

“No,” he gritted.

He gave it another second, waiting to hear his family spill out the front door, their joy a knife in his stupid, bitter heart. Then he ripped the door open, storming down the hall toward his room.

Luna called out for him.

He kept walking.

* * *

Oliver shut himself in his room and hoped.

Hoped she would come.

Hoped she wouldn’t.