A Grey Wolves Howliday (The Grey Wolves #14) by Quinn Loftis

Peri tipped her glass back and drained it. “I totally did. I need more to drink.”

“Maybe everyone should put their drinks down so we can be a little more clear-headed for Zara,” Crina suggested.

“Good plan, Stan,” Jacque agreed, and everyone sat their mugs and glasses down. “Okay, so you told Wadim that you were ready to proceed with your bond. You’ve still got to do the Blood Rites, correct?”

Zara nodded.

“And you still need to consummate the mating,” Jacque added.

Jen laughed suddenly. “Consummate. That word totally has a new meaning now that we’re werewolves with mates. It sounds like consume mate. Like we’re eating our mates. Only we’re chicks, so it would actually be the other way a—”

“Someone shove a cookie in her word hole. Quickly, please,” Jacque said.

Elle snapped her fingers, and suddenly an Oreo protruded from Jen’s mouth. Everyone froze as they looked from Jen to Elle.

“Why the hell have you two not been doing that all these years?” Sally asked Peri and Elle.

“No one asked us to,” Elle said.

“I don’t think that’s something that needs to be asked. It’s pretty freaking obvious this girl doesn’t need a working mouth,” Sally said.

“Pretty sure Decebel would be a bit angry with us if we caused her mouth to stop working,” Peri murmured.

“Bloody hell.” Jacque sighed. “It’s like I’m surrounded by drunk, eighteen-year-old dudes who’ve gotten stuck on the sex merry-go-round jokes.”

“And if we shoved a cookie in Jen’s mouth every time she said something inappropriate, she’d be three hundred pounds by next week.”

Jen swallowed hard. “Something else Dec probably wouldn’t appreciate. Keep your cookies to yourselves.”

“I haven’t mentioned a word about sex,” Rachel called out.

“No, you just put the image of Gavril in a tutu and tiara in our minds,” Sally said dryly. “Thank you, wise healer, for that.”

“All right, moving on,” Crina said, obviously trying to keep everyone focused. Zara couldn’t help but laugh. She’d never had friends like this. She’d never experienced the kind of comradery these women shared. Zara would be forever grateful to the Great Luna that the Romania pack had found her in the vampire coven and gotten her out.

“What did Wadim say?” Crina asked. “You guys haven’t exactly seemed kosher, so I’m guessing it didn’t go well?”

“He said he doesn’t think I’m ready.” Zara glanced down at her nearly empty mug of hot chocolate, though she didn’t even remember drinking it. Jen took it from her hands and replaced it with a full one.

“Don’t you love it when they do that? As if they know what you are and are not ready for?” Jen said.

“It’s very helpful,” Sally said, shaking her head at the same time.

“I, for one, love it,” Crina bit out. After a brief pause, she added, “No. I do not love it. No one loves it. In fact, it’s freaking annoying.”

“And your response was?” Peri asked, a freshly filled glass in her hand.

“I told him he didn’t get to tell me what I was or was not ready for,” Zara said, remembering the way he’d growled at her.

“Bet he loved that.” Bethany chuckled. “They love it when we tell them they aren’t in control.”

“Sorin rarely questions what I—” Elle started but Jen cut her off.

“You and Sorin are weirdos. Shut it!” Jen turned back to Zara. “The rest of us completely understand. The male Canis lupus sort of loses his ability to think rationally when his female doesn’t simply go with the flow of what he thinks is best, safe, yada, yada.”

Zara could only agree. Wadim had never responded to her so dominantly. In fact, she thought he’d have her clothes off before the words left her mouth. Instead, he’d immediately closed the bond and started listing off reasons why she couldn’t possibly be ready to take that next step. “He told me I hadn’t had time to process my trauma, and that if we moved too fast, I would wind up regretting it and could be traumatized more.”

Jen frowned. “What’s he planning on doing? Stringing you up with a sex swing while wielding a crop and telling you to count your spankings for not calling him sir?”

“I don’t want to know why you just said that or how you even know what a sex swing is, or about spankings and… I think I’m going to puke.” Sally’s words spilled out, and her face actually turned a little green.

“Oh, shut up, Felicia.” Jen huffed. “I’d give my right boob if you’d tell me honestly Costin hasn’t spanked you at least once. And I bet you even liked it.”

“Why’s it always the right boob?” Jacque tilted her head and looked at her friend.

Zara heard a coughing to her right and glanced over to see Rachel wiping hot chocolate from her mouth. The healer glanced at Zara, and her shoulders shook with silent laughter. Zara agreed, but she wasn’t sure if the trio was actually trying to be funny or if they genuinely meant what they said.

“How often has she offered up her right boob is the better question,” Elle said.

Peri pointed her glass at her fae comrade. “What she said. Why would you want to be lopsided?”