Page 19 of Opposites Attract

Maybe we should rethink this. The old males weren’t so bad.My wolf growled as I turned toward the kitchen where female voices clashed along with the pots and pans.

We’re going to need to do this eventually.I took a deep breath before I pushed open the door.

The silence was instant. Even the steam seemed to hang in the air as every eye turned toward me. It was crowded in the galley-style kitchen with the women I’d been briefly introduced to earlier before John ushered me to his office to meet the elder males.

Reba I remembered the most clearly because the blonde woman had the unfortunate circumstances of being married to that pig-headed shifter Tim. She sat on a wood stool next to Beatrice, Patrick’s wife. Both women were hardened, with leather skin, and wore shirts in different colors of flannelstretched across large busts. It was the local dress code apparently. Not the hipster type of breathable flannel worn back home. This was beat-in flannel. Served a purpose flannel. It'd seen a thing or two and had the wool pills to prove it.

Two younger females about my age chopped vegetables on the butcher block counter near the sink in the back of the kitchen. Colleen, Reba’s daughter with matching hair color to prove it, and Rachel, the woman who worked at the post office, both had the scent of guilt and onions all over them. I assumed whatever they’d hurried to stop talking about had something to do with me.

I ignored them, turning to the matronly woman with a jean apron tied over her wide hips who stood guarding the stove. Shirley was in charge here.

“What can I do to help?”

She regarded me with sharp eyes behind her fogged glasses. “Nothing, Luna. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable while the girls and I fix up the meal?”

I knew a dismissal when I heard one.

But you’re not going to listen.My beast rolled her eyes.

I pushed up my sleeves and turned to the kitchen sink, shoving my hands into the hot soapy water.

“What are you doing?” Rachel gasped. Her mousy brown hair reminded me of Aspen’s, but that was where their similarities ended. She was a tiny thing, swimming in her overalls, and she took a step back as if I threatened her space. But she wasn’t a low-ranking wolf, which meant she must’ve either mated a higher-ranking wolf or been from one of the “founding families.”

“The dishes.” I started scrubbing the plates.

Awkward silence intensified as I felt their eyes burning into my back. I scrubbed at the stuck food particles.

“Now, Luna, we don’t want you to chip a nail.” Colleen leaned forward over the butcher block counter, smiling with a toothy grin. She was taller than me by a foot and prettier than I’d expect for someone who came from Tim’s bloodline. I glanced at Reba, seeing past the scowl on her face. That’s probably where Colleen got her looks.

“They’ll grow back.” I rinsed the plate and propped it on the drying rack before digging into the suds again. “So what’s there to do for fun in this town?”

I really didn’t expect them to keep up the silence. At this point, it was just rude. I washed a cup and a plate before I looked over my shoulder.

Beatrice smiled over her cup of coffee. Her ruddy complexion deepened with the grin. “I don’t suppose you like hunting.”

She does know we’re all shifters, right?

“My wolf enjoys it.” I shrugged. At least someone was speaking. I looked to Colleen and Rachel, who both turned their eyes to the vegetables.

“Were you two close with Amber and Danielle?” I wasn’t, but I couldn’t imagine those sweet girls hanging out with rude women like this.

Rachel glanced up. “Amber was in my class. We graduated last year. Danielle hasn’t been around though. She’s enrolled in community college.”

“And the college is where?” I asked, feeling around the bottom of the sink.

“Far away from here,” Colleen mumbled under her breath. “Maybe you should go sometime.”

My hand clasped around the butter knife at the bottom of the sink. It was the only thing left. “Maybe I will check it out. Is there anything else I should see? Or is there anything you’d like to bring to my attention as your new Luna?”

Rachel’s cheeks flushed as she glared at Colleen. “I think we’re alright. Thanks.”

I rinsed off the knife. “Are there any more dishes for me?” I looked around the kitchen and made sure I met everyone’s eyes. My wolf sighed as all the women glanced at the floor.

Well, that sucked.

I schooled my expression to one of cool indifference as I dried off my hands. “Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.”

As the kitchen door closed behind me, I pretended not to notice the sound of the dishes I’d just washed being dropped back into the water.