Page 320 of His Hungry Wolf

“I’ll get started,” Cage said going to work.

“Miss Roman, you must love having a son who cooks like this?” I asked the woman I sat next to.

“I just love having my son back. I don’t care how he cooks,” she said looking at Cage with joy.

I could tell that she wasn’t going to be hard to get to know.

“Since I don’t know anyone and everyone else is going to be running, do you mind if I hang out with you today?” I asked her casually.

“It would be my pleasure,” the dark-haired woman said wrapping my hand in hers.

Once Nero joined us, we sat around the table and planned our day. Most of the planning was Cage and Nero gently teasing Quin about the mascot costume he agreed to wear.

“Hey, I helped him make that thing,” I said defending him.

“It was even his idea,” Quin said.

“So, you’re the one painting the target on my baby’s back?” Cage asked amused.

“It’s a moonshine festival! I thought he should be wearing a moonshine jug.”

“And when drunk rednecks try to pop his cork and drink him, what are you gonna do then?” Nero asked playfully.

“Well, I thought the two of you did a wonderful job,” Nero’s mom said coming to our defense.

I grabbed her arm wrapping mine around hers. “Thank you, Miss Roman.” I turned to the guys. “See. And you should always listen to your Mama.”

Everyone laughed having a good time.

After Nero and I cleaned up, we packed up the trucks and headed to the festival. Nero’s mom rode with us. When we got there, I saw everything in a new light. Most of the booths were deserts or moonshine. But there were a few that were less clear.

“What is she selling?” I asked Nero as he, his mother, and I approached.

“I think she’s doing palm reading. Do you need your future told?” Nero said with a laugh.

I looked at Nero wondering why he was so dismissive of it. Didn’t he grow up among people who could do magic?

“You don’t want to know your future?” I asked.

“My future is what I make it. I don’t need someone to tell me what I wanna hear.”

“But, knowing what’s coming can guide you. Wouldn’t you want a cheat sheet for a game if you could get one?”

“I’m just fine taking things as they come, thank you very much.”

“Well, I wanna know.” I turned to his mother. “Do you mind if we go over?”

She seemed to share some of Nero’s hesitance, but agreed with a smile. Maybe it was a wolf shifter thing to shy away from magic. Whatever the case, I wasn’t going to let them stop me from finding out everything I could about what I was and where I came from.

I led the two of them over to the middle-aged woman who sat in front of a small table. She was dressed like an elementary school teacher, but when she saw me a light brightened in her eyes.

“You,” the woman said staring at me. “You are the one I came here to talk to.”

“Me? Really?” I asked wondering if Dr. Tom had told her about our meeting.

“Sit. Give me your hand,” she said gesturing to the chair across from her.

I sat looking back at Nero and his mother. They weren’t impressed. Holding out my hand, she took it and gently rubbed my palm.