Page 39 of His Hungry Wolf
“It would be good to know for health reasons. But considering how little our mothers want to talk about him, it might be better not knowing.”
“Do you think he might have been a football player?”
“You mean because Titus, Cali, and I all play?”
“Yeah. And don’t Titus and Cali also hold conference records?”
“They do.”
I stared into Claude’s unrevealing eyes. “Okay, I need to know. Is the reason you’re so good at football because you’re a wolf shifter?”
Claude looked away.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m actually surprised you haven’t asked the question before.”
“I always felt like it wasn’t something you wanted to talk about.”
“You weren’t wrong. But to answer your question, it helps. It’s like having an extra gear to go to. It also helps me recover from injuries.”
“Which is why you were the only person on the team who never missed a game,” I realized. “As I remember, you never even missed a practice.”
“I liked practice.”
“I remember that,” I said happy that he did. “Which leads me to another question.”
“What’s that?”
“Have you given any thought to the workout with the Cougars?”
“On the field today, I was thinking about it a lot.”
“And?” I asked, feeling a chill of anticipation rattle through me.
“It’s been two years,” he admitted.
“I told you, I can train you like I used to in the off-season.”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s just a workout. It’s not like you have your whole life resting on it like other people do. If, somehow, things don’t happen the way I think they will, you can return to your life here. You can get back to giving the lamest tours in the history of man.”
“You think my tour is lame?” Claude asked, feigning being offended.
“Hell, yes. Have you told me what that plant is called?” I asked, gesturing to a bush on the edge of the river. “No, you haven’t. Have you pointed out any snakes in the trees? Not a one. You started it off promising danger and excitement. Since?” I faked a yawn.
“You’re bored, huh?”
“A little,” I replied contentiously.
“Did I tell you that the snakes around here swim?”
“They what?” I asked, feeling my heart jump into my throat.
“They swim. In rivers like this. In fact, isn’t that one there?”
“Where?” I asked, whipping around.