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Chapter One

Myra

“Daddy,” Myra called out as she ran down from her bedroom, shrugging on a brown cardigan over her white tee.

At the front door, she struggled to put on her boots as she called out again.

“Daddy, I’m so late...” She looked at her reflection in the entryway mirror as she roughly pulled on her mid-back length, unruly curly hair into a messy bun. She applied some chapsticks to her lips and vainly sent a kiss to her reflection.

“Hey dad, can you??” She started questioning an empty kitchen. There was an eerie silence in the house, so she switched to her heightened sense of hearing; all she heard was the gentle hum of the refrigerator and the slight drips of water from the kitchen faucet.

“Crap!” She exclaimed when she realized no one else was in the house. She pulled out her cell phone and dialled her father’s number while attempting to place two slices of bread to toast.

He answered after the second ring. “Myra?”

“Dad, why didn’t you wake me?” she questioned as she touched the coffee pot to judge how warm the coffee still in it was.

“You’re still home?” He gasped, “Sorry sweetheart, we had a delivery first thing this morning, and I needed to pick up Benji,” He explained just as loud background noises came across the line. “Hold on.”

“Dad... argh!!!”

She pulled down her favourite coffee cup tumbler and poured fresh coffee into it.

“Darling, I’m sorry I didn’t wake you, but we’re busy at the moment. Chat later, okay.”

Click

“Damnit, dad!” She cursed as she stared down at the disconnected call. “Twenty-one, car-less and hopeless... that’s what I am.”

While trying to calm her racing, frantic thoughts, she smelt her toast starting to burn. She quickly took it out, sighing heavily as she spread some butter on it. “I have twenty minutes before classes start, I can shift and run it... but I will be sweaty and hot all morning. Maybe, I can call in for a morning substitute and have a lazy morning or I can simply call in sick."

She leaned against the kitchen island, nibbling on the toast as she wasted time considering her various options. Suddenly, her phone vibrated, and Megan’s name flashed across the screen.

“Hey Bitch.”

“Hi Ho, in need of a ride?” Megan laughed.

“I don’t know how you do that sometimes... but I love you so much right now. How long?” Before she could finish asking, a car horn echoed from outside. “Coming.”

“Don’t you need a man or a toy to achieve that?” She smart-mouthed then hung up.

Myra shook her head as she quickly grabbed her work handbag hanging by the front door and darted out of the house.

“You’re a lifesaver.” Myra greeted in relief as she climbed into Megan’s Range Rover. She leaned over the centre console and kissed Megan on the cheek.

Megan smiled, putting the vehicle into drive, and she sped out of the driveway. “You can repay me by coming to the club tonight.”

Myra attempted to dodge the request by trying to change the topic. “If you’re working tonight, how come you’re awake at this ungodly hour?” Myra teased, looking over at her best friend. She noticed Megan wasn’t wearing any makeup this morning and her natural, pale olive skin shone in the morning sun. She had her jet black hair pulled into a high ponytail, and her sunglasses pushed her bangs away from her face.

“Dad forgot his lunch; I was on the phone with him when your dad was talking to you. So, I thought, let me play good samaritan, and maybe I can pressure her to come out tonight.” Megan smirked, catching onto Myra’s attempts to avoid the topic.

“Pressure is right.”

“Also, Gallagher’s Carpentry is delivering to the Jamison household, and those wolves could snack on me any day.” Megan sighed dreamily.

Myra smiled wickedly at Megan. “I thought Baron Anderson was snacking on you these days? Isn’t that why he can’t seem to get the part for my Jeep?”

“Hey, a girl needs variety... and it’s not my fault he can’t multitask.”

“A girl needs a chastity belt...” Myra muttered under her breath.

“But I have you.”

Myra faked surprise, “Bitch.”

They soon fell into a comfortable silence as music from Megan’s iPhone played through the car’s speakers. Myra smiled to herself, thinking about their friendship.

Megan has been her best friend since they were 10-year-old when her father first started working for Gallagher’s Carpentry. Both of Megan’s parents are Oxen Shifters, however, Megan was adopted and was every inch a human.

Together with Myrielle, Myra’s older twin sister, they were the three musketeers always getting into trouble, both in and out of school. As they got older, Myrielle pursued Accounting at College, while both Megan and Myra decided to study Education. While Myra completed her training and was now a Second-Grade teacher, Megan had dropped out at the end of their second year. She discovered that dancing paid more money, and the night hours freed up her days.

“How’s Myrielle?”

“Still pregnant and looking more like a beached whale these days... after school, I am going to visit her and take some groceries to her.”

“Married and pregnant. That’s terrifying, but she got herself a hunky guy, so who could blame her.”

“Forget the Jamison wolves snacking on you... Myrielle will eat you first if she heard you talking about Benji like that.”

“Yeah, yeah... mates can be obsessive and protective. I may be human, but mom and dad taught me how to behave around mated pairs.” Megan said off-handedly as she turned onto the street with Myra’s school.

“Here we are... with 3 minutes to spare.” She commented, pulling into the schoolyard.

There were different school-aged children all over the grounds as well as some parents and teachers supervising them before the first bell.

“Thanks, doll. You’re my hero.”

“No problem. You know in the spirit of being a good samaritan, I think I’m going to swing by Frankie’s Garage after I drop off dad’s lunch and get them to hurry up with that part for your Jeep.”

“Just say you have an itch that you want Baron to scratch for you.” Myra sighed, gathering her things. “At least one of us would be getting serviced.

“With all those euphemisms for sex, what do you think?” Megan winked.

“Go scratch that itch, babe.”

“Oh, I will. Do have a great day, Miss Myra... and call me before you leave Myrielle’s later.”

They blew kisses at each other just as the first bell rang.

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