My Room Mate from the Pack

Eric: Hey. I’ve been thinking a lot about the farmer’s market run-in. I’d really like to do something mature and healing. How about a double date? You and Roman. Me and Bianca. No pressure. Just friends. I sat up slowly, wrapping the blanket around me like it could shield me from the emotional minefield waiting…

The screen lit up, and soft background music floated out of the speakers. Eric’s face filled the frame-clean-cut, confident, the human embodiment of a well-pressed linen shirt. He was already mid-story, animatedly talking about some client pitch, his voice full of self-satisfaction. “…and I told them, if we’re not aiming for the top of the…

I opened the door for her without a word. She passed by, close enough that her shoulder brushed mine. Neither of us said anything about it. The silence wasn’t awkward, but it was charged like a live wire just beneath the surface. I kept my hand in my pocket so I didn’t do something stupid…

Maggie snorted, and we turned and walked toward the dessert table without giving Jeremy a chance to interject. My fingers still tingled from touching her. “What was that?” I asked quietly. She crinkled her nose in a way I refused to find cute right now. “What?” I stopped walking and looked at her. Really looked…

Just twenty more minutes, and I could shift and run. Get this suit off, get rid of this fake calm. Twenty minutes and I could drop the mask and breathe. I stopped pacing and pressed my back to the wall, hands flexing open and closed at my sides. I rubbed my thumb along the grout…

We stood in the dim hallway between our rooms. The air shifted, becoming thicker, seemingly moving slower. He was close. Too close. My back brushed the wall. He looked at my mouth. I looked at his. He didn’t say anything, and neither did I. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and…

“The recipe says one and a half teaspoons of vanilla,” he said carefully, voice low. “But you can round up, if you want.” “You’re letting me round?” His mouth twitched. “Just a little.” He held out a wooden spoon. A silent offering to let me stir. My fingers brushed his as I took it. I…

His gaze dropped, then snapped back up with a throat bob that was not subtle. “I… assume this isn’t a skincare complaint?” “There is fur in the drain,” I snapped. “I was wading in you.” Roman set his mango down with exaggerated care. “Okay. That’s fair. I’ll take care of it.” “Damn right you will,”…

“No. No, this is… not at all like that.” I hesitated. “There was a bath. And a cuddle clause.” Charlotte blinked. “A what clause?” “A literal signed roommate agreement…. Emotional support cuddling. Shifting trauma. You kind of had to be there.” “Did you just say shifting ?-“ “Yeah, my new roommate. Roman. He’s a werewolf.”…

Tenant Suspicion Log.” She said it like it was capitalized. Like it came with its own seal and wax stamp. I briefly considered asking what that meant, but then I pictured her bulldozing past me and finding a gloriously naked Roman crouched behind the kitchen counter. I quickly shook my head. “No need. We’ll turn…