Losing your soulmate to a herd of bloodthirsty chipmunks is never a good way to start your day. Not learning his name before his untimely decapitation? That's even worse.
Wattpad-obsessed Sophie has never been in love. When a handsome new student pr...
"We're not destroying the world." Cora rested her head on her palm, staring blankly at the steering wheel.
"But it's got werewolves on it! Werewolves are the worst. So possessive." The werechipmunk—he'd introduced himself as Jaxon after Cora had explained that they did not have any acorns and they were very sorry for hitting him with a car—shivered. "We should destroy the world."
They'd been debating the pros and cons of destroying the world for fifteen minutes. Sophie had kept track. Cons included fewer humans, fewer werechipmunks, all of their deaths, no satisfactory funerals, and the destruction of acorns. Pros included fewer humans, fewer werewolves, partying in the afterlife, and the satisfaction of setting off a big explosion.
Now Jaxon was gesticulating wildly while mimicking the sound of an explosion. His bronze hair glinted in the light, his eyes shining like her mom's old goldfish tank—a massive glass cylinder that glowed cerulean blue—and Sophie had to stop herself from kissing him right then and there. "Explosion! Kill! Death! So much fun!" Jaxon said.
He was perfect. He hadn't told her they were soulmates yet, but Sophie was sure he was just trying to ease her into the relationship.
"You need a hobby," Cora said. "Why aren't you trying to get him hooked on Wattpad?"
At the mention of Wattpad, Jaxon's face fell. "Wattpad is evil. It's got all those...those...werewolf worshipers on there. You know my brother Hunter learned that kidnapping is sexy from Wattpad. Want to guess where he is now?"
Sophie winced. True, kidnapping wasn't Wattpad's most romantic or socially acceptable cliche, but it had its moments. One of her favorite stories was an extensive trilogy with an enemies-to-lovers subplot about a werewolf hunter and the alpha werewolf she was destined to marry. "It's all about context. It can be hard to do right, but sometimes—"
"His soulmate reported him. Now he's in jail." Jaxon sighed, the sound so long and weary that Sophie wondered if he was faking his devastation. "And it's all Wattpad's fault."
"Yeah..." Cora winced. "I'm not sure Wattpad is the one at fault there."
A howl cut through the air. Four wolves surrounded the car. The largest was more than twice as big as Sophie, its head so far above her she could see only the underside of its jaw. Strands of ropy saliva dangled from its teeth. The wolf's teeth were crooked and yellow. Sophie wondered if there were werewolf dentists.
Looking at the other wolves, she guessed there weren't.
Sophie rolled down the window and popped her head out. "Um..." Her voice sounded wavery and unsure. She cleared her throat. "Hi! Please don't kill us."
The wolf bowed its head. The other three circled the car, every step silent. The sound of low growling sent a shiver down Sophie's spine.
So cool.
Cora beckoned Sophie closer. "Tell the wolf we'll give him the chipmunk if he lets us go," she whispered into Sophie's ear.
"I heard that," Jaxon snapped.
The wolf bowed its head until its golden eyes, each the size of a large bowling ball, were staring straight at Sophie. It inhaled deeply.
"I'm a... I'm a big werewolf fan, by the way." Sophie waved at the wolf. It didn't even blink. She rolled the window down farther.
"Remember Nathan-Nate-Matt," Cora said, eyeing the wolf's sharp teeth.
"He got eaten by chipmunks. Totally different. Werewolves are nice." Sophie held out her hand. Something about the wolf called to her. A mating bond? Her imagination? She couldn't say. She rested her palm on the wolf's snout.
It was warm and wet with blood and saliva. Sophie winced. Somehow, she'd been imaging werewolves as soft and fluffy.
She pulled her hand back.
The wolf growled.
Then, with a thunderous crack, the wolf folded into itself. Sophie blinked. A man stood in front of her. A man she knew.
Cora squinted at him. "No way. It can't be. His head is still on his body."
It couldn't be. She'd seen him die. Sophie remembered the way the blood had spurted from his neck, the way her body had frozen as the chipmunk danced off, and how he'd left little splotches of blood on her tennis shoes. She swallowed, her throat dry, and met the werewolf's piercing green eyes. "Nathan-Nate-Matt?"
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