Pack Mentality: Ring Ready

Chapter 3

It had been months since she had been on the road, but Becky would never be able to forget the sounds of the locker room. Whether the backstage area was big or small, foreign or familiar, it was always filled with the rise and fall of voices—some joking, some stressed, but always moving with the moment. None of the locker rooms she had ever been in had a bed, however, or a large window letting in the morning sun, so she knew she was definitely at home. The voices in the background were all male as well, and when she took a deep breath, she smelled coffee and waffles and, annoyingly, three different shampoos. She hadn't realized how many scents didn't complement each other until she had become a werewolf, and now the world was a constant barrage against her senses. How does Seth stand it? she thought as she burrowed deeper under the blankets, feeling the empty spot beside her. It held a hint of residual warmth, so Seth clearly hadn't been gone too long.

Sometimes she wondered if being a werewolf came with some psychic powers on the side, and as if to lend some credence to her ponderings, there was a soft knock on the door before Seth popped his head in. "Hey," he murmured, slipping inside and sitting on the edge of the bed. "If you want to sleep in some more, that's cool. But there's not much bread left for toast, so I thought I'd give you fair warning."

Becky glared up at him through her tangle of hair. "But I smell waffles."

"That's Roman. Dean was intrigued by the bread and is doing some sandwich experiment. We'll go grocery shopping at some point today and restock, I promise." Seth leaned down and kissed her cheek. "The bakery should open up in about an hour."

She reached up and tugged on his hair. "Is there enough coffee?"

Seth laughed and kissed her again. "Of course. I've learned my lesson."

Becky rolled onto her side, turning her back to the sun. It would have been lovely to lounge in bed for another hour, but without Seth it would feel lonely, especially if she could hear the chatter in the kitchen. "I'll be down in... fifteen or so," she said, statement broken up by a yawn. "Save me two slices of bread for toast? Tell Dean I'll tell Renee on him if he doesn't."

"That should do it." Seth smoothed her hair back as he stood. "You don't mind that they're here for a few days, do you? I know I should have asked, but I wanted you to have a surprise and some company you could be yourself around, and they'll be gone before the full moon...."

"They're fine. As long as they don't eat all my bread." Becky shot him a smile so he knew she wasn't angry. "And Roman might have to delay the waffles tomorrow so I can try one."

"I think he could do that." Seth flicked on the bedroom light and reached for the door. "See you down there. Kevin's with us and Darrell's sleeping on the couch, so you don't have to worry about tripping over anyone."

"Good to know." Becky waited until she heard the door close to lurch out of bed, making a beeline for the en suite. She could have a proper shower later, but she was used to at least rinsing off the fine sheen of sleep sweat and scrubbing her face under the spray. After a minute or two in the shower, she shrugged on her robe, wrangled her wet hair into a ponytail as best she could, and went back into the bedroom. Ah, sweatpants. Part of her missed dressing up for the ring, but she definitely enjoyed being able to spend most of her days in workout wear lately. The sweatshirt was nice and cozy, and the hood caught most of the drips from her hair, and her sweatpants were comfortable enough to sleep in—and she often did. After pulling on some socks, she made her way downstairs. "Toast?" she called out.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine," Roman replied. He slid off his stool at the breakfast bar and hugged her when she entered the kitchen. "What's this mess?" He tugged on her ponytail for emphasis. "You should know better than to do that when your hair's wet. No wonder you always had to wear extensions." He shook his head. "I'll braid it for you when it's drier."