Growls & Greeting Cards

Part 8

RODERICK

It's been years since I was last in the library.

Not that I don't read. I have an eReader.

No need for shelves taking up space.

Besides, the library is a public hub, lots of the humans in Pine Falls milling through it. And I make those people uncomfortable.

The ones who don't know who I am see a huge, intimidating biker.

The ones who do know who I am see a huge, intimidating werewolf. One who leads an entire pack of werewolves.

Once a woman accidentally bumped into me in the grocery store, and when she saw who she had collided with, she started sobbing out an apology before running away.

Having an air of power can help keep my pack safe, but that doesn't mean I enjoy causing random women to go into hysterics simply by existing.

Not all women though.

Juliet Adair sits behind the circulation desk clicking away on her computer. If she was a wolf, she would already know I was here. The minute I stepped through the front doors, her delicious scent teased me with every breath.

But the human is oblivious, which gives me a moment to study her.

Her bright hair is pulled back from her face today, showing round cheeks and full lips, the bottom one currently getting chewed on as she types.

My lip. Bite her lip.

Stop it, I command the inner beast.

Before I became pack leader, my wolf was more of an animalistic urge living somewhere deep in my gut. But then my father died, and the power of pack leader transferred to me. With the new strength came a more animated version of my other half. The animal feels the need to be vocal, likely because my decisions affect more than just me now.

And for some odd reason, my beast has fixated on the human librarian.

Probably because she smells delicious. The wolf is a scent-focused creature.

Deciding that silently staring at her isn't helping things, I cross the room. Her head lifts when I'm about a foot from her desk. I fight the urge to scold her on the lack of awareness of her surroundings. Her obliviousness is a safety risk.

But we're in Pine Falls, not hostile territory. Besides, Juliet is a human. Not my responsibility. I'm here for Thad.

"Hello!" Juliet smiles up at me with such a sweet curve to her lips that I'm temporarily thrown off balance. "How can I help you, sir?"

Sir? Does she not remember my name? Does she not remember me?

It's barely been a week since our run-in outside Sawdust & Supplies.

Then I meet her eyes and spy the silent, smoldering glare. The expression is a certain kind of threatening. The bottom half of her face says, 'Welcome to the library,' while the top half says 'Burn in hell, asshole.'

What I find most intriguing though, is her complete lack of fear. Not that I want to terrify the redhead. It's only, that I'm so used to fear that the absence is jarring.

Still, she'd likely be running away in panic if she knew what I really was.

"Ms. Adair." Look at me being cordial. Not an impossible feat. "We need to talk."

"We are talking." She points out, a smirk in her voice.

I fight the urge to grind my teeth. "About Thad."