Primal Fortune

Chapter 13 Karate & Faeries

Three days later, Ivy Winters was convinced of two things. The first being her grandmother was determined to make Ivy go gray before she was thirty. Oh, and of course, Penelope appeared ready, willing, and able to assist the elderly werewolf in her new life's mission.

"Grandma, you're seventy-five years old." Ivy sighed, knowing that arguing with Willow Winters was a futile endeavor. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to take karate lessons. You could get hurt." Still, someone had to try to reason with the eccentric werewolf.

As predicted, her grandmother stood steadfast in her resolve. "Ivy, I'm a werewolf. If I can beat up a grumpy grizzly at sixty, I can handle human karate lessons."

Ivy groaned at the familiar, stubborn tone. It was her grandmother's 'Alpha Voice.' That could mean only one thing. Ivy had no chance of winning this argument.

Penelope cast Ivy a sympathetic look. "I'm sure that she'll be fine, Ivy. This place wouldn't stay in business very long if all it's customers ended up maimed or in the morgue." Her fellow witch smiled, parking her red Sedan.

Willow wasted no time in hopping out of the car. "Don't worry about me. I may be retired, but I'm still an Alpha."

Her grandmother was right about that much. Willow Winters was an Alpha she-wolf who was as stubborn as a mule.

"That's true. Speaking of Alphas and everything wolfie in nature, I'm glad you have Kenji." Penelope smiled, undoing her own seat belt and jumping out of her Sedan. "Finding love is hard enough, but finding one who is okay with tarot card readings and taking a walk on the wild side seems like it'd be harder than winning the lottery."

Ivy undid her seat belt and leapt out of the vehicle in a manner more befitting of a werecat than a werewolf. "You're not wrong. It would have been easier to date inside the pack, but almost everyone was already paired off. I had to kiss a lot of frogs to find my prince, but it was worth it. " She found herself smiling at that, beckoning the others to follow her. "You'll find yours soon. The cards never lie."

It was a cheap diversionary tactic, but also an effective one. Nothing ensnared her grandmother's interest more than romance.

"That's absolutely correct." Willow bounded after her daughter, beaming at Penelope. "If The Lovers was in your draw, there's a reason."

Penelope shook her head, rushing towards the front entrance of the dojo with admirable speed. "I'm not even going to ask how you knew which card it was."

That was probably a good idea. When it came to love, Willow Winters' instincts were unmatched.

The same couldn't be said for Penelope and doors. The witch almost had an unfortunate encounter with gravity as the door swung open. It was just dumb luck that the man who opened the door had magnificent reflexes and caught Penelope before she fell on the sidewalk.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?" The man looked down at Penelope, concern shining in his eyes. The inky pools were so dark that even Ivy had difficulty telling where his pupils ended and his irises began, but that didn't seem to bother Penelope.

Not that Ivy blamed her friend. Between those eyes and that cascading curtain of midnight black hair that fell to the middle of his back, the man was striking. The fact that he stood only three inches taller than Penelope didn't negate that.

She nodded, appearing a bit dazed as he helped her up. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm Penelope and I swear I'm usually not this clumsy."

Willow tilted her head, following Ivy closer to the door. "He looks familiar."