SEVEN

"What do you mean you're staying another week?"

I cringed when Matt's voice rose a pitch on the other end of the line. After most of the ringing in my ear ceased, I said as calmly as possible, "I meant exactly what I said. They were so impressed with my work; they told the travel agency, and they offered me a job. I promise it won't last longer than one week."

A short silence followed before he asked, "And what about getting engaged? It's supposed to happen this weekend."

"We're still getting engaged, Matt." I rolled my eyes as I unpacked the contents of my suitcase into the closet. "We just have to move it to next week."

He grumbled something about playing golf with an important client next week, but I ignored his complaints. When he spoke again, his voice was surprisingly even, "I suppose I can reschedule a few things. Promise it's just for one week though."

"Promise." My eyes were fixed on the door when a knock sounded against the wood. "I gotta go. Talk to you later."

I hung up before he could respond and closed the closet - I was done unpacking anyway. Today's Monday, the start of my one-week trial as the mate of a werewolf and my temporary job at the local travel agency. And since I only brought one set of clothes with me, I was back in the same outfit I wore for the wedding - a pair of skinny jeans, a white sweater, my coat, and a pair of ankle boots.

In other words, I was freezing my ass off.

Remembering the knock at the door, I crossed the room to answer it. I half-expected it to be Reyna or Rheon, but instead, I was met by a woman around the same age as me. It didn't take a genius to know she and Rheon were related. They both had the same fair complexion, the same dark brown hair, and the same striking blue eyes that could look right into your soul to learn your deepest, darkest secrets.

"By the Goddess Three," the woman breathed and raked her eyes up and down my body, grinning like a wolf when her attention shifted to my face, "My brother wasn't kidding when he said you're more beautiful than the goddesses themselves."

"I -"

She entered the room before I could even start a sentence.

"I know Rheon's planning on introducing you to the family tonight, but I couldn't wait." She sprawled herself across my freshly made bed and smiled. "I'm Seren. It's nice to finally meet the girl who put my brother out of his misery. I swear before you came along, it was like watching 13 Reasons Why with him in the house; morbid and depressing."

"Thanks, I guess," I muttered and awkwardly continued unpacking my other suitcase, which contained my laptop, camera, and other equipment.

"And are you a natural blonde or did you dye your hair? I need to have an idea what your children will look like in the future."

I nearly dropped my laptop after her words caught me off guard. Before I could tell her I had absolutely no plans of running off and having children with a man I just met, the door swung open and Rieka peered in.

"For goodness' sake, Seren, stop making her uncomfortable," she rebuked her daughter with her hands planted on her hips, "We don't want to scare her off before meeting the rest of the pack."

Of course, a pack. Because they're werewolves. I'm living under the same roof with a family of supernatural beings for the next few days, which, mind you, shouldn't even exist according to the rules of reality. Not a moment goes by without me expecting to wake up in my apartment and all of this turned out to be just another extremely vivid dream.

Seren only beamed at her mother before leaving the room, winking at me across her shoulder.

Rieka, although somewhere in her early fifties, didn't look a day older than forty. I guess when you're a werewolf you age slower, or you're naturally better looking than the average human being. She even dressed like a model, and I couldn't stop eyeing the checkered blazer she was wearing.

A part of me wanted to slap myself. What else could I expect from a bunch of dukes and duchesses? They wouldn't be caught dead wearing clothes from Target.

I almost forgot to breathe when she suddenly embraced me in a hug. "We're so glad you're here. I just want you to know how much it means to all of us that you agreed to stay for the week - especially to Rheon. Goddess knows he's been in a dark place and now look at him, he's smiling every time he sees you."

"I just don't want him to get his hopes up," I muttered as she let me go, "I'm getting engaged soon. And as appealing as it sounds, I can't just drop everything and start a new life here."

"And none of us expects you to, love." She smiled. "We just want you to give it a chance. Who knows, you might even start to like it here."

The knowing look she gave me was suspicious. Everything I know about werewolves, I learned from movies and books, but who's to say they didn't possess other abilities we didn't know about? Like reading minds and seeing the future for example. How would I know? I've never interviewed a werewolf before. The last time I checked, they were fictional.

"And as a token of my gratitude," Rieka beamed, "I asked Rheon to take you shopping. We can't have you freezing to death now, can we? You humans are such sensitive species."

I couldn't hide the fact that I was confused. How did she know I needed more clothes? Perhaps they could read minds...

She laughed at my expression. "We heard you and Rheon talking all the way down at the lake, dear." She pointed at her ears. "Sensitive hearing."

Rheon was already waiting outside, leaning against the hood of a glossy black Camaro. I had no idea which I found more appealing, the man or the car.

He quirked a brow upon spotting me checking out his ride. "You like cars?"

"You can say so; I like how they get me from point A to point B," I said, gawking at the vehicle, "But I only know like, three brands."

"Well, this is the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro," he said as he pushed off the hood to open the door for me, "But, as I like to call her, Nessie."

"Like the Loch Ness Monster."

I shrieked when Clemmy's voice came out of nowhere. The youngest Balfour burst out laughing in the backseat until she was wheezing and tearing up. Rheon slid in behind the wheel and turned in the seat to face his sister. He looked at her as if asking 'Really?' but it was obvious he was moments away from cracking up.

Once she stopped giggling, he asked, "And what do you think you're doing here?"

"Mum said I should go with you. I think she's worried you'll scare Ash off."

"If Ash was scared, she wouldn't have agreed to stay the week with us," he fired back.

Clemmy pursed her lips. "Mum's also worried you might not know what she likes. You know, she's a girl, I'm a girl, which means I know what she might like."

"Of course, I know what she likes, she's my mate! Whatever she likes, I like."

"Do you know what I would really like?" I interrupted the sibling's bickering, "For the duke of flour to start his car and just drive already."

Clemmy smirked at her brother. "That means you by the way."

If there was one word to describe Rheon's face, it was priceless. He looked absolutely flabbergasted to have two girls teaming up against him. He held his hands up in surrender before starting the engine and doing as he's told.

The trip to Direfair lasted about ten minutes in which Clemmy didn't waste a second to tell me everything there was to know about the village. By the time we passed the pub, I already knew which stores sold the most stylish clothing, which takeout joint had the best Bristol burgers, and what meals to order off the coffee shop's menu.

The locals waved at us as Rheon cruised down the street. I know Craig drove us through the village two days ago, but that didn't stop me from gawking at every building we passed. Maybe it was just a heat of the moment thing, but I could see myself growing to love this place. Despite the cold and rain, it felt like home.

Rheon parked the car in front of a white building with a black tiled roof. Three warmly dressed mannequins were on display in the window and I could already tell I've found a solution to my shivering problem.

After Rheon escorted me and Clemmy into the store, the latter pried me off her brother and dragged me off to the racks of clothing. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Rheon lazily trailing after us, hands stuffed in his pockets. His eyes, however, were on me. I turned my head before he could see me blush.

Focus, Ash.

All thoughts of Rheon vanished when Clemmy tossed three hangers at me. I barely caught them before the clothes could drop to the floor.

"Those will go perfectly with your skin," she stated and added two more pieces to the pile, "And those will draw attention to your curves."

I turned around when Rheon cleared his throat behind me. He extended his hand, and I was more than willing to hand over the hangers, but not before peeking at the price tags. "They're also freakishly expensive."

"Mum's friends with the owner, we're always offered discounts," he explained and followed Clemmy and me down the walls of shelves, "And even if she wasn't, money isn't a problem."

Right, dukes and duchesses, I forgot.

"Oh my gosh!" Clemmy breathed when she spotted a plaid long-sleeved dress. In a flash, she shoved it into my hands. "Better take that as well - maybe I should get one for myself..."

By the time we left the store, I was ten bags of clothes and shoes richer. After loading them in the car, Clemmy insisted we grab lunch while we're at it. It just so happened the coffee shop was just around the corner.

The inside of the shop was warm and toasty, and smelled of ground coffee and freshly baked pastries. My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I forgot to eat breakfast this morning.

We settled in at the corner booth at the far end of the building. After placing our orders, Clemmy excused herself to go talk with one of the waitresses who she claimed to know well. It was only Rheon and me - alone - in the booth and completely hidden from view.

"So, uh..." I muttered and moved an inch closer to him, "I guess we should talk about the whole werewolf thing."

"You have questions," he draped his arm across the back of the seat, caging me in, "I'm listening."

It took every ounce of willpower not to lean further into him. "Were you bitten or born?"

"Born." He shrugged. "But my ancestor was cursed in his time which turned him into a werewolf."

"And is it? A curse, I mean. Do you lose control and live with regrets your whole life?"

"It started as a curse, yes, but that doesn't mean it has to be. I enjoy being a werewolf. I'm faster, stronger, I can heal within seconds - what's not to like?"

"And you turn into an actual wolf," I added.

"Girls love dogs, don't they?" He sent me a sideways smile.

I pursed my lips and crossed my arms. "Personally, I'm more of a cat person."

Rheon quirked a brow. "Liar."

"I didn't -"

"Your heart missed a beat, and I can sense it on you; you're allergic to cats."

My jaw dropped in astonishment, wondering how much he can actually sense about me.

Both our heads turned towards the waitress when she delivered our orders. Her eyes lingered on Rheon as she bent over to place his drink in front of him. I could see all the way down her blouse, even catching a glimpse of the little tattoo on her right boob. Everything about her behavior annoyed me, but when I turned to Rheon to see how he was handling the situation, I was rendered speechless to find him looking at me instead.

After the waitress left, he took a sip of his latte before asking, "Any more questions?"

"Yes, actually. When are you taking me to the travel agency?"

In less than a millisecond, his easygoing demeanor changed and left him shifting in his seat, swallowing dryly, "Yes. Actually, about that..."