8. Evander

Waking up with Briony is the best morning I've ever had in my whole life.

She's so soft in my arms. Her silky hair on my pillow is a wet dream that I'm going to have nightly, for the rest of my life.

And her smell…

I burrow my nose into her neck and grin.

I was right.

Berries.

I tug her closer, hoping that I can wake her with a kiss, but she sighs.

Okay. I don't have the heart to wake her up when she looks so cute and content in my bed.

Instead, I quietly get up. I check to make sure that she's still asleep before I pad into my closet, putting on some clothes. I'll make coffee when I get back, a mocha just like she likes.

But first, I have an errand to run.

I'm going to bring her back cinnamon rolls.

The bakery in town makes great ones. They're human made, which is usually hit or miss, but the cinnamon isn't too strong in them, and I like them.

I hope she likes them too.

One box of cinnamon rolls later, and I'm on my way back to my house. I park my truck out front, grateful that I just fixed the weird knocking sound in the engine, so it doesn't wake Briony, and I'm just about to get out when another truck rumbles into my driveway.

I frown.

It's Will.

Leaving the cinnamon rolls in the truck, I get out. "Hey man," I say coldly. "What are you doing here?"

"Heard you were sniffing around my ex," Will snaps. His face is drawn, and he looks haggard, like he hasn't slept.

Most of all, though, there's a glint in my friend's eyes that I've never seen before. Will doesn't look like himself.

He looks… mean.

I fold my arms and lean back against my truck. "She's not your girl anymore. And why did you lie to us? You didn't tell us that you were hooking up with Kelly. Or that you cheated on Briony."

"Is that what she told you? She's a lying bitch, and…"

"Shut the fuck up," I snap. "Tell me the truth."

Will's jaw clamps shut.

He's glaring at me with every ounce of vitriol that he has.

And I'm glaring right fucking back.

"Fine. I didn't exactly break up with her before I hooked up with Kelly."

"So you did cheat on her. And she caught you? That's fucking shitty, man," I grunt at him.

"What was I supposed to do? Briony was so fucking stuck up. She wasn't any fun to fuck, because I could always tell that she thought she was better than me."

I blink at him. "She is better than you. And you proved it."

Will's snarl is loud. I really hope it doesn't wake Briony up. "So, she fucking poisoned you against me?"

"She didn't poison anything. I can tell when someone did something shitty, and you did a shitty thing. Cheating on her is not cool, and she's a nice person."

"Yeah, you're just saying that because you always fucking wanted her. I bet you couldn't wait. I bet you two were planning to cheat…"

"Shut. The fuck. Up," I growl at him.

Will's jaw snaps shut.

"You will not talk about her like that. And you won't talk about me like that either, man. I don't know if you're drunk or high or just being a dick, but it ends here. Go home. If you want to talk like a fucking adult, we can talk like fucking adults. But if not, get the hell out of my sight," I say quietly.

Will's eyes darken, and I can see the anger flushing his cheeks. "It's like that, huh?"

"It isn't like anything. You're being ridiculous. I'll talk to you when you calm the fuck down."

"I'm not going to calm down. She's a bitch, and you're a dick," he snarls.

"Get out of my sight, Will."

"So you're willing to end our friendship over this?"

I sigh. "No. But I don't want to talk about it while you're in this mood."

"I'm not in a fucking mood, bro. I'm just asking for my friend to support me."

My eyes widen. Is he fucking serious? "Support you? Even when you cheated on her?"

"Yeah, you're on my side! My team! She can't poison you against me!" Will practically yells.

I lean forward. "I can judge your actions all on my own. Go. Home," I growl.

Will stares at me. He's practically vibrating with anger, and for the first time, I realize I might have to fight my friend to get him to back off.

I tense, ready to shift.

Will looks like he's about to explode. Finally, he manages to open his mouth. "It's her, or it's me," Will barks.

His words echo through the early morning, and I swear I can hear them bounce off the trees.

I stare at him.

I stare at him for a very, very long time.

"I don't know what happened to you," I say softly. "But this isn't cool. Go home."

"Pick, asshole," he grunts.

"You can fuck right off," I snarl. "Go. Home."

"I see you've chosen then," he barks. He gets in his truck, but I manage to snap my teeth at him first. Will snaps back, but I hear the rumble of his truck as he starts it. I don't watch him, choosing instead to head inside to Briony, who I hope is still sleeping.

Will has lost it.

There's no other explanation.

Box of cinnamon rolls in hand, I go to grab my house key, but the sound of my back door catches my attention.

I turn, looking through my living room window toward the back porch, only to see a black wolf. Disappearing into the woods.

My heart clenches.

Briony.