Claws // Colby Brock

💫16 💫

ooookay the filth is over... for now...

☯︎☯︎☯︎☯︎☯︎

Did the others know what had happened yesterday? Did I care? Not really. I woke up still feeling the effects of Colby and I's day together, and left him sleeping in his bed to shower because I felt like I needed it.

I didn't regret it one bit. After all, I'd only been tipsy, not drunk, and I knew exactly what was going on. Besides, one swipe and I'd become sober, drunk only on him. I couldn't stop thinking about it as I changed into a long-sleeved black top and yellow checkered skirt with tights. Though, a large part of me wondered if anything would change from usual.

We were already somewhat intimate before we'd kissed, but now we'd done a lot more and I didn't know if Colby — or I, for that matter — was ready to turn this frenemy situation into something else. If we started kissing, were we not accepting the bond, taking that leap into a relationship I didn't think either of us truly wanted?

I didn't feel like making that decision so I was going to leave it up to him. If he wanted to come downstairs and kiss me, that was his choice; he was going to be liable for whatever came next.

My question of whether the others knew what had happened was answered pretty quickly by the looks I got when I passed the living room for the kitchen. Eyes turned to me and they started muttering to one another, but I just ignored it all. I was starving considering I'd had a bit of a workout yesterday.

After I'd finished eating, I heard someone coming downstairs and knew the only person it could be. Whether the others were waiting to bully us together or just weren't going to mention yesterday was still to be determined. So I sat comfortably on Colby's loveseat staring down at my phone like nothing had happened, waiting for the moment of truth. Colby stopped in the kitchen for a short while, no doubt feeding, before a rush of wind led him onto the other cushion of the couch. Like me, he sat in his normal place as if nothing was different.

I was happy to continue this way. This worked for me. A bit of fun behind closed doors and nothing more, though one thing lingered. He'd called me Ames — and not just once. No one had ever called me that before, strangely, though I supposed my name could be shortened twice and most went for the more likely option of Amy. As I glanced toward Cassie, I considered offering to let her start calling me that, since she was by far the one I was closest to and liked the most of everyone, but before any of my thoughts could finish, I got a text.

Anna's name didn't surprise me. She was always the clingy type even with friends, so leaving it only the day to text me was less of a shock than what had happened yesterday. I stared at the message, the simple greeting to start a conversation.

"Something wrong?"

Cassie's voice drew my gaze up to her again, this time while she was looking at me with a gentle expression on her face. I just shrugged and swiped the message off. My feelings about the pack, including Kian and Anna, weren't going to change that fast.

"One of your pack from last night?" she questioned knowingly, and I just nodded. "That Anna girl? She seemed... nice."

"She was always annoying," I answered, "but we used to be friends. That kinda stopped when I left the pack. You're not supposed to have contact with anyone who 'betrays' the alpha by leaving."

"Sounds harsh."

"It's all stupid." I sighed and raised my feet onto the coffee table, lounging back comfortably. "Werewolves are more annoying than I first thought."

"You're coming to your senses," Colby muttered more to himself, distracted by something on his own phone. I rolled my eyes without saying anything, which apparently caught his attention. He looked at me in surprise that I didn't have a comeback, one brow raised. "Has one day shut that annoying mouth of yours up?"