“Bodhi believes she was reincarnated,” Theo told me. His voice was robust with amusement, and his breath tickled my ear.
“Don’t act like that’s so unbelievable.” Bodhi’s eyes tightened, looking at him. “Plenty of wolves believe in reincarnation. You did at one point.”
I forced a polite smile on my face as Bodhi turned and shook her head firmly at the wolves behind her. They shifted to their human forms. Many of them ran their fingers through their hair but remained naked. I averted my gaze, a warm blush coating my cheeks.
“Oh, please don’t be embarrassed by my wolves. They feel more natural in their bare forms. It’s nothing to be a prude about,” Bodhi told me, her eyes lighting up with humor.
“I’m not,” I denied, eyebrows furrowing. Theo’s hand rubbed my shoulders and opened the car door for me. Bodhi crawled in the backseat and scooted to the middle. Her arms rested on the tops of our seats, forcing my lean towards the window. Theo didn’t seem to mind.
“So, where are we going?” she asked, pressing a few buttons on the dashboard.
“To our house. Stop touching things.” Theo brushed her hands back. She slumped back and folded her arms, unamused.
Theo drove us quickly and stopped in front of the steps, per usual. Bodhi climbed out and strolled up to the front doors, waiting for the guards to open them, and walked inside without us. Theo assisted me and carried me up the stairs behind her.
“You have no toilet paper,” Bodhi called from the other room. Theo set me on the couch, taking my jacket off from around my arms. “I had to use a towel, but I threw it away when I was done.” Bodhi walked back into the room, playing with the hem of her large shirt that barely covered her underwear.
“Was she raised in the wild?” I hissed softly as I pulled the collar of Theo’s shirt down, so he was face to face with me.
“No,” he choked out, taking the collar of his shirt out of my hands. “She was raised by wolves.”
“You think you’re really funny, don’t you?” I asked blandly, shaking my head.
“Sometimes,” he admitted.
“What’s going on?” Bodhi asked.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” Theo threw my jacket on the back of the couch and sat down on the edge of the cushion.
“So, tell me what this whole ordeal is about,” Bodhi ordered, crossing her arms.
“Reed Porter-”
“Ugh, Reed Porter,” she interrupted, rolling her eyes.
“He wants to start a human genocide.”
“Shit,” she said, eyes widening. She glanced at me, and her eyes grew wider still. “Shit! Well, that won’t do.”
“He’s collecting allies, and we need to do the same,” Theo insisted. Bodhi nodded seriously and stood up. “Where are you going?”
“To find your phone,” she said as if we should have known better. She walked around aimlessly, opening drawers and cabinets. “If we’re getting an army together, that sort of requires people.”
Theo left me on the couch to lead Bodhi to the phone in his office. Something about her didn’t sit right with me. She was too careless, too loud. I crossed my arms and sunk into the plush cushions. Theo came back to me, but I could hear her loudly talking to people on the phone in the other room.
“She’s…different,” I noted.
He laughed at my disinterest. “She’s a good friend, a good ally. She knows a lot of people, and her wolves know how to fight.” I knew he was right. The wolves needed allies if they were even going to make a stand against Reed, and humans needed wolves if we were going to survive.
“I just,” I sighed, letting my words hand in the air.
“I know.” Theo placed his hands around mine and kissed them. “She doesn’t get along with other girls very well, but she told me she likes you. Can you at least try to get along?”
“Of course,” I said optimistically, planting a fake smile on my face. Theo didn’t buy it, but he let it go, and we made small talk until Bodhi strode back into the living room with her head chin tilted upwards.
“You may thank me.” She grinned, placing her hands behind her back gracefully.
“For what?” Theo asked.
“I have a group of Alphas willing to fight alongside their great Enforcer.” She smirked and leaned over the couch between us. “I’m waiting for my thank you.” She chuckled huskily. “I will take it in the form of compliments or gifts.”
“You’re amazing!” Theo exclaimed loudly, jumping from the couch to pull her in an embrace. He looked down at me, pointedly, still smiling.
“Thanks, Bodhi,” I mumbled, giving her my best impression of a smile. She paid no attention to my discomfort and pulled me off the couch by my wilted hands. I wobbled on my solitary leg and grabbed her for balance.
“We have to hold a gathering.” Her eyes lit up with a mischievous glint of excitement, though they were off in a different place, lost in a memory or the future.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Theo mused.
“What’s a gathering?” I wondered aloud.
“What’s a gathering? What’s a gathering?” She laughed low, looking at Theo is disbelief. “A gathering of wolves, Margo.”
“It’s an event where a pack hosts the Alphas, Betas, Head Warriors, and Lunas from each pack invited to take part. It’s very diplomatic, strategic; it’d be a good thing to do so that we’re all unified.”
“It’s not just about diplomacy,” Bodhi said, her voice sharp. “It’s about networking, communicating. Showing off your strengths so that other packs know how strong you are. It’s about showing your allegiances.”
Theo grabbed a pen and a short stack of envelopes on the coffee table. “Okay, so I need to meet with Gabriel, send an invitation to the packs, and we need to make the packhouse habitable for guests-though I suppose that’s more of Gabriel’s job.” Theo scribbled some notes on the back of the mail. Bodhi told him a few other things he needed
