Chapter 8
Wyatt
“Son of a biscuit!”
A chuckle burst out of me just as fast as the expletive had burst out of her. “Watch your mouth, Callie.”
She narrowed her eyes in my direction before looking back down at her phone. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t know what the Panthers are thinking.”
“The Panthers? You mean the Carolina football team?”
“Of course that’s what I mean. What other Panthers would I be talking about?!”
“You like football?”
“Are your muscles eating away at your brain cells?”
I grinned at her like an idiot. “You noticed my muscles?”
She shook her head, but her lips twitched with a smile of her own. “Two things you need to know about your new pack, Carter. We love the Panthers, and we love Taylor Swift.”
“Taylor Swift?” I asked incredulously.
She nodded, her face serious. “Haven’t you noticed how many of her songs are played at every pack barbecue?”
“I don’t spend much time at the pack barbecues.”
“Why? Think you’re too cool or something?”
The real reason was Wes and I were still not comfortable leaving Mom alone. One of us was always with her, and if we couldn’t be, Beatrice filled in for us. But I wasn’t going there with Callie. I’d barely gotten her to talk to me, I wasn’t going to bring my human mother into the equation so soon into our relationship.
“No, I don’t think I’m too cool. I’ve just got… other things to take care of.”
“Things that are more important than Taylor Swift sing-alongs? I doubt it.”
I laughed again and shook my head. “You’re really serious about this Taylor Swift stuff, huh?”
“Yes, I am. And if you’re going to be a part of this pack you better get on board.”
“I’m willing to give T-Swift a chance, but you won’t catch me rootin’ for the Panthers anytime soon.”
“Ew. What are you a Titans fan?”
I pounded my fist against my chest. “Hell yeah.”
“Ugh. Well, if I were you, I’d keep that to myself. You’re in Panthers country.”
“As long as you’re not rootin’ for the Jaguars, we’re good.”
She scoffed. “And I guess being a Titans fan is better than a Falcons fan.”
I chuckled and shot her a glance. “How’d you know I was a Titans fan, anyway?”
“You’re from Tennessee, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, but how’d you know that?”
“There are no secrets in a pack, Wyatt.”
Oh, but aren’t there?
And I was keeping the biggest one of all.
I had a human living with me on pack lands and I’d been hiding her from the rest of my packmates for months. I knew it’d come out eventually, but Wes and I were still unsure about the reception she’d get and neither of us would ever do anything to jeopardize her safety. But deceiving our pack didn’t sit well with us either.
We were between a rock and a hard place with no easy way out.
Even now, the idea that I was hiding something so big from Callie didn’t feel right. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them before they could fall out. This wasn’t the time or place to reveal the truth about my mother. I didn’t know when or where it ever would be, but I guess that was a problem for another day.
“What did the Panthers do to get you all hot and bothered, anyway?”
Deflection was my friend.
Callie blew out an irritated breath and pulled her phone back up in front of her face. “The free agent they signed is only the most washed-up quarterback in the league. Why are they wasting their money on that bozo when what we really need are solid running backs? I just don’t get them. It’s enough to make me want to root for the Patriots instead.”
“Don’t do that.”
She looked up, a small smile on her face, and my heart thumped hard in my chest. “I was just kidding. I’d never root for those clowns.”
“Atta’ girl.”
She giggled and I swear my damn heart almost stopped. I knew in that instant I’d never heard anything sweeter than Callista McCoy’s little laugh.
“You know, I never would have pegged you for a football fan.”
Callie rolled her eyes so hard I worried they’d stick like that. “Why? Because I’m a woman? Do I need testicles to understand routes and downs and what the little yellow flags mean?”
Unfortunately for me, I’d been taking a sip when she said the word testicles, making my eyes water with the need to swallow but worried I’d spit it all over the table if I tried. With valiant effort, I got the mouthful of water down my throat and took a relieved breath of air.
When I was sure it wasn’t coming back up, I shook my head. “No, you definitely don’t need… testicles,” I sputtered between gulps of air.
She folded her arms, making her chest rise along with my blood pressure. “Then what is it?”
I took another tentative sip of water before shrugging. “Just surprised, I guess. You seem so… I dunno… quiet? Reserved? Non-confrontational? I just wouldn’t expect you to be a fan of a sport that’s so aggressive.”
I held my breath as I waited for her reaction to my words, bracing myself for her to take offense to them. To my surprise, she just snorted and rolled her eyes again.
“You’ve clearly forgotten I grew up with four siblings. If you don’t think we were practicing wrestling moves on each other and out back playing tackle football every chance we got, then you clearly don’t know anything about the McCoys.”
Her brows furrowed as she took a sip of water and placed her glass back down. “Besides, my dad always wanted a football team of his own. When he only got one
