Chapter 4

"God must have truly blessed the werewolf community," Cathy proclaimed, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I mean, supernatural hotness and magical transformations? That's just unfair to the rest of us mere mortals."

Magnus's tattoo stirred beneath his shirt, almost as if it were laughing. His lips twitched – the barest hint of a suppressed smile.

Cathy suddenly noticed Magnus hadn't touched his food. Her gaze swept across the elaborate breakfast spread, landing on a plate of strawberries. She picked one up, examining it critically.

"Have you tried these?" she asked, though she knew he wasn't going to respond. "They look perfect. Like, magazine-cover perfect."

She bit into the strawberry, her face immediately scrunching up. "Huh. Weird. These look like they should be sweet, but they taste kind of… bland? Flat? Is that a thing?" Maybe her taste buds were broken. That would be just her luck.

Her eyes softened as she turned to Magnus, holding the half-eaten strawberry between her fingers. "Here. You try. I mean, you're the Alpha. Surely your supernatural taste buds can detect what's wrong with this berry."

Without missing a beat, she moved the strawberry closer to his lips, completely unaware of the dozens of pack members watching in shocked silence.

"It's my first strawberry from this region," she babbled. "Totally different from the ones back home. Might be poisoned. Or cursed. Or just really, really disappointing. Your professional opinion?"

Magnus remained motionless, but his eyes locked onto hers. The air between them seemed to crackle with an unexplained energy. Electric. Dangerous.

Magnus didn't move. Not a muscle. Yet something in his gaze shifted – an intensity that made Cathy feel suddenly warm. Too warm.

"Fine, I'll take your silence as 'open up'," she chirped, moving the strawberry closer.

Just as the berry was about to touch his lips, she paused. "Wait. Is this inappropriate? Am I sexually harassing an Alpha? Is that a thing? Werewolf sexual harassment protocols are probably complicated." She was rambling again. Why was she always rambling?

She giggled, then promptly pushed the strawberry against his lips.

Magnus took the entire berry into his mouth, maintaining eye contact with her the entire time. No expression changed. No words spoken. But something shifted.

As Magnus ate the strawberry, his tongue unexpectedly brushed against her fingertips. It was quick – almost faint. But not to Cathy.

She froze. Completely froze.

A shiver ran down her spine that had nothing to do with temperature and everything to do with an unexpected electricity. Her breath caught mid-sentence, something between a gasp and a squeak escaping her lips.

How was it possible? Cathy wanted him. A sudden wave of need crashed through her body and her vaginal muscles constricted in surprise. In her 25 years of life, she had never desired a man before, not like this. Not with this desperate, aching intensity. Another wave of arousal slammed into her, rocking her body until it settled on her clit, making it pound the same rhythm as her heart, she shifted in her seat trying to get rid of it.

Magnus's nostrils flared and he groaned. Low. Deep.

She gulped. Cleared her throat. Tried to pretend that sound didn't do things to her insides.

"Did you just… I mean, did that actually… Oh my God…!"

Her rambling increased, a nervous energy replacing her previous confidence. Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. Did he just smell her arousal? How embarrassing. How completely, utterly embarrassing.

He knew. And she knew that he knew. And somehow that made it worse. Or better? She couldn't decide.

The pack watched, some with horror, some with fascination. Beta Remus raised an eyebrow, recognizing something significant was happening.

Magnus remained utterly impassive. But his tattoo beneath his shirt seemed to pulse harder. Insistent. Demanding.

Cathy, trying to dull the ache between her legs, continued talking. Babbling, really. "So. Did you taste the weird strawberry essence? Because I'm telling you, something's off. Maybe werewolf strawberries are different? Do you guys have magical produce?"

Her hand, still extended from feeding him the strawberry, remained suspended in mid-air. Her muscles were hurting, she was afraid to move her hand because she knew it would tremble. Badly.

The pack watched. Frozen. Breathless. Waiting for something to happen.

Magnus's tattoo stirred beneath his shirt again. Restless. Hungry.

As breakfast wound down, Magnus began to gather his things. Cathy was mid-sentence about her most embarrassing vampire fan fiction when he stood. She paused, looking up. She couldn't help the wave of disappointment that rolled through her. He was leaving? Of course, he was leaving, but why did that hurt? What was wrong with her? She felt tears prickling her eyes, how ridiculous. How completely ridiculous.

He hesitated and she blinked up at him. She wanted to follow him everywhere and that made her frown. Was she going crazy? Probably. Definitely.

Magnus leaned down slightly, so close that only she could hear his words. His breath was warm against her ear, sending an unexpected shiver down her spine and all the way to her core. "Nice to meet you, Cathy."

His voice was like velvet – deep, rich, with just a hint of an accent she couldn't place. It was sexy in a way that made her heart race unexpectedly. Her breath caught in her throat, and she felt a blush rising to her cheeks. Again. Always blushing around him.

As Magnus walked away, Cathy couldn't help but notice how he moved – fluid, powerful, with a grace that seemed almost predatory. Her eyes traced the line of his back, the way his shirt fell across his shoulders. She found herself admiring the way his slim frame suggested strength rather than bulk. Dangerous strength.

Behind her, his mysterious tattoo stirred beneath his shirt, a silent acknowledgment of the unexpected connection.

The pack watched in stunned silence, unsure what had just transpired. But they all felt it. The shift. The change. Something had happened here, something important. Something that would change everything.

Or maybe they were all just imagining things. Hard to tell, really.

Cathy sat there for a moment longer, staring at the spot where Magnus had been. Her heart was still racing, her skin still felt too warm, and she couldn't shake the feeling that her entire world had just tilted on its axis. Which was dramatic. Really dramatic. But also... accurate?

"Well," she said to no one in particular, her voice slightly breathless. "That was... something."

The pack members slowly began to resume their conversations, though their voices were hushed, uncertain. They kept glancing at Cathy, then at the door Magnus had disappeared through, as if trying to piece together a puzzle they didn't quite understand.

Cathy picked up another strawberry, examining it thoughtfully. It still tasted bland, but somehow that seemed less important now. Everything seemed less important compared to the lingering warmth where Magnus's breath had touched her ear.

She was in so much trouble. So, so much trouble.

And for the first time since arriving at the pack, she wasn't sure if that was a bad thing or not.