Howl (Witches & Warlocks Book 4) by R. M. Webb

welcome to pick it all up again when you leave. If you want. You hear me?”
    Turns out, I totally hear her. And it sounds wonderful. Every time I start to wonder about this or worry about that, I tune it out. Try to focus on whatever exercise I’m doing at the time. And slowly, I figure it out. By the time the session is up, I’m breathing easier and smiling naturally.
    I stop Allison on my way to the locker room. “Hey,” I say, picking at my fingernails. “Thanks.”
    She looks confused. “Of course! Just doing my job.”
    “Ya, but your advice was great. I feel much better.”
    Allison just smiles. Looks uncomfortable under the weight of my compliments. Of course, her unease makes me feel bad, so in an effort to make her feel better, I ask her about running. Her response is so different from Albert’s. “I highly recommend it. If you’ve got energy to burn and problems in your head, pound them to a pulp on the pavement.” She gives me some advice on running in the cold. I still highly doubt that I’ll ever willingly go for a run in the middle of winter, but I file the information away and head into the locker room to shower and change.
    I’m a little nervous about talking to Daya. And I’m excited, too. I don’t know if she’ll answer my questions about my parents. I don’t know if she’ll know what to do about Ty or if I should even ask her about him. But throughout all of this, she’s been the one person who’s kind of guided me through it. Sure, her guidance was manipulative and self-serving, but out of all the people in my life, she knows the most about me with Noah coming in a close second. The thought of sitting in a room with the two of them and asking questions and getting answers warms me from the inside out.
    I know this feeling. It’s hope. And I’m not so sure I should get too wrapped up in hope. Hope seems to have a bad habit of letting me down.
    Noah’s waiting for me near the front door and I’m not ready to deal with him being all disappointed in me for not talking to Albert. I take a deep breath and thread my arm into his. Smile really big and wave goodbye to Xavier.
    Turns out, I didn’t need to worry about Noah at all. “I was thinking,” he says as soon as we’re out of earshot. “You’re probably right to have kept the whole wolf stalker thing to yourself.”
    I feel instantly better. “Ya?” I try not to smile like a moron.
    “Yep. Albert seems so easygoing and unassuming, but he is the alpha after all. He’s probably way more intense than I give him credit for. And given what you learned about the Overseer and the splitting of the Supernatural Union … well … you were right. That’s all.”
    I push myself into his arms, so ridiculously happy to hear those words. I’m so tired of second guessing myself, of assuming everyone else is second guessing me, too. Hearing Noah tell me I made a good judgement call instead of calling me crazy for not trusting Albert does my poor heart a lot of good.
    After a bit of discussion, we decide to drive separately to Windsor because, as much as both of us would prefer to spend the time hand in hand, it just doesn’t make sense logistically to come back this way for a car. Before Noah opens my door for me, we do a little magical reconnaissance. Check the thing for tampering, bombs, serial killers. You name it. And as silly as it seems, the fact that it was Noah’s idea to check makes me feel a little better, too. Like maybe I’m not losing my mind for being so cautious. Like maybe, just maybe, I’m gonna be OK.
    The sun disappears behind a blanket of clouds during our drive and I wonder if there’s going to be more snow as my tushy grows toasty under the ministrations of my seat heater. How in the world did I go so long without one? There’s a new valet waiting to take my keys. Did the old one get fired for making me wait while a stalker threatened my safety? I hope not.
    Windsor looks so stately today, all decorated for the