Live Free or Die Complete Series Boxed Set: Age Of Madness - A Kurtherian Gambit Series Hayley Lawson (ebook reader play store .TXT) 📖

“Fuck, yeah!”

Leandro waited patiently for Ryder to wake up. He wanted to get out of his bedroom, but Ryder had closed the door before she went to bed, and because he was a wolf there was no way he could open it. Only now did he truly miss his thumbs. Also, his common sense. He’d been a wolf for one night and gotten hammered.

Still, he had good reason to want to drown his sorrows.

Last night while everyone was in the house eating, drinking, and reliving the day’s events, Leandro had sneaked away to a quiet place to try to turn. He’d lain on the ground and thought hard about turning back into his human form, but the hours had ticked by and nothing had changed.

He’d surrendered to the idea that he wasn’t going to be able to turn back to his human form. He had to accept that he was no longer a werewolf; he was only a wolf now. Part of him was okay with the idea. He did love being a wolf, but he also missed being able to speak with Massimo and Ryder. He had decided last night to drink away the pain of that, and this morning he was paying for it.

His head was pounding. That was no way to start off his first full day as a wolf. They were going into the fight of their lives. What had he been thinking?

That was the problem. He hadn’t been thinking.

Leandro wanted to go to the bathroom. His bladder was full to bursting from all the alcohol he’d consumed.

He had a vague memory of licking Ryder’s face. Oh, Leandro! That’s the most wolf-like thing I could have done. Where has my dignity gone? He’d feared turning into a wolf would make him lose part of himself. He just wasn’t expecting that part would be his sobriety. That’s it, I’m never drinking again! Why do people drink when they know they’ll feel like shit the next day? Leandro shook his head when he noticed Ryder getting to her feet. She must have heard what was going on in the living room.

Leandro sat at the door like a good pup and waited for Ryder to open the door. She looked down at him fondly. Maybe she didn’t remember last night? Please let her not remember.

Then she said the words that let Leandro know she remembered last night just fine. “How’s the head?”

Leandro wanted to curl up into a furry ball on the carpet and pretend like last night had never happened. He wanted to at least say he was sorry for his actions, that it was the drink, but he couldn’t.

Instead, he lowered his head in shame, which was greeted by Ryder’s hand pushing through his fur. Oh, that’s good. Don’t stop, Leandro thought. She was massaging the hangover right away.

Ryder lifted her hand off Leandro’s head. What part of “don’t stop” did she not get? She knelt beside Leandro and hugged him. He wanted to stay in her warm embrace forever.

Leandro’s world almost ended when she let go of him and headed into the living room. He remembered the commotion he’d heard from the living room and followed her.

Before he could go into the living room, he had to get to the bathroom. Dammit! The bathroom door was closed. How the hell was he going to open it? Leandro heard singing through the door. It was an ABBA song, but it wasn’t Massimo’s voice. Leandro vaguely remembered Massimo playing it for his Merry Men and rolled his eyes. That was all Leandro needed—for everyone to enjoy ABBA as much as his Pops. Just the thought made his head hurt even more.

Then the handle turned, and Carter emerged. He was singing Dancing Queen, and he looked just like a queen—shiny clean and resplendent, with his bows in his freshly braided beard.

Carter looked down at Leandro, who hated the fact that Carter could look down at him. He had a puzzled look on his face, which was normal for him. “Oh, it’s you, Fluffy. Do you need the bathroom?” Leandro growled in response. Carter grinned and swept an arm toward the bathroom. “Be my guest.’

Leandro pushed past Carter into the bathroom. This was his house, not Carter’s. He was the guest here. Leandro went to close the door, but couldn’t shut it all the way since there was a chance he’d get locked in. Carter peeked through the crack.

Leandro growled again. Why was he watching?

Leandro’s bladder was too full for him to argue with Carter. He needed to piss. He turned to the toilet, and the oh shit moment came over him. He was a fucking wolf! He couldn’t piss in a toilet. And of all people, it was Carter who had witnessed his fuck-up.

Carter started laughing and Leandro growled back, flashing his sharp teeth. “Easy, Fluffy. Go piss outside on a tree.”

Leandro pushed past Carter. What kind of animal does he think I am?

“Come on, Fluffy, don’t get all moody on me. You have to admit it was quite funny.”

Leandro couldn’t be bothered with Carter’s smartass comments. He needed to get outside, or he was going to further humiliate himself by pissing on the floor. Leandro couldn’t think of anything worse.

When Leandro passed through the living room, he caught a strange scent. It was his Pops, but he smelled different. Leandro sidetracked into the room, hoping he could hold his bladder a little longer. Massimo looked even younger than he had than when Leandro was a kid. His Pops had gone back in time. Leandro padded over to Massimo, completely and utterly shocked. What the hell had happened last night?

He remembered his dad speaking to him about something on the porch, but Leandro had been remembering how hot Ryder had looked shooting her bow. That damn alcohol. Leandro remembered agreeing to something, but not what. He now knew.

Leandro turned to look at Ryder, who had a bandage