“Camille Annalise Ellis.” Aunt Dot glanced up from her vigorous belly-rubbing. “Cord is the first boyfriend you’ve ever brought home to meet the family—or brought the family to meet him. Don’t run him off with your sass.”

“Me?” I spluttered. “He’s putting on an act.”

“Wolves are animals,” Aunt Dot chided. “Their emotions and reactions are honest.”

“He’s not a real wolf.” I felt a headache blossoming. “He’s a man wearing a fur suit.”

“Give it up.” Isaac hooked an arm around my waist. “She’s already picturing what beautiful grandpups you guys will make together.”

I stomped his instep. His groan, coupled with the way he slumped over and rested his forehead on my shoulder while emitting manful whimpers, made me feel a tad bit better about him being right. Aunt Dot probably was imagining all the chew toys she could buy her little grandnieces and grandnephews.

I dropped into the booth, pushed aside my picked-over soup and covered my face with my hands. This was not how I imagined introductions being made.

A cold nose applied behind my ear jerked me upright, and I scooched closer to the wall to escape the source. Except Graeson took it as an invitation and climbed up beside me, going as far as to rest his head on my lap.

“They make such a cute couple.” Aunt Dot wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

This was a milestone moment for me, a new low in a life riddled with dips, realizing my romantic prospects were so pathetic that my aunt, who had raised me like her own child, was thrilled I was shacked up with a wolf.

Shock must have wiped my expression blank, because her saline waterfall dried up between one sniffle and the next. “Pumpkin, what’s wrong?” She took the seat opposite me and reached for my hands. “I thought you liked the nice wolfman.”

Argh. I resisted the temptation to bang my forehead against the tabletop. I ought to strangle the wolfman in question for announcing to my family we were an item. As cover stories went, it was a good one that kept them safe from knowledge civilians didn’t need about the monster we were hunting. But it dovetailed with Bessemer’s assumptions too well. Both our families thought we were a couple, if for different reasons. Graeson had trapped me into living a dual-edged lie that was bound to cut one of us sooner rather than later.

“We’ve got a problem.” Since lying wasn’t my strong suit, I decided to stick as close to the truth as possible. “The alpha, Bessemer, is under the misconception that Graeson and I are mated, and he’s not happy about it.”

Isaac dropped down next to his mom, frown in place. “Is his objection to you or to you being fae?”