If someone had told Rowena she would be dressed like a police officer minus the badge, belt, and handcuffs, she would've called them delusional. She adjusted the black tie that matched her black pants, black heels, and a black button-up shirt with double front pockets. She left the peaked cap on a side table in the alpha's main living area.

"I'm going to kill my sister," Cross huffed as he entered the room.

Reed, who was sitting on a plush oversized sofa that Rowena thought looked and felt like a cloud, laughed.

Rowena pointed at Cross. "I can't believe you actually put that on!"

He was wearing leather pants, steel-toe boots, a studded leather jacket, and was holding a motorcycle helmet. On his face was a thick handlebar mustache.

"I think it's the perfect disguise," Abby chirped behind him.

She was wearing green camo pants with a matching top and black boots. Her hair was tucked under a matching hat, and she too was wearing a fake mustache.

"Why do I feel like I should be putting up scaffolding or something?" Matt, the pack's head enforcer, asked. He was wearing faded jeans, camel-colored boots, and a plaid shirt with a thick oversized white jacket. He was adjusting a white hard helmet on his head while looking in a wall mirror.

Reed couldn't stop laughing. Rowena wanted to laugh but refused to enjoy the moment with her ex-boyfriend. Instead, she stood up from the cloud-like sofa, careful not to move too quickly. Cross had asked her again if she wanted him to heal her shoulder but she refused. The pain pills were still doing their job for now.

"Are you sure about these duds?" Little Mikey asked as he joined the fray of poorly dressed shifters. He was wearing a cowboy outfit complete with a cowboy hat and a fake mustache. Gina followed behind him wearing a brown dress with fringe at the bottom and embroidered blue stones across the bodice. They hadn't originally planned on coming with Rowena and Cross, but Gina had somehow convinced Little Mikey it would be in his best interest to join her friend at the illegal dog race.

"This dress is cute," Gina said, "but we're definitely going to draw attention. I thought us going with you all might be safer...but not in these clothes."

Reed began cackling. "You look like the Village People."

Little Mikey turned to Reed, eyes narrowed. "You look like an idiot."

"Mikey!" Gina chastised. "Don't make fun of Rowena's ex-boyfriend. He probably feels bad enough that Rowena dumped him for this handsome stud." The handsome stud was Cross, who she was pointing at.

"Woman, did you just call another man a handsome stud in front of me?" Little Mikey placed a beefy hand on the fake pistol attached to his belt.

Gina giggled. "You look like a real cowboy, Mikey. I hope you plan on wearing that outfit after we're done at the races tonight."

"Can you please not talk about your role-playing in front of us," Matt asked, a look of discomfort on his face.

Gina rolled her eyes. "Come on Mikey, I need to braid my hair and want to get away from the prudes."

"Anything for you, little lady." The big man said, pretending to have a Southern accent, and following her back out of the room, the spurs on his cowboy boots softly spinning.

As they left the room, Matt shook his head. "I really don't think they should be here this evening. Something could go wrong and they'll discover our secret. What if they see Reed turn in his wolf form?"

"They're not going to see me," Reed said. "I plan on shifting once you all are ready to go. I'll do it in another room."

Matt looked at Cross. "For the record, I'm officially saying I don't like it."

"It's been duly noted," Cross said dryly.

Abby shrugged. "I like them. Gina helped me pick out our disguises."

Cross glared at Abby. "When I told you to get disguises, I didn't mean to get Halloween costumes."

Abby placed her hands on her hips and leaned toward her brother. "You should've been specific. Besides, Rowena told me she loves motorcycle club romance books. She thinks the lead characters are hot. I thought I'd let her see you in a new light but if you want to change, go ahead."

Cross cleared his throat. "No, no...this is fine." He glanced at Rowena who was fixing her tie. When she didn't look at him right away, he cleared his throat again.

Reed shook his head but didn't comment. He knew better than to insult the alpha.

"Where's Liam?" Matt asked. "I thought he was coming tonight."

Abby's laughter filled the room. "Oh, he's probably still getting dressed."

"I still don't understand why I have to be a dog," Reed muttered. "We could've gotten a real dog and I could've been a sailor."

"Because you said you would," Rowena reminded him. "Stop complaining. You wanted me to forgive you for cheating. This is a step in the right direction."

"Yes, but that was before I knew all the details. I hate people mistaking me for a dog when I'm in wolf form and now I'm having to be one," Reed said.

"If you don't want to help, you can leave," Cross said, taking a step forward. "My soulmate and I can do this without you."

Reed's cheeks reddened. "Alpha, are you still going on about that? I thought that was a joke."

"You did not just say that," Rowena huffed, shaking her head at Cross.

Cross gave an arrogant tilt of his chin, crossing his arms. "There's no reason to hide it."

"Abby! You did this on purpose! I can't wear this in public!" Liam's voice growled as he entered the room. He was dressed in a white bodysuit with ruffles at the arms, legs, and neck. Red trim outlined the outfit, and he was wearing a red wig. "I look like something out of a Stephen King novel!"

Matt howled with laughter at the Howler pack's beta.

"You look wonderful," Abby said, amusement thick in her voice. "Can I get a picture, Pennywise? I mean Liam."

"I'm not going," Liam said, shaking his head. "And you're crazy if you think I'm putting on the white face paint."

"You're going," Cross demanded. He stared at his beta critically. "Just don't stand too close to us."

An hour later, Reed was in his wolf form. Gina and Little Mikey drove in a separate car to the large warehouse where the dog race was being held. Liam, Matt, and Abby drove in Matt's truck while Reed, Cross, and Rowena rode together.

"Cross, what if this is a trap?" Rowena asked.

"We need to find out as much information as we can about these bets. Don't worry, you're going to be surrounded by me, my beta, my head enforcer, and my sister. We'll keep you safe."

Rowena nodded. She was picking at her pants. "So, our goal tonight is to find out who Casey's partner was, right?"

Cross nodded.

Reed yipped from the backseat. He was large and his size had surprised Rowena. As a wolf, he had long gray hair with a white streak along his back. He looked like someone had spilled paint on him.

"Stop staring at him," Cross said softly.

"I've never seen a wolf up close," Rowena admitted.

"You can see my wolf anytime you want. If you stare too much at him, he'll think you're still interested," Cross warned her.

She glanced at the wolf in the backseat then back at Cross. "Should you be talking about him when he's right there?"

"He's in his wolf form."

"So?" Rowena didn't understand what difference Reed being in his wolf form had.

"I can control him better in his wolf form. Right now, he's thinking about chasing bunnies," Cross said, smirking. "When we get to the warehouse, I'll have his wolf let Reed's mind take over so he can understand what's being said around him."

"Is what you're doing like mind control?"

"Sort of. I'm the alpha and Reed is one of my wolves. I'm not pushing him back so we can talk about him. I can sense how uncomfortable he is with our relationship."

"We don't technically have a relationship," Rowena reminded him.

"For now," he said softly. "As much as it bothers me to know you and Reed dated, it hurts me that he's hurt. It cuts deep to know I'm the reason for his pain. We just have to accept it."

"Accept what?"

"Accept that his pain and my discomfort aren't enough to make me give you up." His eyes locked on hers for a moment before he looked back at the road. "We're almost there. Remember, we're there to bet and Casey is the person who suggested we attend."

"Understood," Rowena said. She hoped they could find a clue to Casey's killer.

After they arrived at the warehouse, everyone seemed to be staring at their motley crew of village people. A few people laughed. Some gave them a wide berth. Rowena swore one man peed himself after spotting Liam in his evil clown costume.

She had Reed on a leash as she and Cross made their way to the sign-up booth. An overweight woman with red curls and dark green eyes grinned at them before taking in Reed. "Whoa, he's a big fella. What's his name?"

"Jerk," Rowena replied without thought.

The woman's brows raised. "You named your dog Jerk?"

"Jerky! I meant to say Jerky." Rowena gave a nervous laugh. "His name is Jerky...because he likes to eat beef jerky."

The woman giggled. "You can tell he likes to eat. He's the biggest dog here. You want to register him, right?"

"Yes," Rowena said, nodding.

"It'll be five grand," the woman said, pulling up a dog collar with a large number seven on it.

"Five thousand dollars to register?" Rowena gasped. "That's a little steep, isn't it? Can't I have a first-timer discount or something?"

The woman's smile fell and her eyes narrowed. She took in Rowena's outfit and sneered. "You a cop?"

"What?" Rowena's voice rose. "No, of course not. I hate the cops! They give me speeding tickets and throw me in jail every time I commit assault."

"Baby, hurry up and make the bet," Cross snarled, pressing his front to her back. He reached past Rowena and dropped a stack of cash. "We know our dog is gonna win this. Our friend Casey swore we'd double our money here."

The redhead pursed her lips as she took in Cross. "Did you say Casey?"

Cross nodded. "She was always telling me to bet on my woman's dog but Buffy didn't want her dog to get hurt. Casey said the race could get pretty violent."

The woman's green eyes rested on Rowena. "Your name is Buffy?"

Apparently so. Rowena smiled. "It is. My mother had a thing for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The movie with Kristy Swanson not the show with Sarah Michelle Gellar. I didn't want to come but Hammer insisted Jerky could win us some money."

"Were you friends with Casey too?" the redhead asked.

Rowena jerked back. "Of course not! She tried stealing Hammer from me every chance she got." She lowered her voice. "That's the real reason I didn't want to come. I didn't want to run into Casey and her betting partner."

"Betting partner?" the redhead asked, confused. "Casey always came to these things alone. Her and her dog, King."

"Her dog was named King?" Rowena asked.

"She told me she always came with a friend," Cross insisted.

"No, Casey Sloane always came alone. She didn't come to every race but when she showed up, she always won. Her dog King was an undisputed champion. I wonder if she'll show up tonight." The woman looked around, her green eyes searching the crowd. If she was searching for Casey, she was out of luck. Finally, the woman pointed to Reed's wolf. "Casey's dog was almost as big as yours. It also looked like some sort of Husky."

"What color was it?" Cross asked. "I never saw Casey with a dog before."

The woman shrugged. "Gray. It looked similar to your dog. I can't really remember details but I do remember her dog had gray fur. I don't see Casey here tonight, so you have a good chance at winning. It's a shame. I was really hoping to see Casey lose tonight."

"Did she try stealing your man too?" Rowena whispered.

The redhead jerked back in surprise. She chuckled. "No, but Casey Sloane was rude and arrogant. She didn't have a lot of fans here but her dog was incredible to watch. A lot of the women here hated her. As you may have guessed, Casey had a tendency to flirt with taken men."

"I'm not surprised. Was there anyone in particular who Casey upset?" Rowena asked.

The woman looked around before leaning forward. "There's a blonde named Julia. If you see her, you'll know who she is. She always wears satin gloves."

"Satin gloves?"

The woman nodded. "It's weird but you'd be surprised by the folks that come to these races. Total whack jobs. I would quit if I wasn't paid so well."

"I want to register my dog!"

Rowena turned to see an older man with his hands on his hips. He looked upset. "You're holding up the line."

A growl sounded from Cross' chest.

"It was nice talking to you," Rowena said to the woman.

"You all be careful tonight. I heard there's some freak dressed like Pennywise here tonight," the woman warned. "I told you-a bunch of whackjobs."

Rowena gave the woman a nod before stepping away so Reed and Cross would follow her to an empty corner in the warehouse.

"Hammer?" Cross asked. "You gave me the name Hammer?"

"You called me Buffy." Rowena was frowning. "I thought about saying your name was Buttercup but changed my mind at the last minute." She placed a hand on his forearm. "Cross, we need to find this Julia woman. What if she's part of the jilted women group? What if Julia killed Casey?"

"Rowena, calm down. I agree we need to find Julia but there's something else that's bothering me."

"What?"

"That woman said Casey came here with a big gray dog."

"So?"

"She said Casey never had a partner but she's wrong. Casey must've used a wolf to win these dog races that are really dog fights. I don't know who her wolf is but whoever it is better not be from Howler."

"That makes sense," Rowena said thoughtfully. "Her partner was a wolf. It helped her win all of her bets. That means there's a good chance her wolf won't be here tonight."

"Why do you say that?" Cross asked. "Maybe the wolf got another shifter to place the bet for it."

"That's possible but think about it, Cross. Someone knew we were sniffing around to the point that they spread word and the race was moved to a different night. They aren't going to show up. If anything, this should help narrow things down. Only a few people knew we were going to come here tonight."

"Yeah, but Little Mikey warned us Sal could have told anyone."

Rowena was about to argue her point when she noticed a familiar woman with teased hair and bright red lipstick a few feet away from them. Rowena groaned.

"What's the matter," Cross asked, his eyes wandering to where Rowena had just been looking. Sitting in a metal chair next to a handsome younger man was Rowena's cousin Carmen.

SHEHOPES NOTE: Thank you so much for reading! I honestly didn't think anyone would be reading my crazy paranormal cozy. I really wanted to share a picture of Rowena, Cross, and the gang dressed up as the Village People BUT I'm not the best artist. Anyway, I put a video of the Village People in case you don't know who they are. Thank you for sharing this story, for reading, for voting, for following me on Wattpad, and all that good stuff. We only have 8 chapters left to go so keep an eye out for updates! Have a great day! ❤