I sat on the curb, desperately willing away the last traces of alcohol lingering in my system. Please, I thought. Don't let this be happening.
But prayers or no prayers, it was what it was. I watched helplessly as Leon -- who turned out to be the brown wolf who came first -- pulled away the half-crying, half-fighting Raf without a goodbye, no doubt to take her home. The last thing I heard of his thoughts before he left the range of my mind-reading was a cursing complaint about how the two of us could be so reckless as to get targeted by a band of creeps.
I wanted to shout at his back that maybe if he hadn't gotten into a fight with Raf, she wouldn't have felt the need to do this at all. But that wasn't fair. I didn't know the whole story. But what would be completely justified was telling him off for blaming Raf when a woman should have every right to expect men to be decent and not try to rape her on the street just because they could.<
He didn't move away. I leaned closer and closer until the scent of him hit me, the faintest wisps of tobacco mixed in with stronger mint. Did he smoke? I'd never noticed. Or maybe he had been around someone who smoked earlier today, and the acrid tang had clung to him until now. It didn't matter. It was him. I was so close that now I knew the scent of him, and I didn't care why or how. Don't reject me, I thought, but the words remained in my head, failing to find my tongue. It didn't matter. I had come this far. I couldn't stop now. The scratch of his day's-end stubble brushed against my fingertips. When had I moved my hand? And why couldn't I stop it? But I didn't want to. His breath caught when I skimmed my nails over the slight scruff, and my heart soared like someone had taken it out of my chest and tossed it high into the air. (Shouldn't...) a distant thought in his voice murmur
"I see the hybrid is still slinking around..." Flicka had meant for me to hear that as she entered the manor, and unlike the venomous glare she had just shot me, her voice was gloating and self-assured, as arrogant as ever. I wanted to turn and follow her back inside so I could slap her senseless, but that would only show her how easily she affected me. I forced myself to walk down the steps with my head level and my posture calm, as if nothing she said could bother me. But it didn't last. The door closed, and a moment later when I turned the bend around the stone path that led to the forest, I broke into a fierce run so abrupt my side cramped with sudden stitches. But I didn't stop. The pain was nothing compared to the frustration of hearing the smugness in Flicka's voice as she entered the manor, as if she were taking my place. I didn't want to remember it. If a few cramps could take my mind off of her even a lit
He beckoned at me, and I followed him to his bedroom the next door down. I looked around as I entered, noting the absence of the vinyl records, but there was indeed an open luggage case sitting on the table. He was packing light, but surely he didn't think he would get so bored he needed to bring me along on one of his trips, did he? "Why are you going to Dark Moon?" I asked after closing the door at his gesture. "There are a few people in the pack I want to speak to. Dark Moon has fingers in both certain sectors of the mining and medical industries." "Like Wilson? Jack Wilson?" At his raised eyebrow, I added, "He made some kind of big investment a few years back and became popular for it. Something with the hospital system in the next city over from Dark Moon's territory. But what am I going for? Is it because you want me to introduce you to them?" I hoped not. The higher-ranking werewolves
On something that might have been a lot more than a whim, I brought a small store of banshee weed just in case. I hadn't asked how long we would be staying on Dark Moon territory, but I didn't want Evan to coincidentally have a bad spat of nightmares with no way to deal with them. The recent rains would drown the banshee weed under puddles, making them hard to find, so bringing the ones I'd already picked with me was the only other option. I'd made the right choice. When we got off the train, the rain had picked up again, and there were new ponds everywhere along the rolling terrain that would have made herb-picking impossible. There was also an entire crowd waiting to receive us when we arrived. I was so stunned I didn't know how to react at the enthusiasm everyone greeted us with. Dark Moon territory residents hated humans and hybrids, and yet here they were, hiding it so they could greet Evan and me with deference due to a king.
What? What did they just say? Executed? I stared down at my gleaming plate, and the faint reflection of my wide eyes in the ceramic stared back. Executed. I hadn't misheard. I wasn't stupid. I'd known Elly, Maria, and Kris had never thought of me as real family, even if they had given me somewhat preferential treatment when I did as they wanted. I wasn't grieving their loss the way I would have with loving family members. But they were dead. Killed. And they weren't the only ones. Images flashed across Osborn's mind, enough that I could gather immediately who the casualties were. Alpha Kris's siblings, aunts and uncles to Elly and Maria, pack members who had lived together for decades... killed. Executed. But as horrifying as the splashes of crimson across Osborn's memory, what was ev
Evan wouldn't be returning to the Scarlet pack house for a while. His absence should have made it easier for me to stay there, but the idea of walking in alone, knowing how everything had changed in just these last few precious hours... I couldn't. I stayed at Raf's apartment, and we had late brunch together while we went over our assignments. No classes today since it was a Reading Day with mid-terms drawing closer, but that didn't mean we could slack.We decided to go to one of the libraries on campus so we could study without the distraction of thumping neighbors. But when we got there, I only lasted an hour before my thoughts began to wander.Curse.Evan had thought something about a curse, but his mind had clouded and darkened before I could hear anything else. What was it? What had he been talking about?It was stupid of me to dwell on it when Evan clearly didn't want me to know. What was I goi