I take the bag from Kane's hand and inspect it, sniffing it lightly.
My nose picks up the musky scent belonging to Beta Harris, the citrus scent of Jaydon and the woody scent of Liam. I swallow hard, knowing Liam had probably been around and had probably even seen me sleeping close to Kane.They had taken everything except for the tarpaulin, rope, and the machete. The change of clothes where I had left them to dry were gone but I did spy the pot of water that was still next to the fire. Everything else is gone."Dammit! It was Jaydon and a few of the Dark Moon leadership." I say, throwing the bag onto the floor. "I guess they thought to up the difficulty level now that we've made it more than halfway through the challenge."Kane laughs, his eyes crinkling in amusement."What's so funny?" I ask, stomping my foot in frustration like an overgrown toddler."You realise what the next part of the challenge is?" He grins like a villI swallow hard. I hadn't even thought of how Kane and my sleeping arrangement may have looked to onlookers… specifically my mate. "Liam and I aren't together, Jaydon." I say boldly. "And even if it mattered to him, Kane and I are just friends." Friends with benefits. Ember jibes. Jaydon crosses his arms, a surge of different emotions flashing across his face. "I don't care what your relationship status is, Miss Jones. What I am saying is that you need to talk to the alpha before your friend gets thrown out of this program on his arse." He emphasises the word "friend", throwing Kane what I can only presume is a dark look. "Fine. I'll see if I can meet with Liam tomorrow." I sigh."Tonight. I'll escort you to the pack house myself after this debriefing." With that, he turns abruptly and joins Beta Harris. Some expression on my face must have shown my distress, making Kane come over to me.
"Good evening, Liam." I say softly, not entirely sure about where I should start. "How did you get in here?" He asks, looking toward the door which he had just come through. "I climbed up the trellis." I reply, shrugging my shoulders. "I wasn't sure if you or your family would want to see me after the way I left things the last time I was here." I sigh and stand up, slowly walking toward him and feeling slightly as if I'm walking toward a wounded animal, ready to strike at any moment. He holds out a hand to stop me in my tracks, his voice harsh and cold. "You may want to leave before your new boyfriend discovers you're here." Jaydon was right. Liam had obviously assumed that Kane and I were together. His obvious rejection of me hurts more than I expect it to and I have to admit that perhaps Liam means more to me than I would like. "I don't have a boyfriend." I reply, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice. "Kan
The next day after training, Ricky was summoned to the Alpha's study. "Oooh, someone's in trouble." Daniel teases. "Flirt with the Alpha's chick?" Matt joins in. I see Ricky throw me a concerned glance before he heads off up the hill to the Pack House and I feel that all too familiar knot forming in my stomach. It will be fine, girl. Liam said he will handle it all so trust him. Ember reassures me. Definitely easier said than done. Jaydon approaches me and nods a greeting."I have been told that our alpha is in a great mood today." He says, sauntering off with that.Megs looks a bit bemused and flicks her short brunette locks away from her face, scrunching up her pixie-like nose in a manner that resembles disgust."I'll never understand that guy." She mutters. "He's all cryptic messages and dire warnings, and then he throws out some insignificant information like that." I just shrug my s
I throw myself down onto the ground, leaning against a tree and looking out onto the lake. What I would give for everything just to be simple again! Ricky doesn't seem to understand that revenge won't change anything - it won't bring mom and dad back, it won't remove the memories of that horrific night, it won't repair our broken childhood. The more I think about it, the more ludicrous the whole thing becomes. I love my brother. He's been the one constant all through my life and I trust him more than anyone, but he's wrong to push for me to choose revenge over Liam. "There you are. " a husky voice breaks me from my thoughts and I look up to find Liam staring down at me, concern etched in his face. "I just needed a moment alone. "I sigh and get up, leaning against him and letting him wrap his arms protectively around me, resting his chin on my head."Your brother is one stubborn arse, babe." "It's just that all we've ever kno
I watch in horror as the old Ford turns out onto the road leading off of Dark Moon land, panic rising and constricting my throat. Ember howls within me, begging to be let loose to chase after him. I let her, my clothing ripping from my body as my auburn wolf emerges, lunging forward in pursuit of my brother. Why would he leave us without saying goodbye? I whimper. Ember's paws beat the ground in haste, cutting through the trees on each side of the road. I can feel Ricky slipping through my fingers. Ember takes a shortcut, legs flying as her muscles strain with the exertion. She flings herself into the road just before the pillars marking the end of pack land, the Ford's brakes screeching as Ricky slams on brakes to avoid hitting us. "What the fuck, Natalia!" He shouts as he climbs out of the passenger side, slamming old Betsy's door behind him. "Do you want to be fucking run over?" Ember sits down, panting heavily. "What the fuck are you thinking?" Ricky continues to rage befor
Beccy has become a frequent fixture at our training sessions, seating herself daintily under the large oak tree and fanning herself with a Chinese styled fan. I'm not too sure what her intentions are but I have a feeling it has something to do with the council. Today she's even more annoying than usual, dressed in a pale yellow summer dress and wedges which add an extra two inches at least into her already impressive height. I hold back a gag as she spots Liam on the opposite side of the arena and flutters her eyelashes behind her fan at him. The slut. "Oi! Earth to Nats, you're meant to be helping me." Ash whinges, throwing a bag of knotted ropes at me to help her untie. I apologise, getting stuck into the task before Liam's tantalising scent becomes overpowering and I look up to find him staring down at me. "Why on earth are you untying ropes when you're meant to be training?" Ash shrugs her shoulders and points to Jaydon, merely responding with "ask him". I've barely spoken
The next few weeks flew by in a blur of activity as Vicky returned from her trip to a nearby pack with her newly found mate. The change in her was blatant, the timid mouse of a woman suddenly becoming a flamboyant - and rather demanding - peacock. The reason for her rapid transformation became clear the instant we spied her new mate. Even from across the training fields we could see his royal blue satin shirt and slicked back blonde hair."You can't be serious!" I heard Megan exclaim. "What's wrong?" "That's Lorenzo, youngest of six children of the Alpha and Luna of the Frozen Mountain pack." She kicks a fallen pinecone and watches it fly into the trunk of one of the many pine trees that surround us. "In psych terms; he's filled with delusions of grandeur and is one massive prick."I suppress a laugh, "I've never seen the word 'prick' mentioned in any psychology textbooks, not that I've read many."We watch as Lorenzo is joined by Beccy before they make their way to the pack house,
"You know, if your secret comes out now, it won't only put you in danger but you'll also be stealing the limelight from the bride… and no bride tolerates that." Ash said as she grabs a handful of popcorn from the bowl sitting between her and Megs.She and Amy had been delegated to the first round of patrols so it was much later that evening when we were all able to catch up with each other. "Oh definitely!" Amy agrees, "Vicky will come after you with a knife! Bridezilla style." "I'd be more worried about Lorenzo. I think he might be more put out than Vicky would be. Imagine the tantrum he would show if the spotlight shifted." We all giggle at the mental picture Megan painted. Lorenzo definitely wasn't the typical male within the lycan community. Our girl time was interrupted when there was a loud knock on the door before it was pushed open and Matt, Kane and Daniel barged in and settled themselves between us."Good evening ladies." Matt says brightly. "How was your day?" We quick