“He’s lying?” I asked Sam. “How do you know?” He seemed so certain that Alec was lying when he said that he was scared. “Maybe he is legitimately scared that something is going to happen to him, you know? It can get dangerous out there.”Sam was shaking his head. “No, that’s definitely not it. He’s just a mooch. A giant mooch who just wants to be part of our pack so that he can take advantage of all of the stuff you can make for us for free.”I shrugged. “Maybe you’re right, but I honestly don’t care if he goes with us or not, as long as Brice does. I want them to stay together if he still makes Brice happy, but I don’t think it’s gonna work out between them. I think they’re just too different.”“You&rsq

That night, I laid awake on my back in my bed, alone, staring up at the ceiling, wondering why I’d said that to Sam and what I was going to do about it. Outside of my window, I heard familiar howls and knew that a large part of my pack was out there roaming around, doing whatever it was they do at night. A thousand thoughts ran through my head, but mostly, I just kept thinking about what I had said to Sam and what it meant. I’d told him I loved him. I’d said it in a joking way. But I knew in my heart that I meant it.Did that mean I didn’t love Ben anymore?I couldn’t say for sure. But I felt like the more space Ben tried to give me, the more I found myself learning to live without him. That also scared me. I didn’t want to have to live in a world without Ben in it, and I di

I wanted to concentrate on all of the graduation speeches, but it was hard. I kept touching my earrings, twirling them in my ears, brushing my hair back behind my ears so that everyone could see them. They were a distraction, but so was the fact that I knew Sam was sitting in the bleachers with my parents. I wanted to turn my head and look at him, sitting there all handsome in his tie and suit pants.I kept my eyes focused on the dais in front of me, though. We were out on the football field that was never used for football because the town wasn’t big enough to have a team. I think they may have used it for soccer, and they used the track around the outside for the track team, but it probably shouldn’t have been called a football field. Nevertheless, the graduates were all sitting facing the stage, and the family members and guests were in the bleachers to our left. Eventually, all of the speec

Joshua was ready to talk to me, to tell me what his big secret was. Of course, I wanted to hear, not just because I'm really nosy--which I am--but also because I wanted to be there for him. “Okay,” I said. “Where do you want to go?”“Let’s go back to your stump,” he suggested, running his palm along the back of his neck. I could tell that he didn’t want to tell me whatever it was that he was about to say.“You know, Joshua, if you’re not ready to talk, it’s okay,” I told him. “I know that you said this has something to do with what I just saw, but if it helps any, I have no idea what I was looking at.”Joshua turned and looked over his shoulder, smirking at me. “Just come on, Harlow,” he said, like he thought I was being

It wasn’t difficult for me to find a new flight for Mel to take home, though it did cost quite a bit of money to reschedule her onto a flight that was leaving sooner, but hey, if that’s what made her happy, I was willing to do it. I still felt terrible for her.Tony and Raven offered to take her to the airport the next morning. I told her goodbye that night because I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to drag myself out of bed and make coherent sentences in the morning. We’d both shed a few tears, but I knew I’d see her again soon enough. She intended to join us in Europe once the summer was over--if we were still there fighting Mage Grouse.I sort of hoped we wouldn’t be, though. I wanted this battle to be over quickly so I could reclaim my ancestral lands and then get on with my life. I was sure there would still be other bat