Will Rachel ever get a break? What do you think Jake's dream was about?
CHAPTER FIFTY: Jake ~ “Let’s go! It’s almost time!” Evan yelled excitedly. “Coming!” I called back. Today was Nick’s birthday and he was having his first shift tonight. He was currently out in the forest with his parents and a small group of pack members, excluding my parents who were out visiting a neighboring pack about some changes they each wanted to make on our alliance. I was working on some homework and pushed it to the side to get up and follow Evan out. Heading down the hall and down the flight of stairs, my mind immediately went to Rachel. It had been a miracle that I had been able to get my thoughts focused on homework earlier. A miracle made from running until I thought I would pass out. I was so riled up. I’d been this way since Monday, over three weeks ago now. That night when I’d texted Rachel, and the next morning when I had tried speaking to her, I knew it was true. We were definitely connected. Somehow my body knew when she was sinking back into whatever he
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE: Jake ~ I went up to my room after a quick shower and changed before heading to the bonfire. It was nearly 4am but these werewolf teens were bright eyed and bushy tailed. The party looked like it wasn’t ending any time soon. A few young couples were getting very high on the PDA scale and other un-mated people were getting just as friendly with each other. I would never do that to my mate. But other people were other people. Nick could be a flirt when he wanted but he would never cross that line either, no matter how much girls like Savannah, a friend of Sophie’s, would follow him around. Evan, no matter his massive amounts of flirting and toeing the line, hadn’t gone that way either out of respect for his mate somewhere out there. Speaking of mates… “Hey Nicky boy,” I greeted him, clapping him on the back. He turned and grinned at me, “Future Alpha! Our future Alpha has graced us with his presence everyone!” There were some jeers from the crowd but I just laugh
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO I held her as she cried and rubbed circles on her back to try to soothe her. I felt my shoulder get wet and I was just wrecked. I should've forced contact earlier. My little fighter, my warrior - she was falling to pieces. I would never forgive myself. Her crying got heavier and she was heaving breaths as she clung on to me and I squeezed her tight. Evan and Nick stood somewhere in the kitchen, keeping an eye on us but giving her space. After a few minutes like this her sobs became less frequent and she was taking slow deep breaths. “I’m sorry,” she whispered in my shoulder. “Nothing to be sorry for, Killer,” I said softly as I rubbed her back. “I’m getting your shirt all wet,” she sniffled. “Go ahead and blow your nose in it, I don’t care,” I assured her in a low tone. It made her hiccup with a laugh, and I squeezed her in return. Her breathing steadied and she pushed away from me a little, “Crap it’s worse than I thought-” she said looking at the wet spot on
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE: I had felt like the living dead when I answered the door and saw Jake there. I felt frozen but had the urge to run into his arms. Suddenly it was already happening. I was being held and it was such a relief to feel something after all this time that everything came bubbling out of me. I don’t know how long I sat there in Jake’s arms heaving tears into him as he just stayed still. His steady, assuring presence felt like safety and it was like diving into water after being lost in the desert. I needed the release, and I needed it to be him. Jake had always been so da*n serious and protective, and that was exactly what I needed in my life. I felt so exhausted and so terribly unsafe every minute of the day that I wasn’t on the bus with him in the mornings, but this time, this private moment to just feel that care and safety wash over me was just… everything. I was pretty sure I had made Evan and Nick feel uncomfortable, and I would’ve thought so for Jake too, but
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR Nick ~ My wolf hated the way Rachel had looked when we finally got to her house earlier. Asher reamed into me about how I failed my Alpha by letting her get this way. I tried asking him for a clear answer on if she was Jake’s mate but he wouldn’t talk to me. Just sat in the back of my mind howling. After we had left earlier he did come out a bit to tell me I was very lucky our Alpha was so kind to Rachel and that whatever Jake had done back there would make her stronger, would help her. I conveyed the message to Jake and he just nodded. Since some dream Jake had told us about after the nap they shared the last time we were here, I had been really worried. Not only because it seemed she had to be his mate. But the color eyes he had described. In his dream his wolf led a dark gray she-wolf with silver eyes to the Goddess at a lake… He swore it was Rachel as a wolf. The eyes he described... It was similar to what Evan and I had seen in Jake’s eyes now and again w
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE: Jake ~ I knew I was really pushing it now. But I couldn’t help myself. I needed to be around her a little longer and I didn’t need my babysitters with me. I was totally captivated by her. Her joy at the tree lighting, her harmonious voice that could lead a sailor to the depths of the sea. Her radiance. She was really relaxed and in her element out here and I wasn’t ready to let go. Nick could chew me out later. I didn’t care. We walked hand in hand the whole way to the bottom of the stairs to her apartment. I was glad we were walking so slowly. It meant more time with her. She was just - everything. Everything I wanted to be part of, everything I wasn’t. Everything good in my life. All together in one wonderful package. I was such an idiot to have ever thought I could give this up - her up. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. We were standing at the bottom of the stairs when she turned to me with a very serious look on her face. “Can I try to tell you something?” “Of
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX: I dreamt about wolves. I was one too. And we ran through a forest on a dark night. Starlight all that speckled the sky above between the tops of countless trees. It was freeing and wonderful. At full run it felt like flying. I ran closest to a gray wolf with golden orbs in its eyes. It was never far from me even when I strayed a bit from the group. If I slowed, it slowed, and when I ran at top speed around stumps and tree trunks, it followed close behind. But never in front. It never led. Whether it was faster than me, I didn’t know. It never tried to run faster than me that I know of. I felt kinship with the wolves all around. They felt like family. When I woke up it was nearly 9am. I had slept through the night and felt really rested. My joints ached a bit, neck stiff. Likely from all the previous nights of sleeping terribly. But I felt warm and safe for once in a long time. I remembered the day before. The tears, the nap, the dream. The tree lighting, the wal
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN Nick ~ He was all revved up, and although it would be months before his first shift, Jake looked like he needed a good run. At least he slept last night, my wolf Asher assured me. I’m going to take him out… Evan remarked through the link. I nodded. Evan didn’t think he was very intuitive but when it came to Jake he really was. I could use the peace too. I had talked a little to Mitchell’s parents last night during our impromptu sleepover and learned that his mom actually had a diary or two from some relative of hers that was part of West Woods long ago. I was hoping to talk with her again today and see if I could look through it. Maybe we could finally catch a break. “Are you coming too?” Jake asked me on his way out the door after Evan. Mitchell was already outside. “Nah, I’m going to hang back,” I said back. He gave me a peculiar look for a minute before nodding slightly and heading out. I heard them talking for a few blocks. Jake was super excite