I waited in more shadows, more bushes, hidden from the street under the window of her dorm room until the window finally creaked open and she leaned out, her face going from worried, to happy in a blink.
“There you are. Sorry, one of the girls caught me in the hallway.”
She pushed the window wide open, then stepped back so that I could leap inside.
I peered through the bushes, examining the night-dark street and listening until I was certain the coast was clear. Cara had left the interior lights turned off so that I wouldn’t be seen.
The minute I leaped inside the frame, then over her desk to the carpet of her room, she pushed past me to lean out and pull the window closed, checking out in the str
~ CARA ~I didn’t understand until Tessa dropped her head and rolled her shoulders forward, hunching slightly and keeping her eyes on his feet.“I’m not here to make trouble, I promise.”“Rig, what’s going on?” I breathed.He didn’t take his eyes off Tessa, but he spoke to me. “Tessa’s from an ally pack—but not mine, not a direct bloodline. She could be a spy.”“I’m not! I swear!”Rig moved so quickly my heart hammered, putting himself between me and Tessa, his arms slightly back to box me in as he stood over her.“I’m loyal, Rig! Ask Natalie! Natalie talked to me because she knows—"
~ CARA ~I cracked the door assuming it was only one of the girls from the hall wanting to borrow something, but instead I found Meg standing in the hallway, biting her lip, her eyes pinched.“Meg, what’s wrong?” It was instinct to pull the door wider, and the moment I did she rushed inside, looking over her shoulder like she was afraid someone was following her, then nudged me deeper into the room while she quickly closed the door and locked it, then turned back to face me.She looked scared.“Meg, what—”“I’ve been researching,” she whispered, like she was afraid someone would overhear us.I frowned. “About the D
~ CARA ~I tried to look casual. “Oh?” I asked hesitantly.Was she afraid I was going to start shape-shifting when the moon came up or something? Because Rig had already told me all that moon stuff was bullshit. I had to swallow back a bubble of hysterical laughter.“What?”Meg shook her hands suddenly, then a shiver rocked through her. “I can’t be sure,” she hedged, not looking me in the eye. “But I think… I think you need to be careful about Rig.”I froze.“Some of the stuff these people are saying… it fits, Cara. It fits for Rig, and Charlie, and Mack, and Jack and this whole pack thing they have g
~ RIG ~Shit. Shit shit shit. Shit.Cara was staring at me like I’d grown a second head—but I could feel her anger rising too.Shit. She didn’t understand.We both took a second to breath and calm down, but my head was racing.I didn’t want to kill Meg. Of course not. It wasn’t even the first thing I’d thought. But I couldn’t deny it was more than possible. She hadn’t just come to believe the wolves were real, she’d connected them with me. With us. That wasn’t something we could just ignore.“Car—”&l
~ RIG ~It had been such a tense night—a tense week—I couldn’t let her go. I was supposed to return to the packhouse so there was no risk of anyone questioning where I slept, or who I was with. But if anyone had followed me, they’d seen me leave the library hours earlier, and they’d seen Cara leave alone too. I’d come here as Ralf.It was risky—if a wolf really wanted to find me and knew I’d gone to the library, they could follow my wolf-scent.I wavered back and forth, but decided to stay, at least until she slept. Looking at Cara’s eyes, bloodshot with weariness, but shining and pleading with me, I didn’t even talk to her about it.We both needed rest, her most of all.
~ RIG ~The guys were all still up when I got home. I’d chugged a beer at the bar that made me feel sick, then walked home, making certain I got the attention of a few people before I got there.Natalie had made coffee. I was sipping a cup since it didn’t look like I’d be sleeping anytime soon.When I sat down they all gathered and now I sat on the couch, staring into my cup, resisting the urge to walk out and go back to Cara.“How is she?” Charlie asked.I shrugged. “Asleep. I hope.”“So?” Mack asked.“So, what?”
~ RIG ~“I am not letting Mack touch my mate.”Natalie rolled her eyes. “I’m not talking about him doing anything with her. I’m saying when we’re walking across campus, or at the library, or we go out for fucking dinner, I don’t know. The point is, she’s with us and no one thinks twice about it, because she’s his… rebellious phase.”I could picture exactly what she was saying. Knew it was a good idea. But it made my skin crawl and my hackles rise.But Natalie’s gaze was piercing, and she didn’t look away. “You know it’s the only way to have her close an
~ CARA ~I woke to my phone buzzing and sat bolt upright. The room was mostly dim because the curtains were pulled. But there was a thin line of bright sunlight glaring through where Rig hadn’t been able to close them properly after himself.Right? That was real… right?I breathed for a minute, scanning back through my memories of the past two days. It was all so surreal still. But it was true… wasn’t it?I picked up my phone and frowned.BABE, SOMETHING’S WRONG WITH YOUR CAT.YOU NEED TO COME OVER. NOW.