Fortunately or unfortunately for me, my wolf has a lot of ideas about how I can take advantage of a night in the woods with Luca. And every single one of them is incredibly impractical and ridiculous. Just let down our hair and then he will know – and then he will grab us and press up against a tr
“What the hell are you going to do with that?” Luca asks, genuinely interested. “Fill it with rocks,” I murmur. “What?” Graham asks, baffled. But I don’t answer, asking Luca to hold the pocket steady and using another pair of sticks to lift the round rocks that have been heating in the embers, d
Luca and I chat the entire walk home. And though the walk takes us about five hours – the terrains rougher than a flat road, which slows us down – the time passes in what feels like a blink. The three ahead of us are relatively quiet, trudging along the miles and tripping on stones in the darkness
We step inside and I notice with surprise that our group is the only one that made it back this early. “Wow,” I murmur. “I mean, I thought we were slow, but…” “Maybe the other teams didn’t hate each other’s guts as much as ours did,” Luca says with a shrug, walking slowly for his bunk. I follow.
But my doubts are soon proven wrong as I hastily eat my sandwich and rest my head back on the pillow again, totally beat. I curl up in my blankets, at least content in the knowledge that I don’t have to get up early, because candidates aren’t even expected back until dinner time. Still, my last th
Luca lets out a dark laugh and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Seriously?” he says, his voice a little exhausted. “You’re here?” I grimace a little, taking a step back behind the tree. “Is that…bad? I can…go.” “No,” he says, tilting his head and inviting me closer. “I guess…I mean, I’m not s
“Ari!” he shouts, starting after me, his steps frustrated, a little angry. But I press my eyes shut, and beg the dream to end, and my wolf – understanding now, I think –lets me go. And suddenly my eyes fly open. I’m in my bed, my heart pounding, my breath coming fast. I stare at the ceiling, p
I hurry my own pace, darting for an empty shower stall now, willing to take whichever is free – however filthy – “Ari!” Jesse hisses behind me. “Are you – are you kidding me – is he your –“ I squeak a little in dismay. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Jesse!” I hiss, darting into the stall