by Emma Wolfe
His dark hair fell over his forehead. His jaw was chiseled, and his lashes were long as they sprawled across his cheekbones. How someone had such perfect features boggled my mind.
Before I could drop my gaze, Matthew opened one eye and met my gaze. “Staring?” he asked as he closed his eye and smiled—the cocky smile.
I growled and charged toward the stairs. I needed to get out of here before I lost my mind. Because I was clearly on that path.
“I’m going,” I said as I made my way up the stairs.
“Have a nice shower,” Matthew called after me.
I huffed once I got into the kitchen and shut the basement door behind me. My collar was hot, and my heart was pounding as I thought about my interaction with Matthew.
He was so…annoying.
And aggravating. And everywhere I didn’t want him to be.
I tugged my hair from my ponytail as I made my way upstairs to the bathroom. I needed a hot shower to calm my ragged nerves. Not only was Matthew getting under my skin, I was also worried about Grayson. Where he was and what he was doing.
And it was angering me that Matthew was distracting me from my desire to find him. Grayson should be my only focus. He was all that mattered.
Why did Mr. Bronson seem so confident that Grayson wasn’t coming back? I knew Grayson. I also knew how he felt about our parents. There was no way he’d betray his loyalty to me in order to help them.
He hated the life we had before we came to Smoky Hills.
I doubted he would just give up everything and return.
I turned on the shower and then stripped out of my sweaty workout clothes as the water heated up. Steam began to fill the bathroom as I slipped into the shower. The warm water beat on my back, relaxing me.
I wasn’t sure how long I stayed in the shower, trying to work through my thoughts and feelings, but when I heard three solid knocks and a muffled voice, I realized I needed to get out.
I rinsed the rest of the soap off my body and turned the water off. Grabbing a towel, I stepped out of the shower. After a quick rub down, I wrapped the towel around my body and grabbed another one for my hair.
I gathered my clothes and took a quick look in the mirror before I pulled the door open—revealing Matthew.
He was leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded and his gaze turned down. My heart began to pick up speed, and heat pricked my skin once more.
Frustrated that I was starting to undo the calm demeanor brought on by my shower, I growled and stormed past him with my clothes tucked in next to my body.
“Bathroom’s all yours,” I said as I cleared Matthew. I kept my bedroom in my sights as I made my way toward it. Honestly, I didn’t want to stand in the hallway discussing anything with Matthew. Especially not when I was wrapped in only a towel.
He made me feel frustrated. Angry. And completely out of my depth.
Suddenly, a hand was on mine, halting my retreat.
My skin tingled from the feeling of his fingers pressed into it. I cursed myself for reacting this way.
“Hey,” he said, his voice softer and more concerned than I thought him capable of.
And despite my best efforts, I melted a bit at that thought.
Realizing that he might not let me go until I turned around, I took in a deep breath and glanced behind me. “Yeah?”
His dark brown eyes were lighter now. And the smile that twitched on his lips was kinder. The persona that he’d shown me earlier was gone, and what was left was…Matthew.
Or at least who I could only assume was Matthew. I’d only just met the guy, even though it felt as if I’d known him for a while.
“I’m not trying to take your brother’s place, and I appreciate you taking in a stray. You didn’t have to,” he said as he dropped my arm and then shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. He raised his shoulders and lowered them as he studied me.
I couldn’t help but allow myself to think for a moment that what he was saying was true. And maybe he was as lost as I felt.
It couldn’t be easy, going from a place where you knew everything to a new place, a new town where you knew no one. At least when I came, I had Grayson. Matthew had no one, and I felt my resolve to hate him until the end of time soften.
But then fear crept up inside of me and I stiffened. I couldn’t let my guard down just yet. I still needed to understand why he was here.
So I turned fully around so that I could face him. I folded my arms across my chest and studied him.
“Why are you here then?” I asked, stepping forward so he had to look at me. There was no way I was going to let him change the subject.
And, to my surprise, he didn’t. Instead, he met my gaze as he furrowed his brow. I got an inkling that he wanted to tell me something, but from his eventual shrug and forced smile, I realized that it had passed.
“Listen, Elle. There’s a lot going on in the Mother pack. More than you could possibly know. Especially if you’re hiding out here.” He glanced around at the walls that surrounded us. Like somehow they shielded us from the reality of what was happening in the woods. Which, to an extent, they did. But that didn’t mean that I was immune to the fabric that bound all wolf shifters together.
I knew something was going on. I could feel it in my bones.
“What?” I asked, stepping closer again. I wanted to halt his withdrawal. He needed to tell me what was happening. Especially since Grayson might be mixed up in all of it.
The need to protect my brother coursed through me like an unstoppable force. If he was in trouble, I was going to save him.
Matthew sighed as he stepped away from me and toward the bathroom. “You know what? Don’t even worry about it. It’s nothing.” Then he paused. “Forget it, okay?”
I stood there, dumbfounded, as I watched him slip into the bathroom and shut the door.
Forget about it? Really? That’s all he was going to say to me?
I growled as I stalked off to my room and shut my door. After I was dressed in my sweatpants and ratty t-shirt, I flopped down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling, my thoughts swirling in my mind.
Of two things I was certain.
One, something was going on. With Grayson. With the Mother pack. Something that I was pretty sure meant Grayson’s life was in danger. Even though I couldn’t hear his thoughts, I knew he was in trouble.
And as his sister, it was my responsibility to get him back.
And, two, I had feelings for Matthew. More than just a crush. I’d had those in the past. I could forget those feelings as quickly as they came.
Even though I knew Matthew was hiding something from me, I couldn’t help but feel as if we had a connection, and every conversation—every look—bound us tighter together.
And that thought scared me.
More than I cared to admit.
8
Cora
I could feel Rose’s agitation as she paced in front of me. We were waiting for the sun to set far enough behind the trees before we would venture out into the woods.
She said it was the only time she’d seen a wolf and had it in her mind that it was the peak time to go gallivanting around Smoky Hills in search of Grayson.
This girl was nothing if not prepared. She was decked out in black pants and a black sweatshirt. Her hair was pulled up into a bun at the top of her head, and her face was contorted into a look of frustration and pain.
Something I was becoming very familiar with.
Especially since, only hours ago, Liam had wrapped his arms around me. I could still feel his skin against mine. His lips pressed against mine. My entire being burned from the memory.
I hated how well my mind remembered things. I hated how nothing had faded. Nothing from the moment I’d walked into Smoky Hills.
Everything felt as if it had just happened moments ago.
Liam was a part of me—no matter how much I wanted to forget him, I couldn’t.
I hated myself for that.
>
Especially since Liam seemed so willing to watch me leap and yet pull back himself.
It was unfair.
“Christopher asked me to go to homecoming with him,” I said. I was sitting on the stairs outside the diner’s back door. I extended my hand behind me and rested my weight on it. I stretched my legs out and watched as she stopped moving to turn and face me.
“He what?” she asked, the wild look in her eyes subsiding for a moment.
I really hoped she wouldn’t bring up Liam. I wasn’t sure I could handle that right now. Talking about Christopher and homecoming was a distraction. One I really needed right now.
“He asked me to homecoming,” I said again.
Rose snorted as she returned to pacing. “And you said, no, right?”
I furrowed my brow. “Why would I say no?”
She sighed as she brought her thumb up to her lips to chew on her nail. “Because…” she said, leaning her head toward me as if that was all it was going to take to explain her thought process.
“Because?” I replied, not really wanting to take the bait. But then again, I also didn’t want to get into a long-winded discussion about Liam, so I decided it would be best to address the giant elephant in the room. “Because of Liam? Come on, I can’t hold my breath for him.” I managed to choke out the words in a halfway calm voice.
Bravo, Cora. Even I don’t believe you.
Hoping that my lie was convincing to Rose, I peeked over at her to see her studying me. Then she sighed and threw her hands up in the air and began pacing again.
“I know you don’t want me to say it…” Her voice drifted off.
“Then don’t,” I said, desperate for her to pick up on my tone. I couldn’t discuss Liam. I couldn’t talk about Liam. Every time I did, it just broke my heart that much more.
He was so ingrained in my being that I couldn’t go seconds without thinking about him. We were over. We’d shared an amazing kiss and he still said we were over.
I was tired of being pulled and yanked in different directions. I was determined to gather my feelings and emotions and force them down the path I knew was healthy for me.
And right now, that path was Christopher.
“Well, you’re in luck. Gran has already decided I’m going,” Rose said as she blew out her breath.
Thankful that Rose had decided to change the subject, I smiled over at her as I adjusted my seat. My butt was going numb from the way I was sitting. “Really? Why?”
Rose shrugged. “Who knows. She said this is my senior year and she wasn’t going to take my lazy attitude about something I might regret not going to.” Rose sighed. “So I’m going. Apparently, we are going down the mountain to a dress shop tomorrow.”
She cast her gaze in my direction. “Wanna come with us?”
I chewed my lip and nodded. I hadn’t really thought that far yet. Although, it did make sense. If I were going to homecoming, I’d need something to wear. “Yeah, that would be great. If my mom’s not busy, maybe she can come with us?”
Rose nodded as she kept moving. “Sure. That sounds like fun. Maybe we can do dinner down there as well?”
Having enough of sitting on the cold stairs, I stood and made my way toward her. “That sounds amazing. With Mom being so busy at the clinic, a lot of dinners have been me flying solo. And the results have been not so good.”
Rose smiled. The first one I’d seen in a long time. It wasn’t forced but genuine. And I missed those.
I hated what worrying about Grayson was doing to her. If I could, I would take away her pain. Force Grayson back here so she could stop worrying.
And then I felt guilty. Here I was complaining about how much it hurt seeing Liam all the time when she was completely in the dark about Grayson.
Was he safe? Was he okay?
She had no clue.
Sadness crept into my heart as I studied my friend. A desire to help her locate Grayson grew brighter in my gut. Even though we were mere humans, we were going to figure it out or die trying.
“Come on,” I said as I nodded toward the woods. “It’s dark enough. Let’s get moving.”
Rose met my gaze for a moment before she glanced behind me. She paused, as if she needed to amp herself up, and then nodded. “All right, let’s do this.”
We walked in silence toward the woods, almost as if we needed a moment to prepare ourselves for what we might find in there. We were entering their world.
The world of wolf shifters.
They were faster, stronger, and more aware of their surroundings than we were. We knew the danger that lurked in there, and even though we were pretty sure we might not find anything, the chance that we would run into an antagonistic wolf shifter was probably pretty high.
It was so strange, knowing what I knew. When I first drove into Smoky Hills, the trees were just that, trees.
Now, they held a magical world that I knew almost nothing about.
And even though I wanted to know more, I doubted I would ever fully understand how things worked. Or what Liam was really going through.
I heard Rose sigh and it drew my attention over. We were in the woods now, stepping over logs and dodging low-hanging branches.
“Everything okay?” I asked, and then felt stupid for saying it. Of course things weren’t okay. Why would I assume they were?
Rose pinched her lips together as she pulled out her flashlight from her back pocket and clicked it on.
I tsked myself. “Of course things aren’t okay. I’m an idiot.”
Rose laughed and nodded. “It’s okay. I know what you mean.” She sighed again, this one deeper, as if she were really hoping it would expel whatever was weighing on her mind.
We walked a bit farther in silence until a sob escaped Rose’s lips.
“What if he never comes back?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. She’d stopped walking and was now standing there with a pained expression on her face.
One I knew all too well.
I glanced over at her, not quite sure what I was going to say to that. I wanted to tell her everything was going to be fine. That Grayson was going to come back. That he would never leave.
But what did I know?
“You can’t think like that,” I said as I reached out and rested my hand on her shoulder. “He’ll come back. He has to.”
Rose raised her gaze to study me. Then she sighed and nodded. “That’s what I hope. But, hoping hasn’t really gotten me very far. I hoped for answers about my parents’ death, only to have more questions heaped upon me.” Her voice drifted off as if she were losing herself to her thoughts.
“I know,” I replied. At times like this, it was best to help the person struggling work through their feelings instead of giving them the answers you felt they needed.
At least, that was what helped me with Dad’s death. I’d needed sounding boards, not problem-solvers. And if that was what Rose needed, I’d be that for her.
Rose hesitated and then nodded as she took in a deep breath. “Right.” Then she smiled over at me. “Thanks. This has been helpful. More helpful than Gran saying, ‘Why are you so mopey? There are other fish in the sea.’ ”
I chuckled at her perfect imitation of her grandma.
I wrapped my arm around Rose’s shoulders and squeezed them. It was nice being in this mess with her. Knowing that someone else was going through exactly what I was going through.
It made this experience feel less lonely. And I needed that. From the look on Rose’s face, she needed that too.
We stood there for a few seconds before we both sighed and stepped away. I glanced over at Rose and her downturned expression had turned into one of determination.
No matter what, we were going to be there for each other. We were going to stand by one another and see each other through this situation, even though we didn’t know what was going to happen.
Were we ever going to find Grayson, and was there a universe out there where Liam and I could ever be toge
ther? Our unknown futures felt as if they were going to consume us. So having the anchor we needed in each other helped ground us.
I had a friend through all of this. I wasn’t going to be alone in this crappy, heartbroken world. This wasn’t like losing Dad, where no one really knew what it was like.
Rose knew the pain I was feeling, and there was a sense of solidarity in that thought.
And for now, I was going to cling to our connection. Because if I let go, I feared what would happen.
I feared the loneliness that would consume me.
And I doubted I could bring myself back from that again.
Not when it had nearly crushed me before.
Liam
I let out a curse as I jumped down from my truck, slammed the door, and strode into the house. It was late. The sun had already disappeared below the horizon, and the evening sky was lit up by stars and the moon.
But none of that mattered.
Not when all I could think about was Cora and the kiss we shared.
That kiss had me going crazy inside. So crazy, in fact, that I stayed at school after detention and ran laps around the track until I was sweating and needing to puke.
Anything to work off the agitation I felt.
Too bad running as a human didn’t have the same effect on me as running like a wolf did. Even though I was exhausted, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to just lie around at home.
I was going to grab a bite to eat, and then I was headed out into the woods. I wouldn’t stop until I found Grayson and discovered what the hell was going on in the Mother pack.
I wasn’t careful when I got into the house. I let the door slam behind me. Dad was most likely going to come down and scold me, but what did it matter?
My life was in the crapper. Might as well stop caring about a lot of things.
Just as I was in the middle of making a sandwich with all the lunch meat in the house, Dad made his way into the kitchen. He was in his sweatpants and a t-shirt, his hair looking more disheveled than normal.
He glanced around the room before settling against the doorframe with his arms folded and an accusatory look on his face.