by Emma Wolfe
He raised an eyebrow as I glared at him.
“What do you want? Why are you even here?” I asked, pulling my arm away from him and stepping back. This was my home; he was the stranger. It was driving me insane that he kept inserting himself into my life. I already had a big brother—I didn’t need another one.
“I just don’t think that it’s the wisest for you to just go tromping around in the woods without backup.” He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and shrugged his shoulders like it was a perfectly acceptable thing for him to suggest.
I furrowed my brow. I wanted to hang onto the anger his sudden appearance had inspired, but I couldn’t deny how sweet he was acting as he peered up at me. Or how his cocky exterior seemed to be slipping just a bit.
Like he actually cared what happened to me.
Then, feeling like an idiot for reading his body language the way I was, I rolled my shoulders and sighed. “And what, you could keep me safe?” I asked as I turned and made my way into the trees.
With my face away from him, I allowed my confident expression to soften. This wasn’t who I was. I wasn’t this strong person. I was the girl living in her brother’s shadow. If anything, the idea of facing the Mother pack alone had me terrified. But I wasn’t going to let anyone know that, much less Matthew. This stranger who’d suddenly showed up.
The only person I could trust was Grayson, and right now, I wasn’t even sure that was true. What if Grayson was able to come back for me but chose not to? What did that say about me? About our relationship?
Grayson was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a liar. If anything, he was loyal to a fault. I hated that I’d doubted my brother’s loyalty to me for even a split second. He loved me and protected me. To think that there was something in his life that would stop him from being who he was made me feel horrible.
Shaking my head, I let go of the stress I was carrying and allowed my wolf to surface. A moment later, I was standing on four legs, my body completely covered in fur. I shook my whole body, reveling in the feeling of the world around me.
I tipped my nose into the air and took in a big breath, allowing my lungs to expand. The sound of steps behind me drew my attention, and I saw a larger black wolf appear. His eyes were yellow as he stared over at me.
So this is your wolf? He asked, slipping into my mind before I could push him out.
I glared at him as a growl escaped my lips. What about it?
His gaze roamed over my body, and as much as I hated to admit it, my heartbeat took off. He tipped his ear closer to my chest, and I could see his chest rising and falling. Like he was laughing at me.
It’s cute, he said as if sensing my agitation.
Irritated that I was giving myself away, I growled and readied my stance. Well, you can see how cute I am when you’re eating my dust, I said as I took off through the trees.
Matthew’s laugh could be heard behind me as I attempted to put distance between us. But, no matter how much ground I gained, he managed to make it up in half the time.
Finally, my muscles felt as if they were going to give way, and I veered left until the trees opened up, exposing Creator’s Circle. There, I collapsed to the ground and rolled to my side. My lips were parted, and my tongue hung out as I attempted to cool my body temperature.
I could feel Matthew as he made his way over to me and sat. His gaze was trained on me as he stared. If I were in human form, I would have been blushing not only from embarrassment, but from the fact that he was even looking at me.
It was something that no guy ever seemed to want to do. Ever.
Realizing that this was the least attractive thing I could be doing, lying here with my tongue touching the ground, I rolled back to my stomach and rose up until I was sitting on my hind legs and my front paws were in front of me.
I glanced over at him and rolled my eyes. He hadn’t changed his gaze. Not once.
Do they do that a lot where you’re from? I asked, not hiding the snippy tone in my voice. Then, not wanting to speak in wolf form, I shifted and settled down on the grass with my legs crossed in front of me. My arms stretched behind me, bearing the weight of my upper body.
I could tell that Matthew was annoyed, but he shifted anyway. He sat on the grass with his knees brought up and his arms hooked around them.
“Do what?” he asked.
I reached out and picked a blade of grass. Then I twirled it by drawing my thumb and forefinger across each other. “Stare,” I said.
When Matthew didn’t say anything, I glanced up to see him staring, again. “Case in point,” I said, nodding toward him.
“What? Like this?” he asked exaggerating his stare by widening his eyes and bringing his face closer to mine.
I narrowed my eyes. “Yes. Like that. It’s not something humans normally do.”
Matthew chuckled. “Well, earth to Brielle, we’re not humans.”
I parted my lips as I tried to think of a witty comeback, but nothing came to me. I closed my mouth and wrinkled my nose. “I know that,” came out as my only defense.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shift to extend his legs and lean back on one arm, similar to how I was sitting. Feeling slightly uncomfortable that he seemed so relaxed as he sat next to me, I shifted until my legs were criss-crossed and my elbows were resting on my knees.
“Do I make you uncomfortable?” he asked, peering up at me.
I scoffed and shook my head. “No.”
Matthew tipped his head closer to me, and I could tell what he was doing without even asking. He was listening. To my heartbeat.
Great.
I cleared my throat. “I was running, that’s why my pulse is elevated.” As if needing to prove that only physical exertion was causing my heart to pound, I stood and began to pace.
Matthew squinted up at me as he watched me move back and forth. His gaze and the quickening of my pace only caused my body to heat more.
“And it doesn’t help that you stare at me. It makes me nervous.” Before I could stop them, the words sort of spilled from my lips.
Matthew’s eyebrows rose as a flirty hint glistened in his gaze. I knew what he was thinking without even entering his mind. And I hated it. There was no way I should be flirting with a guy right now.
Not when Grayson was gone.
Forbidding myself from speaking more, I clamped my jaw shut. I only seemed to get myself into trouble when I spoke.
Matthew rose up until he was standing. He took his time to brush off his pants and then made his was over to stand next to me. I had stopped moving to watch what he was going to do.
“Brielle,” he said as he reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear.
Zaps of electricity rushed across my skin from his touch. It startled and warmed me at the same time. It was a hot chocolate on a cold winter’s eve kind of feeling. I wanted to lean into it, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t the kind of girl to fawn over a boy. I could control myself.
Fating with Matthew was the last thing I was going to do. It wasn’t in the cards for me. I was going to make sure of that.
So I stepped back, holding my hands up as I did. “Hey,” I said softly.
Matthew held his hand in the air for a moment before he dropped it by his side. Then he glanced over at me with a confused look on his face. Probably the first real expression he’d given me since meeting him.
“I don’t know you,” I whispered.
Matthew shoved his hands into his front pockets and nodded. “What do you want to know?” he asked as he shrugged his shoulders.
I paused, not expecting that he would actually ask me that. And suddenly I felt put on the spot. Did he want to get closer to me? Why?
I pinched my lips shut, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. Like, if he was going to answer questions, I was going to have to answer them as well. And, right now, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to expose that part of myself to a stranger.
The broken, abandoned girl that everyone seemed to l
eave just fine.
I was supposed to be strong, and I was going to be. No matter what.
I forced my emotions down to the very bottom of my heart and shot what I hoped was a relaxed smile in his direction. “I don’t need to know anything. In fact, the less I know the better,” I said as I twisted my head to crack my neck. I felt the tension in my shoulders, and I tried not to wince. These last few days had been so stressful to me that it was getting unbearable to even breathe.
I could tell he was watching me, and I was trying to ignore the confused expression on his face. It seemed he hadn’t expected me to pull back.
“So, what’s your plan?” he asked as he stepped up next to me.
I glanced over at him as I began to shift. He raised his eyebrows and then did the same. We stood side by side, each staring into the woods and then back at each other.
I’m going to find Grayson, I said as I shrugged and took off into the woods. I was energized and ready to find my brother.
There wasn’t anything that was going to stop me. Not Matthew. Not my fear of what I might find hidden in between these trees.
And certainly not my growing feelings for the wolf running next to me.
Whatever feelings I had, they could be squelched. I would make sure of it.
Because right now, Grayson needed my focus, and I was going to force myself to concentrate. No matter how hard it was going to be, I was going to do it.
Grayson was depending on me. At least, I hoped he was.
11
Cora
The world deep inside of the woods was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. It was dark and strangely calming—even though I knew what was lurking in the shadows.
I could see why Liam liked it so much in here. Why he always managed to be in the woods when I was. It was peaceful when you forgot about the oversized wolves that roamed these woods.
I glanced over at Rose to see her staring off through the trees. She seemed agitated, and I didn’t blame her. It felt as if we’d been walking in these woods for hours, and there hadn’t been even an inkling of Grayson or the wolves.
The moon shone above us, and when the tree branches shifted in the wind, we could catch glimpses of it. I tipped my face upward, marveling in its beauty.
Rose sighed as she sat down on a broken tree stump. She leaned her elbows on her knees and took in a few deep breaths. I wanted to comfort my friend, but I didn’t know what to tell her. She was hurting, and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it.
I wished I could shake Grayson and tell him to wake up—that walking away from Rose was the stupidest thing he’d ever done.
But I needed him in front of me to do that. And if he were in front of me, Rose wouldn’t be so sad. It was a complicated situation.
Rose sighed as she tightened her ponytail and glanced over in my direction. I gave her a consolatory smile. She tipped her lips up into a half smile and shrugged.
“Am I being stupid?” Then she hurried to repeat, “I’m being stupid. Only a stupid person would sit in the woods, waiting for someone who most certainly doesn’t want to be found.” She blew out her breath on the few strands of hair that hung down in front of her face.
I shrugged as I moved over in her direction. “You’re not being stupid. You care about Grayson.” I sat next to her and sighed. “Truth is, I’d be doing the same if I were in your shoes.”
“No you wouldn’t,” a deep and very familiar voice said from behind me.
A shiver ran up my spine as I paused, closing my eyes. I don’t know if I was wishing that Liam wasn’t standing here, or if I was trying to control my emotions before I saw him. Whatever it was, I almost needed a countdown before I turned around.
“What are you two doing out here?” Liam asked. His voice was changing direction as he walked around until he was facing us. I hated that I knew where he was before I saw him. That we were so connected that I couldn’t break myself away from him even if I tried.
I felt Rose shift next to me. She was agitated with Liam, and I didn’t blame her. During one of her rants about Grayson’s disappearance, she may have mentioned her anger at both guys. The fact that they had known she was hurting about her parents and yet, neither guy had managed to tell her they might know exactly what she was talking about. Instead, they’d allowed her to think her hypothesis about her parents’ death was crazy.
Well, she was not too happy with either of them right now.
Realizing this, I took in a deep breath and opened my eyes, only to find Liam standing inches from me. His brow was furrowed, and he was staring at me with his arms folded.
My breath hitched in my throat, but I did everything I could to calm my pounding heart. Especially when the memory of our hallway kiss flooded my mind.
Dumb, stupid, long-term memory.
Liam looked at me expectantly as he held my gaze, and I realized that he’d asked me a question and was waiting for an answer.
“It’s a beautiful night. We’re just out for a stroll,” I said, waving at the world around us. Just at that moment, the wind picked up, rustling the leaves above. A few were shaken loose, falling around us like snow.
I shivered, but I fought it. I didn’t want Liam to do what I was watching him do—remove his hoodie and hand it to me.
“No,” I said, shaking my head at his offering.
But that didn’t seem to dissuade him. He remained standing there with his hoodie held in front of me.
“If you’re looking for Grayson, you should go back to town,” Liam said, continuing the conversation like he wasn’t forcing something on me. Again. He expected me to follow even though I’d already told him to leave me alone. To go away and never look back.
After all, it was the only way I was going to be able to forget him. Just being around him broke my heart. And as much as I hated how he insisted on taking care of me, there was a part of me that wanted him to never let go.
Realizing that he wasn’t going to stop until I took the hoodie, I grasped it in my hand and pulled it from him, resting it in my lap. He could make me take it, but I wasn’t going to wear it.
His gaze flicked over to me and then dropped to his hoodie, but he didn’t mention it. He folded his arms as he studied Rose.
“Liam, listen, she just wants to make sure he’s okay. That’s all. We’re fine,” I finally offered, knowing that we couldn’t wait him out. No matter how long we held out on what we were doing, Liam could wait longer. He wasn’t going to go anywhere until he got what he wanted.
And call me crazy, but I was ready for him to leave us alone, to move on from staring at us and get back to doing whatever it was that he did when he was in these woods.
Liam studied me for a moment before he glanced over at Rose and sighed. He shifted his weight as he ran his hands through his hair. I could tell that there was something he wanted to say, I just wasn’t sure what it was.
And from the hesitant look in his eye, I wasn’t sure Rose wanted to know.
“Listen, I know it’s hard. I know you want answers—we all do. But Grayson’s not dumb. He’s smart. If staying away is the wisest move, Grayson is going to do it.” He offered Rose a consolatory smile.
She studied him and then let out her breath. “But…” she started and then winced.
Liam watched her, waiting for her to finish, but it never came. I watched as he walked over to her and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Things are more complicated for guys like Grayson and me. Feelings we wished were easy…aren’t.”
My body warmed as, suddenly, Liam’s gaze was on me. He held my gaze, and I couldn’t help but feel like what he was saying was just as much for me as it was for Rose.
And it wasn’t fair. None of this was. I felt my whole heart squeeze as I dropped my gaze and turned, breaking the contact I had shared with Liam.
Wrapping my arms around my chest, I brought Liam’s hoodie closer to my body. The air filled with his scent, and before I could stop myself, I took a deep breath,
allowing every part of Liam to consume me.
Closing my eyes didn’t solve my problem. With my eyes shut, the only thing I could see was Liam’s dark eyes staring back at me. His soulful gaze made my whole body ache.
It wasn’t fair.
I hushed my pounding heart as I gathered my courage and opened my eyes back up. Thankfully, Liam had dropped his gaze to Rose, and they were speaking in hushed tones. Worried they were saying something without me, I leaned in only to catch the end of their conversation.
“…please, I just need to see that he’s okay,” Rose said.
Liam was studying her. I could tell that he was listening to her. So many times in the past, Liam had seemed to ignore what we were saying. Like he didn’t have the time or desire to listen to our concerns. But now? He looked as if he were taking in what Rose was saying.
And, dare I think, considering it?
“I know. I feel the same. I’ve been searching for Grayson all week as well. But I haven’t found him.” Liam shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and shrugged.
I could hear the defeat in his words. Not being able to find Grayson was killing him. I knew a lot about Liam. I knew he liked control. He’d lost control the moment his best friend left, and it was killing him.
And my heart ached for his sadness. Say what you want about our relationship, I never wanted him to hurt. I wanted only good things for him, no matter what happened to us. To me.
“We’ll find him,” I said softly, stepping up to cast a smile in their direction.
Rose and Liam raised their gaze to me. Rose smiled, like she’d always done. But Liam studied me with a stoic expression on his face.
When I met his gaze, my heart pounded with desire. Desire to wrap my arms around him and never let him hurt again. Desire to kiss him. To show him just what he meant to me, even if he said it wasn’t allowed.
But I couldn’t do any of those things. We’d moved on. I was supposed to be moving on with Christopher. No matter how much I wanted to open my heart up to Liam, I couldn’t.
Liam was untouchable even though he was mere inches away from me. I couldn’t have him. He would never be mine.