Page 30 of Wolf's Fate
“You’re right,” I admitted. “I could use a break, and Lorna is the perfect choice. I hope she says yes.” Lily huffed out a laugh, and I poked her leg in reprimand. “Be nice, and also, I want you to know, this isn’t about running away.”
“Oh, you’re not runningaway,” she said with a smug smile. “You’re runningtosomeone.”
With a groan, I pushed myself up off the bed. “You’re ridiculous,” I muttered, shaking my head.
“When you’re getting all hot and heavy with Caleb, you’re going to thank me.” Lily bounced up, full of enthusiasm. “I’ll help you pack. Now, go phone Lorna, and remember to lay it on thick. She needs to know how much you appreciate her.”
“Idoappreciate her,” I protested defensively. “She’s been amazing, Noel too.”
Lily snapped her fingers as I spoke. “That! That right there, make sure you say that.” She was already in my closet, rummaging through my clothes with reckless abandon. “Where’s your sexy underwear?”
My brain stuttered and I felt my mouth drop. Shaking my head, sure I had misheard, I felt my face reddening as a sweater got tossed onto the bed without Lily ever turning around. “What?”
She must have registered the tone of my voice, because sheshot me a look over her shoulder, completely unfazed. “Your sexy underwear, you know, thenicestuff.” She looked me over. “Willow! You need to be prepared forallscenarios.”
My mouth opened and closed a few times. “Lily, this is not—I’m not going to—” I stumbled in my need to protest. “I’m not leaving so I can have sex with Caleb!”
The flat stare was unimpressed, and she missed my glare when she turned her attention back to the closet. “Why? I would. You want to. He probably wants to. You need more confidence in yourself.”
Her patronizing tone only made it worse. “You are being ridiculous?—”
“Ridiculously right, you mean,” she said with a grin. She turned around, holding up a black lace bra triumphantly.
That was my cue. “Yup, I’m done.” I backed out of the room before she found anything else like, God forbid, my matching panties.
Her laughter followed me as I made a hasty exit. In the kitchen, I picked up my phone, ready to call Lorna and ask for her help once again. A particularly loud yell of glee made me wince.
As I called Lorna, I made a mental note to check everything Lily had packed. I had enough problems; I didn’t need Caleb thinking I was trying toseducehim.
It didn’t matter that deep down a tiny little part of me was disappointed at the thought he probably wouldn’t notice even if I did try.
TEN
Caleb
October had arrivedon Shadowridge Peak. The wind howled through the trees as it swept over the peak, bringing with it the scent of pine and dank earth. Shifters ran hotter than humans, so the cold didn’t bother me.
Nothing bothered me anymore.
Restless, I moved easily over the terrain. This mountain, once my refuge, felt more and more like a cage. The solitude I had carved for myself over the last ten years now settled around me, weighing me down.
At the ridge, I stopped, staring over the valley and the familiar dips of the mountain. Still, the view never failed to take my breath away as I took in the stunning vistas of my home. Since I had realized the betrayal of the others, the hollow feeling in my gut had been hard to fill. The tightness in my chest had been gnawing at me for days.
A voice whispered in my mind that the isolation was causing me unease, but I knew it was better than the alternative. It was better than looking at them in their faces as they liedto me about their concerns. I hadn’t figured out how they got to Willow, to make her compliant with their plans, and as I scented snow on the air, I reminded myself that I had decided it didn’t matter.
Thatshedidn’t matter.
My eyes closed briefly at the thought. No matter what I told myself,ragedat myself, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was wrong about Willow. Her innocence was so…raw. I doubted my own conviction that she could fake it.
Shaking my head, I turned away from the breathtaking backdrop and continued back to the cabins. As I made my way there, I contemplated what to have for dinner. Rabbit was tasty, but I had a hankering for some venison.
I yelped when without warning, it hit me—her.
Willow appeared so vividly in my mind that I staggered, my paws slipping on the ground as I tried to catch my balance, checking my surroundings, momentarily wondering if therehadbeen something that physically hit me. But I was alone.
At first, I thought it was nothing more than a memory. I had just been thinking of her, so it would make sense. Her face, her voice, that stubborn determination that frustrated and fascinated me. But…this felt different; this was not a memory.
I was outside her…house? My form changed from wolf to man. I needed to see clearly. I needed to be human so I could make sense of what was happening.