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I tried to tune them out. I turned my ear toward the wandering rabbits, the mountain lion who thought he went unnoticed, and even the little ants working tirelessly on their homes. I talked to Cadence, who was funnier than any child should be, but we were persistently interrupted by the two morons I wasn’t sure why I’d let kiss me.
I internally groaned at the memory of last night.
My guilt was the only thing that kept me from snapping at Walker. I knew he was hurt by my rejection, foolish as that reaction may be. He had to understand—I’d kissed him back. I had damn near done a lot more than that. I just couldn’t take things any further. He shouldn’t either, not with his sister to care for and his name to clear. I should’ve explained all this.
Talking about my feelings just wasn’t my strong suit.
“Frey,” Ryder begged. “Tell this dumbass he can’t possibly know a better route when he’s never even traveled it.”
“Frey,” Walker scoffed. “You’re too lazy to even pronounce her full name.”
As my self-restraint snapped, I stopped in my tracks.
“Ryder.” I summoned a gust of wind that knocked him back a step. “You do walk fast—it’s obnoxious. And you have no claim on me, so shut up. Stick to caring for your own pack.”
I faced Walker. He leaned against a tree casually, but it was clearly in an attempt to not be knocked over by a gust of wind.
Smart cowboy.
But not smart enough.
I used wind to lightly slap his wrist with a tree branch. He didn’t even flinch—we both knew I wouldn’t actually hurt him, but it certainly made me feel a little better.
“Walker—you don’t know where you’re going, so shut up. Also, the only thing lazier than shortening a two-syllable name is stealing someone else’s clever words. You’ve both driven poor Cadence and I to the brink of madness.”
Cady snickered and gave me a high-five. The other wolves followed along with us silently, though some of them huffed in a werewolf’s version of laughter. Arion weaved between my legs and purred.
Mom had always said I liked to make a scene.
Some days, she was right.
Chapter Fourteen
Walker
We finally left the werewolves behind at the edge of a lake that stretched for miles. Across it was vampire territory. I never imagined I’d feel so relieved to step onto the bloodsuckers’ doorstep. I also hadn’t thought it would be so beautiful.
The lake was clear enough that the copper and brown colors of the rocks beneath it were easily visible. Moss grew over the stones, and fish swam peacefully through the lake. Tall, purple flowers grew on its edges. Fog hovered over the water, and beyond it was a tall, spindly mountain. Snow that should’ve melted long ago capped its peaks.
“Back in the territory battles,” Freya said, “they chose this border because of the lake. Wolfsbane grows on its banks, and a priest blessed the lake, so it’s composed entirely of holy water.”
She tucked the metal torch Ryder had given her in the waistline of her pants, so it rested against her spine. I assumed it was for nightfall, though that was still hours away.
“So the wolves really couldn’t help you,” I noted.
“There are ways to get across, but the battle that would ensue would be worse than what we already face. The Leaders would probably decimate all of Hol Creek to put a stop to their rivalry.”
I silently prayed that would never happen.
“So,” Cady said, “how do we get across?”
“There’s the slow way and the fast way,” Freya said ominously.
“I have a feeling I’m not going to like the fast way,” I said.
She grinned, and I knew I wasn’t going to like it.
“It’s something I’ve been practicing,” Freya said. “I’m confident it will work—you just have to trust me.”
