Dragon's Secret Baby (Silver Dragon Mercenaries Book 1) by Sky Winters (38)

Chapter 3

While Walker holding me felt nice, the silence was a little awkward. It only reminded me that I had just had sex with a man I didn’t know in a place I wasn’t familiar with. Instead of making the moment feel that much more awkward, I opted to go to the bathroom. Hopefully, I could get my head around what to do next.

I tapped Walker on the chest and slid out of his arms. I could hear him sit up in the bed as I walked away.

“Damn. You have an amazing ass.” Walker commented. I could feel myself blush as I giggled and hurried into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.

Yes, I had to pee so I took care of business, but what was I going to do with the sex god in the other room when I was done? I flushed and got up to wash my hands. My reflection in the ancient mirror surprised me. I looked like sexiest lion woman ever. My lips were pink and swollen from Walker’s kisses and raspy stubble. There was a pink glow in my cheeks that I had never seen before. I looked healthy, well fucked, and most surprising to me, confident.

The blonde tendrils I had so carefully styled before I left the house were now dreaded up and fuzzy. Between the bedroom and the motorcycle there was a chance I would never be able to tame my hair again.

I turned and checked out my naked backside. It was a little too big and full, but damn if it didn’t look good with a little pink on it. For the first time in my life I felt good about the way I looked.

I clicked the light off and strutted back out into the bedroom. Walker was gone. I hadn’t heard him leave, but the panic still rose in my throat like bile. I didn’t know where I was or how I got here. I wasn’t sure if he had neighbors so I pulled Walker’s t-shirt on to go look for him.

The house was empty and quiet. A chill crept up my spine, I felt like I was in a horror movie and Leatherface would be lurking around the next corner to cut me to pieces. “Walker?” I called out, my voice echoing off the bare paneled walls.

The way the cabin was set up was very Spartan. There were no photos or knick-knacks. The brown leather couch was completely devoid of throw pillows and blankets. If it weren’t for the wood and earthy colors, the room would have felt very barren and cold.

Since Walker wasn’t around, I decided to give myself a tour of the rest of the space. Not only did I feel like I was in a horror movie, but peeking out the front windows I was literally in a cabin in the woods. I could just barely make out another building through one of the sparse spots between the trees and only because it had its porch light on.

Making my way towards the kitchen, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was up. Where had Walker gone? He had left me alone and I started to freak out. I took a few deep breaths to steady my nerves. I just focused on my breathing until the silence didn’t bother me anymore. And then my stomach growled.

In the empty space, the rumble seemed to echo off the walls, driving me to have a giggle fit. I wasn’t sure if it was my setting, situation, or both, but I was suddenly eight years old and bodily functions were super funny again.

I could hear the turning of a key in the deadbolt and froze, my prior mirth abandoned as the front door creaked open. I let out the breath I had been holding when Walker appeared carrying a bundle of firewood.

“I can help you with that,” I offered. I quickly met Walker and grabbed a few logs off the top of the pile.

“Thanks. Just set them over by the woodstove.” He pointed to the corner of the living room with his chin.

I left him to drop my pile when I could suddenly feel his eyes on me. “You look good in my shirt.” He commented.

I sashay in a circle, “What, this old thing? Thank you, sir.”

Walker padded up to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Sir? A guy could get used to that kind of talk.” He bent down and nuzzled my neck. The sensation heightened my already overworked senses.

“Would you like that, sir?” I teased, “Having a woman at your beck and call? To take and ravish when ever you wanted?” Wait, why would I suggest that? Was that something I wanted?

I could feel Walker’s shoulders shake. He was laughing at me!

“If she were as gorgeous as you? Abso-fucking-lutely.” He pressed his pelvis against mine. “You wanna be that woman? I have to admit the thought of you trussed up and moaning is a tempting one.” He dragged a finger between my breasts as he spoke.

“Are you telling me you’re into that sort of thing?” Please say yes. I’ll do whatever you want.

“I am, but only with the right partner.” I felt his facial hair graze my jaw as his teeth caught my earlobe. I moaned and gripped his biceps. I was going down if I didn’t.

He nipped and kissed down my neck, sending little jolts and shivers through me. As his hands traveled down the front of my body, I was mentally screaming at him to fuck me.

I felt the caress of very large hands on my legs as Walker dragged them up my thighs, riding up the hem of his t-shirt, which hardly covered anything anyway. His breath caressed my ear and the vibration of his voice against my skin made me soaking wet.

My body protested as I pulled away. Walker looked confused. “Did I step over the line?”

“Oh hell no. I am dripping right now I want you so bad. I was just curious, did you want to see me again after tonight?” I crossed my fingers behind my back.

“Are you kidding? With an ass like yours I’m not letting you out of my sight.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me against him. “Of course. I would like to take you out to dinner once in a while too.” One corner of his mouth turned up into an adorable crooked smile.

“I just want to let you know that I’m on birth control and have only ever had one partner.” I blurted out. I had thought that would be good information to know moving forward.

Walker’s mouth hit the floor. I watched one emotion after another cross his face. Annoyance, confusion, triumph, and a few more I couldn’t quite put my finger on made me wonder if I made the right choice. “How old are you?” he asked suddenly looking dubious.

“I’m twenty-six. Don’t worry I’m legal. I just happened to have been in a very long-term relationship that I got out of just a few months ago.” I figured if the honesty train was leaving I should probably get on it.

“O-kay. So am I supposed to be some kind of rebound thing or what?”

I had to ponder that for a minute. I knew the answer to that question, but it may have just turned into the wrong one. “You were… are supposed to be just a one night thing.” I hesitated. Should I continue my thought?

When Walker didn’t say anything I guessed he wanted me to continue. “But I’m enjoying your company so much that I think I’d like to see you again. You know if you still want to see me again.”

I felt heat creep up my cheeks as Walker studied me. I was such a stupid girl for telling essentially a complete stranger that I was emotionally raw. Hell, I might as well have told him I was planning the wedding for all the good my mouth seemed to be doing me. “You can say something now.”

Walker smirked and took a step back. Tipping my chin up so he could look at me he responded, “I don’t mind. I wasn’t too sure about the one other partner thing, but that’s no big deal. Virgins freak me out. I’ve been with two and they both got weird and clingy after. Your relationship history is no problem and I’m glad you’re on birth control because I’m not a fan of rubbers. I’m clean and have the paperwork to prove it. I just got tested a few weeks ago actually if that makes you feel better.”

In a way it did. “I did the same when I dumped my ex. He was a cheater and fucked half the women in town so I had to make sure. I got lucky.” Boy did I. The fact that for the three months before I ended it he wouldn’t touch me is likely what saved me. I found out two weeks after I dumped him that he had gotten chlamydia from God knows where.

“Let’s just have fun with this thing.” He slipped his fingers between the wet folds of my pussy. “There are so many things I’d love to do to you,” he announced as his index finger circled my clit. “And maybe a few I’d like you to do to me,” he said with a cocky grin.

I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding and in that breath I realized I was not a casual kind of girl. Bravo to the women that can keep their relationships string free, but gazing into Walker Lewis’s eyes, I could feel myself being sucked into those honey colored depths. That would be a problem.

As his mouth found mine again, I abandoned that thought. Like Scarlett O’Hara, I’d worry about that tomorrow.

Chapter 4

I woke up with a start. Nothing about the room I was in was familiar. The sheets I had slept on were not mine. I didn’t recognize the light fixture over my head or the pillow under it. Wide-eyed, I scanned the room until I landed on Walker sleeping soundly next to me. That’s when the night before came flooding back, as did the delicious soreness between my legs.

I reached down to touch the tender flesh of my thighs, the skin still sticky with Walker’s cum. I smile and stretch, working out the kinks and knots from using muscles that I didn’t know I had in positions I had never attempted before and it was amazing. I finally found a guy that was experienced enough to want to see me get my pleasure first…. and then four more times throughout the night.

Rolling over onto my side, I tried to ease out from under Walker’s grip. He had his arm flung over me in a way that felt somehow casual and possessive all at once. I managed to turn myself so my feet hit the floor when I was yanked back with a yelp.

“Not so fast,” Walker said as he rolled over on top of me, the tip his morning wood pressing against my opening.

I laughed as I struggled a bit. “Walker, I have to pee!” I squeaked.

“It’s the morning. This won’t take long.”

He plunged inside of me and began to rock his hips. I gritted my teeth because at first the stretching hurt from being so sore, but within a minute or two I was wet enough to feel nothing but pleasure as he stroked against my g-spot over and over.

Walker’s hips found their rhythm and worked me up so fast that my orgasm took me completely by surprise. With my muscles pulsing around his cock and a grunt in response, Walker came inside me for, I wasn’t sure what number that was.

“You are insatiable, sir. What happened to guys needing a bounce back period?”

Walker growled and planted a quick, but by no means chaste, kiss on my mouth. “I guess I’m just a special kind of guy,” he said with a shrug and a grin.

I climbed out of bed. Walker slapped me on the ass as I leaned forward to stand, causing me to squeal and scamper off to the bathroom, the sting lingering on the delicate and sensitive skin of my behind.

I got the brilliant idea to make breakfast while I was busy washing my hands. I could really go for something hearty to build my strength back up. My stomach rumbled in agreement.

Finishing up and slipping Walker’s t-shirt over my head again, I hobbled into the kitchen, cowboy style. I quietly laughed at myself as I squatted down to find a pan in the lower cabinets. I couldn’t remember a time where I had felt so good and so bad all at the same time.

I managed to come up with a cast iron number, but an inspection of the contents of the fridge left me empty-handed. It was sadly, a bachelor’s fridge. A lonely, half eaten jar of pickles and a stale hamburger bun were the sole occupants of an otherwise desolate refrigerator. “Well, that won’t do.” I murmured to myself.

I shut the door and leaned against the ancient appliance. With it’s off avocado green color the thing had to be a relic from the 1970s. In fact, the whole kitchen looked like it had been lifted from the same time period and plunked down in an otherwise rustic and woodsy cabin. One of the linoleum tiles had lifted at one corner. I toyed with it with my big toe as I contemplated our food situation.

“Walker?” I called out, “Walker, I’m starving and you’ve got nothing in your kitchen,” I explained as I padded back to the bedroom. I opened the door to find him out of bed and fastening his belt. Even standing their shirtless I felt my pulse ramp up. In the early morning light I could make out his tattoos better. Howling wolves were interspersed with bursts of light on his upper arms. With his back to me I could see the incredible detail of a huge wolf outstretched and hands covering its face. The artist must have been immensely talented, the images looked like they would spring right off the skin.

Walker turned to face me. “If you toss me that shirt you’re wearing I can take you out.”

I glanced down at my torso like I didn’t know what he was talking about and had myself a “duh” moment. I shouldn’t be allowed in the same room as beautiful men. They kill brain cells. I peel the shirt off and toss it to him; I was completely nude again.

“You should go ahead and get dressed,” Walker suggested, “Before I toss you back on that bed again.”

My stomach rumbled audibly again in protest. “As lovely as that sounds, I’m sore and so hungry I could eat a horse.” I shake my dress from the night before out and slip it on over my head. I hadn’t bothered with a bra while I was getting ready the night before. I hurried and slipped my shoes back on. I was getting the shakes I was so hungry.

Walker had been watching me get ready. “You don’t have any underwear, do you?”

“Shit.” Somehow I did forget that more than minor detail. “This is all I have. I wasn’t planning on having a sleepover.” In the haste to leave Joker’s the night before we both forgot I wasn’t wearing anything under my dress. Such a state is actually really unsafe o a motorcycle.

Walker rummaged around in his dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans. “Put these on. They might be a little big, but at least you’ll be covered.”

I studied the waistband and the slimness of Walkers hips and torso. There was a better chance these would be too small, but I pulled them on anyway. I managed to get them buttoned and they did fit comfortably. Yay me!

Walker nodded his approval. “Great. Let’s get out of here.”

Chapter 5

What was supposed to have been a most glorious one-night stand had turned into nearly a month of coital bliss. We couldn’t get enough of each other. If we weren’t having sex we were at least touching in some fashion.

Walker had decided to try pushing his luck at Joker’s again that night after I got off work. I’m not terribly keen on that, but he had put on his alpha pants and there was nothing I could do or say that would change his mind. Not even a blowjob. It was that serious.

I arrived at work only twenty minutes late. I had managed to sleep through my alarm that morning. It wasn’t my favorite way to start my day.

I met up with Crystal in the break room to grab myself a cup of coffee and settle my frayed nerves before jumping into my edits.

“Where have you been, missy?” Crystal asked. Her hands were planted on her hips in mock indignation.

“I overslept.”

“I’m not talking about this morning. I mean the last month. I haven’t seen you and you blew off girls night on Friday.”

“Well…” I blushed and looked at the floor. I felt sheepish; I could only imagine how I looked.

“Oh. My. God. You blew me off for that guy didn’t you?” Crystal tried, but couldn’t keep the shit-eating grin off her face. “That good, huh?”

I nodded. “Oh man, Crystal he’s amazing. Even if he’s just the Stephen rebound guy, he makes me feel so good.” I finished stirring and take a swallow of my coffee and grimaced. “Ugh! Who made the coffee this morning?”

Crystal looked offended then glanced at the contents of her own mug. “I did not ten minutes ago.” She took a sip and shrugged. “Tastes fine to me.”

I wrinkled my nose before taking another tentative sip and freeze as it hits my stomach. “Oh, fuck.” I tossed my cup in the sink and bolted to the trashcan in the corner of the room just in time to completely empty out the contents of my stomach.

Crystal hurried over and grabbed my hair, pulling it out of the line of fire. I paused after heaving to test for any potential aftershock. “Can you grab me a paper towel?” I asked weakly.

“Of course.” Crystal hurried back with my request. “Have a little too much this weekend?”

“No. I had one drink on Friday and that’s it. Maybe I caught a bug or something.”

Crystal chuckled. “With all the sex you’ve been having, maybe you’re pregnant.”

“Come on, Crystal. Don’t even joke like that.” I stiffened as I do the mental math. Counting backwards from then I was officially a week late. I dug my birth control pack out of my purse and see that I’d taken each and every single pill, but somehow didn’t notice when I’d finished the placebo pills and still hadn’t gotten my period. I looked up at Crystal wide-eyed. “Fuck. You might be right.”

Crystal startled. “What? I was just kidding. Give me those.” She snatched the pink pod out of my hands and saw the same thing I did. “Did you miss one or maybe took one too late?”

I shook my head. “Nope. I even set an alarm so I don’t forget. What are the odds?”

“Less than three per cent. We need to go to the drugstore now. I’ll tell the boss that you’ve got a stomach bug and I need to take you home.”

 

“Lyla! Come on out of there. What does it say?” Crystal was banging on my bathroom door. I knew she was lingering out there the entire time, which didn’t exactly take the pressure off to pee.

I had kept my eyes closed until the timer went off. I needed to know, but I didn’t want to. Lo and behold that hunk of plastic that could not lie, told me my fate in plain digital letters: pregnant. 3+ weeks.

I traipsed over to the bathroom door and weakly pulled it open.

“So?” Crystal asked tapping her foot.

I couldn’t speak. The capacity for normal human speech had been forgotten in that moment. Instead I handed her the test.

“Holy shit! Lyla, you’re pregnant!” Crystal got a little giddy for a second, but when she realized I wasn’t celebrating too she stopped. “Are you alright? I thought you wanted to be a mom?”

“I did. I do! I just didn’t think it was going to be with a guy who is supposed to be temporary and while I was on The Pill.”

“Just tell me what you want to do and I’ll help support you one hundred per cent.” I felt her hands smoothing the tension from my back.

“Nothing. Nothing for now, thanks. I’ll see Walker tonight and I’ll discuss it with him. In the meantime, would you mind calling my gynecologist and getting me an appointment today? I don’t trust my fingers to not drop my phone.”

I waited for Walker to pick me up out on the sidewalk. I knew he would be suspicious since he usually came to the door, but I was too anxious to be cooped up. The ultrasound photo felt like a bomb in my purse that would go off any second. I was lucky my doctor was able to get me in within a couple of hours to confirm exactly what was going on with me.

I could hear the roar of the motorcycle from the entrance of the neighborhood, my anxiety ticked up as the sound drew closer. Walker pulled up in front of me and turned off the bike. “What’s going on?” Worry clear on his face.

Again, I couldn’t say the word. I just handed him the fuzzy black and white printout and held my breath.

He stared for a moment before going completely ashen. “What am I looking at here? Are you…?” Turned out he couldn’t say it either.

I nodded. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, no matter how hard I fought them back. This was it. He was going to bail and I’d never see him again.

The look of shock quickly rearranged itself into one of elation. “You’re pregnant? We’re going to have a baby!” He scooped me up and squeezed me tight, planting scratchy kisses all over my face.

“You aren’t mad?” I was dumbfounded. I hadn’t expected his reaction.

“Mad? Why would I be mad? This is amazing fucking news! I’m going to have a baby with the woman I love.” Time came to a grinding halt.

Love? Was it love between the two of us? I had been under the impression that it was lust. Well, mostly lust with a healthy amount of affection and respect sprinkled in. I wasn’t sure how to answer and judging by the look on Walker’s face, I thought he’d rather I forgot he said anything at all.

Since I wasn’t sure about my feelings for him, I decided to drop the subject for the time being in favor of a much more pressing one. “Babies,” I announced pointing to the two dark spots on the ultrasound.

“What?” Walker asked, snapping out of his daze.

“Babies; as in plural. We are having twins, and apparently big ones. My doctor said I look like I’m about two months along, which is nuts.”

Walker sighed and handed me back the photo. “We need to talk.”

Shit. “Here it comes, the rejection.”

“No! No, no. Are you kidding? I wasn’t planning on letting you go and considering the circumstances now, you’re stuck with me.” He grinned, an expression that quickly melted away. “You’re pregnancy is going to go by fast. Shifter babies develop especially quick.” He paused to weigh my reaction before continuing. “The Wraith’s aren’t just a club, we’re also able to shift from people to animals; specifically wolves.”

I felt like someone dropped ice down my back. “Those are just stories! There is no such thing.” I’m having babies with a delusional crazy person.

“Sure, but the stories are based in reality. They have to come from somewhere.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Look, I don’t want to discuss this here. Let’s go and I’ll explain everything when we’re around safe company.” He held his hand out to me.

Of course, I hesitated. Walker just told me he was a goddamn werewolf. I should be running and screaming in the other direction, but my feet had become rooted to the spot. I wrestled with what I should do. This could be the part where the crazy man wanted to make me his bride or kill me. There were enough of those stories floating around in the world too.

In the end, I decided to hear him out.

Chapter 6

Joker’s was quiet compared to the first night I was there. Walker dragged me over to a booth in the furthest corner away from the smoke and sensitive ears.

“So now that we’re among ‘safe company’, are you going to tell me what this craziness is all about?” I demanded. Walker looked down at his hands. I couldn’t believe it. He actually looked nervous!

“Have you ever heard the Native American stories about skin walkers? You know, animals that take on human form?”

“No. Can’t say that I have.”

“Okay. I’ll give you the short version. In the old legends, the skin walkers were the priests of the tribe that had gone astray down an evil path. They had killed a close family member so they were able to become animal at night.”

I was skeptical, but told myself to keep an open mind. I always had the option to run away and change my name later.

“Only part of that is true. You have to perform an evil deed, but you also have to have the bloodline to do it. Neither of my parents could shift, but I guess they had the ability to if they would have just killed.”

“Wouldn’t they have had to kill their parents or one of their children to do that?”

Walker shook his head and waved to the bartender. “No. That part of the legend is off too. I didn’t. I had been in a bar fight with the old president of the Wraiths actually. We both got loaded and I hit on his girlfriend.” I cocked an eyebrow at that salacious detail, but didn’t interrupt.

“Naturally, he got pissed and things got physical. I had been in plenty of fights before, but something was different that night. I can’t really explain it since it was a feeling more than anything.” The bartender interrupted and took our drink orders.

I was on the edge of my seat at that point and annoyed at her for the disruption. I didn’t want a drink; I wanted to hear the end. When the bartender left he continued, “I remember punching him in the nose and knocking him to the ground, there’s a big hole where I must have blacked out and then the next thing I know. I’m standing over him, his face looking like hamburger meat. I had beaten him to death.”

I slouched back in my seat with an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. That was a lot of information to absorb and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to. The father of my twins was a murderer. Sure he claimed to not remember, but I couldn’t be sure of that.

“There’s another thing you should know about the babies…”

“Walker Lewis!” A voice boomed through the bar, jarring me out of my thoughts. “Get your sorry ass over here and pledge yourself to me.” Danny had arrived to make the evening even worse for me. Great.

“Hell no. In fact,” Walker stood up and composed himself. An air of authority had settled around him, “You get on your knees and pledge yourself to me.”

The two men closed the space between each other and stood toe to toe. Danny had about an inch on Walker’s height, but Walker had the advantage of being roughly fifteen years younger. I should have wanted to giggle at the absurdity of the tough guy standoff, but the tension between them tossed the silliness right out of the room.

“I ain’t pledgin’ nothin’, Walker. I’m the leader of this club and you will accept that. On your knees, now,” Danny growled.

“Go fuck yourself,” Walker said evenly, “there is no way you are allowed to be the leader anymore. Tell me something. What is it that a true alpha should be able to do that the others can’t?”

Danny scoffed and took a step back. “Get a human girl pregnant. Why are you asking stupid questions?”

Walker tilted his head, making sure he had the attention of every person in the bar. He had Danny on the ropes and needed everyone to know it. “And how is that going for you and your wife? She’s totally human, right?”

Danny narrowed his eyes and snarled. “That is none of your business, you piece of shit.”

“Temper temper, Danny. We’re just having a talk.” Walker leered at his soon to be former alpha. “It sounds like, no babies then. Am I right?”

Danny refused to answer. His faces had broken out in red blotches and he kept opening and closing his fists at his side.

“My lovely girl over here just happens to be pregnant with twins, my twins to be exact. So tell me then, who should kneel to whom?” Walker’s face lit up in epiphany. “Hang on. This explains everything. You knew. You knew I was the true alpha, didn’t you?”

Danny sputtered an attempted explanation, but Walker cut him off, “You spent the last fifteen years busting me down and running me out because I was a threat to your title. Oh, you motherfucker. You are good.” Walker smiled and wagged a finger at Danny.

“Tell you what. All will be forgiven if you just hit the floor and pledge your unwavering loyalty to me.” Something in the room had changed just then. I looked at the faces of the other men in the bar. Most were focused on Walker, some were on Danny waiting for him to do something, and a few were scrutinizing me for signs that Walker’s claim was true.

Danny made a move that caught my eye. He shed his jacket and dropped to all fours on the floor in front of Walker. His skin rippled and popped. In a blink a grizzled wolf was lying where Danny used to be. Walker followed suit and turned into the most gorgeous sable wolf I had ever seen. Danny had rolled over onto his back, exposing his belly in a posture of submission. While staring into the face of the older wolf he put one paw on his rivals belly and growled.

I rubbed my eyes thinking they had suddenly gone bad. There was no way the two arguing men had just turned into animals. I looked around the room for the reactions of the others and while being glued to the story unfolding, none of them looked shocked.

Oh wow. Walker was telling the truth. As hard as my brain tried to rationalize what just happened, it couldn’t. There was no rational explanation for what just happened other than it was something supernatural, which is batshit crazy.

Now my life had gotten tangled up in it and I didn’t know what to do. I splayed a hand over my belly, what would become of my babies? If the realization that Walker was telling the truth and shifted in front of me was the warm up punch, then the realization that my little babies could be just like him was the knockout punch. I felt woozy and had to sit down.

I stuck my head between my knees and closed my eyes. My breathing was ragged and labored despite my best effort to calm it. The insanity was too much.

“Lyla are you okay? Do you need anything?” I could hear Walker’s voice, but he sounded fuzzy and far away. I shook my head in response. I didn’t want to answer him, not just yet.

He bundled me into his arms where I finally broke down and wept. I just let him hold me there until his t-shirt was soaked and I was dried out.

“Lyla, is there anything I can do to help?” Walker murmured.

“Yes. Take me home.”

 

Walker laid me down on my old threadbare couch. His concern for me was touching and warmed some of the icy feelings I felt for him in that moment. I had rolled over to keep my back to him. I just couldn’t look at him. He had told me the truth and yet I still felt betrayed somehow.

“Lyla. Talk to me. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong. Honestly, you’re freaking me the fuck out.” I could hear the anxiety in Walker’s voice, but I still wrestled with how to handle this. I could let him know how I was feeling, but there was that other side that hoped if I ignored him he would just go away.

I decided to talk to him. I rolled over and looked Walker square in the eye, he has to understand what I just went through. “You turned into a dog! I watched you drop on all fours and sprout fur. What I believed to be reality has been dashed to pieces so you’ll have to excuse me for being less than chatty.”

Walker grabbed my hand and stroked my fingers. “You have every right to feel that way. If the roles had been reversed I would probably feel the same. If you want me to go, I will.”

I sighed and sat up. “No. Don’t go. I’ll come to terms with it. I want you to stay with me.” I placed his hand over my still flat belly. “Our babies need you. I’m shaken, but that doesn’t change the way I feel about you, Walker.”

He freed his hand and slid his arm around my waist, pulling me to the edge of the cushions. “Oh? And how do you feel about me?”

I leaned in almost close enough for our lips to brush. “I need you, Walker. I can’t imagine my life without you.” I was dangerously close to uttering the L-word, but had to proceed with caution. The goal was to keep him around, not to run him off.

Walker stroked my face and grasped my neck. “I love you, Lyla. I’ll give you all the time you need to get used to my life, but I have to have you as a part of it.”

I was elated to hear those words. “Say it again.” I whispered.

“I love you, Lyla.”

I lost myself and kissed him with all of the passion and love I had coursing through my body. This tough, strange, and special man loved me. He came out of nowhere and the one-night stand he was supposed to be was stretching into forever. It would take time to get used to the wolfy thing, but I loved him and in time would not only come to accept it, but embrace it as well.

THE END     

The Grey

Chapter One

The house sat in the middle of a wooded area, surrounded by trees and a gravelled pavement that served as both road and driveway. Savannah got out of the car and stared at the quaint little house that was going to be her home for the next six months.

“This is what I always imagined Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s house to look like,” Savannah said, turning back to her parents.

“Do you like it?” her father had taken to speaking very precisely for her benefit. She never needed to wear her hearing aid around her parents because she could read their lips perfectly.

“It’s all right,” Savannah said reluctantly. In fact, she did like it. There was a sense of cosiness that clung to the house and the town that she had never experienced before. Still, she didn’t want her parents to know that, because she didn’t want them thinking she was happy about the move.

She stayed outside and walked toward the trees that stood beside the house like sentinels. They had a strong, oaky smell, but there was an undercurrent of something else in the air. The back of the house faced a series of small hills that led up to larger ones. They were paved with grass and rock and Savannah could sense the difference in the air up there.

A half hour later she went back into the house to join her parents. They had bought the house with the furniture included. The sofa was upholstered with a thick fabric that held a heavy pattern of flowers. Instead of blinds in the windows, there were curtains in a variety of mismatched floral patterns. There were floorboards and carpets instead of tiles, and a staircase, with block stairs, and an old-fashioned railing.

“You could be right,” Savannah’s mother said, when she walked into the kitchen. “Maybe Red Riding Hood’s grandmother did live here.”

Savannah smiled, grabbed her duffel bag, and walked upstairs in search of her room. It was nestled in the corner overlooking the mountains and the hooded trees. There was one large window that brought in all the light and bathed the sparse contents of her room in an ivory glow. She set down her duffel bag and examined her small four-poster bed.

She couldn’t hear her father walk in, but she sensed his presence the moment he appeared at her door, and she turned around.

“Remember when you were six and all you wanted was a four poster bed?”

Savannah rolled her eyes at him. “Is this you coming through for me?”

“It most definitely is.” Her father nodded.

“Thanks, Dad,” Savannah signed to him sarcastically. “Twelve years late, but I’ll take it anyway.”

He winked at her and moved on down the hall. Savannah closed the door and walked to her window. The light was already fading, and she knew it would be dark within the hour. She stuck her head out the window and closed her eyes so she could concentrate.

The wind caressed her face, sending a comforting coolness across her body. The air smelled of smoky oak and fresh dirt. Savannah froze in place as some other unfamiliar scent washed across her. It was subtle at first, but then grew stronger. She had never caught that scent before; it was oddly pleasant and difficult to place. Savannah opened her eyes and looked around, but there was nothing to see save the different greens and browns of nature.

Savannah had never thought she was unlucky. She had never experienced sound the way that normal people did, and couldn’t understand why it was so important as a result. She was finally able to hear sound with the help of powerful hearing aids, but she hadn’t been as thrilled as her doctors and parents had been. She liked her silent world, and the advantages it gave her.

Ever since she was a little girl, her other senses had been heightened. She could smell more sharply, she could see more clearly, and she could feel more acutely, but it was more than just that. She had an intuition about things…about people. At least, that was what her parents called it–intuition. But for Savannah it was something more.

She was almost nine years old when she realized people in the world had their own specific aura. There were many similarities between auras, but for the most part, everyone was unique in their own way, everyone was different. She could sense their moods and their character. It was stronger with some people in comparison to others, but it was always there.

Sometimes she saw flashes of things in the back of her eyelids, sometimes she smelled an extra layer of scent hiding in the whole, and sometimes it was as simple as seeing what was right in front of her. It was a hard thing to try to explain, and it was hard to understand another person’s aura. Over time, Savannah began to assign colours to fit the emotions she felt coming off of people. It was then she realized that colour seemed to be as infinite as emotion.

Her father had always referred to her as a military brat and her mother liked to call her little gypsy, but Savannah had always thought of herself as tumbleweed. She had no control over where she went when the wind blew, and she had no choice but to go where it pushed her. In her case, her parents were the wind, and she went wherever they did.

Savannah had lived in four different countries, eleven different cities, and she had changed schools nine times. The downside was that she never had the opportunity to make friends. The upside was that she had met thousands of different people, each with their own unique auras. Very few things surprised Savannah and very few things stumped her. She had an instinct about the world, about people, and about places, and she was very rarely wrong.

Which was why she couldn’t understand why the smell hidden just beneath the wind at her window seemed so unfamiliar. She stared up at the line of trees sitting on one of the shallower hills. They were thicker in that area and exposed very little. The secret scent was coming from that direction, but it still gave her no hints as to what it was.

There was one thing she was certain of--the scent wasn't human.

 

Chapter Two

“Are you ready for your first day of school?” her father signed from the front seat.

Savannah sighed. “This is my ninth first day at school,” she signed back at him. “At this point, assume I’m always ready.”

“Aw come on,” her mother said, turning to face her from the passenger's seat. “You could sound a little more excited.”

“Yay,” Savannah replied sarcastically. 

“Oh, all right,” her mother said. “I suppose you’ve earned the right to be a little…disinterested. Here are your hearing aids.”

Savannah shook her head. “I don’t want to wear them.”

“Come on, darling,” her mother insisted. “Things will go a lot easier if you just wear them.”

Savannah sighed in frustration, but she took them anyway. She knew her mother was right; it was just that she hated the first day of starting out at a new school. She always felt like a monkey in a zoo, even more so, considering that she sensed things that were normally a mystery to most people.

“Can’t I just be home-schooled?”

“Come on now,” her father said evenly. “It’s going to be great. Stay positive.”

“I hate how chirpy the two of you are whenever we move someplace new,” Savannah said. “Just because you’re both so positive all the time, doesn't mean I’ll forget how much this all sucks.”

“Honey, I know this hasn’t been easy for you,” her mother said gently. “And I know you’ve had to suffer for our lifestyle but--”

“You can’t change it,” Savannah finished for her. “I know, I know. See you after school.” She got out of the car and headed toward the main entrance.

Grey Mountain High School was probably the smallest high school she had seen in six years. It had that small town charm to it, but that also meant its student population was just as small, which meant that everybody’s eyes would be on the new girl who had transferred in the middle of the school year.

Almost instantly, Savannah felt everyone’s eyes on her. She was thankful she had chosen to wear her dark jeans and grey hoodie. Hopefully she'd be able to blend into the earth tones of the town that way, and nobody would see her. The thought was so ridiculous that she smiled to herself before she realized she was actually smiling at a boy who was standing a few feet away from her.

He was tall, at least six feet. He was leaning casually against one of the trees that led up to the building, and surrounded by a group of boys who seemed to be talking to him, but he wasn’t paying them the slightest bit of attention. His eyes were fixed on Savannah as though he'd recognized her. His black hair was on the long side, setting a fierce contrast to the pale grey of his eyes.

Savannah couldn’t actually see the color of his eyes from where she stood. They could have been a light brown or blue, but her instincts told her they were grey. She tried to lower her gaze and move past him, but something about him kept her frozen into place. That was when she realized that his aura was encased in bright, fiery light. Usually a person’s aura was quieter than that, less colorful and subtler. His was different in that it burned hot.

Savannah’s focus was broken when someone walked into her, nearly knocking her backpack to the ground. She caught it just in time, and turned to the girl who had bumped into her. She was a few inches shorter than Savannah, with soft, blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. She stared at Savannah threateningly, and Savannah couldn’t understand the hostility coming off of her.

The girl’s aura was as beautiful as she was. It was similar, in a way, to the beautiful, grey-eyed boy’s. It was fiery, bursting with energy that was barely contained. Her aura wasn’t as colorful as his was, but there was plenty of brightness there, nevertheless.

“Get out of my way,” she said. Her voice was so low, Savannah’s hearing aid couldn’t pick up the sound, but the message on her lips were clear as day. 

She stepped aside and the blonde girl walked past her. On her heels were three other girls, with auras that were very similar. Savannah stared after them, trying to understand what had just happened, trying to understand why these people seemed so different from everyone else. When she looked toward the tree, the beautiful boy had disappeared, and so had his friends.

Savannah examined the other students milling past her. Their auras were normal, calm and subtle. She stared at the entrance of the school, catching the bright silk of the blonde girl’s hair as she turned the corner, and disappeared from sight. It was clear to Savannah that something was not right in this town. There was something happening here that she had never encountered before in any other place she had lived.

She walked up the stairs and went straight to the administration office. The woman behind the counter was a short, plump redhead, with lipstick to match her bright hair.

“Hello, dear,” she said the moment she saw Savannah. “Are you the new student?”

Savannah nodded. “Yes.”

“What’s that in your ear, darling?”

“It’s my hearing aid,” Savannah replied.

“Oh…oh, that’s right.” She nodded. “There was a note in your file about your…condition.” She stalled a little and looked through her files as though she were confused and embarrassed at the same time. “I’m just looking for your file,” she continued in a voice so loud she was practically shouting.

Savannah raised her hands. “I can hear you just fine,” she said. “You can talk at a normal volume.”

“Really?” she asked as her eyes went wide. “Can you hear me now?”

“Still a little loud.” Savannah sighed. “But I can hear you perfectly.”

“Guess the hearing aids really work, huh?”

Savannah smiled tightly. “Guess so.”

Savannah thought back to her life in Africa. She had been born there and it was one of the only places where she had felt truly normal. Then her parents started traipsing her around the world, and Savannah realized that she wasn’t normal at all.

She had become aware of her difference as a young girl, when the people around her started treating her differently, asking her silly questions, or making her feel as though she were less capable than everyone else. She wished she could tell them that she had never seen her deafness as a handicap; people were the ones that forced that word on her.

“Well…the principal will want to have a little chat with you before you go to your classes. Come along,” the red haired woman said, raising her voice again, as though she had already forgotten Savannah could hear her clearly. “I’m Ms. Collins, by the way.”

Savannah followed her into a small room with a large desk at the end of it. Behind it sat a tall woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, hidden behind glasses. It didn’t take a heightened sense of intuition to know that this woman, and the girl who had knocked into Savannah only moments ago, were related.

Quite apart from how similar they looked, this woman’s aura burned as brightly as the blonde girl’s and the grey-eyed boy's had, except that hers wasn’t as wild or temperamental. There was a huge amount of control about her that Savannah had not felt from the others.

“Hello, Savannah,” she said, speaking at a normal volume that made no assumptions. “I’m Principal Harris. Welcome to Grey Mountain High.”

“Hello,” Savannah replied, distracted and confused by the strange new phenomenon she was experiencing. She wondered if there were something suspiciously different about these people that made their auras so fiery and powerful.

“I take it you’re wearing your hearing aid as we speak?”

“Yes.”

“Good, that will make your transition here easier. I’ve read through your files,” Principal Harris continued. “It seems you’ve moved around a lot.”

“I have.” Savannah nodded.

“Well, then, you should find adapting here easy enough,” she said. “Why don’t you follow me; I’ll take you to your first class.”

Savannah would have preferred going to class alone, but she knew she couldn’t turn down the principal’s gesture. She walked behind Principal Harris, admiring her commanding presence, and fascinated with her powerfully bright aura.

“Here we are,” Principal Harris said as she approached a closed door with the words "English Literature" on the face of it. “Follow me.”

She opened the door and walked in, leaving Savannah standing outside in the hallway. Savannah hesitated for only a moment before she took a deep breath and walked inside. The classroom was small, there seemed to be about fifteen kids in total, and every single one of them was staring at her as though she had two heads.

Savannah kept her eyes averted, but she was hit by the cloud of auras in the room. Most were normal, calm, and gentle, but there were four that burned hot and bright. Savannah didn’t have to look up to know whom they belonged to. The blonde-haired girl was there, sitting beside one of her friends and staring daggers at Savannah. The grey-eyed boy was there, too, sitting beside one of his friends. The four of them burned so brightly, they cast everyone else’s aura’s in shadow.

“Hello, everyone,” Principal Harris started. “We have a new student at Grey Mountain High. Her name is Savannah, and I trust you will all do whatever you can to make her feel welcome. She might need a little extra help, considering it’s the middle of the school year.”

Savannah hoped the principal would not mention the fact that she was deaf; she didn’t want another reason for the students to gawk at her.

“Savannah, this is Mr. Michaels. He teaches English Literature, but he’ll also be your teacher for history and political science.”

“Welcome, Savannah,” Mr. Michaels greeted.

“Thank you.” Savannah nodded, wishing they would simply put an end to this introduction so she could get to her seat.

Principal Harris turned to the students. “Marissa,” she said, and the beautiful blonde girl raised her head a fraction. “I’m tasking you with taking Savannah around and showing her to all of her classes.”

Savannah felt her stomach plummet when she noticed Marissa’s eyes narrow, and again she sensed hostility, but when Marissa spoke, her tone was cool and even. “Of course,” she said with a small smile that Savannah didn’t believe.

“Excellent.” Principal Harris nodded. “Why don’t you grab a desk, Savannah? Thank you, Mr. Michaels.”

Savannah moved toward the back of the class as Principal Harris left the room. There were two empty desks and Savannah picked the one farthest from the four kids with the bright auras. She felt their eyes on her as she slipped behind her desk, but made sure she didn’t look in their direction.              

The class went by uneventfully, but for Savannah, it was an entirely different climate. She sensed the emotions coming off the other students. There was curiosity and interest there, but there was also a strange, territorial protectiveness that made her feel like she was encroaching. It was a feeling she'd never experienced before.

She spent the whole class in a cloud of mixed emotion, trying to figure out the confusing signs she was receiving. At the same time, she was desperately curious about the bright auras that surrounded some of the people in this town. It was not normal; she knew that much. There was something about those people that set them apart, but she was still so inexperienced that she couldn’t read the different layers beneath their auras.

The moment the bell sounded signalling the end of the class, Savannah rose from her desk and moved out into the corridor. Her next class was calculus and she was confident she could find the room without help. She certainly didn’t expect help from Marissa, which was why she was shocked when Marissa came out of the classroom and turned toward her.

“Come on,” she said. “I’ll take you to your next class.”

Savannah tried to catch sight of the grey-eyed boy, but he seemed to have moved on to his next class already. 

“Looking for someone?” Marissa asked when she noticed Savannah’s preoccupation.

“No,” Savannah replied quickly.

Marissa didn’t look convinced. “What’s your next class?”

“Calculus.”

“Follow me,” she said after a moment, and Savannah had no choice but to follow her down the halls. Marissa didn't look back to see if Savannah was following, nor did she walk slowly. Finally, they veered to a stop in front of the calculus class, and Marissa turned to face Savannah again.

“My mother told me you were deaf,” Marissa said, cocking her head to the side and examining Savannah unapologetically.

“I am,” Savannah replied, refusing to back down from Marissa’s challenging glare.

“And yet you can hear me?”

“I’m wearing a hearing aid,” Savannah replied. “And I read lips pretty well.”

“Do you?” Marissa asked sounding unimpressed. “I think I know who you were looking for back there.”

“I wasn’t –

“It’s okay, I get it,” Marissa interrupted. “He’s hot and you’re only human, but I want to make one thing very clear, and since you can read lips so well, you can read mine now.”

She looked directly into Savannah’s eyes and mouthed words that were as clear as day: "Stay away from Xander Wilson."

Chapter Three

 

Savannah spent the rest of the day thinking about Xander Wilson. She couldn’t understand how Marissa had sensed her interest in him, but she was not wrong. Savannah felt an inexplicable fascination towards Xander and she could barely understand why.

He was a complete stranger to her. She hadn’t even known his name until Marissa had mentioned it. She tried to reason that it had something to do with his bright and beautiful aura, but she had counted nine people with similar energies, and her interest in them wasn’t even minimal.

After calculus she had a free period, so Savannah walked around the school until she found the library. It was extremely quiet, and apart from the librarian, there was no one else in there. Savannah slipped between the shelves and looked through the books, but there weren’t very many choices. A half an hour later, Savannah realized she had circled the entire library twice already.

She moved toward the back of the library, trying to search for a book that would hold her attention until her next class. She was looking through a book when she felt eyes on her back. Her senses caught the presence before she became aware of the bright aura that surrounded the person. She turned slowly and found herself staring into Xander Wilson's haunting grey eyes.

“Hello,” she said, feeling herself tense.

He moved a little closer. “Hello,” he replied.

He didn’t speak like any of the other kids. His eyes seemed so much older, as though he had lived a hundred lives already. His aura was charged with energy and filled with light, made up of bright blues, fiery reds, and violently passionate purples.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

Savannah realized she was staring. "Sorry," she mumbled, turning away.

 

He came to stand beside her to look at the same shelf of books. “You’re new, aren’t you?” he asked. His voice was deep and silky, somehow matching his face.

“Yes,” Savannah nodded.

“It’s a bit late to join a new school, don’t you think?”

“I do,” Savannah agreed, “but my parents apparently don't.”

He smiled, and Savannah felt her heart flutter a little. She didn’t know what was going on exactly, but she knew it wasn’t normal. The energy passing between them was strong, more potent than Savannah had ever felt before, and it was taking everything she had to keep up her end of a casual conversation with him.

“You’ve moved around a lot, haven’t you?” he asked.

“How did you know that?” Savannah asked.

He shrugged. “Just an observation,” he said. “You enjoy being alone, and you like the quiet, probably because you’ve been moved around so much that you've replaced friends with silence and you've had no choice but to like it.”

Savannah raised her eyebrows in shock. She was used to understanding things about other people. What she wasn't used to was other people understanding things about her. “That was…”

"Accurate?” Xander asked.

“I suppose it was…somewhat accurate,” Savannah conceded, and Xander smiled.

Whenever he smiled, Savannah noticed that his aura burned a little more brightly, and the colours surrounding him grew wilder. There was something about this boy, a secret he was hiding, and it was either special or dangerous-‒perhaps it was both.

“How long have you lived in this town?” Savannah asked, not wanting the conversation to end.

“My whole life,” Xander replied.

“Wow,” Savannah said. “Graduation's not that far away…you must be making plans to leave soon.”

Xander’s expression was unreadable. He looked at Savannah with those cool, grey eyes, and shook his head. “I don’t have any plans to leave Grey Mountain,” Xander replied. “This is my home.”

“You must really love it here,” Savannah said.

Xander smiled gently. “This town…it grows on you.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Savannah replied.

“Don’t take my word for it,” Xander said. “I’d much rather you take it on proof.”

“Proof?” Savannah repeated in confusion.

“Let me show you around after school,” Xander said.

Savannah was taken aback and thrilled by the offer, but she couldn’t help thinking about Marissa’s threat that morning. She was obviously Xander’s girlfriend, in which case the last thing Savannah should be doing was going off alone with him to explore the town.

She contemplated turning him down for a moment, but her resolve melted the moment she was faced with the intensity of those hypnotic, grey eyes.

“Okay,” Savannah nodded. “Show me.”

 

Chapter Four

 

Once the last bell had rung to dismiss everyone for the day, Savannah skulked around her locker, marking time. She had no desire to go off with Xander while the entire population of Grey Mountain High watched.

Her thoughts fluttered back to Marissa, and she wondered if she was making a mistake. Her doubt disappeared the moment she set eyes on Xander, walking down the corridor toward her. He was tall and well built, with a lean, athletic frame that hinted at a muted power, lying just beneath the surface. Savannah was able to sense it every time he got close to her.

“Hi,” he said as he approached her. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.” Savannah nodded as she followed him outside.

Almost all the other students had dispersed by then, and the school looked practically abandoned. Xander walked her down the stairs and toward a large, intimidating, black motorcycle.

“You ride a motorbike?” Savannah said, staring at it with wide eyes.

“Yes.” Xander nodded as he put on his helmet. “Is that a problem?”

“I…well, I’ve never actually been on one,” Savannah replied. “I’m probably not even allowed on one.”

“According to your parents?” Xander asked with interest.

“Well…yes.”

“Well, lucky for you they’re not around at the moment,” he pointed out.

Savannah looked from him to his mammoth motorcycle, and felt her excitement rise with her nerves. She had never done anything remotely rebellious in her life. She had always followed the rules, and sometimes even enjoyed it. She had lived in villages, towns, and big cities, and in every single one of them she had stayed away from boys like Xander.

Which was why she couldn't understand the strange pull she felt toward him. It was almost as though she had no choice in the matter. She had this unexplainable, intrinsic need to be with him, and she could find no reason for it.

“Savannah?”

Savannah felt a thrill of electricity speed down her back at the sound of her name on his lips. She had never experienced such a strong connection before, and she had sensed enough to know. She stared into his grey eyes and felt something pass between them, but she had no name for it, and no understanding of what it was. It was the only time Savannah had ever questioned whether another person had felt the same thing she was feeling, but she didn’t have the courage to ask.

“I’m coming,” she said.

He smiled and handed her the spare helmet. “You’ll need to wear this.”

Savannah took the helmet and slipped it on. It was a little big, but she could see through the visor clearly enough.

“You’ll have to fasten it,” Xander directed her.

“How?”

“There’s a clasp under your chin.”

Savannah found the clasp easily, but she couldn’t seem to fasten it together. She had never really experienced this kind of fumbling uncertainty before, but her nerves were dulling her other senses, it seemed. 

“Let me help you,” Xander said.

He leaned forward and Savannah was forced to move her hands out of the way. Their fingers brushed against each other, and she felt that strange sensation of heat flood through her body again. She noticed his eyes flitted to hers at the exact same moment, and she thought she saw a flash of confusion in his eyes, but it was gone in a flash, and Savannah wasn’t sure if she had imagined it.

“There,” Xander said as he took a step back. “You’re all set.”

“Thank you,” Savannah replied softly.

He nodded and helped her onto the bike. “You’ll have to hold on to me tight,” he instructed her. Savannah placed her arms around him gingerly, feeling a sense of wholeness she had never experienced before.

Xander revved the engine and within seconds they were whizzing down the streets of Grey Mountain. Savannah didn’t know where he was taking her and she really didn’t care. She felt a sense of freedom she had never experienced before, a freedom that came with making her own choices. She had chosen to be here, she had chosen to shirk the rules and listen to her instincts instead.

They kept riding until they had left any sign of human activity behind. When Xander finally came to a stop, it was in front of a massive, emerald forest that stretched off into eternity.

“Is it safe here?” Savannah asked, looking around at the wild trees. She could sense that the forest was crawling with wildlife, and any number of dangerous creatures.

“You’ll be safe with me,” Xander replied.

Savannah glanced at him. His reply hadn’t really answered her question, but it suggested something Savannah couldn’t quite wrap her head around. She pushed away her frantic thoughts and moved toward the trees behind Xander.

He led her into a thicket of firs. Savannah had to reach out for one of them to support her climb. The moment she touched the tree, a flash of light shot across her eyes and she saw something. It was a passing vision, a bolt of lightning shaped in the image of a large, feral animal.

“Savannah?” Xander called. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Savannah replied. “I just…got a little light headed.”

She had experienced visions like that before, glimpses that weren’t really visions at all, more like flashes of images that she could barely hold on to. Sometimes she didn’t even understand them herself, they were so fast and so bright and so filled with hidden meaning.

“Do you need help?” Xander asked.

“No,” Savannah answered quickly. “I’m all right.”

They walked through a forest that seemed to grow successively higher as they went. Savannah could feel the air thinning as they moved. It was not something anyone else might sense, but she’d had a lifetime of distinguishing even the smallest shifts in atmospheres.

As they climbed higher, Savannah began to detect new scents. There was oak, cinnamon, and the perfumes that came from the wild flowers growing on the hilltops. There were also the many-toned layers coming from a variety of animal scents. Savannah wrinkled her nose as she came across a smell completely foreign to her. It was the scent she had noticed from her room on her first day in town.

“Something the matter?” Xander asked.

“No,” Savannah said quickly. “Are there a lot of animals in these woods?”

“Yes,” Xander said shortly.

“Do you have deer?”

Xander nodded. “Deer and elk, both.”

“What about wolves?” Savannah asked.

She noticed he glanced at her before he spoke, but she didn’t know why. “There are rumors of a small wolf population.” Xander nodded. “But no one has spotted a wolf in years.”

“You think they’re just rumors?” Savannah asked.

“People like a good story.” Xander smiled. “And they feed into the old legends, so it’s convenient.”

“Old legends?” Savannah asked with interest.

“This town is rife with them,” Xander said with a wave of his hand. “Apparently the founder of this town was a witch who sold spells and curses for money. There are legends of vampires hiding in these very forests, and young girls who mated with wolves in order to breed a stronger, more powerful generation.”

Savannah raised her eyebrows. “That sounds…”

“Insane?” Xander offered.

“I was going to say fascinating.”

“That’s one word for it,” Xander said with a shrug. “If you ask me, we should forget the legends and focus on the present.”

As he said the words he walked through a massive clearing, surrounded by trees. In its center was a clear blue lake that reflected the silver clouds hanging over them. Savannah could only stare, amazed at how perfect everything looked.

“This is…amazing,” she said. “Do people know about this place?”

“If they did it would be crawling with them,” Xander said.

Savannah moved closer toward the water, and this time it was Xander who had to keep up with her. She felt as though her senses had come alive, surrounded by all the raw, wild nature. So many of her senses were hit with information that she could barely separate them. Beside her, Xander’s aura grew brighter as though the environment was feeding into him, giving him more energy and more strength.

“How long have you known about this place?” Savannah asked.

“As long as I could remember,” Xander replied. “My mother used to bring me here when I was a boy.”

Savannah sensed sadness waft from him at the mention of his mother, and she instinctively knew she'd died some time ago. She glanced from Xander to the immense pool of silver-blue water, so clear she could see little fish swimming in it, just beneath the surface. When she bent over, she saw her reflection, as though she were staring into a mirror.

Her hair had been tossed about by the unruly wind, but she thought her eyes looked brighter, more alive than they ever had before. They were certainly bluer than she had ever seen them. A moment later, Xander’s reflection appeared next to hers, and it was impossible to take her eyes from it. Savannah felt like a pale shadow next to his unadulterated beauty.

“Are you ready?” Xander asked as he came to stand beside her.

Savannah looked up at him in surprise. “Ready for what?”

“A swim?” he asked as though it was obvious. “It would be a shame not to make use of this big, lonely lake.”

Savannah turned to Xander in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

Xander nodded. “Of course.”

“I can’t,” Savannah said, and she backed away from the water.

“Why?” Xander demanded.

“Because…well, because I don’t have a swimsuit with me,” Savannah said, feeling as if she’d won the upper hand.

Xander raised his eyebrows. “You’re wearing underwear, aren’t you?” he said simply. “That’ll work just as well.”

Savannah stared at him for a moment. “You are serious.”

Xander nodded as he stared her down, challengingly. “I am. If you really don’t want to get in I won’t force you,” he continued calmly. “But if you do, then don’t let the little things stop you. Stop worrying about the cold, your doubt, or your parents. Just do what you want.”

It sounded so simple when he said it like that, Savannah was forced to sit back and consider what it was she really wanted.

“Savannah,” Xander’s voice was gentle. “What do you want?”

Savannah took a deep breath. She was tumbleweed, that’s what she had always been. She went wherever her parents decided they would go. Decisions were so often left up to other people that Savannah rarely got a word in edgewise. Faced with Xander’s searching grey eyes and the picturesque little haven she found herself in, Savannah was forced to come to terms with the fact that she no longer wanted to be tumbleweed. 

She wanted to be in charge of her own life. She wanted to make her own decisions. If they ended up being mistakes, then that was her right.

Savannah looked up at Xander with conviction. “I want to swim.”

 

Chapter Five

 

Xander smiled. “Go on then,” he said, and Savannah sensed the dare in his tone.

She took a deep, steadying breath and then she pulled her shirt off, unzipped her jeans, and pulled those off, too. She didn’t turn back or glance at Xander because she didn’t want her courage to give way when she was almost there. She faced the clear, blue water in front of her, and without allowing herself to hesitate for even a moment, jumped into the lake.

Instantly, the icy water hit her from all sides, and cold seeped into her body. She wrapped her arms around herself and turned to face Xander. “It’s cold,” she said, her teeth chattering as she spoke.

“Give it a minute.” Xander smiled.

“Are you coming in?” Savannah asked. “Or are you scared?”

He laughed--the sound was like a peal of brass bells. For the first time in years, Savannah was actually grateful for her hearing aid, as she wouldn't   have wanted to miss out on that sound. She watched as Xander peeled off his shirt. Her breath caught as she stared at him.

A number of thin scars that stretched across his torso stood in marked contrast to the pale smoothness of his skin. When he turned, Savannah saw a large tattoo on his back, just under his neck. It was the image of a wolf howling at the moon, framed by several larger and more violent-looking scars, most of which looked very new. When Xander turned, he noticed her preoccupation.

Without a word, he pushed off his pants until he was standing in nothing but dark boxers. He came to the edge of the lake and stared down at Savannah, his grey eyes burning. “Do you like my tattoo?” he asked casually, as though it was completely inconsequential.

“It’s beautiful,” Savannah admitted honestly. “But I was focused more on the scars.”

Xander smiled. “I fall down a lot.”

Savannah glared at him. “That’s not funny.”

Xander shrugged. “I thought so.”

Without another word, he jumped into the lake beside her until he was completely submerged except for his head and shoulders. Droplets of water hung off his dark hair, making it look like he was wearing a crown of diamonds on his head. His eyes looked like silver amethysts dancing under the combined light of the sun reflecting against the water.

Savannah felt her pulse quicken, but she kept the distance that lay between them. “I came up here with you,” she reminded him. “I jumped into a freezing cold lake with you. The least you can do is tell me where you got those scars.”

Xander’s eyes grew serious, and he looked carefully at Savannah. “Haven’t you ever had a secret?” he asked.

“Not really,” Savannah said. “And even if I did, I’ve never had friends to share it with.”

Xander eyes warmed as she spoke, as though he appreciated her honesty. Savannah was too cold and too curious to be shy about the fact that she had little experience with friends, and even less experience with boys like Xander.

“I have a secret,” Xander said.

Savannah nodded. “I know.” She had sensed it from the moment she had seen him. The secret was in his strange and bright aura, and in those haunting grey eyes that said so little and so much all at the same time.

“Can you guess?” Xander asked.

“I don’t want to.”

“The reason I have these scars…is because of my father,” Xander said.

Savannah looked at him with wide eyes. “What?”

“He had a fiery temper,” Xander continued, “and I was usually the thing he took it out on.”

“You’re not a thing,” Savannah said in disbelief.

“He didn’t see it the same way,” Xander replied.

He swam closer toward her. Savannah knew that if she reached out a fraction she'd be able to touch him. She kept her hands wrapped around her body for warmth as the cold didn’t seem like it was going to lessen any time soon.

“You’re still cold,” Xander said. He reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her to him, engulfing her with his entire body. Savannah felt an instantaneous heat hit her. 

“How are you not cold?” Savannah asked.

“I’m used to it,” Xander replied.

“And the tattoo?” Savannah asked, trying to distract herself from how close his lips were to hers. “What does it symbolize?”

“My freedom,” Xander replied, “and my independence.”

“From what?”

“Everything that would threaten to keep me down or hold me back,” he answered.

“Does it have something to do with your father?” Savannah asked cautiously.

Xander nodded. “It does, but it’s so much more than that.”

It was so easy to be with him. Savannah realized this was the first time since her days in Africa she'd felt anything close too normal. There was a moment there when she had actually forgotten about her disability, and she was no longer the new, deaf girl who had just moved into town, she was just a girl spending time with a boy.

“Do you have any tattoos?” Xander asked.

Savannah laughed. “Me?”

“There’s no one else here.”

“I’m not the type of girl who gets tattoos,” Savannah replied, coloring slightly.

“What type is that?” Xander asked, raising his eyebrows.

“The safe type,” Savannah said, feeling self-conscious and very aware of how close their bodies were, pressed together in the water. “You know the kind: the boring type, the type who always follows the rules and does what she’s told."

Xander nodded. “Is that what you are?” he asked. “Or is that what you feel you have to be?”

“I…don’t know,” Savannah said honestly.

“Maybe you should figure it out,” Xander said, and there was an almost commanding note in his tone. “Because that’s certainly not what I see.”

“What do you see?” Savannah asked.

“I see a girl who feels trapped,” Xander said. “I see a girl who wants to break free and live her own life.”

Savannah looked at Xander carefully, trying to figure out how he had understood all this about her when she had barely begun to understand anything about him. “I'd like to believe that,” Savannah said. “But I’m not as brave as you might think.”

“You’re here, aren’t you?” he said. “You’re here with me.”

“I…yes.”

“So maybe you’re not as safe and boring as you think you are,” Xander suggested.

“Are you insinuating that you’re not a safe choice, then?” Savannah asked.

Xander smiled. “That’s up to you to decide.”

Savannah found herself getting lost in those eyes. She hadn’t been this close up against him before, and she was starting to realize his eyes held more than just grey. There were blues and greens, browns and reds; it was as though the colors of the forest were reflected in those cool, pearly eyes.

“I think you're dangerous,” Savannah said, mostly to herself. “Very dangerous.”

A slow smile spread across Xander’s face and Savannah thought she saw a flash of something streak across Xander’s eyes, making them seem almost beast-like. “Good,” he said, and then he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. 

Savannah felt instant heat spread through her body, yet it wasn’t an unpleasant heat. Rather, it was vibrant, passionate, and filled with unmistakable desire. Savannah felt her body melt into the hard stone of his, and for the first time since she'd met him, she felt truly scared.

His lips were gentle on hers at first, but then grew steadily more urgent. Savannah knew she should pull away, stop him before this went too far, but what she knew and what she wanted were two completely separate things. His arms were strong around her body and his heat radiated across her skin making her feel unbelievably warm in the cold lake water.

She sensed his aura, spitting and hissing like a feral animal, she tasted it in Xander’s lips, she felt it in his arms, smelled it on him. When he finally drew away from her, Savannah was breathless and light headed, her thoughts reeling with a thousand different theories, none of which made any sense to her.

Her eyes saw flashes of light that contained short images that seemed to tell a story, but she could not slow them down enough to understand or decipher them. She stared into Xander’s eyes and they were completely unfathomable.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” Savannah replied.

“You look a little…shaky,” he said slowly, as though he was trying to figure her out, too. That, at least, gave Savannah some measure of comfort. If he remained a mystery to her, then she hoped she would be as difficult to decipher.

“Come on,” Xander said as he led her from the pool onto the shady bank underneath a massive tree. The shade provided some measure of coverage, but it was still cold.

“Sit down,” Xander directed.

The moment Savannah sat down, Xander slipped into place behind her, and wrapped his arms around her like a human blanket. Again, Savannah felt that tickling sense of warmth that was becoming familiar to her. It was a heat that seemed to radiate on her skin and inside her as well.

“We’ll be dry soon,” Xander assured her. “Then I can take you home.”

Savannah didn’t say anything. She didn’t mind sitting there a little longer. If she were being honest, she wouldn’t have minded spending the next few hours sitting beneath that tree with Xander’s arms wrapped around her, and her own senses rose to match the elated euphoria that surrounded her. She felt strangely exhilarated, as though she had jumped off a mountain and learnt she could fly.

“This place is perfect,” Savannah whispered. “People hike in this town, don’t they?”

Xander nodded. “They do.”

“Then how come no one has discovered this place apart from you?”

“There are marked hiking trails in the town,” Xander explained. “Hikers follow the trails; they don’t travel off course.”

“Never?”

“It’s happened once or twice,” Xander admitted. “But it’s a little dangerous to veer off the designated trail.”

“Why?”

“Because of the wolves.”

Savannah craned her neck back to glance at Xander. “I thought you said there were no wolves?”

“I said they hadn’t been seen in years,” Xander replied. “That doesn’t mean they’re not still around.”

Savannah felt a pinprick of fear in her gut. “Then should we be here at all?” she asked.

“Probably not,” Xander replied.

Savannah supressed a smile. “You’re not one for following the rules, are you?”

Xander was looking out into the lake. He seemed far away, immersed in thought. “You’d be surprised,” he said vaguely.

“What does that mean?” Savannah asked.

“It means things are more complicated in this town than you would believe,” Xander replied. He got up, then pulled Savannah up to her feet. “We should get going. It’ll be dark soon, and we shouldn’t still be in the woods.”

“Okay,” Savannah said. She stood and started to put on her clothes. She hated the thought of leaving the clearing, but she sensed the shift in Xander’s temperament. He was a little quieter, a little more watchful. There was no indication of this in his manner, but Savannah sensed it from his aura. She wanted to ask him about it, but knew he'd only avoid the question.

They walked down the trail back to where Xander had left his motorcycle, and then took her home. It was almost dark when they reached the house, but the lights were all on, so Savannah knew both of her parents were home. She got off the bike and passed the spare helmet back to Xander.

“Thank you,” she said, “for taking me to the clearing today.”

His expression was calm and serious, but he nodded in response. “I can pick you up tomorrow for school,” he said.

 “Okay,” Savannah said, without hesitation.

He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. Again that familiar sense of heat rushed through her body in a slow burn.

“Goodnight, Savannah,” he said, before he turned his bike around and disappeared in a fog of smoke and dust. Savannah watched until he disappeared from sight. She still didn't understand him. For the first time, her senses seemed to be either blocked or confused.

One thing she knew for certain--this was no normal town.

And Xander was no normal boy.

 

Chapter Six

 

Savannah woke up earlier than necessary the next morning. She washed, put on her favorite pair of blue jeans, and paired it with a white knit sweater. She let her earthy brown hair hang loose around her face so that her hearing aid was completely hidden from view, grabbed her bag, and headed downstairs.

“Savannah?” her mother called from the kitchen.

Savannah followed the direction of her voice. “Morning, Mum,” she said. She spotted her father at the coffee maker. “Morning, Dad.”

“Morning, buttercup,” her father said with a wide smile. “You’re up a little earlier than usual. I’ll be done with my coffee in five, then I can take you to school.”

“Umm…I’m getting a ride, actually,” Savannah said hesitantly.

“You are?” her mother asked, setting down the newspaper in her hands. “You made some new friends?”

Savannah rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to sound so excited, Mum,” she said. “And I haven’t made friends, I made a friend, as in singular.”

“What’s her name?” her father asked. He was sitting at the breakfast table, coffee in hand.

“It’s a he,” Savannah replied, bracing herself for their reaction. “And his name is Xander.”

“Oh?” her mother said with renewed interest.

Her father’s smile grew wider and more teasing. “Xander, huh?” her father said. “He sounds like a hoodlum.”

She shot her father a glare and he chuckled in response. “I’m only teasing,” he said. “Sit down and have some breakfast before he gets here.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Eat something anyway,” her mother said, using her stern voice.

Savannah glanced at the time, but she sat down anyway, and took an apple from the fruit bowl sitting in the center of the table. Even without her heightened intuitiveness, Savannah would have been able to tell how curious her parents were. She knew they were trying to be calm and cool for her benefit, but she also sensed sense how surprised and happy they were that she had met someone.

Savannah wondered if their enthusiasm would falter if they knew about Xander’s motorbike. She decided she didn’t want to test them, so she took a bite of the apple to appease her mother, and rose from the table.

“You know what? I think I’ll wait for him outside.”

“Someone’s excited,” her mother said with a knowing smile.

“She is, isn’t she?” her father piped in. “Even her eyes seem a little bluer today.”

Savannah groaned at their easy back and forth.

“I noticed,” her mother said. She turned to Savannah. “Is he good looking?”

“Mum!” Savannah said. “I’m not excited.  I just don’t want you guys embarrassing me, okay? I’ll see you guys after school.”

She left her parents in the kitchen and walked outside. She knew it was a little early, but she figured that if she walked down the road and waited a little, she'd see Xander coming on his bike. She was standing at the side of the road for five minutes when Xander showed up. He was wearing jeans, too, with a jacket thrown over a dark hoodie. He looked so carelessly handsome that Savannah had to remind herself to be calm.

“Hi,” he greeted, removing his helmet.

“Hi,” Savannah replied.

“Why are you standing all the way over there?”

“I thought this would be a good place to wait for you,” Savannah said.

Xander smiled. “You didn’t want your parents seeing me, did you?”

Savannah sighed. She should have known he’d see through her tory in an instant. “It was more that I didn’t want them seeing the bike.”

“Not motorbike enthusiasts then?”

“Not when their daughter is riding one,” Savannah said. She put on the spare helmet and climbed into place behind Xander.

They sped through the lonely streets of Grey Mountain, and Savannah closed her eyes, enjoying the wind blasting into her face. There was a sense of freedom in riding that you simply could not get any other way, and she understood why people loved bikes so much. It was possibly the closest thing to flying a person could get on land.

They arrived outside Grey Mountain High faster than Savannah would have liked. She hopped off the bike and passed her helmet over to Xander.

“You enjoyed that didn’t you?” Xander asked.

“I did.”

“More than yesterday,” Xander stated.

“How can you tell?” Savannah asked.

“It’s in your eyes,” he said simply. “You’re letting go a little--it’s a good thing. It means you’ll enjoy things more.”

Savannah was about to say something when a hit of hostility flew in her direction and she was suddenly aware of a number of eyes at her back. Apparently Xander had noticed something, too, because his back straightened tensely and his eyes narrowed infinitesimally. Savannah glanced around and noticed that Marissa was on the other side of the grounds with the same group of girls that had surrounded her the previous day.

She was not looking directly at Savannah or Xander, but Savannah knew they had been spotted, and that no one was happy about the fact they'd shown up at school together. She turned back to Xander. “I met Marissa yesterday,” she said, trying to sound casual. “Is she a friend of yours?”

Xander nodded. “She is.” “We’ve known each other for a very long time.”

“How long are we talking?” Savannah asked.

“Our parents were friends growing up,” Xander replied.

Savannah raised her eyebrows and glanced back at Marissa again. She had her back turned to them and all Savannah was able to see was the glossy, bright sheen of her blonde hair, combined with the brightness of her flaming aura.

“You aren’t…related to her, are you?” Savannah asked.

“No,” Xander said wrinkling his brows together. “What makes you think we are?”

“Nothing, really,” Savannah said. “It’s just that you guys seem to have certain…similarities. I don’t mean just you and Marissa, I mean the group of friends you have, too.”

Xander’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You think we’re all…alike?”

“Not alike,” Savannah hastened to clarify. “Just that you all seem to be very…similar.”

“In what way?” he pressed.

“I…I can’t describe it,” Savannah said, just as the first bell sounded off. She turned back to Xander. “My first class is history.”

“I have chemistry.”

“Okay, then…I guess I’ll see you afterwards?”

Xander nodded distractedly, as though he wasn’t really paying attention to what she was saying even though he was looking directly at her.

“Thank you for the ride here,” Savannah said, trying to figure out what was on his mind. She sensed the doubt in his aura and she wondered where it was coming from.

He nodded once in response, and then walked into Grey Mountain High without a backward glance. Savannah brushed off the strange moment and made her way to her first class. She walked through the door to find herself face to face with Marissa.

To Savannah’s amazement, Marissa gave her a smile. “Hello, Savannah,” she said. “How was your first day of school?”

“I…it was…nice,” Savannah said, stumbling over her words a little.

“The girls and I wanted to welcome you to Grey Mountain by taking you out yesterday, but you disappeared right after school ended,” she said. She was smiling pleasantly, but Savannah could sense an undercurrent to that smile. “Anyway, we’re going hiking this evening and we were hoping you would join us?”

Savannah was more than a little taken aback by the sudden turnaround, but she was forced to admit she was sorely tempted to accept. Still, she could not forget Marissa’s threat the previous day, which was still fresh in her mind.

“Considering I joined mid-term, I have lots of work to catch up on,” Savannah said. “I don’t think I can spare the time.”

“Oh, come on,” Marissa said. “I’ve looked at your transcripts, Savannah. You're a straight A student with a squeaky clean record. You’re probably ahead of all of us.”

“You’ve seen my transcripts?”

“My mother’s the principal,” Marissa said with a wink. “And she doesn’t always lock her office door.”

“Listen, it’s nice of you to offer--”

“I get why you’re a little…hesitant,” Marissa interrupted. “And I’m sorry about yesterday. I know I came on a little…strong-- I can be like that sometimes. But it’s only because I care about Xander. He got out of a bad relationship recently and he got his heart broken, and I don’t want to see that happen to him again. Still, it was wrong of me to make assumptions about you.”

Savannah wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion. “What makes you think he’s even interested in me?” Savannah asked. “I’d only just walked onto campus. We hadn’t even said two words to each other at the time.”

“When you’ve known someone for as long as Xander and I have known each other, you just sense things,” Marissa said. Savannah felt a little jolt at her choice of words. “I saw the way he looked at you yesterday and I just knew.”

“Knew what?”

“That he liked you,” Marissa replied calmly.

“So this has nothing to do with the fact that you and Xander are--”

“Oh, God, no,” Marissa said, laughing as she tossed her beautiful blonde hair away from her face. “He’s not my boyfriend and he never has been.” It was impossible for Savannah not to believe her. “So are we good now?” she asked. “Can we put this bit of awkwardness behind us?”

“I…sure,” Savannah said, biting down on her doubts and throwing them to the wind.

“Excellent,” Marissa said, looking genuinely happy. “Then it’s settled. Come on, I saved you a seat next to us.”

She led Savannah to the back row of the classroom where three other girls were sitting. “This is Bianca,” she said, pointing to a skinny, dark-skinned girl with brown hair, brown eyes, and exotic features.               “This is Meryl,” Marissa said, looking toward the girl with unsettling jet-black hair, and large brown eyes.

“Finally, this is Suzanna,” Marissa introduced, nodding towards the short blonde girl with soft blue eyes, and freckles lining the bridge of her nose. “But everyone calls her Zanna.”

“Hi,” Savannah replied as they smiled at her.

“You wear a hearing aid, don’t you?” Meryl asked bluntly.

“Geez, Meryl,” Marissa said.

“What?” Meryl asked defensively. “I’m just asking a question.”

“No, it’s okay,” Savannah said quickly. “I don’t mind talking about it. Yes, I wear a hearing aid. I was born deaf.”

“Born deaf?” Zanna said with raised eyebrows. “That must have been hard.”

“Not really,” Savannah said with a shrug. “You don’t miss what you've never had.”

“But you can hear us fine, now?” Meryl asked.

Savannah nodded. “Because of my hearing aid, but even without it, I’m really good at reading lips.”

“Does that mean you know sign language?” Bianca asked.

Savannah nodded. “I could sign before I could speak.”

“Wow!” Meryl exclaimed. “And when did you start to hear sound?”

“Around the time I was fitted with my first hearing aid.”

“How old were you?” Zanna asked.

“Seven.”

“And how–"

“Guys!” Marissa interrupted. “Don’t make her feel like a monkey in the zoo. Let’s change the subject, shall we?”

The girls exchanged glances. “Sorry,” Zanna smiled. “We can get a little carried away sometimes.”

“No, that’s all right,” Savannah said quickly.

“In the spirit of changing the subject, how are you finding Grey Mountain, Savannah?” Bianca asked.

“I like it,” Savannah replied. “It’s different from any other place I’ve been to.”

“I bet.” Zanna laughed. “It’s boring as hell.”

They fell into an easy chatter and Savannah found herself enjoying the company far more than she would have imagined. She had never been a part of a group of girls before, and she was starting to understand what it was about. There was a camaraderie there that she had not experienced before. It made her feel like she belonged somewhere--it was a heady feeling.

Especially considering she had never felt as if she really belonged anywhere.

Chapter Seven

Savannah spent the rest of the day with Marissa and the girls. By the time the last bell had finally rung, any doubt she had about them were gone. They left school together, and Savannah couldn’t help but look around for Xander.

“Savannah?” Marissa’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Are you ready?”

“Oh, sure,” Savannah nodded. She got into the white car with the rest of the girls. “Do you hike often?” she asked as they started driving away from the high school.

Bianca nodded. “Almost every week together. Sometimes more when we’re on our own.”

“Wow,” Savannah said in a breathy voice. “You guys are really into hiking, then?”

Marissa nodded from behind the steering wheel. “Very much. All our parents were really into hiking when we were growing up, and I guess it rubbed off.”

“Except mine,” Meryl piped in. “My parents hate nature. I don’t know why they chose to settle down in this town.”

Savannah smiled. “Do you guys follow the regulated hiking paths?”

Zanna nodded. “We used to when we first started hiking together, but now we go off on our own a lot of the time. We know those woods like the backs of our hands.”

“Really?”

“Have you been to the glade yet?” Marissa asked. Her eyes caught Savannah’s in the rear-view mirror.

“The glade?” Savannah repeated, wondering if she should let on that Xander had taken her there.

“Yes…big clearing, high up on the mountains?” Marissa described. “There’s a perfect lake sitting in the center of it.”

Savannah nodded, having made a split-second decision. “I have been, actually.”

“Ah, so Xander did take you there.” Marissa smiled. “Well, it saves us from hiking all the way up there to show you. Did you like it?”

“It was perfect,” Savannah said. “I loved it.”

Savannah searched for some sense of jealousy or hostility coming from Marissa, but couldn’t seem to detect anything obvious. Her tone was calm and conversational, and the girls filled with car with a constant stream of chatter. It was the most noise Savannah had heard in a long time, and she couldn’t help but enjoy being at the center of it.

Marissa finally pulled up by the side of the road where a few parking spots had been drawn out for hikers. She parked the car and everyone got out, leaving all the books and bags in the vehicle.

“No one’s taking anything?” Savannah asked.

“We’ve got our cell phones on us,” Meryl replied. “That’s enough.”

“Do you have a cell phone?” Marissa asked.

“I do.” Savannah nodded as she patted her jeans pocket.

“Great.” Marissa smiled. “Then let’s get going.”

The trail was a little different from the one Savannah had traveled with Xander. It was less wild and less dangerous. There was a narrow, winding path that led up the hill, and far fewer trees, which meant there were far fewer animals as well.

Savannah struggled to keep up with the girls. Within the first five minutes it was obvious how practised they all were with hiking. They breezed up the first hill in a matter of minutes, leaving Savannah panting her way up, pain shooting up and down her sides.

“Guys, slow down,” Bianca said from the top. “Savannah isn’t as used to hiking as we are.”

They slowed down slightly, after Savannah was able to catch up faster. They kept walking for another half hour, and by the time the girls had finally decided to take a break, Savannah was truly exhausted. Her legs were hurting and she sat down with relief.

“I can’t believe you guys do every week,” she said, panting.

“You get used to it,” Zanna replied. “I would have thought you’d be okay, considering your hike with Xander yesterday--”

“Oh, I guess it was less strenuous than this one,” Savannah admitted.

“What else did you guys do?” Meryl asked.

“Nothing, really,” Savannah replied. “Just a short hike.”

Marissa was very quiet, and Savannah’s doubts started to creep back up to the surface. She looked up sharply and caught Marissa staring. She smiled slowly and her eyes softened, making Savannah wonder if she was just being paranoid.

“Savannah?” Marissa said, looking at her. “Do you like Xander?”

It was far more direct than Savannah had expected. Taken unawares she hesitated a little. “I…don’t know him all that well.”

“Yet you went off with him yesterday,” Marissa pointed out. “All alone.”

“Is there something I should know?” Savannah asked, uncomfortably aware of everyone’s eyes on her.

“This morning I told you only half the story,” Marissa said. “Xander is my friend. He did just get out of a bad relationship, and she did break his heart. What I didn’t mention was that he broke her heart right back.”

“What?”

Zanna spoke up before Marissa could. “What Marissa is trying to say is that Xander can be a little…temperamental. He can be a little…dangerous. He’s a typical bad boy and there’s no changing him. I’d be careful if I were you.”

“What exactly are you saying?” Savannah asked.

“The girl he was seeing? Her name was Zoe,” Marissa explained. “When she broke up with him? Well it hit him hard. He tried to convince her to take him back and when she refused, he got violent.”

“Violent?” Savannah gasped in disbelief.

“He didn’t actually hurt her,” Zanna clarified. “But he scared her pretty bad. She left town because of him.”

I looked around at all of them. “Is this true?”

Marissa sighed. “I’ve known Xander my whole life,” she said. “He’s a good guy, but he’s had a hard life. His father was…very volatile, and Xander suffered the most for it. It left him with…a few problems.”

Savannah remembered the scars etched across Xander’s chest and back and she felt a shiver run down her spine. She reminded herself of how fiery his aura had been, burning with passion and intensity. She had thought it had spoken more to his character than his temperament, but now she was not sure.

“I…I just can’t believe he would do something like that.” Savannah said.

“You yourself just said it, Savannah,” Marissa said with solemn eyes. “You don’t know him.”

I looked up at all of them, hoping that one person would refute the others and tell me it was a lie. I looked hard at Marissa, wondering if I should trust her. There was something about her that I simply could not place. She was like Xander in that way--they all were. All four girls had incredibly bright, burning auras, and she could sense something hidden beneath them, a motive that she was missing.

Savannah tried to make sense of it. If Marissa were jealous, she would have cause to taint Xander’s character so that Savannah would want to keep her distance, but why would her entire friend group be in on it, too, unless they were just that loyal.

“Savannah, I know this is a lot to process, but you need to understand that we’re looking out for you here,” Marissa said. “And Xander, too.”

“Perhaps he just needs someone to talk to,” Savannah said slowly.

“Don’t you think I’ve tried?” Marissa demanded. Savannah felt a wave of hostility billow towards her. She looked at Marissa and wondered if she had been blind to the obvious. Savannah wondered if she had let her desire to cloud her better judgement.

“Sometimes you just need to talk to a stranger,” Savannah said, wondering why she wasn’t backing down.

“He has me,” Marissa said. Savannah heard the possessiveness in her tone.

“He has all of us,” Meryl said, and Savannah heard the same note in her voice, too.

She realized that all four girls had auras tinged with hues of dark red and deep green. The wisps of color danced around them, taking the shapes of their bodies and making them seem otherworldly.

“We should get back home,” Savannah said standing up. “It’s getting late.”

She thought for a moment that they might prevent her from leaving, but then Marissa nodded in agreement. “Savannah’s right,” she said. “We should start heading back. Let’s take the East route, though--it’s faster.”

Savannah had no choice but to follow Marissa and the others on the alternative path. The comfortable contentment that had surrounded her that morning had disappeared in a puff of bitter smoke. She was starting to feel uneasy, and the difference in the girls’ auras was starting to bother her a little.

They walked for about fifteen minutes and before Savannah knew it, it was dark. She hadn’t realized how much time they had spent on the hike and on their talk atop the hills. The darker it got, the more pronounced the girls' auras became. Savannah had never seen anything so bright and wild before. It felt almost like a possession.

The girls raced ahead of her. This time no one looked back to see if she was keeping up with them. She tried calling after them, but no one seemed to be able to hear her. Panic started to kick in when she walked into something hard, and tripped over her own feet.

Savannah landed on the muddy forest floor, narrowly avoiding knocking her face against a sharp rock. She glanced up, breathing heavily, and realized the last spotlights of sunlight had disappeared and darkness had well and truly arrived. She also realized she was completely alone. The girls were nowhere in sight, and her senses were telling her that something dangerous was coming her way.

She reached for the cell phone in her pocket only to discover it was no longer there. She looked around, trying in desperation to see if she had dropped it in the fall, but it was nowhere to be seen. The wind picked up and on its tail came the same, strange scent Savannah had smelt from the window of her bedroom.

She froze in place and stared off into the dark trees. She saw nothing yet, but she sensed something was coming--a large animal, maybe more than one. Fear gripped at her throat and she could not bring herself to make a sound. She turned on the spot, trying to find some way out of this, but all she saw were the silhouettes of trees against a great canvas of black.

Then she heard it, a scraping, scratching sound that promised pain. It was a rasping, clawing, grating sound that had the hairs on the back of Savannah’s neck standing at attention. She saw its eyes first--they looked almost red, but as it came closer, she realized they weren’t red at all. They were a stony, steely blue that had an intelligence Savannah couldn't even begin to fathom.

She could only stare at it in shock and fear before she realized that the beast was not alone. Behind it, Savannah spied three more pairs of bright eyes, all of which narrowed, hungrily, in her direction. They moved forward, together, in beautiful synchronization. The light of the moon hit them all at once, and Savannah’s breath stilled as her body grew cold.

They were mammoth, larger than she had ever seen before. They were beautiful, terrifying monsters, and Savannah knew she was completely and hopelessly trapped.

“Wolves,” she whispered, knowing that no one would hear her.

 

Chapter Eight

 

They stared at her calmly, and Savannah felt almost as though she were being studied. She took a step back, and a low rumble of growls went up among the wolves. The largest wolf bared its teeth, and Savannah froze.

Slowly, the wolf at the head of the pack started moving forward, toward her. It was so deliberate a move that Savannah's fear increased, tenfold. She sensed she was not dealing with normal wolves here, and that something was very, very wrong. She could feel it too, that these wolves were playing a game, and she was stuck in the center of it.

She felt a chill run down her back when she realized the wolves had surrounded her. She had been so focused on the largest one standing in front of her, that she hadn’t even noticed how quickly they had moved to encircle her, closing ranks so that she had nowhere to run.

“This isn’t right,” she whispered to herself. “This isn’t normal.”

The blue eyed wolf in front of her starting growling fiercely, and Savannah had no choice but to stand there, still and silent, with no way of defending herself. The animal’s teeth were long and large; they glinted threateningly under the light of the moon. The wolf advanced, and Savannah felt the other wolves mimic the leader’s movements.

The wolf in front of her hunched down into a position of attack, and Savannah knew she was staring death in the face. She closed her eyes, having no alternative left.

Then there was a howl, and Savannah turned toward it to see a massive creature speeding through the trees towards them. For a moment she thought it was coming straight for her, but then the creature changed course and flew at the wolves that had encircled her.

Savannah tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground as she searched for the mammoth form of her unlikely saviour. She stared in shock when she realized it was another wolf. This one was the largest of the lot, but it didn’t seem remotely interested in her. It snapped its jaws and growled in fury at the other four wolves in the dense little clearing.

With howls of defeat, the four smaller wolves took off into the dark night, leaving behind the gigantic, russet-brown wolf. The animal's back was to her, and Savannah wanted to take the opportunity to flee in the other direction, but the moment she stood up the wolf turned slowly, its eyes fixed on her with a deadly calm. For one frantic moment she considered that this wolf had tried to protect her, but now she was starting to believe it had simply chased away the competition.

Savannah froze in place as she sensed something familiar. She stared at the massive wolf in front of her and its eyes caught hers. It was almost as though she recognized the creature. Without thinking, she took a step forward, and moonlight fell directly onto the animal. Its eyes were haunting pools of silver-grey and Savannah gasped as realization dawned.

“Xander?” she whispered.

The air changed, and Savannah felt something was about to happen. The wolf began to shiver, slowly at first, but then more violently. Suddenly the beast transformed into a man right before her eyes, and Savannah found herself facing Xander, completely naked, and seeming completely unaware of what had happened.

“Xander?” Savannah gasped. “Did that just happen?”

“This is not the place or the time for explanations,” he replied. “Let’s get you out of here…now!”

Savannah didn’t argue. Instead, she followed Xander through the forest until they came upon his bike, camouflaged between a thicket of shrubs and bushes. She got on behind him and they sped through the forest until they reached a little cabin, hidden in a dense and concealed part of the woods. Xander set his bike aside and led Savannah into the cabin.

It was only once they were inside that Savannah felt a little calmer. The cabin had a rustic charm about it. There was a big sofa in the center facing the fireplace, and a table with chairs beside the cabin’s large, generous windows.

“Why don’t you sit down?” Xander suggested.

“I don’t want to sit down,” Savannah said, turning to him. “I want to know what just happened out there.”

“Why on earth did you go off alone with Marissa and the other girls?” Xander demanded.

The heat of his words took Savannah back, “I…please…are you trying to say that…every one of you can…turn into wolves?”

Xander stared at her for a moment, then he sighed deeply. “Just sit down, Savannah. I’ll get you something hot to drink.”

“I don’t want anything to drink.”

Xander came up close to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He was so close that Savannah could smell every scent that perfumed his body. He smelt of oak and earth, of fire and sweat. He smelled like an animal and a man at the same time.

“You’re in shock,” Xander said slowly. “Your body needs rest or you’re going to pass out. I will tell you anything you need to know, but first, I’m going to need you to sit down and drink something.”

Savannah felt the weight of his words, but she felt the weight and passion of his aura more potently. She sat back on the sofa and moments later Xander brought her some hot coffee. He sat down beside her and gazed at her with searching eyes.

“Did they hurt you?” he asked as Savannah sipped the coffee.

“I…no, no,” Savannah stammered. “They didn’t get a chance to.”

Xander nodded. “Are you cold? Do you need a blanket?”

“I’m fine,” Savannah said impatiently. “What I want is answers.”

Xander sat back. “Okay,” he said.

“The four wolves that surrounded me…that was Marissa…and Bianca, and Meryl, and Zanna, wasn’t it?” Savannah asked in a hushed voice.

“Yes.”

“And they can turn into wolves?”

“Yes.”

“And you can turn into a wolf?”

“Yes.”

Savannah took a moment to let that sink in. She felt light-headed, but it had more to do with the information she had just received than anything else.

“How is that possible?” she asked after a long pause.

“It just is,” Xander replied shortly.

“You’ll have to elaborate,” Savannah insisted.

“We are a part of an ancient breed of humans. We are a tribe that has the ability to morph into wolves. Different cultures call us by different names--werewolves, shifters, guardians--It's a part of the legend and the history of this town.”

“It’s true?” Savannah said breathily.

“Most of it's true.”

“You made me believe it was all nonsense,” Savannah reminded him.

“Would you have believed me if I told you the truth?”

“Why?” Savannah asked.

“Why?”

“Why do you turn into a wolf?” Savannah asked. “What's the purpose of morphing into an animal?”

“Of all the ancient terms used to describe us, we prefer the term Guardians,” Xander replied. “We came into being in order to protect those who could not protect themselves.”

Savannah stared into Xander’s pale grey eyes. Something didn’t make sense to her. “Marissa and the others…they belong to the same tribe?”

“Yes.”

“Then why were they trying to kill me tonight?” I demanded.

“They weren’t trying to kill you,” Xander said slowly. “They were trying to frighten you.”

“Why?”

Xander looked down at his hands for a moment before his eyes met Savannah’s again. “Because they need you to stay away from me,” he said.

Savannah sensed a whole host of different emotions coming from Xander’s aura. It was as though he couldn’t contain the intensity he was feeling. She was being sent so much information that she could only really understand half of it. She could feel anger, resentment, bitterness and pride. She could sense the overwhelming need to prove himself, contrasted against the desire to break free.

Savannah could feel a longing inside of him that teetered toward her, as though they were somehow connected. In becoming aware of Xander’s feelings, she suddenly become aware of her own. It felt very much as though they were bonded together, but there was no reasonable explanation for why. After all, they were virtual strangers to one another.

“Can you explain that to me?” Savannah asked.

“Every tribe that has ever existed since its inception has had a leader,” Xander started. “The leader of a wolf pack has a great responsibility, the greatest of which is to find a partner and produce the next generation. It is actually more than a responsibility--it's a calling, a sacred obligation that must be fulfilled.”

“Okay,” Savannah said, trying to understand.

“I am the next leader,” Xander said. “I am the next alpha.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“An alpha can only mate with one of his own kind,” Xander continued. “Meaning I can only mate and align myself with another shifter. Which means--”

“You can’t be with me,” Savannah said, finally understanding.

“Yes.”

“What will happen if you do?” she asked, frightened of the answer.

“I will be forced to leave you…at some point,” Xander said. “And if I don’t, they will find us both and break us apart, anyway.”

“They as in Marissa and the others?”

“No.” Xander shook his head. “The Elders.”

“The Elders?” Savannah repeated.

“They are the current ruling pack,” Xander explained. “But a new cycle is coming into place, and when it does, I will have to take over as alpha. When that happens, I will also be required…to take a bride.”

“You have to marry?” Savannah said incredulously.

“Yes.”

“But…you’re so young.”

He smiled, but it was a sad smile. “I know it sounds strange to someone on the outside, but it is the reality of my world and my people. I've grown up knowing that if I were to become the alpha I would have to marry young and have children.”

Savannah looked into his eyes and she saw the connection between them, clearer than anything she had ever experienced before. “I’m not insane, am I?” Savannah asked. “You feel this…bond that lies between us.”

“I felt it the moment I set eyes on you that day,” Xander said without hesitation. “It was the most powerful, most potent thing I have ever felt in my life.”

“Is that why you approached me in the library?”

“I was confused at first,” Xander admitted. “I felt as though I couldn’t trust my feelings. I needed to find out if it was all in my head, or if what I was feeling was real.”

“And what did you find out?” Savannah asked.

“I think you already know the answer to that,” Xander said simply.

Savannah looked down at her hands, because staring into those perfect grey eyes was just too painful. “I don’t know what this means.”

Xander reached out and took her hand. He brought it up to his lips and kissed it gently. “I don’t either, Savannah,” he said softly. “For the first time, I’m completely lost.”

“You can’t be with me?” Savannah asked.

“No, I can’t.”

“So that means the only alternative is to stay away from me,” Savannah pointed out.

“Yes.”

“Can you do that?”

Xander’s eyes were filled with turmoil. It was as though he were having a great internal battle within himself. “I have to try, for your sake and mine, but…”

“But?”

“I don’t think I can,” he said. “There is only one way.”

“What?” Savannah asked.

“You have to stay away from me,” Xander said. “If you can live your life and forget about me, I think I can respect your need to move on.”

Savannah knew what he was asking, but he was wrong in thinking she had more of a choice than he did. “You expect more from me than you do of yourself,” Savannah said. “That isn’t fair. I feel this connection as strongly as you do, if not more, and I can’t ignore it. If you don’t want to see me anymore, then you’ll have to make that decision, but I’m not going to stay away from you, because I don’t want to.”

Savannah knew what she had just done. She had drawn a line in the sand and now she had to wait and see if Xander would cross it.

 

Chapter Nine

 

Savannah saw the whole spectrum of emotion reflected in Xander’s eyes. She knew she was making this harder on him, but she didn’t care. For once in her life she knew unequivocally what she wanted, and she wasn’t about to let that go, simply because she had to follow the rules.

“I don’t know what to do with this feeling,” Xander said. “I can’t get rid of it.”

“Do you want to?” Savannah asked.

“I have to,” Xander said slowly. “We can't stay together, Savannah. They will not allow it.”

“The Elders?”

“Yes.” Xander nodded.

“Because I am not…a guardian…shifter, whatever it is that you are.”

“Yes.”

“Will that have such an impact on…things?” Savannah asked. She didn’t even have the words to ask the questions she needed answered. She felt as though she was grasping at straws, trying to figure out a new world that was completely foreign to her.

“Alpha’s are born from a pure breed line that goes back centuries,” Xander explained. “The first born child of the alpha will become the alpha, in turn. “Savannah wrinkled her brow in confusion. “So does that mean one of your parents is the current alpha?” she asked.

“Typically it would, but not in my case,” Xander replied. “My uncle is the current alpha and the foremost elder. He was the first child born to Philip, my grandfather, and Jasmine, my grandmother. My father was their second son. If my uncle had had children, then his first born child would have been alpha, but as it happens--”

“What about your father?” Savannah asked. “Shouldn’t he be next in line after you?”

Xander’s eyes grew weary and Savannah felt his body tense. “My father was banished from the tribe years ago,” he explained. “I haven’t seen him since I was a boy. Once a wolf has been banished, the next available successor is groomed for leadership.”

“And that’s you,” Savannah said.

“That’s me.” Xander's voice was heavy with responsibility.

“Is there any way you can…not be the alpha, if you didn’t want to be?” Savannah asked.

Xander shook his head. “It isn’t really a choice, it’s this in-built need to…lead, to want to serve. I don’t think I could fight it, even if I wanted to, in that way, at least. It's like my feelings for you.”

“It’s strange, isn’t it?” Savannah said softly. “This relationship between us. We’re strangers and yet--”

“It feels like we’ve known each other for years,” Xander finished for her. “I know.”

“Do you have an explanation for it?” Savannah asked.

“No.”

Savannah moved a little closer to Xander and she took his hand. “I don’t know what to do now,” she said honestly.

Xander stared at her for a moment with those clear, grey eyes, and then he leaned in and kissed her gently. Savannah felt a stirring within her. It was the strangest feeling, like she was finding herself and losing her soul in the same breath. It was the strangest mix of contradictions, and it left Savannah feeling exhilarated. It was better than riding a motorcycle, and it was better than flying.

Savannah felt Xander’s hands at her hips and back. She felt his fingers slip up her blouse. The feel of skin on skin made her shiver with desire. Then Xander broke away from her, his eyes filled with internal turmoil.

“No,” he said. “We can’t do this.”

“Xander--”

“You’re already in too much danger, Savannah,” Xander said. “I shouldn’t be making this worse.”

“What are you talking about?” Savannah asked in confusion.

“I haven’t told you the whole story,” Xander admitted.

“There’s more?”

“My father…he wasn’t a good man,” Xander said softly. “He was married to my mother. She was a tribal shifter whose ancestry went back generations, and everyone thought they were happy. They were married for four years before I was born.”

Savannah listened intently, waiting for everything to make sense to her.

“It was discovered later that my father had been having an affair. The woman was a shifter from another tribe, and the elders found out he had a son with this other woman. The boy’s name is Dominic Wilson, and he’s two years older than I am.”

Savannah stared at Xander for a moment. “He’s older than you?”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t that mean--?”

“No,” Xander interrupted. “He may be older, but he is not legitimate.”

“Have you met him?” Savannah asked.

“He came into town a few months ago,” Xander replied. “He came back to claim what he believes is his birth right.”

“He wants to be the alpha?”

Xander nodded. “Yes. If I refuse my role as Alpha, then the Council of Elders will be forced to make him alpha in my stead, and I can’t allow that to happen. Dominic is volatile and dangerous, he would destroy this tribe and everything it stands for.”

Savannah could sense how important the tribe was to him. He was a true leader, and she understood that he had a responsibility that trumped everything else, including her.

“I understand,” she said, taking his hand. “You have to protect your tribe.”

“I have to protect you as well,” Xander said immediately. “Dominic has been trying to find a way to attack me from the moment he got to Grey Mountain, and I don’t want him using you to get to me. Which is why--”

“You can’t see me anymore,” Savannah finished for him. She expected the words before they had left his mouth. “Is there no other way?”

“I was a fool for bringing you into this,” Xander said. “Even if Dominic wasn’t in the picture, I should have known the girls would be threatened. You don’t have to worry about them anymore. I’ll make sure they stay away from you.”

“I only wish you didn’t have to,” Savannah said, trying to contain the ache in her voice.

Xander cupped the side of her face with his hand. “You have no idea how much I wish the same,” he said. “But now, it’s time for me to take you home.”

Savannah grabbed his hand and held it to her chest as though it were a lifeline. “You can take me home, but before you do, can we just sit here together, for a few more minutes?”

Xander didn’t say a word. His response was to pull her toward him until she was resting against his broad chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and they lay like that, savouring the taste of silence, and the comfort of each other’s presence.

Savannah closed her eyes and breathed him in. She let his aura wash over her, committing every sense and scent to memory so that she might steal some small part of him. It was all she had. Memory was the only thing she would have left once Xander was gone.

 

Chapter Ten

 

“Morning, darling,” Savannah’s dad greeted as she walked into the kitchen the next morning. “Are you feeling better?”

“Feeling better?” Savannah repeated in confusion.

Her parents exchanged a glance and Savannah realized they had been talking about her just before she had entered the room. “Well…” her mother started cautiously, “you seemed a little down when you came home last night.”

“Oh,” Savannah said, unaware that she had been so transparent. “I’m fine. It’s just the stress of starting a new school…again. Anyway, I should be getting off now.”

“Whoa! Hold on,” her mother said. “It’s too early to leave yet, and you haven’t eaten anything.”

“I’m not hungry,” Savannah replied.

“Never mind,” her mother said. “Eat something anyway.”

“That's always the case, isn’t it?” Savannah flared up. “It doesn’t matter what I want or what I feel like, I should do it anyway! Have you ever stopped to consider how unfair you both are being?”

Her parents looked at her in shock, taken aback by the sudden outburst, but Savannah was not prepared to apologize just yet. “All of my life you’ve moved me from one place to another without ever stopping to consider my feelings. Did you ever ask me if I wanted to be a nomad who had no real home and no real friends?”

“Savannah--”

“I don’t want to hear that you know what’s best for me.” Savannah refused to let either one of them interrupt her. “Because it’s not true. I know what’s best for me, and I’m tired of being told what I should and should not do. I’m tired of following the rules and I’m tired of other people making decisions about my life.”

She descended into silence, and her parents kept looking at her with surprised but calm looks on their faces. Savannah sighed and shook her head. “You don’t get it.”

“Savannah,” Her mother’s voice was gentle. “We do get it. I know it doesn’t seem that way, but we understand how hard all this moving has been on you.”

“No, you don’t,” Savannah said. “You have each other. I don’t have anyone, no siblings and no friends I can talk to.”

“What about your new friend?” her father asked. “The one that picked you up for school yesterday?”

Savannah felt a stab of pain in her gut. “He’s not my friend,” she said. “We’re not friends.”

“Savannah,” her mother said. “Did something happen between the two of you?”

“Nothing happened,” Savannah snapped. “I just…I just…”

“Listen, kid,” her father said, “I get that you’re going through a lot, and I also understand that it's partially our fault, but if it’s any consolation, you’re eighteen now, and in a few months you’ll be graduating from Grey Mountain High, which means you’ll be the one calling the shots.”

“What if I want to move across the country?” Savannah asked.

“We will make it happen,” her father replied.

“What if I want to…move to Japan?”

“We will make it happen.”

“What if I wanted to live in an igloo in Antarctica?”

Her father gave her a small smile. “We will make that happen, too,” he said.

Savannah sighed. “Thank you.”

“Do you need a ride to school?” her mother asked, sensing the storm had passed, and Savannah’s mood had shifted back to calm.

“Yes, please,” Savannah said, nodding.

After her parents dropped her off, Savannah walked up the steps of Grey Mountain High without enthusiasm. It felt as though all the color had been drained from her world. Xander had told her he had no choice but to stay away from her, and Savannah didn’t doubt he would; he was stronger than she was.

She was at her locker swapping out her books when she noticed Marissa walking down the hall. Zanna was at her side, and they were in deep conversation. They were a few feet away when they noticed her, but neither girl slowed their pace. They shot her appraising looks of contempt before they simply breezed past her as though yesterday had never happened.

In the clear light of day, Savannah still found it hard to believe those girls had the ability to transform into wolves. It all seemed so…fantastical. It was the kind of thing that belonged in novels and movies. Savannah couldn’t help but keep an eye out for Xander, longing for the sight of him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Her first class of the day was biology, and the hour went by excruciatingly slow. When Savannah walked to her next class, she realized Marissa and all the girls were there, as well. They eyed her with muted hostility, and Savannah sensed the burn of jealousy waft toward her from where they sat. She chose the seat furthest from them, and kept her eyes firmly planted on the whiteboard in front of her.

She sensed their eyes on her, but she didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of turning around to let them know they were bothering her. She spent the entire class in a fog of thoughtful silence, and when the bell rang, she grabbed her books, and headed straight for the door. She sped to her locker and checked her timetable for the day. She had a history class in an hour, but the next period was free.

Savannah walked toward the library. She felt negative vibes aimed straight for her, but she didn’t pay them any attention. Now that she knew what they were, it didn’t bother her as much.

The library was still and empty, and Savannah uttered a silent prayer of thanks as she slipped between the shelves, trying to get lost in the sea of books.

“Did you enjoy your hike last night?”

Savannah spun around to come face to face with Marissa’s blue eyes. For a moment, she thought she saw the face of a wolf in place of Marissa’s stunning features. She was alone, free of the usual band of girls that surrounded her.

“Did you enjoy yours?” Savannah demanded, refusing to be pushed into a corner.

Marissa smiled. “I did, actually, But I was unfortunately interrupted--”

“Is that a hobby of yours?” Savannah demanded. “Luring newcomers into the woods under the pretext of friendship, and then trying to scare them to death?”

“It’s an acquired taste,” Marissa joked, but her eyes were stone cold.

“I did nothing to you,” Savannah reminded her.

“I told you to stay away from Xander,” Marissa said, narrowing her eyes.

“Yeah, well, I’m trying this new thing where I don’t listen to everything everyone else tells me,” Savannah retorted. “I heard you, but I decided to make my own decision.”

“Hence the little hiking trip,” Marissa said.

“All that stuff about Xander and his ex-girlfriend, that was all a lie, wasn’t it?” Savannah asked. “He was never violent, and he was never a danger to anyone.”

“Of course not,” Marissa said. “Xander is…well, Xander.”

Savannah caught the subtle note of warmth when Marissa said his name, and she suddenly understood why Marissa was so much more passionate about everything than any of the other girls. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Savannah said.

Marissa looked taken aback. Her expression froze in place, but then anger and annoyance flooded back into her features. “He’s my friend,” she said, refusing to admit it.

“I can sense it, Marissa,” Savannah said. “I was so preoccupied with my own feelings that I didn’t realize it at first. This isn’t just about you being a tribal shifter, this is about more than you being ancestrally and genetically perfect for Xander. You want to be with him, not because you have to, but because you want to.”

Marissa’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t know me.”

“Actually I know more than you think,” Savannah said with conviction.

“What does that mean?” Marissa asked.

“It means…you have your gifts, and I have mine,” Savannah said.

Marissa looked at Savannah with a sudden confusion that turned quickly to suspicion. She took a step closer. “You are not fit to marry an alpha of the Fire tribe. You are not fit to be his wife or bear his children. The best thing you can do for Xander is to stay away from him. He has a calling, one that transcends me and you.”

Savannah stared at Marissa. “I know,” she said at last.

“What?” Marissa said in shock.

“I know,” Savannah replied again. “Xander explained all this to me last night. He also explained why we couldn’t possibly be together.”

“He’s…not going to see you anymore?” Marissa asked.

Savannah sighed. “No, he’s not, so this conversation is really unnecessary.”

Marissa’s anger seemed to instantly fade. Her eyes and her aura lost some of its fiery burn, though it was still beautifully bright. She processed what was obviously new information to her, nodded, then turned to leave the library.

“Marissa?” Savannah called out before she left.

Marissa turned and looked back over her shoulder.

“He’s going to keep away from me, and I will respect that,” Savannah said. “He’s made his choice to be the alpha, and that means he will have to choose one of you to marry one day, but don’t you dare think, for one minute, that this is a victory. Whether he marries Bianca, Meryl, Zanna or you, it won’t be because he wants to, and it won’t be because he loves you--any one of you.”

Chapter Eleven

 

Savannah raced out of Grey Mountain High the moment the bell sounded. She had no desire to be there any longer than she had to be. She had told her parents that she would get a ride back home, but the truth was she just wanted to walk by herself to let her thoughts run wild for a little while.

She was half way home when she heard a rustling in the trees behind her. She instinctively knew that it wasn’t the wind. This sound promised another living presence. She might have been a little nervous, had it not been for her senses alerting her to the fact that she wasn’t in any danger. She stopped walking and turned in the direction of the sound.

A moment later, Xander stepped out from between the trees in a pair of shorts and nothing else. His hair was windblown, and swept back from his face, his grey eyes were bright, and his skin flushed from exertion. He panted softly, and Savannah tried not to be distracted by the wall of muscles that ran down his stomach.

“What are you doing here?”

“Running a patrol,” Xander replied. “Are you walking home?”

“Yes,” Savannah nodded.

“It’s a long walk.”

“It’s just until my car arrives,” Savannah nodded.

“You could have asked me for a lift.”

Savannah shook her head in frustration. “That would have made it hard for you to stay away from me, remember?”

Xander sighed. “This is harder than I expected.”

“Is this you trying?”

“You’re angry today,” Xander said, moving forward.

“Can you blame me?” Savannah demanded. “I’ve never felt connected to anyone this way before, and the first time it happens he has a noble calling, and I end up being the less important one.”

“Don’t say that,” Xander said. “You’re not less important.”

Savannah gave him a pointed stare. “That’s what it feels like.”

“I’m sorry,” Xander said after a heartbeat of silence. “I probably shouldn’t have come up to you--”

“It’s fine,” Savannah said quickly.

“I’ll leave you to your walk--”