Ch. 311..320
Chapter 0311 We are all sitting around the cramped living room. Osiston isnt the only one who showed up today. That's how I know this is bigger than we thought, Jorge, Alyssa and William are all here and I guess there is a team of five running the perimeter around our place. "What have you guys come up with? Anything?" Osiston asks, sounding more irritated than I have heard him before. "Right now, we just know that the male wolf population is growing each week. Many registered for college for this semester. We haven't seen or heard anything more unusual than that. I haven't heard of any girls being taken or reported missing either." I tell him, honestly. I have no idea what's going on, but I also feel like we aren't doing enough. "Sky did get us an invite to run with some of the guys on Thursday though. t'sthe first time the wolves have interacted with us." Mina adds. All heads turn towards me and I'm not sure I like the looks in their eyes. It's the kind of look that says I'm about to be pulled from this for my safety. I can't help the growl that rumbles in my chest, my wolf doesn't want to be sidelined any more than I do, especially now that someone we know has been taken. "Relax Little One, no one is going to stop you from helping."
He reads my mind. You're too deep into this now, but you can't fault us for being concerned. The rogues started increasing when you got here and didn't approach until you and Mina were on campus. There's something to be said for their timing."
Osiston calms me. 'We do know that there has been no rogue presence near Blue Crescent in the last five months, and two smaller packs have been attacked and completely wiped out from what we can tell. If anyone got away, we have not found them yet.
When we did a search of the destruction though, only male bodies were found. No females, no children. So there is a spark of hope that some were able to escape. We did find both the Alpha and Luna for both packs amongst the dead though." He finishes sadly.
"So, are they here? The Rogue King and his minions. Do we have any confirmation of that? Do we know where to look or where to start?" I'm frustrated now. It feels like these rogues are several steps ahead of us all the time. "It's like chasing a ghost or a fairy tale. "The only confirmation is the increase in the population here, with no pack to speak of, it's suspicious. This, like most prominently human public places, is neutral territory for us. No packs lay claim to areas like this. The Alpha King offers protection if there are wolves on campus, but no one group occupies the space."
He turns to me. "You got an invite to run with these rogues?" I nod. "On your first day of classes with them?" I nod again. I feel like this is a trap waiting to happen.
"Yeah, Thursday night. How do we want to play this? They all have a scent, so while on campus at least, they aren't trying to hide. Where will you guys be?" He smiles at me, both of us coming to the agreement that I am going and he is going to be there to follow. "We need a reason for Royal Pack warriors to be running on the grounds. Nickolas is going to have to stay behind. He is on a 'leave of absence ' to take care of us. So he can't be on duty."
"We can put it out there that we will be running a training op near here. We do things like that all the time when we are forming teams with new recruits. We have a few people placed in leadership on campus, they can do their thing and spread the word.
It will give us cover for our scent being all over the woods and we don't have to explain ourselves any further than that. If we do meet up with you for any reason, you and Mina have to pretend not to know us. Copy reactions from the rogues and blend in. We'll try not to engage unless we have to." Jorge comes up with a plan on the fly.
Chapter 0312 "Perfect!" Mina smiles. "Now let's see what Tyler sent you." She grabs for my phone again. I slap her hand away. "Remind me to change my password, again." I say as I open my phone to Tyler's message. "You know I'm training to hack right? So technically I should be allowed to break into your phone, you know, for research purposes and practice." She winks at me. "You're an idiot! And I am definitely keeping you away from Sierra, she's a bad influence on you." I laugh at her then look down at my messages. 'Tyler said to meet up by the student center and we will run the trails, 'like normal' is in quotes, then we will change and do a real run once we are about five miles into the trails." I look up at Osiston, but Mina has to chime in before he can respond. "He also said he'll have a bag and would be more than happy to hold your clothes for you while we run." She starts giggling, like a toddler. "He wants to make sure he gets to see you naked." I groan. "Not a chance, I'm not stripping to shift, I dont have to, neither do you remember?" She stops laughing for a second then grins again. "It's still funny and kind of cute. He's pretending to be
chivalrous, while being a total guy." We both laugh and a clearing of the throat catches our attention. "If you two are done drooling." Osiston says, but he doesn't look angry, just like he's rolling with the teenager vibe in the room. "Although, I don't know if you should advertise that you can shift without changing..." "I'm not getting naked with these guys. I wouldn't have even if I couldn't shift with my clothes. They are unknown and that makes me vulnerable. Never gonna happen. If one of you were going as part of the group or if Xander or Oscar were there maybe, but they can't be here, and you can't be seen, so no go. We can both do it, so we'll just say it's a pack thing if they even ask." I hope that is enough to finish that argument. Robbie is questionable at best, but I don't get totally safe energy from the other two either. My
instincts say to keep a healthy distance. And I trust my instincts. Osiston looks at me for a moment, clearly making a decision of some kind. I don't break eye contact, trying to convey my uneasiness at the situation. He must find what he's looking for, because he just nods. "Okay, keep this boy close though. Engage with him and try to get him to talk. Any information can be helpful. Where he's from, what he's studying, family, all the mundane stuff can lead us to more answers." I nod. "So what is on the agenda tonight?"
"Homework." Mina and I say together. "l have to maintain my teacher's pet status." I roll my eyes playfully. "l can work the teachers more if they think I'm an overachiever. There's also something about my ecology professor, he's not normal, but I don't think he's a bad guy. Based on his appearance and his scent he spends all his free time outside and probably in those woods. He might have information too. We have a later start tomorrow so we could do a run in the morning before we train." He nods and heads towards the door. "We are going to go get a patrol schedule going and then we will bring back dinner and talk about anything new we find." He doesn't wait for a response, just walks out the door with the rest following. I move to sit by Nickolas on the couch and rest my head on his shoulder. He hasn't said much since we came inside. "Do you want me to make you some tea, or something a little stronger?' Mina asks quietly. "Stronger would be preferred, but I need my head on straight for this and if I start down that road, I may not be able to stop." She nods and heads towards the kitchen. "l know you just fought it out with Osiston, but do you want to go workout? It always makes me feel better when I'm frustrated." I look up at him from my spot on his shoulder.
Chapter 0313 He huffs a laugh. "Yeah, that would probably be the best. It will help me sleep too, or at least settle down enough to rest. I don't think my wolf will let me sleep until we get her back." He rubs his eyes. "How long have you known? I ask and I don't have to elaborate. "Eight years. Her coven is near my home. I caught her scent the day she turned 18. She was out in the woods between her home and mine doing some kind of spell. They come of age at 18 too and get their full strength of magic, although from what I have learned she was like you and showed signs of power earlier than anyone else on record." He looks over at me. "What do you mean like me?" We walk out the back door and head to the small clearing just inside the treeline behind our house. "Alpha Reggie and Alpha Lucas have kept a close eye on you your whole life from what I understand. Especially after what happened to your mom during your birth. Once Alpha Reggie put the pieces together and discovered your lineage, they both made a point to keep track of you. I only learned about all of this recently and clearly I don't know your whole story since I still don't understand your so-called bonus
features. Even I noticed your abilities at trials and started asking questions." "The problem with all of that, was that I was kept in the dark until about a year ago. Everyone is always trying to protect me because am a female or because of my size.„" "Okay, let me stop you right there. It's a hard instinct to shut down when the initial perception of you is this tiny quiet girl who apparently lets people beat her up for the fun of it. You have to forgive natural protective instincts." I see red as mytemper flares and I run at him. I go to sweep his legs and miss but land a punch to the center of his thigh knocking him down for a minute. "It's not the strangers' assumptions that make me angry. I get that, Its the people who know me, train with me everyday and still treat me like porcelain or like I'm incompetent that set me off." Sweep, punch and a miss.
"Maybe, like me with Gentry, they cant stand to see you in any kind of harm's way, no matter how strong you are, how strong they know you are." He moves to grab for me, but I tuck and roll under his legs. "And you can't really say you don't use your size to your advantage, even if you don't realize it.
Like those guys today. Mina is just as beautiful as you and her personality invites people in, but these guys chose to approach you, the small quiet, shy girl. You come off as less intimidating, right up until you beat someone's ass with your pinky finger." He laughs as he parries another move. We go on sparring playfully for a little while until he tries to put me in a headlock and I kick him in the back of the knee, taking us both down. Then all bets are off and we are both going full force, sweating, panting, covered in dirt with manic smiles on our faces. He's become like another older brother and our competitive natures clash frequently. "l think thafs enough. Sky needs to eat and actually do the homework that will put her in the teachers pet position. She also needs to check in with the boyfriend." Osiston pulls our attention and it's enough for Nickolas to get the upper hand. "What! I don't have a boyfriend." I grunt from my face down position on the ground. "According to the amount of notifications on your phone, I beg to differ. Mina has been eyeing it for an hour. If you dont want her to respond I suggest you get your butt moving."
Chapter 0314 I launch Nickolas off of me and run for the house, both guys laughing at my retreating form. I barrel into the door, just as my phone indicates another message coming through and Mina moves to see what it says. "Don't even think about it." I laugh at her. "You have no idea how torturous this is. I know better and yet my semi-nosey nature just wants to invade your privacy." She laughs back. "Are you really that attention deprived?" "Attention, no. Affection, probably. But I wouldn't know because all of that is being suppressed." She groans. "l actually just have a good feeling, hmm, or maybe it's a bad feeling, that these guys are involved somehow and I want to get moving on something other than new versions of school work." She makes a crazy face and we both start laughing. " Well...what does it say?" I step away from her so I can read over the messages first. I have no idea what this guy would say, but I don't want something personal or private being seen by anyone but me. Hot Ecology Guy: We meet up at the Student center for a normal' trail run, the real run happens about 5 miles in.
Hot Ecology Guy: I bring a bag for clothes, if you want me to hang onto yours. Hot Ecology Guy: Always here to help! Hot Ecology Guy: Bonfire after, we take everything out before so don't worry about anything, Hot Ecology Guy: We take care of everything Hot Ecology Guy: This is Tyler by the way ;) Hot Ecology Guy: Is there anything you prefer to drink Hot Ecology Guy: Your sister too Hot Ecology Guy: Headed to the gym if you want to join, seems like your thing Hot Ecology Guy: No response and no show are you avoiding me? j
Hot Ecology Guy: I'll leave you alone for the night, see you in class Sky Me: "Hot Ecology Guy" Presumptuous name dont you think? Me: Not avoiding you, family stuff came up Me: Mina and I will drink almost anything but beer Hot Ecology Guy: Well I'm glad I didn't scare you off. Hot Ecology Guy: Mike made fun of me for being too eager
Me: If I was in his place I would have done the same Hot Ecology Guy: Am I coming on too strong? Hot Ecology Guy: I tend to go after what I want. Me: 'eye roll' Me: Does that line actually work? Hot Ecology Guy: You tell me Me: Nope Me: Lets start with 'classmates' first, I've known you about 4 hours Hot Ecology Guy: How about we start by you coming with me on this run Me: Fine, what time should Mina and I meet you I wanted to make it clear I was going to be with someone, not alone with him. Hot Ecology Guy: We meet at 6, come in workout gear Hot Ecology Guy: The smaller and tighter the better ;) Me: Baggy sweats, got it! Hot Ecology Guy: Give me something to dream about Me: I'm sure you have plenty of images to fill your spank bank
Hot Ecology Guy: Not any more, you erased them all Me: Thars a good line! You should save that for someone Interested in being chased Hot Ecology Guy: And waste an opportunity to make you smile, never Hot Ecology Guy: You don't like to be chased? Me: I'm usually the predator not the prey.
Hot Ecology Guy: That sounds like a challenge Me: Just stating facts, ask Mina Me: I'm changing your contact name to Tyler *eye roll* is there a last name Hot Ecology Guy: There's only one way I will give you my last name ;) This boy and his wink emojis are ridiculous, but I know I have been smiling and laughing this whole conversation. He's a shameless flirt, but nothing vulgar or obscene. I think I might actually be enjoying myself. Me: Smooth. Are you just going to keep trying to play me with pick up ines? Hot Ecology Guy: Depends..Are they working? Me: I am laughing if that was the goal
Hot Ecology Guy: Ouch, harsh! Me: have to run, some of us have to do homework and care about our grades Hot Ecology Guy: I care, this is just more fun and way more appealing. Hot Ecology Guy: Can see you tomorrow? Me: Maybe.„ Me: Goodnight "Dang! He is crushing hard." Mina is sitting on my bed reading through the messages. "Yeah, or he's part of the group that kidnaps girls. Have you thought about that? He's trying to get us out in the middle of the woods alone and has no real explanation as to where we are going." She looks up at me slowly. "But he's so nice, why would he do that?" "l don't have any other proof, but that's what I would do if I were in their shoes. Find the most charming of the group to approach people and make it some kind of invite only thing. It seems legit and the others talked about it too, but how do we know? There aren't any other wolves we know that run in this circle yet. It just seems too convenient and I can imagine more desperate girls trying to fit in would jump at the chance to go running with them. They are all hot and for the most part pleasant to be around.”
Chapter 0315 "So we are for sure going on this run then? I wonder if they will try and take us Thursday or if they will bide theirtime, if you're right about them being a part of the rogue group." "No idea, but we should talk to Osiston and Nickolas. It will give Nik something to focus on and hopefully bring us closer to finding Gentry. Then really do have homework to finish." "Were you able to talk them into letting you stop doing the high school work? I can't believe that your teachers back home wouldn't give you a break on that." "l don't think it's my teachers. I'm pretty sure it's the principal and one of the board members, who just so happen to be the two adults that gave me the worst time while I was in school. You would think that these guys were the teenagers with a grudge to settle. I'm not sure what I did personally to the principal to deserve his hatred, but the board member's daughter hates me with every fiber of her being and has her father on board with matching hatred. It's sad, but I actually understand that motive. She's a good manipulator and he's a power hungry Delta that was passed on for his brother, who is far superior as a Delta. I am a Beta's daughter, so I rank higher than both of them and am friends with all the future leaders and the current Alpha and Luna. Neither ofthem like that at all." I just roll my eyes. I feel like I have been doing that a lot lately and I internally cringe at the thought and make a mental note to stop the habit. "Damn, no wonder you wanted to get out so badly. She's the reason you have scars, isn't she?" It's a question that's not really a question. More of a confirmation. I nod, not explaining further. 'You do realize that when we go back to your pack. and we will be visiting your pack at some point, I am going to figure out who this girl is and beat her ass, right?' I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, fighting the urge to roll my eyes, and internally laughing at the stupid struggle. My stomach aches at the thought of going back to my pack, to my friends and my old life. I just don't know if the ache is a good one or a bad one. "Why on earth would we go to my pack?' "Don't you think for a second that you are keeping those fine as hell friends of yours away from us,
my friend. Sierra needs to see her boy toy, it is all she talks about, and Lillian and I deserve the eye candy experience first hand.
I've seen that picture in your room at the compound, you can't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. I think a private lesson in the training yard will be needed, even if I can't get excited about a hot boy rolling all over me, my brain can still appreciate the effort." She tries to look serious, but it only lasts a few seconds before she busts up laughing.
"Also I want to be there when Miss Wannabe sees you now. If she was intimidated enough by you to harm you multiple times then, I can't wait to see her jaw hit the floor now."
She snaps her fingers across herself dramatically like a Drag Queen, "You are just coming into your hotness. Even Xander and Oscar have made comments."
"She would never give me the compliment. She's good at hiding emotions when she wants or needs to. And I am not hot, don't make it weird. I know I don't look terrible, I'm not stupid and I have filled out a bunch since we started training with the warriors, but I look no better than you or Sierra or any of the other warriors."
"And yet, when your boys come crawling on their hands and knees drooling all over you she is going to lose her sh•t and I want to be there for that trainwreck_"
She laughs at me again. This time I dont fight the eye roll as I move to grab my backpack. I am as far ahead in my high school syllabus as I can be, and none of my teachers are going to give me a hard time. Everyone I have right now is actually on my side and they know what Cunningham has done to me. I am also a sophomore doing senior level and now also doing college level work. but I am not giving anyone a reason to doubt me.
"Let's go downstairs and let Osiston and Nik know what we think and I can get started on homework while we talk about what the game plan is for Thursday."
Chapter 0316 Osiston and Nickolas agreed with me that the circumstances were too coincidental to take lightly. More warriors have been posted around campus for our protection. Mina and I even suggested bringing in Wyatt and Nathaniel, they would pass as students and could be in class with us.
Osiston tabled that idea for now. He doesn't want to scare the rogues away from us and if it looks like we have males near us giving off any type of territorial vibes the rogues might decide we are too much of a hassle to deal with and we could lose them. The week went by quickly and I talked to Tyler almost every night through text. Mina said that talking to him on the phone is the next step closer to dating and I wanted to stay as far away as possible from giving off any of those signals.
Text was nice though, because we could just continue a conversation sporadically throughout the day. If he is just doing a job to get my attention, he is very good at it They chose wisely in their recruiter. I cannot say the same for Robbie. That boy looks like someone put dog shit under his nose anytime we come near and I don't know why.
Neither Mina or I have gone out of our way to talk to him, but we haven't gone out of our way to be rude either. But, Tyler and even Mike have been pleasant to talk to and they have taken to walking with us to classes, 'making sure we get there safely' when she and I can't walk together.
As the run approaches, I feel myself getting nervous. It's not a real date, logically I know that, but this is still the first time a guy has asked me to go do something. The guys don't count. They always did things in a pack and Sierra and I just became a part of the pack. He invited me and I decided Mina was coming with me because this sh*t is scary.
I know I told Tyler I would wear baggy sweats, but I have found myself wanting to try a little bit to impress him. It's weird, because I don't get the tingly butterflies in my stomach at the thought of him, or anyone for that matter and don't have any urge for him to hold my hand or any of that mushy stuff, but I still enjoy the attention he gives me. It's a very strange, very platonic thing. I opt for a cropped black t-shirt and gray joggers with my usual running shoes. My very long blonde hair is pulled up into a ponytail. I look like me, just put together. I stopped Mina from trying to put make-up on me. That was going too far and not anything I would normally do anyway. We are going to workout and then shift and run full force. I could not care less about how I look.
This was the part my wolf and I are so excited about. We have been practicing the shift while maintaining clothes on and working with our mind link. We have also been going in and out of wolf form during sessions with Nickolas, which has actually been a lot of fun, but we have not run full out since being off the warrior compound training grounds. I'm a little afraid of what my stamina is going to look like and Mina only laughed at me when I voiced my fears.
"Seriously? If you struggle even a little bit, you will still probably smoke the rest of the guys we are running with. Maybe you will look a little closer to 'standard warrior# She air quotes at me while using a mocking voice. "What are you talking about? You keep up with me just fine. Are you going to show them up tonight?'
Chapter 0317 "l barely keep up with your slow pace and that is because my wolf and my ego demand it. And yes, if I have the opportunity to look like a badass in front of these guys I will. The point is to make them want to be around us, and if they are part of the bad guys, to want to take us. As long as we don't have to spar with them we will be fine.
Showing them our strength will be a bad thing but being friendly competition to their speed will make them want to chase us and we both know guys ike a good chase."
"l don't know anything of the sort. Nobody has ever chased me." The minute I said it a memory flashed in my head. The smell of the damp earth beneath my feet, my heart pumping and just feeling the release of the daVs tension.
Then hearing the thudding of paws behind me and voices in my head asking me to slow down and stop, to just talk after all of their actions that day that caused my pain in the first place. Then shifting in the air on the run for the first time. The exhilaration my wolf and I felt as we worked in tandem and more in sync than we ever had before. "Liar!" I see that look on your face and it says everything. You are terrible at hiding those deep down emotions. You have been chased and are somewhere in the middle on how you feel about the topic. You had a look of calm and then one of absolute irritation. This is a story to table for a later
date and possibly drinks so you actually tell me the whole damn thing, but now we have a hot date with your hot ecology guy. Let's go!" She grabs me by the arm and marches me down the stairs and out the door before I can argue. Osiston, Nickolas and the rest of the team left an hour ago to get into position. They can suppress their scents so it won't come off as if we are being followed. Since we live on the south side of
campus we chose to drive to the north end to meet up with the guys. We could have easily run it, but I have no idea what is in store tonight and don't feel like wasting energy on a 20 minute walk across campus. "We are close ladies, just let us know what you see, hear, even smell. Anything can be information we can use. Keep your links open and we can just listen into the conversations." Osiston advises over the link. "Why does that feel like a double edged sword?" I ask. "Because you are already super awkward when you flirt, no we can all hear how awkward you are." Mina so helpfully informs me. "Thank you for that Now it is going to be weird. How about Mina leaves her link open and I will just report in?' "Not a chance, I want first person POV on this train." "Now I really am shutting you out, jackass." I laugh at Mina.
"Alright you two knock it off. If it will be distracting Sky just report in, but you will have to figure this out. Keeping a mindlink open, no matter what you are doing, can be vital to an op." Osiston stops us and brings us back to serious game planning.
"Understood, but Mina is right and this whole flirting with a boy thing is hard enough and I don't want her or anyone else in my ear about it." I say as we pull close enough to see the fitness center up ahead. "We are about two minutes out."
"We are all in place. Two warriors are currently following you and will monitor the building and your car while you are gone. Alyssa is northeast of you, close to the bonfire sight We followed them In and watched the set up, so far no signs of anything off. I am to the west of you and will be running parallel the whole time. Nickolas will be doing the same to the east of your position. We won't be
more than five minutes away from you at any time. Let us know if anything makes you feel uncomfortable, we will get you out no matter what."
Chapter 0318 "Got it." Mina and I say together. We pull in next to a big truck. It's not new, but it's well taken care of and the smell coming from it is from Tyler and Mike. There are days that I do really appreciate my very distinct sense of smell. "Tyler and Mike are here for sure. Mike drove them here in his truck." I tell the group. "How do you know it's Mike's truck? I just smell them both here." "Let's just say I have a unique sense of smell and can pick out different scents, even blended together like this. Mike's scent is stronger on the drivers side." We walk around the truck to the side of the building where more cars are parked and I can hear a low murmur of voices. "Hey! You made it! I was wondering if you were going to stand me up." Tyler comes running over to us. "We are right on time, unless you lied to me to try and make us late. Were you trying to avoid introducing us to your friends?' I look at him seriously but smile, hopefully it came off as teasing, but I'm interested in getting this party started and I need names for the team to run later.
"Would you be mad if I said maybe?' He bumps me with his elbow as he leads us overto the group milling about. He hasnt even acknowledged Mina, something is going on for sure. "You brought more girls? There's already too many." "A voice whines from the left of the crowd. A platinum blonde bigger than me, but smaller than Mina steps out of the crowd. Clearly the queen bee here in this group. "Janice, this is Skylar and Mina. They are new and I thought they could use a group to run with, so yes I invited them." "Are you so quick to get bored with the other girls here Tyler?" She's questioning him, but it feels like reprimanding too, maybe a sly way to let me know he's a player.
The problem is, I already know he's a player, she's the idiot not me. "Not bored, just being friendly." "Whatever. Just don't get in our way. We take this run seriously. The last girl he brought couldn't keep up for even a mlle. Don't be a little b*tch and stay out of the way, got it?" "Yep." I responded, popping the "Sky, you keep your head on straight. Don't let her bait you into a competition. She's trying to see what you'll do."
Nickolas chimes in. "Thank you captain, I have never been in any form of competition before where people try to get in your head. I never would have thought of that. This is actually the part I am good at guys. I appreciate the vote of confidence, really." "Maybe, but this is your first op. and a little close to home. I just want to make sure you're thinking clearly, now stop acting like a petulant teenager." "You do realize that is exactly what I am, right? Like literally a teenager." "Shut up, smart ass. Go run and show us all how wonderful you are at it." "Now who's the smartass?"
Chapter 0319 The run was just as expected, we ran on foot as humans for five miles and I discovered I wasn't as out of running shape as I thought. I was able to run with Tyler and keep up a decent conversation as we went. I found out that they do this jog a few times a week, but only shift and do an extra long run on Thursdays. This way it just looks like they are big on working out and like to party like the athletes on campus who are in season and have restrictions on crappy food and alcohol. Actually some of these guys play football or hockey, which I found interesting since our strength, stamina and healing is so much different than a human. Mina and I decided to ask about that when we got to the bonfire. It's really pretty here. The trees and the trails haven't started to come alive yet, but the evergreens dispersed within the bare tree trunks give enough color to the drab shades of brown and yellow of last year's vegetation to make the scene pleasant. I also love the smell of the damp leaves and earth as we run.
There's just something about the early sunset sending streams of light through the bare branches of the trees that is calming. My wolf purrs in my chest as we go. The darkness that falls pretty quickly doesn't bother even our human eyes, we just keep moving like the light hasn't changed at all.
In the forty minutes it took us to run the five miles the sun is almost completely set and the twilight gives a consuming vibe. Tyler, Mike, Mina and I were running in the middle of the pack. Mina and I slow as the boys do, at this point we have no idea what is going to happen and our latest fan club member looks like someone who would stab you in the throat and then go play dress up. I'm sticking close to the guys for now, I don't need her trouble too. "We'll change and shift here, remember where the new cameras are and stay out of range. Someone is looking for something and I don't want to be on anyone's radar cause someone here decided to be a dumbass, got it?" She looks around at everyone, but lingers a little longer on Mina and l. which this time makes sense if she's worried about being seen. I'd look at the new people too,
but I would take it a step further and make the new people run with me so I could watch them and guarantee they don't mess up. She clearly doesn't care about us that much or assumes Tyler will take care of us, cause she turns her back on us and starts to strip, which is the cue for everyone else to do the same. I can feel my cheeks instantly flame and I try to look away, but no matter where I look there are butt naked people everywhere. "Don't be shy new girls, we don't have all night." Some guy next to Janice sneers at us and then licks his lips. I have to hold back the bile that wants to rise in my stomach. That guy gives me the creeps. "Hey, you okay? We do have to move. TheVlI leave without us. I can block you if that would make you feel better." Tyler's concern is cute, but I can't tell if he's being genuine or not and that bugs me. I usually have a good read on people and he just seems to be all gray area for me. "Nope, we're good, just waiting on everyone else to be ready to shift, that's all." I give him a small smile. "Do you plan on ripping through your clothes?" "No!" Mina laughs and he just looks at us confused. don't have to change, you'll see." She winks at him and he still looks confused, but shrugs. He and Mike strip down to nothing, stowing their clothes in the backpack Tyler brought. I am doing everything possible to not look at either of them. Naked guys are not new to me, but I just can't get past it making me uncomfortable. I hope I'm not this weird about it when I do find my mate.
Chapter 0320 "Do I make you nervous?" Tyler moves close behind me and I am frozen. He is way too close to me for this to be considered anything less than flirting or maybe even marking territory. "Nope. The whole 'naked guy' thing is still just not a norm for me. We don't have to change to shift." I'm sure my slow controlled breaths make him think I'm lying. "Mina, why is he so close to me? It's weird." "He thinks you're playing hard to get, so keep your face straight ahead and don't make that disgusted look you do all the time." "What look? I don't have a look." "You do. I told you, your face says a lot more than your mouth does. Just keep it neutral though, he's eating this innocent girl thing up." She giggles at me, then out loud says, "Let's just show them so they are less confused." I nod and I give control over to my wo f to shift while concentrating on all the things Gentry taught us about maintaining our physical appearances while human. The popping and cracking sounds come and go so quickly, I don't even feel it anymore. My wolf shoes out her beautiful black fur.
"Damn! Solid black, that's pretty rare." Tyler sounds impressed, but I can't be the only black wolf out there. "Can I touch you?" he asks, lifting a hand up. My wolf walks over to him, still keeping a foot of space between, she's just as uncomfortable being touched as I am. I don't know if that is a brand thing or an us thing, but I'm glad I can hide my facial features like this. "Alright Sky, show them how we do this." Mina goads me and it feels like she's showing off a bit too. My shift back is faster. I'm not as nervous and I can feel Osiston and Nickolas' presence nearby, their auras radiating into me to help me stay calm and do this mission. I stood up right, fully clothed a split second later.
"Oh sh*t!" Mike blurts out. "How do you do that so fast? And keep your clothes?" "Practice." I shrug and look over at Janice, who is standing with Robbie and just staring. "We're ready when you are." I smile a sweet smile at her. I'm in my element now, she cant make me feel inferior. 1 She goes to shift and the other twenty or so people follow suit. Tyler and Mike shift and both look over their shoulders at us. We smile at each other and take offin a jog, shifting as we run. I hear a huff behind me and 'Show off" in my ear from Nickolas.
Mina and I both just giggle and run like we have not run in forever. The wind in my fur, the dirt under my paws. I can feel my claws break into the earth the imprint my paws are making in the freshly tilled ground. The even cadence of my feet as we dart through the trees, up and down hills, over fallen logs and creeks. At one point someone nipped at one of the girls in front of me and a game of chase began. It was clear some of us could talk to each other, but not all of us, so the game was interesting. It became a battle of boys versus girls. Mina and I met up with Janice and a few of her friends at the front of the pack. Her wolf didn't seem to mind us even if she did. We all started sprinting faster and faster, eventually outstripping the rest of the group, leaving Mina, Janice and I to get to the bonfire grounds ahead of everyone else. Janice walked over to a bag and shifted back to her human form and started to get dressed without even looking our way. We shifted and just stood there looking around waiting for the rest of the group to join us. The bonfire pit was at least ten feet in diameter, rimmed in large stones and preset with large dry branches ready to be lit. The clearing wasn't any different from any other clearing in a forest I have seen, but it still left me with a feeling of peace. The woods have always been my safe haven and everything just feels right when I am surrounded by the trees and all other sounds are dampened by the debris on the forest floor.