I couldn’t really argue with pancakes.
* * *
Unlike the previous sunny day,today the sky was overcast and slightly chilly. I huddled close to Colton and Ramsay for warmth, since I’d misjudged the temperature when we left the barn and I only wore a t-shirt, and I didn’t feel like shifting because I didn’t want to look weak in front of my friends.
Friends,I thought with a pause.Are they still just friends to me?
After having sex with both of them, I wasn’t sure anymore. And it wasn’t just carnal desire I felt for the two alphas--it was a genuine bond. I loved being around them. They warmed my heart and made me feel safe.
Either one of them could’ve been my fated mate, like Linda mentioned. Was that the secret of the prophecy? Would finding my true fated mate unlock my magic? I hoped so, because that was the only lead I had. The weight of the four packs--and even beyond--rested on my shoulders.
It was way too much pressure for just one person.
I glanced up at Ramsay and Colton, who had gained a bit of distance on me since I was too busy engaging in my thoughts to keep up. We followed the same path that we took yesterday, only now it seemed a lot less cheery with the darkening clouds overhead. There was no sun to warm my bones today.
As we passed the place where Ramsay’s ‘treehouse’ stood among a small thicket of bushes and trees, I paused. The cool wind brushed my skin almost ominously.
My skin prickled and I rubbed my arms. A sense of unease came over me. Maybe it was just my overactive imagination combined with the dark sky and the wind.
But I’d felt the same thing yesterday afternoon around the fire, like a pair of eyes was watching me...
“Yo, Mathe!” Ramsay called from ahead. “Are you stuck in the sand or what?”
They stood down on the beach, just below the rocky ridge I was on. Colton waved for me.
“Yeah, I’m coming!” I replied.
Just as I finished speaking, something exploded out of the trees.
The thicket split open. A huge dark blur barrelled towards me like an enormous bullet--coming right towards me.
A scream tore itself out of my throat by instinct. My wolf tried to come out, but the creature was too fast. In a second I was on the ground, pinned, completely unable to escape. My heart beat painfully quick, threatening to burst out of my ribs if this beast didn’t kill me first.
But as my brain took a second to register what was going on, I realized the creature on me wasn’t a gryphon, like I’d been so worried about, but a wolf. A big, black wolf.
A wolf whose scent I recognized.
The wolf lowered its muzzle to stare at me with burning eyes of golden brown. He lifted his lips, baring his teeth in a frustrated snarl. He made no move to attack me.
“MATHESON!”
Ramsay screeched my name. Colton didn’t bother--he was already bolting towards us in his white wolf form. But I was too busy staring up at the black wolf curiously.
As my panic subsided, I found my voice again and asked, “Eric?”
Before I could get confirmation, Colton slammed into his side. But the black wolf didn’t budge. He braced himself for the impact, not letting Colton take him off his feet. Instead, the black wolf grabbed Colton’s scruff and tossed him aside in a practiced battle maneuver.
Ramsay was next to try. His red wolf form snarled and tried to snap at the black wolf’s legs, but the latter quickly made Ramsay back off by hurling a paw full of sand into his eyes. Ramsay yelped and staggered.
I crawled out from beneath the black wolf’s grip. “Eric, it’s you? Isn’t it?”
He glared at me with furious brown eyes before shifting into his human form--and with a human expression, he looked even less happy. With arms crossed, he stared sternly at me like a teacher scolding a student.
“So, that’s all it took?” Eric said. “Just a single moment to destroy the chosen omega?”
Ramsay shifted back, his face twisted into fury. I’d never seen him look so angry. “The hell’s the matter with you? Why did you attack Matheson?”
Eric narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t attack him. He’s perfectly fine. Aren’t you?”
