“I’m so happy we got to meet,” she says, giving me a hug as well, then sending us on our way.
“Trust yourself,” Mitsuha says as we descend the steps of the porch. “The answers you need are already inside you.”
At the base of the stairs, I slip my hand into Jasper’s as we wave goodbye one last time, and with a sigh, we turn to head back toward the cherry orchard. Jasper is quiet at my side, his eyes focused on the path in front of us. If he looked back now, I wonder if we’d ever be able to leave.
When we’re a good distance from the cabin, I feel a presence enter my head, and a voice whispers to me.
“Blood Wolf.”Mitsuha’s voice echoes in my mind.“You are more vital than you realize.”I glance back at the house, where I can still make out the shape of Mitsuha, standing on the porch, unmoving. Is she looking at me?“When the time comes—you must do the hard thing. No matter the cost. You must leave him behind.”
As suddenly as she entered, she vacates my mind, her absence a cool breeze. But what does she mean? And why didn’t she say anything while we were still with her? My head is swimming. What will I have to do that she didn’t want Jasper hearing about? I’m getting the sense she knows more of what’s to come than she let on.
There’s no time to go back now, the sky is deep and black, and the cool breeze has turned icy. The moon is larger, as if it’s trying to get a closer look, to see who is here and who has stayed too long. When we reach the spot where we began our time on the Lunar Plane, the top of a hill surrounded by cherry trees, I turn to Jasper, taking both of his hands.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
He looks tired, emotionally run through, but his lips curl into a gentle smile. “Yes,” he says, rolling his shoulders back, standing a little straighter. “I’m sad, but I feel good. I feel—ready.”
I take him in my arms as cherry blossoms swirl in circles around us and press my lips to his. Even with my eyes closed I can tell the stars are spinning above us, faster and faster until we’re surrounded by a twister of light. And then with a whoosh, the swirling stops, and I know we’ve arrived at home.
“You two took your time,” Omar says.
I open my eyes and find him leaning against the crystal in the corner, one knee pulled up to his chest. Jasper and I are sitting exactly how we were earlier, although now my legs are aching, and pebbles are grinding into my ass something bad.
“How long were we out?” I ask.
Omar glances at the time on his phone. “About three hours.”
“Huh, it felt longer.”
“Got everything you need?”
“Yes,” Jasper says with more certainty than I’ve heard from him in days. He blinks and opens his eyes too. “You have to go,” he says to me. “Convince the rogues to fight with us. Tell them we will stand by them now and in the future.”
“You’re sure?” I ask, knowing this is a big decision, that the ramifications will ripple through the life of the pack for decades to come.
Jasper nods. “I am.”
GRADUATIONDAY
Graduating high school feels a little trivial considering the very real danger we’re facing right now. Let alone attending the completely unnecessary ceremony. But neither my parents, nor Jasper, would let me run off to try and recruit the rogues to our cause and miss mine. So here I am sitting in the second row of my graduating class, on a foldout chair, in the middle of a football field, rubbing my sweaty palms on the maroon faux-satin gown draping over my knees, and tapping my foot incessantly.
On the specially erected stage in front of me, our principal, Mr. Berk, is giving some speech about taking the life lessons we learned at school out into the real world, but I zoned out a couple of pages ago. The only life lessons I learned here were how to sleep through biology and how to avoid Mrs. Truman, the librarian, when my textbooks were overdue. My life lessons have all been learned out in the real world, the wolf world.
My human buddy Peter is sitting in the row in front of me, a few seats to the right. He turns and rolls his eyes exaggeratedly and I make a face like I’m so bored I’m asleep and drooling. Becky, who’s sitting next to him, elbows him in the ribs and he turns back around.
Craning my neck, I turn to where our families and teachers are sitting behind us. I catch a glimpse of Mom and Dad, Dad already red in the eyes, barely holding it together, and Mom sticking her tongue out at me, then shooing me with her hand, telling me to pay attention. Next to them, Jasper is sitting up straight. He looks stupidly handsome in a black suit jacketand crisp black tee. I definitely won the hot townie boyfriend competition. He smiles at me and I smile back.
“You look cute in a cap and gown,”he says via mind-link.
“Shut up.”
Heat rises in my cheeks as I return my attention to Mr. Berk, who has finally finished his hours-long speech.
The time comes for us to traipse single file onto the stage to collect our diplomas.
“Maximilian Remus,” my English teacher, Miss Davis, says into the microphone when it’s my turn. I make my way up the stairs, careful not to trip on the hem of this too-long getup—falling in front of my entire class would be the perfect end to my high school career—and accept my certificate while shaking Mr. Berk’s hand.
From the crowd I hear my mom whooping and a burst of applause. I look out and see Mom, Dad, and Jasper all standing, clapping their hands off. Embarrassment burns in my chest, no one else’s families have stood and bellowed quite as loud. But I also smile, because even I can admit that those three are pretty cute.
