Finally, she spoke inside my head.
“You’re here.”
I nodded. “I’m here.”
Her wild blue eyes narrowed. “Where have you been?”
It seemed like all pretenses were out the window. Which was a problem for me with the secret I kept hoisted on my shoulders.
I didn’t know how to answer and knew saying something stupid like, ‘I’ve been around’ wouldn’t cut it. This was Callie we were talking about. I hadn’t known her long, but I knew enough to know that kind of half-assed answer wouldn’t fly with her.
Finally, I took a deep breath and said, “Keeping my distance.”
It was the most honest truth I could give her, but the second the words were out, I regretted them. Callie winced and leaned back, like my words had been a physical blow and not just a whisper in her mind.
“Why?”
I swallowed past the dry lump in my throat and looked away. I couldn’t stare into her fathomless eyes and think straight, and it was clear what we had hinged on what I said next. I also knew I’d said I needed to keep my distance, but that all changed the moment the sun set.
“I thought I was doing the right thing.”
More truth, despite how pathetic it might sound.
“I… don’t understand…” she said slowly.
I wanted to respond, but before I could, she continued.
“I usually understand everything and it’s ticking me off that I don’t understand you.”
A loud bark erupted from my mouth as I laughed loudly. Damn. She was the funniest when she wasn’t trying to be funny.
When I regained my composure, I found her eyes fixed on me, an inscrutable look in their depths. I knew this was a conversation we should have, just as well as I knew it was one I couldn’t have. That meant I needed to deflect.
“Come on. Let’s run.”
Callie’s ears perked up as her tail began to twitch. “I’ll race you to the river.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No. You’ll eat my dust as I beat you to the river.” With that, I spun around and leapt into a sprint. I heard Callie hollering behind me, but I ignored her and raced forward.
My insides warred as I ran with Callie and away from my problems. They’d still be there in the morning, but for tonight, I’d be with her like I didn’t have any secrets. Like I was just an average wolf, spending the night with the one woman in the world he couldn’t stay away from. I’d deal with everything else when the sun rose.
Chapter 12
Wyatt
“Cheater!”
The word was screamed into my head moments before the stinging bite of werewolf teeth in my flank knocked me off my feet. I spun around and locked my jaw gently around the nape of Callie’s neck before we went tumbling down the embankment.
We fell into the frigid water with a splash, Callie thrashing the whole time.
“Let me go, you meat head!”
“Not until you admit you cheated back there.”
“I CHEATED?! Have your tight shirts cut off the oxygen flow to your brain?” she said as she tried to swat me with her giant paw.
“Are you trying to compliment my muscles again, Callista?”
“It’s Callie, and no. I was insinuating you might have brain damage.”
“Sounded like you were complimenting my muscles. You can’t seem to stop talking about them.”
“I wasn’t talking about your stupid big muscles!”
“So, you admit they’re big.”
“Wyatt Carter, if you don’t let me go, I swear I’ll make you regret it.”
Despite the clear size advantage I had, there was no doubt in my mind she’d hold true to her word, and honestly, she frightened me a little. I walked us out of the river and onto the bank before letting go of Callie’s neck and dancing out of reach.
She sat there, shoulders hunched, licking her paw quietly as my stomach plummeted.
“Did I hurt you?”
She just sniffed and continued to lick her paw as my whole world shrunk to a single point around her. I thought I’d been careful, but something could have easily happened as we rolled down that hill. I crept closer, hoping I could identify what was wrong and whether or not I needed to get help for her.
When I was just inches away, in a flurry of fur and claws, Callie leapt at me, knocking me off my feet and back into the river. I laughed loudly as I rolled her underneath me again and pinned her to the rocks.
“Nice try, Callie.”
She wiggled underneath me as I easily held her down. I opened my mouth to bark out another laugh when she wrapped her teeth around my front leg and bit down hard enough to make me yelp. In that instant, I lost the upper hand and found myself beneath her instead. She was much smaller than me, but with her sitting her whole body on my chest, I was basically beat.
“You underestimated me.”
“Clearly,” I huffed.
She tipped her head back, barking loudly, and I did myself a favor and stopped struggling. Honestly, being underneath Callie like that wasn’t the worst way to spend my night.
“You keep forgetting I grew up with four siblings. I can still pin Abey on a good day, and he’s the biggest and baddest out of all of us.”
“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”
She tipped her chin and hopped off me, knocking the wind from my lungs. “If there’s a next time.”
With that, she took off running upstream, splashing cold water in my face before I even had the chance to sit up.
“That’s it!” I called as I jumped to my feet and took off after her.
She laughed loudly as I chased her for miles, nipping her back legs when I got close enough, but mostly just enjoying the full moon like I never had before.
Sure, I’d run with my packmates and wrestled here and there, but it was different with Callie. Like it was all brand new since I was experiencing it with her. It made the blood zip through my veins like lighting, energizing and electrocuting me all at once. It was the most beautiful kind of torture. Especially when my mind wandered too far ahead.
When the sun rose in a few hours, all of this would be over. I’d go back to slinking around the shadows to avoid Callie and she’d go back to her ivory tower. Just as far away, just as unreachable as before. My gut churned at the thought of avoiding her again, but what choice did I have?
I couldn’t let the ball drop with my mom again. Her life hung in the balance. If I wasn’t constantly on top of things, who knew what could happen? Wes helped, but he wasn’t as diligent as I was. Not as careful. It was up to me to make sure she was okay, and I took that job very seriously.
Besides, what would the alpha’s sister want with a half-breed with no future like me? My entire identity was wrapped up in my family and being an enforcer for my pack. Callie, on the other hand, was smart enough and determined enough to save the world. I had no doubt about that.
I’d be nothing but a distraction. An anchor around her neck, dragging her down when she was born to soar. I wouldn’t do that to her, which meant this was it for us.
And if that was the case, I was going to wring every second from the night and memorize every inch of her while I still could. I’d bask in her rose scent and revel in her presence until the sun rose and the magic of the moon was gone.