AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t know anymore.
All I know is that I wish we were back on the road. Even with the constant fear for my life. I’d rather be with Juliet than on the outside of her life, looking in.
“Where you been, New Guy?”
Before I can turn, a hand slaps down on my shoulder, squeezing so tight that I flinch.
The owner of the hand laughs and a beat later Beck leans his forearms on the table beside my fizzy drink. “We missed you this afternoon. Some shit went down. Could have used another pair of hands. Especially ones that know how to fight.”
I frown, playing dumb. “Yeah? What kind of shit?”
“I’m sure you know,” he says, his voice a bullet sliding into the chamber of a gun.
“What?” I ask, willing my pulse to remain steady. If he saw me in the woods and wants to punish me for being a Variant sympathizer, he’s not going to do it here. I’ll have time to make a plan to defend myself, and I don’t want to blow my cover unless I’m sure he has something on me.
“She told you what happened,” he sneers. “Her version of things, anyway. I know she did.”
I pluck my pineapple from the table and take a drink before saying, “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about. Was your drink spiked or something? And if so, where can I find something to put in mine?” I pull a face, even though the drink is fine without alcohol. “I enjoy something a little stronger than punch at a party.”
“Don’t lie to me, Alaska,” Beck hisses. “I’ve been doing some asking around. I know you came here with that girl, the scrawny Variant with the blond hair. I know she’s your friend.”
I glance Juliet’s way, but glance away just as quickly. She’s still ignoring me, a fact I’m grateful for as I say, “Juliet? Yeah, I know her. I used to be a counselor at this shifter summer camp in high school. She was one of my campers. We’re friendly, but I wouldn’t say we’re friends.” Reading the suspicion still twisting his expression, I add, “We all get along as best we can up in Alaska, man. There aren’t enough shifters up there to get picky about who you hang out with.”
“Bullshit,” he snaps.
I shrug and lift my free hand beside my head, secretly relieved that I won’t have to pretend to be on this monster’s side, even for a couple of weeks. “Fine. Don’t believe me. I don’t care. I have more important things to worry about than whatever crawled up your ass.”
“Like what?” he asks, but he sounds slightly less irate.
“From everything I’ve heard, the trials aren’t going to be easy.”
He snorts. “We’re the biggest, strongest wolves on campus. We’ll be fine.”
“It’s about more than brute strength,” I say. “The woman I was travelling with, Natalie, said they intentionally design the trials to test a wide variety of skill sets. There may be some challenges where being smaller or something other than a wolf will actually be an advantage.”
His lips curl in a smug way I don’t care for. “Yeah, well, maybe in the past. But things are going to be different this year.”
My brow furrows. “How so?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know…”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah. I do. Or I wouldn’t have asked.”
He studies me for a moment. I sigh and look bored. The fact that a part of me actually wants him to get pissed and walk away is apparently enough to ease some of his concerns.
His voice has a hint of the old chummy air as he leans in and whispers, “Run with the brotherhood tonight, and you’ll find out along with everyone else. Once you take the oath, all our secrets will be revealed.”
My stomach sinks. I’m not going to like his secrets. Of that, I’m already sure. But if his “brotherhood” is trying to rig the trials, I need to know about it.
I nod, and say, “Cool. I could use another run. Being trapped behind these walls is making me restless.”
“Exactly,” Beck agrees, his tone warming another degree or two. “And if it were just wolves here, we wouldn’t need twenty-foot stone walls topped with barbed wire. Wolves can defend themselves without hiding like fucking cowards.”
I grunt, thinking how happy I’d be for these walls if Hammer showed up with his men, but Beck clearly hasn’t had the kind of experiences with other wolves that I’ve had. Alexander’s right about that part—Alphas who’ve never been threatened or betrayed have no idea how quickly their safety can be stripped away.
Or maybe it’s just Beck. Empathy doesn’t seem to be his strong suit.
“I’m looking forward to the run,” I lie. “Sounds like you guys have a lot of interesting ideas.”
