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She passed me a pair of jean shorts and a long-sleeved tee. I pulled on the clothes then turned around to face her. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” she said. “If you stick around here, we’ll have to make a trip to town to get you a few more things.”
I wasn’t really sure how to respond to that. The whole staying thing wasn’t finalized in my mind. There was also the lack of funds. “I’m probably going to have to find a job in order to afford anything. My mate made sure my bag with my life savings didn’t make it in the cave when he tossed me in.”
“We have some connections. Ways we can trade skills for supplies. Don’t worry about it.” She shrugged.
“What kind of skills?” I asked, my mind going right to how my mom had made a living.
“It’s not important,” she said. “No need to worry about it now. Your first priority should be to figure out your wolf situation. But not tonight. Tonight is for fun.”
“I don’t think I even remember what fun is,” I admitted.
“You’re going to love this.” She grinned. “Come on, you can help me gather some wood on our walk back.”
We both had a handful of kindling by the time we reached camp. But the pile of dry sticks in my arms was nothing compared to what we found. “You weren’t kidding when you said bonfire.”
A massive pile of wood was artfully arranged in a towering stack in the center of the common area. All the tables and seating had been moved out of the way, leaving the grassy space open with the future bonfire as the centerpiece.
Sheila tossed her kindling in a small pile next to the wood. “I told you. It’s kind of a big thing. Any excuse for a party, right?”
“The only thing my pack did was a ceremony on the full moon for the kids who had just turned nineteen. But even that was a drag,” I said. “Though, I’m sure there were parties I wasn’t invited to.”
“Not anymore.” Sheila threw her arm over my shoulders. “You’re one of us now.”
Warmth filled my chest. It was nice to feel like I was wanted somewhere. Like I had an actual chance at belonging.
“Now, I’m going to give you the secret to having the best half-moon party ever. You ready?” She looked like she was about to explode if she didn’t finish talking.
“I’m ready,” I said.
“You take a nap.” She laughed. “For real. We’re up till the sun rises and you don’t want to miss a second.”
I hadn’t slept last night after waking to find myself with strangers and the initial excitement was wearing off. I probably should sleep. “Alright. I’m in.”
We walked back to her tent. When we went inside, we discovered that someone had set up a cot in the place where I’d set the sleeping bag. The bag was on top of the cot and a pillow was sitting on top of that.
“I knew Alec had a thing for you,” Sheila teased.
“It’s just a cot,” I said.
“Deny all you want but when the two of you are making out by the light of the bonfire, I’ll know I was right,” she said.
“That’s not going to happen,” I assured her.
As I snuggled into the sleeping bag, I thought about what it would be like to kiss Alec. To feel his strong body against mine. Tingles built low in my belly and I had to fight the thoughts. There were good things about him, but I wasn’t sure how long I’d be here or what he was really like. I couldn’t afford to get attached to someone only to have my heart ripped to pieces.
For the first time in my life, there was a possibility of friendship and belonging. I couldn’t risk that for anything.
