Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

On Sunday morning, I woke up surprisingly refreshed from last night’s sleep. Maybe it was the fresh air or maybe it was my head injury, but I had slept soundly. Not being woken up by pounding doors or with a headache made it easier to roll out of bed reenergized.

I reached my arms above my head, stretching and groaning loudly as my muscles released. I could smell myself. Not taking a shower for the last two days had taken its toll. I no longer smelled of the cucumber soap I used during my showers. First thing I would do when I got back was jump into the shower and get all the sweat and grime off my skin.

Unwrapping the bandage around my head, I cringed as I felt some follicles pull from my scalp with the tape. The wound was almost healed. It barely hurt when I felt it carefully with my fingers. There was no need for more paper-towel bandages.

Next, I rubbed some of the bottled water under my arms. It wasn’t the best, but it would work for now. I made a mental note to put a small stick of deodorant in my purse moving forward.

Thinking of my purse, I reached and pulled out the red-mulberry leaf I had stowed there yesterday. When I got back to the cabin, I would press it into my journal. The sap was still sticky on the end of the stem. I made a mental note to harvest that before I pressed the leaf. It was interesting that it had sprouted near a stream. Maybe it was an undocumented species of red mulberry? One that tolerated waterlogged soil? My body tingled with the possibilities.

Tossing my bag over my shoulder, I exited my tent and made my way to the large one. I could smell bacon even before I lifted the flap to enter. Gavrill was finishing dishing up breakfast when I sat down at the table. I thanked him as he set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me.

“Today’s the day,” he said, sitting next to me with his own plate of food. “Everett will drop you off at your cabin once the wards lift at noon.”

A sense of relief came over me at his words. Everyone here had said I would be returned home, but having an assured time brought me comfort. My cabin couldn’t be too far away from here. I should be home by one o’clock. Enough time to shower and get my life together before Monday.

A worry crossed my mind. Having only learned about the wards two days ago, I didn’t know enough about them. If they were going to lift the wards and hadn’t caught all the rogues, would they just run free? I would not be running alone in the woods if that was the case.

When I asked Gavrill, he didn’t make me feel like I was asking a stupid question when he answered. “The True Alpha’s pack is large, with a bunch of trackers and hunters. They go out and clear the forest of the rogues before the wards get lifted. They throw all the loose ones into a cage until next weekend.”

I was relieved I wouldn’t run into any of the rogue wolves. Gavrill’s answer solidified the ridiculousness of the tournament. If the True Alpha’s pack could just catch all the rogues quickly, it really was just for his own sick amusement.

Kleio and Jack came to join us at the breakfast table. We all chatted until it was almost noon. Kostas showed up at the tent with his backpack already packed, and eventually Wilder and Everett entered the tent as well.

“I have everything packed up,” Kostas told them.

“Great. Let’s get out of here,” Everett said. He and Wilder looked like they could use twenty-four hours of sleep and some hot showers.

Kleio gave my arm a squeeze, mouthing goodbye before Jack whisked her away into a car. Everett opened the passenger side of the black SUV he had driven me here in, leaving the door open for me before he walked around the back of the car to the driver’s side. I tried not to take offense that no one had said goodbye to me. It was for the best. I was an unwanted weekend guest who they wouldn’t be seeing again. No reason for goodbyes.

The car ride with Everett was silent, but my head was filled with noise. He kept his right arm draped over the center console, close enough that if he were my boyfriend, I would be able to reach over and grab his hand. My hands twitched. I clasped them together tightly in my hand hiding the involuntary movements. Without turning my head, I glanced over at Everett. His jaw was clenched tight, his head slightly askew toward me, his nostrils flaring in and out with every breath. It almost looked like he was in pain.

“This is as far as I can take you.” Everett stopped the car on the road in front of the driveway to the cabin.

It seemed a little silly that he couldn’t drive me the last one hundred yards to the front of the cabin, but I’d gotten through the weekend relatively unscathed. I wasn’t about to complain.

I hopped out of the car without saying goodbye. I didn’t know what to say. Thank you for kidnapping me this weekend? Thank you for not killing me with your giant fangs and claws? Everett didn’t say anything either, but I could feel his gaze on my back as I walked down the driveway to the cabin. It took all my willpower not to turn around and look into his golden eyes one last time.

As soon as I entered the cabin, Jenny shot up from where she was sitting on the couch.

“Elise, you have to tell me everything.” She didn’t seem alarmed that I had been gone all weekend. Apparently Wilder’s friend had eased any concerns she might’ve had. “I thought you’d spend the night, but the entire weekend? He must’ve really been something.” I grimaced at her evaluation of my weekend. “When his roommates came by on Friday and told me that you were staying the weekend, I was shocked. Who turns a one-night stand into a weekend event?”

Again, I had no idea what I could even say. Well, you see, I got swept up in this Lycan hunting tournament and spent the weekend with wolf shifters. The shifters didn’t seem overly concerned about keeping their presence in this area a secret, but I didn’t know how much I should tell Jenny and Leo. It felt like something I should keep to myself, so I decided to play into Jenny’s assumptions. “Yeah, it was a fun weekend.”

Jenny looked pleased with herself. I felt a twinge of guilt come over me. She clearly thought I had fallen for Wilder, that we’d had a great time together all weekend. In truth, I felt nothing for him. It had been a one-night mistake. I would have to make it clear to her I wasn’t interested in him. A different time. When I’d had time to process the last weekend. I needed to stay far away from the shifters and focus on my research. For now, I let her believe what she wanted to.

“I told you! I knew you needed a little fun.”

I was already walking back to my room, ready to shower off the weekend. “Yeah, fun.”