Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Camp was already bustling when I woke up to the sun illuminating the tent. I did my best to clean myself up before making my way to the main tent with my backpack hanging over one of my shoulders. It was Sunday, and soon I could get out of here and back to the cabin. Space was what I needed—space from Everett. He made my resolve fade and body disobedient. A good night’s sleep had cleared my head. I would not get caught up with another shifter. The last one I had hooked up with had put me in this mess, and I didn’t want to fall any further into this Lycan world I had found myself in. Stopping things with Everett last night had been the right thing to do. I had work to do.

Breakfast was simple and quick as everyone in the Cedar Moon Pack focused on packing up supplies and their personal items to head home after the weekend. Everyone was in good spirits. I could only assume it was because the tournament was going well.

Right before noon, Everett and Wilder stalked into the tent, looking dirty and disheveled from hunting all night.

“Everything ready to go?” Everett looked to Gavrill for confirmation, who nodded, motioning for everyone to head to the cars.

When we got there, everyone started throwing their bags into one of the black SUVs, but Everett took my backpack from me and put it in the back seat of the second SUV.

“You’re riding with me,” he said as he opened the passenger door for me.

I looked to Kleio for guidance, but all she did was shrug her shoulders at me.

“He’s the boss.” She smiled with no sympathy as she climbed into the first car with Jack, Kostas, Wilder, and Gavrill.

I looked at Everett holding open the door for me. I was tired of arguing—I just wanted to go home. Climbing into the car, I buckled my seat belt. Everett, looking satisfied, got into the driver’s seat, and we started the drive down the long gravel road.

“I hope you remember where I live because I have no idea where we are.” My usual keen sense of direction was completely turned around every time I spent the weekend at Camp.

“I remember. The cabin is much more accessible, better now that the wolfsbane is gone.” Everett glanced at me before he looked back at the road. How did he know that I had removed the wolfsbane from the cabin?

I scooted in my seat as far away from Everett as I could. He chuckled softly to himself. What a creep. Was he stalking me?

After a silent drive, we rounded a corner, and Everett pulled up the gravel driveway in front of the cabin. I climbed out of the car door before he could put the SUV in Park. I opened the back door to retrieve my backpack.

“You’re welcome.”

I lifted my eyes to see Everett turned around and staring at me from the driver’s seat. “For what? I’ve been stuck at Camp for the second weekend in a row and attacked by deranged shifters. There’s not a lot to be thankful for.”

Everett smiled. “For the ride. Both in the car and on my leg last night.”

Too much. That was too much. I let out a sound that resembled Everett’s own growl as I flung my backpack over my shoulder and slammed the door closed. I stomped up to the front door of the cabin without looking behind me. The audacity of that man.

“I’ll be seeing you soon.” I froze mid-step as his voice met my ears. I took a breath and kept walking, keeping myself from turning around to look at him again.

Once I was inside the cabin with the door closed behind me, Everett backed down the driveway. I leaned my head against the door and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.

“You’re back, you minx! I knew you would disappear all weekend with those hot guys again. You need to introduce me. Sharing is caring!” Jenny was already on me before I could take a another step inside.

“I need a shower.” I headed to my room to put my backpack down, hearing Jenny’s footsteps following behind me.

“Yeah, you do. Did you just spend all weekend in the woods rolling around on the ground with those men?” Jenny said. “Ugh. What I wouldn’t give for a weekend with one of those guys. I need some of your tricks. Maybe I can borrow some of your leggings and shirts? That seems to work for you.”

I laughed with her. “That’s pretty much what I did.” If only she knew the truth. “But aren’t you into Leo?” A couple of days ago, she’d seemed very much smitten with Leo.

“He’s been gone most of the weekend. I guess he found a stream or something he likes?” Jenny said with a bit of a pout. “I don’t know—he’s been gone a lot and I’m lonely!”

“It’s only been a few days since you had your tongue down his throat!”

“Well, I get lonely quickly.” She laughed. “You should take a shower already, and then we can make popcorn and hang out so I won’t be so lonely.”

I agreed, and she left me to bathe in peace.

I allowed myself a long shower, probably using up all the stored rainwater. The water flowed over my body, washing away everything that had accumulated on me this past weekend. It wasn’t just dirt I had collected but a whole new part of the world that I’d never known existed. A mythical place where humans shifted into wolves, something I’d believed only existed within the confines of a fairytale. It all should have scared me, but it didn’t. The researcher in me thrived in the unknown, the mystery, the search for answers. Their world fascinated me, and I had a feeling I had only skimmed the surface.

Now that I had found the Lycans, I wasn’t so sure I wanted them to be hidden from me. There was too much in it that intrigued me. Yes, Everett was a big part of it. He had sunken into my pores. My fingers brushed across my lips, still feeling the touch of his.

But the rot—it was affecting the forest in a way that I hadn’t known was possible, easily killing the plants native to the area.

Killing wasn’t the right word. It was vaporizing them, turning them into a fine dust. It was affecting the shifters too, turning the lush green forests of their home into brown wastelands. Although Everett didn’t have answers about the rot, it was nice to have someone who was just as invested in the forest as I was. We would figure it out.

We. I talked about him in my head like we were already partners, not only in investigating the rot but in other ways. It had been so natural, letting him help me last night with the mulberry. The way he’d cared for the plant and then cared for me.

I wanted more. Maybe after I figured out the mystery of the rot, I would let myself explore Everett. I couldn’t let him become more of a distraction from my research than he already was.

When the shower became more of a dribble than a stream, I turned off the faucet. Hopefully it rained soon to replenish our supply if Jenny and Leo needed to clean up.

Leo must’ve been busy working if Jenny hadn’t seen him recently. His research brought him close to the ground like mine did, all the water ecosystems under our feet. Had he noticed the rot? I’d be surprised if he hadn’t.

Cozy and clean, I met Jenny in the living room. “Is Leo coming back tonight?” I wondered where he was. The cabin was getting dark. Soon we would have to turn on the lanterns.

“He’s been getting back super late,” she said. “I’ve been hearing him come in well after midnight.”

That was weird to me. I couldn’t imagine Leo getting any work done in the dark. Especially in the water. What was he doing? I knew he’d been meeting with one of the land owners out here, so maybe those talks were keeping him out so late. I knew I’d be talking someone’s ear off if they had any experience with my area of study.

After popcorn and chitchat, Jenny released a yawn and announced that she was going to bed. I followed shortly after her, excited to sleep in a proper bed in a house with solid walls.