Wild and Free

(Auden’s POV)

Cassie slept over at my house that night, neither of us really feeling up to leaving the other again.

Even though I had only know Cassie for a couple years, we were as close as sisters and the thought of those rogue wolves almost killing my sister made my blood boil.

We talked for a while about what happened while we were separated.

“Riley carried me and ran all the way to some strange open clearing,” she told me, sitting next to me on my bed. We’d both changed into nightclothes, ready to crawl into bed and leave the day’s events behind us.

“I was freaking out, like totally catatonic but I don’t know, something about Riley calmed me down,” she said, a sheepish look on her face. “He didn’t really explain anything but just told me that I was safe. And for some reason, even though I’d never had a full conversation with the guy before tonight, I found myself believing him.”

I smirked at her, resting my chin in my hand, “I think that someone is a little smitten with one of the big bad wolves,” I teased.

My best friend rolled her eyes at me, failing to hide the blush that crept up on her cheeks like storm clouds.

“He’s really sweet and comforting. I can’t really place it I just felt right when I was with him,” she said. “Ugh, and he smells amazing.”

I laughed at her, shaking my head. Cassie was a lot like me when it came it guys. We both had expectations that most of the guys at our school just didn’t hold up to. She wasn’t completely guy crazy but she definitely had her moments, just like that one.

“But is it possible? You know, your kind having a relationship of different blood?” she asked, tucking a strand of silky blonde hair behind her ear. She was using more complex terminology just to avoid asking went she really wanted to know the answer to.

“You mean can a werewolf and a human be mates?” I replied with a grin.

She scowled at me again but nodded.

“Of course,” I answered, taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly. “Bonds form between any kind that has attraction. It’s pretty rare but as long as it isn’t some kind of uncommunicative species it’s possible. Like, if it’s any consolation, you won’t have to fight with trees or squirrels for Riley’s attention.”

She giggled and pushed my shoulder lightly. I felt like we hadn’t really had much time to just talk and have fun since the new pack rolled in. And although venting to each other after nearly being killed wasn’t necessarily girl bonding time, it did feel good to be back laughing.

“You know who I wish was here?” Cassie asked, after she stopped her laughing.

I looked down at my bedspread, “Kenzie?”

She nodded, “I just feel like we’ve gotten close with her. I hope that Mason doesn’t tell her that you blackmailed him or something. We don’t want her hating us and running of to Amelia or someone.”

“But I did blackmail him!” I said, covering my face with my hands. “I feel terrible about it too. I don’t know what came over me. It was like I couldn’t find it in myself to just work things out normally.”

Cassie was probably the only person then that I trusted enough to show weakness around. She saw the side of me that wasn’t strong all the time. The side that didn’t have an answer or a comeback for everything. The side that wasn’t genius schoolgirl or werewolf warrior. She saw the side that was raw and broken and guilty for the things I’ve done. Sometimes that scared me.

“You didn’t have much of a choice,” Cassie assured me. “We both want to know more about them and more about the guys that attacked us. Mason didn’t seem like her was going to do any explaining anytime soon so you took matters into your own hands. That’s brave.”

“It was immediate irrational thinking and I know I’m better than that. It was a stupid thing to do. Especially in front of an Alpha,” I mumbled.

We sat in silence for a moment, both lost in thoughts when I saw a tear roll down my friend’s cheek.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, “I have no idea how you do it.”

I knit my brows in confusion.

“Everything you’ve been through. All the things you’ve faced. Each person whose ever hurt you or threatened you. And yet you’re still here. You’re still on your feet, living some double life like a perfect pro,” she sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her sleeve. Or my sleeve I guess because it was my shirt.

“I was so scared today, I felt like I couldn’t move. You didn’t even scream. A, as dumb as it sounds to say considering, doing that isn’t human!” she tried to joke, only to be met with another wave of slow tears.

She looked down at the bed, “I bet you’re embarrassed of how cowardly I was. I didn’t even go back to rescue you.”

I shook my head and grabbed her shoulders, turning her towards me and forcing her to look into my burning blue gaze.

“Cassandra Alia Carlyle, you are not, nor never have been a coward. Today you might have been scared but that’s because you’re human and that’s what happens sometimes, you guys are a crazy species,” I joked earning a laugh from her. “But you have no idea how grateful I am of what you did tonight. You didn’t share anything or spill my secret. You never broke no matter how much you might’ve wanted to. And you were with me every step of the way, I promise. I couldn’t have asked for anything more of you.”

She blinked and another tear fell but this time she had a small smile on her face as she grabbed my arms and enveloped me in a huge hug.

“And I’m sorry I didn’t come to help. Any real friend with my ability would’ve shifted right then and helped the others,” I admitted, pulling back from the hug. “But I was too worried about being discovered.”

“Don’t say that, I never would have expected you to reveal yourself, even in that kind of situation,” she explained. “You protected me, you saved Kenzie, and you did it all without them knowing anything. Now that is impressive,” she smiled at me.

I nodded and hugged her again.

“We have to be strong tomorrow,” I whispered in her ear. “None of them can suspect that we know anything about them or it would put us both in danger.”

She held me tightly, “I promise. I won’t let you down.”

“Me either.”

Not a few minutes later did the exhaustion take over, our bodies forcing us both into a deep dreamless sleep in an attempt to rest us for the day to come.

The next morning, I ached all over. My arm burned. My neck burned. My hands burned. Everything burned, new and old. It was a fairly new feeling for me.

Every time I had ever gotten injured or scratched or bruised, I took off my necklace and let Celeste and her power heal my wounds. The necklace not only blocked out my scent and kept me from shifting, but it often weakened my healing ability. So, whenever I needed to heal quickly, I would take it off, which was almost always the case. But ever since the Royal pack had come, I was terrified doing so. It was this itching paranoia that even a second without it on would give me away to them.

So as a result, I wore it all the time, unless completely necessary.

Last night, I made a decision to keep it on, knowing that if I took it off and let myself heal, Mason would definitely notice something was wrong. He might not always be the smartest but he wasn’t and idiot.

Cassie and I had slept pretty late so we had only enough time to shower, change, and get a bite to eat before we had to meet Mason and the guys, and hopefully Kenzie, at the waterfall.

My closet was fairly pitiful so my bestie decided that she was taking charge and took us to her house to get clothes. I rolled my eyes at the thought but wre what she gave me so she wouldn’t be upset.

She shuffled through her wardrobe for a while before throwing me a pair of light wash jeans and a maroon colored tank top that had layered lace along the hem. She also tried to get me to wear heels but I strongly objected, reasoning that we were going to be walking in the forest. So she handed me a pair of black ballet flats instead.

For herself, she chose a light blue skirt and paired it with a white tank top of her own. She draped a long, thin necklace over her neck and stepped into a pair of sandals.

I checked the mirror real quick. The sight was not a pretty one. The outfit looked nice but I couldn’t get past the now very prominent bruises on my neck. They were darker and larger than I remembered. I wasn’t used to seeing bruises so developed, as they hardly had time to turn from red to purple when I normally healed. For a moment I could feel the guy’s hand against my throat, stealing the scream from my throat, killing me slowly.

I had to blink a couple times to compose myself, after I did I made sure my necklace was secure before we grabbed our things and headed for the waterfall.

It didn’t seem like a very long walk because I knew exactly where I was going, but it still gave us time to go over what we would do. We both agreed that we’d stay relatively quiet while they said what they needed to say.

When Cassie and I began to hear the waterfall, I could feel that they were already there waiting for us.

There were four of them there but Cassie and I only had eyes for one.

Kenzie ran up to us the second we entered the small clearing. The three of us grabbed each other in a tight hug.

“We were so worried about you,” I said in our embrace.

She squeezed her coffee brown eyes shut, “Me too. I was thinking of you guys the whole time.”

“Don’t ever do that to us again,” Cassie said.

Kenzie laughed, “Believe me I won’t.”

We all smiled and let go, stepping back and turning towards the guys who looked like they didn’t know what to do. We just rolled our eyes and joined them on the rocks in the clearing, each finding a comfortable spot to settle.

Mason didn’t say anything as he sat down but I could feel his gaze on me.

“You know staring isn’t polite?” I called him out, making everyone’s attention turn to him.

His face went a little white with embarrassment but he brushed it off. Or at least he tried to. Judging by the smirks on Riley and Greyson’s faces, his friends didn’t buy it.

“I was looking at the bruises,” he said, tipping his chin in the vague direction of my neck. “I’d like to say they look better but it wouldn’t be the truth.”

“Yeah we heard what happened after we left,” Riley joined in the conversation. “We’re really sorry we weren’t there to prevent it.”

“We totally could’ve taken on those bozos,” Greyson said with a competitive and slightly resentful grin.

“I appreciate that guys but getting Kenzie and Cassie out of there was more important than trying to take all of those guys down at once. And anyway, I’m alright. Not good, not great, but I’m alright,” I told them.

Kenzie sighed, “Seems that way for all of us doesn’t it?”

There were a few mixed murmurs and agreements among the group.

“Hey what happened to your arm?” Greyson asked me, gesturing to the long bandage I had forgotten about.

I bent my elbow toward me and peeled up the edge of the white cotton to reveal the three long marks that had obviously been made by claws of some sort. Not that it was a mystery as to what.

Kenzie and I met each other’s gaze.

“You didn’t tell them last night?” she asked me. I shook my head.

“How modest,” she teased. “Yesterday when we were running from the wolf that was after us, I tripped on a root and fell. The guy caught up to us and was about to come down on me before Auden stood in front of me.”

The guys looked to me instantly but my eyes we on my friend speaking, the only thing I could do to keep away a flush.

Kenzie looked at me to continue.

I sighed and tugged on my ponytail from behind so no one would see my little nervous habit, “He didn’t completely pounce on us but he clipped my arm before I could step back.”

“Damn,” Riley whistled. “Looks like a little more than a clip. Are you okay?”

I nodded, “Again, I’m alright. They’re not that deep and I’m just a fast healer. They probably won’t even scar,” I dismissed, wanting to change the topic from me and my dumb little injuries.

“So about that wolf and how you guys… you know...” I began, trailing off my sentence and putting a slightly nervous look on my face. I tried to act as if I was someone who didn’t know what I had seen the night before.

They all sort of ducked their heads, looking at one another expectantly. I wondered why none of them had figured out before the meeting what they were going to tell us. Or perhaps they did but no one wanted to be the one to start.

Mason seemed to be the first to take charge, not that the others were in any hurry.

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at his pack, “Where should we begin?”

~~AUTHOR’S NOTE~~

Ignore any spelling errors. Hope you enjoyed!

As always, comment, don’t hate, and read on!

~your Cheshire Cat loving friend