25
Savannah
Twenty minutes later, everyone was cold, sodden, and in desperate need of towels and a warm bath. Lake Michigan, even in the late summer, was pretty chilly.
I wrapped my arms around myself and looked at Sam, teeth chattering. “I think maybe we should have thought this through—no towels.”
“You’re the towel. Just get out, shift, and shake off. They’ve got the bonfire going, so we can dry by that.”
Bonfire? Oh, right.
I sniffed the air, which was redolent with the scent of burning wood. Several types. Elm and maple?
Man, my senses were getting better, or at least more finely tuned.
Sam heaved her naked ass out of the water and quickly shifted. I glanced up apprehensively at the wolf. The water was cold, but there was a bit of a breeze, and Sam looked pretty bedraggled.
She gave me a devilish look and shook herself off, spraying me with a shower of icy droplets. I screamed and dropped back down in the water—which, granted, made no sense, but somehow, drops on exposed skin felt a lot worse than the lake itself.
Jaxson swam over. “You okay?”
I dipped down to my chin in the water out of instinct. “Cold. Just trying to decide if I’d rather face the night air and shifting again or die of hypothermia.”
He chuckled. “I’ll help you shift.”
“I hate how easy you make it. Why can’t it be natural?”
“It will be. With practice.”
I sighed and looked at the shore.
Jax coughed. “I’m sorry about Eric—the silver wolf. That was a nasty trick to play on you on your first run.”
“Don’t worry about it. This was actually a lot of fun. And I don’t think he meant for this to happen.”
“It won’t happen again. My wolves will respect you.”
I shook my head, remembering the way Regina had spoken to me. “I’d rather earn it than you command it, Jax.”
“I have no doubt that you will.” He heaved himself halfway out of the water and looked back with a wry smile. “Especially now that you’ve beaten the alpha in a race.”
I put my hand over my face. “I’m not going to live this down, am I?”
“Not a chance. Now get out. It’s past time to gather at the bonfire.” Jaxson leapt up onto the stone, and in a single fluid motion, he shifted into a wolf again.
I was sad not to have a longer view.
I’m perfectly happy,Wolfie chirped.
Fair enough. I admired the massive silver and brown wolf out of the corner of my eyes. His fur practically shone in the starlight. To be fair, he was a damn fine-looking wolf.
Was I really thinking of a wolf as attractive? Shaking my head at how far down the rabbit hole I’d fallen, I clambered out of the lake, and then, with Jaxson’s help, I shifted.
A quick shake sprayed water in a fine mist around us. Unfortunately, I was still pretty damp and chilled to the bone.
Jaxson gave me a look. Let’s go.
Instead, my wolf glanced out at the lake as more werewolves climbed out and shifted. Give me a minute.
Jax followed my gaze to the pale blond man treading water at the back of the pack. The douche who had tricked me—Eric, apparently.
Jaxson grunted. Find me when you’re done.
I waited until Eric was the only one left and padded down to the shore.
He looked up guiltily from the edge of the seawall. “I’m really sorry, Savannah, I was just joking around. I didn’t think you would take me seriously or be able to keep up—”
My wolf put our paw on his forehead and gently but firmly pushed him down into the water.
“I won’t do it again, it was poor judg—”
There was a brief gurgle as his head plunged beneath the gentle waves. When she let him back up, she—we—gave him the look.
Blondie froze.
I’d never really understood the look and its effect on people. It was just something I’d had growing up. But I knew it for what it was now: weird-ass wolf voodoo.
I guess it always had been. At least I knew exactly what to do to put him in his place.
He slunk down in the water to the level of his chin. “I think I’m going to wait here in the water a little longer.”
We nodded, removed our paw from his head, and sauntered off.
There were a few large fires burning further along the point, and we padded toward them across the dark grass.
Jaxson was waiting, as was Sam. Werewolves were everywhere. The pack had formed a ring around a pair of roaring bonfires. Most were lounging around in wolf form, though a few were still human.
Beyond the fire, three burly werewolves stood in the shadows of the trees—Jaxson’s guards. I got the sense they were watching for interlopers. Apparently, this was a werewolf-only event. Not that anyone—well, other than Casey—would be crazy enough to barge in on a pack of wolves.
A pang of loss cut through me, and suddenly, everything I’d gained seemed a little hollow.
The look of horror on Casey’s face had wounded me just as deeply as the Soul Knife had. Would that cut heal with time or remain oozing and dripping?
Your crazy cousin will probably come around,Wolfie said, somewhat reluctantly.