14

GEORGIA

✿

"What's your problem, Beau?" I snapped when I reached the two of them. Well, to be honest, I didn't want to either. Kaylee - that dope - should know who she was messing with if she gave him that lascivious bedroom look one more second.

Grrrr .

Beau, who didn't bother to turn to me, casually said, "Extra 10 mile run after practice."

"I'm sorry, what? I just did the whole run-through again!”

“12.”

I gasped in disbelief. "You can not be serious!"

Now, finally , he turned and looked at me. He raised an eyebrow. "15." And those damn hands were still on her hips.

I cooked. That was definitely a step too far. He wanted to move away from me, okay, but flirting with someone ? Really? How far had he fallen?

"Beau, you're needed," Joy interrupted, having just entered the hall. I hadn't yielded to his stare this time. And it obviously made him angry.

Irritated by this, he growled, "Coming," while still keeping his angry gaze on me.

" Okaaaaay ." Joy acknowledged with raised eyebrows. "No reason to be upset." Then she left us. Her brown ponytail, which was tied a lot tighter than mine, bobbed back and forth as she walked tautly.

"We're calling it a day!" Beau exclaimed, which was followed by a murmur of relief. All the students packed up their things and then took off.

Lost in thought, I picked up my water bottle and slipped it into my pocket.

So she was awake. The only healer werewolf who hadn't spent her life in the dark tomb. A number of questions were already running through my head. Was there more of us? Did they live in a pack? Were they hunted? And if so, did that mean we were being hunted too? Where were their scars from?

The bag fell off my shoulders as I was the last to cross the training hall, asking a question I hoped I'd never have to say out loud.

If they caught us... would we be locked up again?

"You're welcome," a deep voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

Beau caught my bag and put it back around my shoulders.

"I know exactly what you have in mind." He stood in front of me with his legs apart and blocked my exit.

It still tingled where he briefly touched me. Clearing my throat, I tried to concentrate on the essentials and straightened my bag. 'I just want to know how she's doing. I finally prevented her from bleeding to death. I have the right to visit her and inquire about her."

He lifted his chin. eyed me "No."

"Yes," I countered, and the anger from earlier was contained. My fingers clawed at the leather of my bag.

He growled. 'An extra round. For contradicting me."

I growled too. "The pack does not train a blind retinue just waiting to take silent orders."

"No. But not mindless either. Or do you want to be kicked out of the group?”

"You wouldn't do that."

His eyes flashed. "I wouldn't be so sure if I were you."

I was frustrated. Deeply frustrated. I didn't know which buttons to push with him to get him to accept me. When I wanted his attention, he denied it. And when he did deign to notice me, all he did was make my life miserable and insult me.

I hesitated briefly. But then everything got too stupid for me. "Excuse me." I pushed past him and left the building. He didn't stop me. Which might be a good thing, right now was a bad time to argue with me. We were already far enough apart that arguing now would only divide us further.

I tossed the bag carelessly onto the forecourt and ran. I would fetch them later in the afternoon. But now I just wanted to get away. Do anything but think about him. It wasn't even a minute before I reached the forest and disappeared between the tall firs. The pleasant smell of earth and wood surrounded me. The birds fluttered away from me excitedly, as did all the other small animals, and fine welts ran across my skin from the branches, grazing my bare arms. A small smile appeared on my lips and I chased faster through the forest. freedom .

"Not in wolf form?"

"Nops," I said curtly, still staring ahead.

Blair was undeterred. "Will you tell me what you did to make our officer so angry with you?"

I quickened my steps. "I exist."

Blair laughed, but it wasn't funny. It was the most unfunny thing that had ever crossed my lips. And when I didn't join in, she fell silent.

“Listen, I really don't know why you don't try Isaac. I get it, you didn't find your mate yesterday, but that doesn't mean you have to give up love.” She matched my pace with ease. “There are many couples who live happily ever after without ever being connected.”

Blair's argument was valid, what she said was true. But I already had that tape. And it would dissolve again, perhaps against my will. "Please, can we drop this subject?"

"I just want you to be okay."

"Stop."

Blair waved him off, annoyed. "You think Isaac is-"

“No, I really mean stop! Stop!” Alarmed, I stopped and stopped her from running as well. The branches swayed back and forth slightly, the foliage on the ground swirled in the air and the birds chirped softly in the background. Everything seemed normal. Except for one small detail.

"Do you smell that?"

She frowned questioningly. "No. I-” Her eyes widened and she looked at me. "How far are we from the shore?"

"From the smell we're already there." Absorbed as I was by Beau, I had forgotten everything around me—what a model soldier. If I wasn't following the sea breeze I would have scolded myself for it, but now that I spotted the blue glow peeking through the trees, that was my last concern.

“We shouldn't be here. This is off-limits territory,” Blair whispered to me, knowing full well that we'd be in trouble if the patrol found us.

Still, curiously, I stepped through the trees until I had a full view of the Vesharian Sea . In front of me the deep cliff from which a fall would mean multiple deaths. Nesvahda te morih - the coast of death.

As soon as I found myself on the edge of the cliff, the harsh wind blew in my face and brought tears to my eyes. But that wasn't what took my breath away. It was the shimmering, far-reaching surface whose rough waves pounded the cliff face.

"Let's go back before Beau has us do ten more of those killer pull-ups," Blair warned. She hated breaking the rules - unless Tiam was involved, that is. And I didn't usually go for that adrenaline rush either.

"You're probably right there," I relented, although the sight of the boundless, unknown sea had always fascinated me. There was no beginning and no end. You could only see the dark blue surface of the sea up to the horizon and beyond that there was more. It was a distance I had only ever dreamed of. She could almost scare you.

How lonely must it feel to be all alone in the open, harsh Veshari ? I shuddered at the thought.

Blair grabbed my arm.

"Yeah, alright, I'm coming," I mumbled, slightly annoyed. She didn't loosen her grip.

'What on earth is that? “

I followed her gaze. The howling wind was blowing harder and harder, and I had to squint to see properly. There, around the edge of the cliff, something peeked out. The distance was too great to see exactly what name adorned the front of the ever-approaching vehicle. But as soon as the big, black flag appeared, all guesswork was thrown overboard. The white, tattered skull grinned at me and the blood in my veins froze to ice.

I had never seen her before. Had only heard of them. In old history books, in spooky horror stories. But I never thought I would ever see her.

' O holy moon goddess . Georgie, are they?”

"Yes." My mouth went dry and I swallowed. “ Pirates. “

And they were heading straight for our bay. And set anchor.