Once outside, I picked up the nearest stick I could find and used it to draw a line into the ground. “This will be our starting —” I was going to explain to her the rules but she was already gone. All I saw was a flash of grey.
“Sucker!”
“That counts as cheating.”
“All is fair in love and war.”
“I hope you know that I’m going to punish you for this.” I had transformed into my wolf form and took off. If I happened to lose this race then Landon would never let me live it down.
“My money’s on Jane.”
“Oh, shut up,” I snapped. “I’m a veteran.”
“Looks like you’re all bark and no bite because I’m in the lead.”
“Not for long.” I took a sharp left and banked on the reliability of an old shortcut. The terrain was treacherous but I was prepared to take my chances if it meant maintaining my dignity.
Shit.
The old log that connected one cliff to the other had rotted away leaving a sizable gap that would be nearly impossible to jump.
“Don’t you dare,” warned Landon. “I am not raising our pup on my own.”
But did I listen to my partner? Of course not.
I continued forward and I didn’t stop until I was on the very edge. The earth gave way but it held out long enough for me to make my jump.
The world slowed.
I was suspended in midair. I wasn’t going to make it.
Crash!
I had spoken too soon.
After the second needed to compose myself, off I went again.
“Didn’t think I’d let you win that easily, did you?” I asked, as I passed her up.
“Hey! How did you…?”
“Experience is the name of the game and you still have a lot to learn.”
Chapter 18: Landon
A few weeks later.
Things were quiet — too quiet — and I didn’t like it. I was more than certain that our enemies were plotting something. What exactly? I wasn’t sure. But preparation was key.
“Jane.” I found her inside the den, laying on the bed of pelts. She had her hands on her stomach and there was this goofy sort of smile on her face. “I need to have a word with you.”
“One second.”
“What is it?” I inquired, now curious as to what was making her so happy.
“I think I can feel the baby kicking. But, that doesn’t make any sense. I’m too early in my pregnancy for that.”
I quickened to her side. “Wolf pups are very active, even early on,” I explained. “Let me see.”