Everyone called her by her initials, short for Belinda Baker. While there were certain physical differences between the two of them, such as Ria having been much taller and more fit, and BB choosing to straighten her hair while Ria had always embraced her lion’s mane of curls, their faces were very similar. Looking at BB now, I was forced to confront a ghost that, to this day, haunted me almost every waking moment, and the sleeping ones as well.
I nodded at BB, not sure I could trust myself to speak without breaking apart, a stabbing pain in my chest, certain my lungs might collapse.
“Blake.” BB spoke my name again, more quietly since she was standing right in front of me. “How are you doing? It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you.”
“Fine,” I replied. The fewer words the better. I took a deep breath, trying my best to act normal.
“You should go see my parents. I know they’d like to see you. They have Ria’s engagement ring, and they want to return it to you. They’ve been waiting for you to come back.”
“I don’t want it,” I replied, probably more curtly than I meant it to be.
“At least go see them.” BB looked at me, pleading with her eyes, touching my forearm.
I sighed, knowing I couldn’t avoid it forever. It was difficult enough to avoid her father, considering he was a senior warrior. Soon I’d have no choice but to interact regularly with him.
“We all miss her.” She spoke again. “My mom hasn’t been the same since we lost her. I think it would help if you went and saw her.”
I nodded.
“I’ll text you so we can plan something,” BB said, likely knowing she wasn’t going to get many more words out of me. She put her arms around me, hugging me, and then walked away, heading into the gym. As soon as she disappeared inside, I sprinted toward my car, driving it to the outskirts of the pack. I jumped out and ran into the woods, feeling my eyes burning, forcing myself to hold on until I could shift into my wolf.
*** Five years ago ***
It was the perfect June day—not too hot and partly cloudy with a slight breeze. To celebrate our engagement, I’d planned a trip for Ria and me to spend the weekend of the summer solstice in Kennebunkport, Maine, days after I graduated from high school. We’d driven over four hours and checked in the evening prior.
The early morning was spent jogging the beach, taking in the East Coast sunrise. After returning to the hotel to freshen up and eat breakfast, we were now strolling hand in hand in the crowded Dock Square shopping area. Ria was wearing a very short, strappy sundress, showing off her toned, brown thighs, making it difficult not to imagine being between them, which intensified my anticipation for that evening. My mate had bewitched me—I’d never felt this way in my life. I was head over heels, on cloud nine, fallen hook, line, and sinker.
After having some lobster rolls for lunch, we made our way to a shop that rented kayaks. They brought us down to a boat launch and left us to spend the remainder of the afternoon in the water.
Ria instantly took off in her kayak, looking back at me and yelling, “Come on, Blake, let’s see if those arms are good for anything other than flexing in front of the mirror!”
I paddled out toward her. As soon as I caught up, I said, “They’re good for other things too.”
“Really, like what?”
“You already forgot this morning in the shower? Pretty sure you didn’t get in that position without me holding you up.” I smirked.
“My legs were doing most of the work. I just let you think you were doing something so your ego wouldn’t get hurt.”
I smiled. “You do have very strong and flexible legs. I’ve been staring at them all day. I think you wore that dress on purpose.”
“You think I wore a dress just so you can act like a creep and stare at my legs all day?”
“You do love to tease me,” I said, maneuvering my boat so it was next to hers, and putting my hand out. She took my hand and looked at me, smiling. I pulled her hand up to my mouth and kissed it. Then we spent some time wading in the water. We eventually began paddling again, taking in the scenery from the water.
When we returned to shore, it was already evening. We made our way to a restaurant overlooking the water, retiring to our hotel room afterward. As soon as we got inside, I closed the space between us and moved my hands to her legs, caressing them and reaching for the hem of her dress, ready to remove it.
“No!” she said, moving away from me.
“No?” I moved back toward her.
“No!” she said again, a glint in her eyes.
“Are you trying to torture me?” I looked at her.
“What’s the big bad alpha wolf going to do about it?” She smiled.
“Torture you back.” I began tickling her. She was very ticklish. She laughed and shrieked, falling back in the bed. I followed, climbing in after her.