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He gives a brisk nod and then turns, heading off to wherever the wolves meet to talk about whatever the hell it is they talk about. Guarding the world, I imagine, is a major topic of conversation. Snarling. Being tough. I don’t know – whatever.

Still, I can’t help but smirk as I watch him walk away. He’s just so…tall. And his shoulders are so nice and wide –

“Enough ogling our not-boyfriends,” Shayne whispers, sing-song, slipping her arm in mine.

I sigh, breaking my gaze and turning towards the tent. “I wasn’t –“

“Mmmhmm,” Shay says, laughing, grinning at me. “Ibelieveyou.”

I just roll my eyes, leaning against her. “Come on, crazy,” I murmur. “Let’s get to work.”

Together we head into the tent.

Cole

As soon as I turn away from Nadia, my expression drops into a scowl. I stride forward, my gaze sweeping everywhere.

Where the hell is she? What is shedoinghere?

But I don’t have to look very long or hard for Rose.

Instead – as I should have suspected – she’s waiting for me.

“Hey, Cole,” Rose says, her words only alittleself-satisfied as I turn down the row of guard tents. She smirks, standing directly in front of my tent – or at least, what was my tent. I haven’t slept in there in a long time.

I don’t reply, instead walking slowly forward until I stand right in front of her, so close she has to look up at me. She shakes her head, her lips pressing together, frustrated.

“Look, I wassenthere, okay?”

“Rose, you were sentawayfrom here –“

“Yeah, I know,” she growls, baring her teeth at me, pressing her fingertips against my chest and giving me a little shove, her message toback offperfectly clear. “You asshole. What the hell were you thinking, asking your dad to remove me indisgrace?”

“Don’t be dramatic, Rose,” I murmur, looking around, wanting somewhere moreprivateto do this. “There was no disgrace.”

“Look, I don’t want to get into this,” she snaps.

I turn abruptly back to look down at her. Since when does Rosenotwant to get into a big, messy fight about the details?

That’s like…her favorite form of foreplay.

“Your fathersent me backafter I demonstrated agreatdeal of individual self-direction and patriotism,” she says, slow andpleased with herself. “So, if you’ll just let meshowyou what I discovered –“

“You know I’m going to check this, right?” I snap, shaking my head.

“You want to go call your father right now?” Rose asks, jerking her thumb over her shoulder towards her tent, which is settled on the other side of the camp by the mess hall. “I have to show you my computer anyway, so we can kill two birds with one stone.”

I groan, knowing she wouldn’t bluff about this. Then I exhale, pressing my eyes shut, trying to pull myself together,wantingto immediatelyforbidher from interacting with Nadiaat allbut knowing that doing so will just put a target on my mate –

“Cole,” Rose says, softer now.

I open my eyes, lifting my head to look at her.

“Could you maybe, just for ten seconds, give me the benefit of the doubt? And realize that I’m not some psycho ex-girlfriend but instead someone who is trying to do somethinggoodhere? Something tohelp?”

My shoulders slump at that. Because maybe she’s right. Maybe I’m overreacting and being a dick.

“Fine,” I say, tossing out a hand toward her tent. “Show me. But keep your fucking shirton, Rose.”