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She straightened when she heard the low crunch of leaves. From her perch, she watched as the two wolf-shifters emerged out of the shadows between the cabins and paused. They sniffed the air before they looked around with a frown.

“How the hell did she disappear so quickly?” Van muttered.

“She probably went into her cabin. She looked pretty upset earlier. I don’t know what she and Ella were talking about, but it didn’t look good,” Peterson said.

“I’ll be glad when we can get her out of here,” Van replied.

Peterson snorted out a sharp laugh. “Hell, I’d be happy if she just wasn’t so skittish. It’s driving me crazy the way she’s avoiding us. Why won’t she give us a chance? That’s all we are asking for. Talk to us. Get to know us.”

“I know. I thought for sure once we got here that it would be easier,” Van grumbled before emitting a loud sigh.

“Van, Peterson, Michaela would like to speak to you both,” Ty called out.

“Coming,” they responded together.

The tenor of their voices rolled over her. She bit her lip and watched as they glanced once more between the cabins before they walked away. The quiet murmur of voices carried on the gentle breeze. From the rooftop, she could see the firepit where everyone had been sitting. The scene was bittersweet. It reminded her of all the nights when her clan had gathered to listen to the elders tell their stories. Now, she couldn’t help but wonder if any of the stories the elders had told them were true.

“Was everything a lie?” she whispered.

Chapter 8

“Damn, what a woman!” Peterson muttered.

Van chuckled and held out a folded paper towel from his pocket. “You’re bleeding.”

Peterson took the paper towel and pressed it under his chin where Jayden’s lance had pierced his skin. He looked at the red spot against the white and grinned.

“She drew first blood.”

“Something tells me it won’t be the last. If there was any doubt, which there wasn’t, that she is perfect for us, it has disappeared. We should have pushed things sooner,” Van murmured.

Peterson shot him a look of disbelief. “You had doubts? Is your wolf not going as crazy as mine?”

Van scowled at him. “Yes, my wolf is going nuts, and no, I didn’t really have doubts. This encounter just reenforced that she is perfect. She’ll keep us on our toes and in our place if we get too arrogant.”

“Arrogant? I’m never arrogant,” Peterson scoffed.

Van raised his eyebrow. “Says the wolf-shifter who insulted his mate, wants to kidnap her, and is bleeding for it.”

“She didn’t hear the kidnapping part,” he defended.

“Doesn’t matter. We need to be smart about this.”

Peterson stared in the direction Jayden had disappeared. A perplexed frown creased his brow as he tried to figure out what they were going to do next. He probably shouldn’t have come on so strong. When he had caught her scent, it was as if his brain had stopped functioning.

So much for being charming.

He winced when his wolf snorted at his thoughts. Sometimes it really sucked having a sarcastic other half that knew what he was thinking. It was almost as bad as dealing with Van when he was on a roll.

“What now?” he asked with a sigh.

“We hope she sees common sense and changes her mind by the end of the week.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

Van shook his head. “I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.”

“Did you hear the news?”