Page 9 of Brutal Reign (Shadowed Heirs #5)

9

PAST

“ C ’mon, keep up!” I shout as I run through the forest, my voice cracking embarrassingly on the last word. Puberty’s a real bitch.

River either doesn’t notice or decides to pass up the opportunity to tease me about it, huffing and puffing behind me. “I’m trying!” she whines, her voice sounding far away.

I glance back over my shoulder to clock her position, then skid to a stop when I see how far behind she’s fallen, folding my arms over my chest as I pause to wait for her to catch up.

“You suck at running,” I comment as she draws closer, heavy breaths sawing from her lungs.

She slows as she approaches me, full lips twisted in a scowl. “I hate running.”

“Wonder why,” I snicker.

She winds up a fist, delivering a sharp jab to my bicep. “Shut up.”

“Then keep up.”

River rolls her eyes, knocking her shoulder into mine as she barges past me. “Ugh, come on, then. It’s not that much farther, is it? This had better be good if he’s making us run to meet him.”

“Well, it sounded important,” I reply, pivoting around to start after her.

“Seb thinks everything he has to say is important,” she pants, still struggling for breath as I easily catch up.

I snort a laugh because she’s not wrong. While the three of us have been best friends for as long as I can remember, Seb and River have always had friction between them. Probably their Alpha blood. The two of them are just lucky they’ve got me around to keep the peace, or they’d have for sure killed each other by now.

“Look, there it is,” I remark, pointing to the break in the trees ahead. My parents’ old cabin is still standing, though it’s definitely seen better days. The shabby hunting shack looks like it’s one strong wind from toppling over.

“Ugh, finally!” River groans, putting forth a last push of energy to jog the remaining distance. I keep in pace beside her, sweeping my gaze around as we emerge from the trees at the cabin and she asks, “Where is he?”

“Here!” Seb calls, stepping out from around the other side of the crumbling structure with a huge grin stretching his lips. He’s clad only in his boxers, and the lack of clothing draws even more attention to his awkward, lanky body. He just had a major growth spurt, his height pushing over six feet seemingly overnight, and the rest of him has yet to catch up. Total Jack Skellington vibes.

River stops in her tracks, mouth dropping open and brow furrowing in confusion. Gotta admit, I’m just as lost as to why Seb made us rush out here to see him hanging out in his underwear.

“You guys ready to have your minds blown?” Seb asks, his grin widening as he slides his gaze between us.

I eye him dubiously. “Uhh, what’s going on, dude?”

“Just watch,” he says, spinning around and putting his back to us. He slides his thumbs into the waistband of his boxers on either side of his hips, dropping them to the ground in one fluid motion.

“Seb!” River shrieks, snapping her head sideways and shielding her eyes. “What the…”

“Just watch!” he barks, still turned away while he curls and uncurls his fists at his sides.

A few seconds pass, feeling like they drag on forever, and I’m about to open my mouth and ask what the hell he’s playing at when I see the air start to shimmer around him, drawing a sharp gasp when I hear the first crack of his bones.

“No fucking way,” I breathe, staring wide-eyed as Seb curses and groans in pain, fur sprouting from his skin and his body slowly rearranging itself.

River whips back around to stare toward Seb, the same look of shock and awe playing out on her face as my own while we watch a wolf start to take shape where our friend stood. It may be slow and clumsy, but it’s definitely a shift. When the shimmering air clears, Seb’s massive black wolf shakes out his fur, lifting his chin proudly as he turns to face us.

“Your wolf came in!” River squeals excitedly, rushing toward him.

Guess she doesn’t mind running if it’s toward something worthwhile.

I slowly trail after her, watching as she drops to her knees in front of Seb’s wolf and throws her arms around his thick neck, nuzzling into his fur.

“Oh my gosh, he’s beautiful!” she gushes, marveling at the way his thick, glossy fur slides through her fingers.

Of course Seb would be the first to get his wolf. I’m not jealous. Not at all.

Shit, okay, I’m kinda jealous.

He looks like he’s enjoying this way too much, knocking River over with his big blocky paws and licking her face. She giggles on the ground, batting him away, and he sits back on his haunches with a dopey grin as she scrambles to her feet.

“When did it happen? How many times have you shifted? What’s it feel like?” River asks, her excitement bubbling over in the form of rapid-fire questions.

“He can’t answer you, not till he shifts back,” I mumble, stepping in closer to Seb and reaching down to run my own fingers through his fur.

He cranes his neck to look back at me, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Smug asshole.

“C’mon, let’s give him some room,” I direct, moving backwards and hooking my arm through River’s to drag her with me.

“But I wanna pet him some more!” she protests.

I roll my eyes, continuing to pull her along with me. “He’s not a pet, Riv.”

“He could be! I like this version of Seb way better.”

I can’t help but laugh at that, slowing once we’ve reached a respectable distance and giving Seb the nod to go ahead and shift back to his human form. Again, the seconds seem to drag on for hours before the air starts to shimmer around his body, and both River and I politely avert our eyes as Seb shifts and slips his boxers back on. Then he clears his throat, prompting both of us to turn back around and start wandering toward him.

“To answer your questions… last night, five or six, and it hurts like a bitch,” Seb drawls, the corner of his mouth pulling up in a lazy smirk. “But it’s worth it. My wolf’s a total badass, I already feel stronger.”

“Ugh, I’m so jealous!” River groans, throwing her head back and dragging her hands down her face. “I can’t wait for my wolf to come in. I’ll bet as soon as she does, I’ll be a great runner.”

“Yeah right,” I snort, shoving her playfully. “Not even your wolf’s strength can help you there, babygirl.”

She rolls her eyes as she shoves me back. “Just wait and see. I’ll bet my wolf’s gonna be bigger and badder than both of yours, and when she comes in, I’ll be running circles around you.”

NOW

The recruit barracks are quiet at this hour, but not everyone’s asleep. Bailey Monroe snuck out about twenty minutes ago to hit the trail for her morning run, and now River’s creeping down from her top bunk, preparing to do the same.

She’s always hated running, so I can only assume she’s trying to work on her conditioning. Probably something she should’ve done before coming to training camp. I don’t sleep a whole lot, and when I do, I’m always hovering in the grey space between dreams and reality, apt to wake up at the slightest disturbance. That’s how I know River’s been making morning runs part of her routine since we’ve been here at camp, which means they’ve become part of my routine, too.

I stay perfectly still on my bunk, silently watching as she slips away to the locker room to change and put in her contact lenses before returning to stow her belongings in the cubby at the end of her bunk. Then she sweeps her long dark hair up into a high ponytail, pulling it tight, slipping her gym shoes on, and starting for the exit.

That’s my cue.

The moment she disappears through the door, I ease out of bed, hurriedly getting dressed while being careful not to wake those still sleeping in the bunks around me. It doesn’t take much effort since they’re all dead to the world. I’m ready to go in just a few minutes, creeping toward the exit on silent feet to pick up on River’s trail.

We haven’t spoken since Saturday night, but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped keeping an eye on her. She’s already made her fair share of enemies here at training camp. She shouldn’t be heading off anywhere on her own, but the girl doesn’t have the good sense to know when she’s in danger. If she did, she wouldn’t have provoked Seb that night.

The footprints in the dirt make it easy to discern which trail she took, the pattern on the bottom of her sneakers different than Bailey’s. I learned that on day one, when I followed the wrong girl. I’m adept at sneaking around the forest, so Bailey never saw me, but I was annoyed about the mix-up. Which is why I made a point to memorize the design on the soles of River’s running shoes.

I start off in a slow jog, knowing that even at this leisurely pace, I’ll catch up to her in no time. Sure enough, ten minutes later, I catch sight of her dark ponytail bobbing up ahead as she jogs the trail at a snail’s pace. It’s almost comical how much this girl sucks at running.

As she ambles along with her earbuds securely in place, I can’t help but wonder what song’s playing through them right now. I’ve never met anyone as connected to music as River Jacobsen is. It’s practically her religion. Some mornings when I sneakily run this trail with her, I slip my own earbuds in and pretend we’re listening to the same song.

It was always more fun listening to music with her.

I keep my distance on the trail, staying just out of sight so I don’t get caught while my mind wanders back to simpler times, when we’d lay side by side on my bed and listen to music together. She always had a knack for finding deeper meanings in song lyrics. Certain chords seemed to light her up from the inside, and whenever I found a song with chord progressions I knew she’d love, I’d revel in watching her reaction as I played it for her. At that point, I guess it was no longer just about the music.

I’m so wrapped up in the hazy memories of our childhood that I don’t even realize I’ve gained distance on her– not until she suddenly whips a glance over her shoulder and our eyes meet. She startles and promptly skids to a stop, pulling out her phone to pause her music as she waits for me to catch up, her chest rising and falling raggedly with her panted breaths.

“Ace,” she chokes out as soon as I’m within earshot, pressing a hand to her chest in an attempt to regulate her breathing. “What are you doing out here?”

“Just out for a run,” I shrug, playing it off.

Those hazel eyes narrow in suspicion as I close the distance between us. “Why?”

“Conditioning,” I reply flatly. “Isn’t that why you’re out here?”

“Yeah, but…” she trails off, waving a hand dismissively. “Nevermind.” Bringing her phone up in front of her, she swipes her thumb against the screen to resume her playlist.

“What are you listening to?” I ask, leaning in to try to get a look at her phone screen.

“Don’t worry about it,” she grumbles.

I rock back a step, holding out a palm in silent demand. Her eyes flicker up to meet mine. She chews on her lower lip, brows drawing together in contemplation, then her cheeks pinken in a faint blush as she begrudgingly hands her phone over.

The moment it lands in my palm, I bring it up in front of my face, reading the song title and artist displayed on the screen. “Hm,” I grunt. “Never heard of them.” I hand the phone back over to her.

“Then you’re missing out,” she snaps as she practically rips it out of my hand. “These guys are gonna make it big, it’s only a matter of time.”

I cock a brow. “What makes you so sure?”

“I just know these things,” she huffs, lifting her chin. A thin sheen of sweat clings to her skin, enhancing the richness of her deep olive complexion. “They’re on tour right now and they’ve sold out every show. They’re coming to Boulder next month, I’m definitely gonna be getting my hands on some tickets to see them live.”

Well shit, she’s officially piqued my interest. I sigh as I hold out a palm again, wiggling my fingers in a ‘gimme’ gesture for her earbuds.

River understands the move immediately, but she still hesitates before pulling them from her ears and dropping them into my waiting palm. Guess I can’t blame her for being unsure around me. She wouldn’t take the hint when Seb and I first tried to push her away, so we had to resort to making her hate us instead. Suffice to say it worked.

I slip the earbuds in, nodding to her to queue up a song and hit play. She does, and I let my eyes slide closed as it starts up, listening for a minute or two while subtly bobbing my head along with the drum beat. I immediately recognize why she likes this band so much; their sound is right up her alley.

Halfway through the second chorus, I decide I’ve heard enough, taking the earbuds out and handing them back over. Our fingers brush when she takes them from me. Sparks zing between our skin and I recoil, yanking my hand back and mentally cursing myself for touching her. I’ve always made a point to avoid it. Everyone knows what they say about tempting the devil.

“They’re alright,” I drawl, nodding down to the phone in her hand.

“Alright?” she scoffs incredulously, searching my eyes before rolling her own. “They’re amazing and you know it. You’re just a snob.”

“Or maybe I’ve just got good taste,” I shrug.

“The company you keep says otherwise,” she grumbles, shoving her earbuds back into her ears.

“If you’re here just to taunt him, you shouldn’t,” I warn, slinking back another step as her tantalizing scent wafts to me on the breeze. I never used to notice how fucking good she smells.

“Contrary to what Seb might think, not everything’s about him,” River scoffs, scrunching her nose in distaste.

“Then why are you here?” I question, swiping a hand over my chin. “You never used to talk about going out for the squad as a fighter.”

“People change, Ace,” she deadpans. “You might’ve known me once, but not anymore. I’m here to train. And I’m not going anywhere, so if Seb doesn’t like it, then he can leave.”

“Your funeral, babygirl,” I sigh, the old nickname rolling off my tongue just as easily as it used to. I don’t mean to use it– it just slips out, hanging in the air between us as we stare into each other’s eyes, held captive by our shared history.

I’m the first to break, blowing out a breath as I turn away and scrub a hand over my face.

“Whatever,” River mutters, pivoting around in the direction she was heading before. She dismisses me by taking off running down the trail again while I just stand there watching after her for a few minutes, biting down on my lip until the metallic tang of blood coats my tongue.

Right before she disappears from sight, I take off at a light jog to follow. Just because I’ve been caught doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop watching over her.

She may not realize it, but I’m always watching.