Page 67
Cameron
M ud still caked my body, but the rain had done a good job washing a lot of it away.
My assumption that the wet earth had covered my scent caused me some terror as the clods of dirt washed away.
At one point, I even stopped at a muddy puddle and smeared more over my body, making sure to coat myself as well as possible.
As I ran through the forest, I had the distinct sense that I wasn’t a powerful shifter but a rabbit or a squirrel running from a predator.
After an hour of running, I finally allowed myself to relax a bit.
If Rick was going to find me, he probably would have by now.
Tension still racked my body. Every muscle, from my lower back to my thighs and up to my shoulders, ached and screamed for rest.
I rushed out of the forest into a clearing and sank to my knees, heaving in breaths and allowing the rain to wash down across me.
My legs and arms trembled from the exertion.
There was something different about running for pleasure or exercise versus running for your life.
You pushed yourself harder than you thought you ever would, and now my body was paying the price.
At the back of my mind, I could hear my mother’s voice, telling me to be careful like she used to when I went out in Zamora.
Back then, neither she nor I could have thought anything was more dangerous than the gangs and cartel members who roamed the streets.
Little did we know, I actually needed to worry about a filthy rich man chasing me through the wilderness of Canada.
Thinking of my mother brought a single sob, heartsick and agonized, tearing at my chest. Falling forward with my hands on the wet moss, I cried.
With the rain beating down on the back of my head, I was a child again.
I wanted my mama. I wanted her to hold me, protect me, and take away all my fear and worry.
As quickly as it started, I shoved the emotions away. Lifting my head, I ran a muddy arm across my filthy face, wiping away the tears.
“Focus,” I muttered to myself, and memories of my mother’s words came back, echoing through my mind as though she were right there with me.
“ Mija , you are stronger than you should be,” she’d told me when I was in high school. “It’s my fault, I know. I’m sorry, my girl.”
“It’s fine, Mom,” I’d said. “I want to be strong. I don’t want to fall apart when things get tough. You didn’t. Not when all those assholes left you and broke your heart.”
“Language, mija ,” she’d said, but her lips had twitched. “I’m glad you can see the bright side. If there’s one thing I can be proud of, it’s that I raised a woman who can handle herself.” She’d kissed the top of my head then.
With that memory bolstering me, I got to my feet. I wouldn’t fall apart. My mother hadn’t raised a quitter. I’d escaped Rick. I’d gotten this far. I could keep going. It didn’t matter how badly it hurt, how tired I was, or how scared I was. I had to keep moving.
I started again, picking up speed until I was running in the direction of the campground—or where I thought the campground was.
I’d never been good at keeping directions straight.
Hell, I lived by my GPS. Here in the forest, where I could barely see the sky through the canopy of trees, much less the sun, I was sure I was lost. The only thing pushing me forward was my new shifter instincts.
A tiny, whispery voice at the back of my head guided me, telling me where to turn and when to bypass a path.
My wolf. She was helping me. As strange as it still was, I was getting used to her.
My senses were enhanced, but I didn’t have the control or understanding of it that Nate had.
I could smell and hear numerous things, but the information became jumbled in my head while trying to process it all.
One day, I might be able to use that to navigate, but right now I was nowhere near Nate’s skill level.
Nate . Every time his name flashed through my mind, a strange yearning filled me.
As I scrambled up an embankment, I thought about how our last interaction could have gone better.
My inner wolf whined when I remembered the hurt and pain in his eyes.
Yet, as painful as the memory was, I found myself holding him in my mind as I ran.
Something about his name, his face, and the memory of his scent wrapped me in comfort, making my flight through the woods less terrible.
Even though I was fairly certain I’d left Rick behind, I was still far from safety. I needed to feel safe, and thinking of Nate helped. I imagined him appearing out of the underbrush to scoop me up and carry me somewhere warm and dry and protected.
As I crested the hill, I lost my footing, sliding and rolling down the opposite side.
I hit my ribs against a tree sapling as I went.
Stars shot across my vision as I held my side and tried to catch my breath.
All I wanted to do was lie there and go to sleep.
Perhaps a quick nap would rejuvenate me?
“Don’t even think about it, chica. You gotta move.”
“Huh?” I glanced up and saw Lesley standing above me, her arms crossed as she gazed down at me with disappointment in her eyes.
How the hell was my best friend standing here in the middle of the forest?
“You heard me. Get the hell up and go. He could be right on your heels. Do you want that limp-dick motherfucker finding you like this?” Lesley chided.
Blinking, I shook my head. When I opened my eyes, she was gone.
A hallucination? A dream? Maybe I had fallen asleep for a second.
Whatever it was, the faux Lesley was right.
I had to keep moving. Lying here wasn’t going to get me where I needed to be.
The rain sank deep into my skin, along with the mud, making me shiver from the cold.
I was also desperately thirsty. Moving was the only option.
Groaning, I rolled onto my hands and knees, then stood and forced myself to jog once again.
A hundred meters later, I was rewarded for my determination. Rock outcroppings appeared to my right. The stones were large, distinct, and most of all, familiar. Nate and I had explored this spot while I’d gotten used to my wolf body.
I’d done it. I had gotten back to the area surrounding the camp. Leaning against a tree, I allowed a happy laugh to escape my throat.
As badly as I wanted Nate’s strong arms to wrap around me and keep me safe and warm, he was gone. I had to save myself, and I was doing it. This proved I could, and I felt a sense of pride in my accomplishment. I still had a long way to go, but I thought I would make it.
The rock outcropping lay in an open spot where no trees were around, nothing but short, wild shrubs and saplings.
I stood in the rain, using it as a shower, and did my best to scrub myself clean, letting the mud and dirt slide off of me as I scrubbed at my skin, clothes, and hair.
It was then that I realized how cold I really was.
It was unseasonably cold, even for Canada, and while my fingers weren’t blue yet, they were well on their way.
I had to find shelter of some sort. Once I was warm and dry, I could figure out how to get help.
Blessedly, the rain tapered off, and it made traversing the forest a bit easier. My vision wasn’t limited by the deluge of rain anymore, and soon I found a footpath. The well-maintained trail led down the mountain toward a valley. I was almost positive it was the campground.
Another mile passed. My toes felt frozen inside my wet socks and sneakers. When I finally stepped out of the trees into the open glade by the campground’s pavilion, I could barely feel them. Grinning in relief, I headed straight to the reception area.
My smile faded quickly, though. Where was everyone?
I found a sign taped to the door that nearly brought me to tears: Closed until Monday .
“Are you fucking serious ?”
When we’d left a few hours ago, the place had been a hive of people.
Nothing had indicated that it would be closing that day.
The small employee parking lot was as empty as the rest of the campground.
Not even a caretaker had remained to watch the place.
The massive rainstorm had probably hustled everyone out quicker than they typically would have departed.
I hadn’t been fast enough. Son of a bitch.
I yanked on the door, but it was locked. Letting out a grumble of irritation, I moved back to the pavilion. It had a fireplace. Maybe I could start a fire and warm up.
That plan went right out the door when I found plenty of wood, a nice big stone fireplace, but not a single match or lighter.
“Dammit,” I hissed. I sank down to the ground and hugged my knees to my chest, trying not to shiver.
As I sat there, breath steaming out of my mouth and trembling from the cold, a realization came to me.
I needed to shift. The thought of warm fur covering my body filled me with longing.
But I was scared. I hadn’t shifted by myself yet.
Each time I’d done it before, Nate had been with me, a calming presence that helped ease me into the change.
If I didn’t, though, the only thing anyone would find was a Cameron-shaped corpse lying here when the camp staff returned.
Closing my eyes, I tried to summon my strength. I imagined what Nate would tell me. Within seconds, a hallucination or vision appeared in my mind. Nate, sitting here with me.
“You’ve got to breathe. Stay calm and let the change happen. Your wolf isn’t going to hurt you.”
“I’m scared,” I whispered. It was extremely silly to be talking to myself, but I didn’t give a damn. No one was here to see it.
“You can do it.” I imagined him putting a reassuring hand on my lower back. “Ease back and relax. She’ll come forward and do most of the work.”
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