Chapter 0185

“I’m not leaving you behind, Ari,” Jackson spits out, glaring at me like I’ve said something horrible

and ridiculous, like we should both throw ourselves off the cliff.

“I’m just slowing you down!” I say, throwing out my hands for emphasis. “Seriously, if you hadn’t

back-tracked for me, you’d be like, finished now –“

“I didn’t backtrack for you,” he mutters, still staring at me, “I backtracked for –“

“Your mate, whatever,” I sigh, rolling my eyes. “Either way, it’s not fair. I’ll find my own way up the

mountain, it will be fine.”

“It will not be fine,” he says, reaching out to grab my arm. “Do you think I want to do this without

you!?”

“What?” I ask, suddenly baffled.

“Not…not this, Ari,” Jackson says, waving the map around at the darkening forest. “Not the

Examination. I mean, the Academy. Do you think I’m not aware that you’re the only person who has

been nice to me? That you’re – you’re the only human connection I have at all?”

“But,” I frown at him, “Rafe and Jesse –“

“Are only friends with me because you make them be –“

“That’s not true, Jackson,” I whisper, turning to face him, desperate for him to believe me. “They like

you for who you are – sure, I was the start of it, but they really do –“

“Ari,” Jackson sighs, his shoulders slumping, “this isn’t the time for a pep talk. Just – I’m not leaving

you behind, okay? I found you in the woods, for some reason – because you’re always weirdly

around when I smell her scent – but…I’m not leaving you behind now, all right? There’re ways to do

this, even if I have to drag you up the mountain myself.” He mutters the final words, looking back at

the map, and a slow, terribly pleased smile creeps over my face.

Because my mate – he likes me. He’s my friend.

And as stupid as that is to realize because, duh, of course your mate is supposed to like you as a

person…god, it means everything in the world to me right now.

“Okay,” I whisper, giving in and stepping close. “So, what should we do?”

“Can you shift?” he asks, glancing over at me, hesitating. Not everyone can shift – some people,

even though they’re full wolves, just never develop the ability. “This will all be a lot easier if you can

run as a wolf.”

I bite my lip, because while I can shift…I mean, the jig will instantly be up if I do. Jackson will take

one whiff of my honey and clove scent in my wolf form and know immediately who I am.

Which will, of course, destroy his world and throw his attention off again when we both need to

concentrate on getting to the top of the mountain.

So, slowly, I decide to lie, hoping desperately that it’s the right choice. “No,” I whisper, and my wolf

howls within me to be denied the chance to run as well as the fact that we’re blatantly lying to our

mate. “I…I can’t shift.”

Jackson scowls, looking down at the map. “Well, let’s get to the bridge then,” he says, folding it

neatly and sliding it into his back pocket. “See what the situation is there. Then…we can make our

next move.”

Nodding, I fall in slightly behind him, letting him take the lead.

We walk for another hour then, with me placing my feet where Jackson placed his, trusting his

steady steps and his apparently innate knowledge of the wilderness to know the best way through

the dark. He silently, almost passively watches out for me, pointing to tricky spots or turning to offer

a hand when the terrain is particularly steep. I stop noticing the pulse that rushes through the air

every time we touch, because it’s become natural to me now, just part of being near him.

Both of us become intent, though, when we see fire ahead. I focus my eyesight, seeing the edge of

the ravine and the start to the bridge next to it. Clearly, a group of cadets truly has set up something

of a toll at the crossing, and they’re not being shy about announcing it.

“Bold,” Jackson murmurs, peering through the trees. Then he looks around, interested. “Let’s get to

higher ground,” he says, nodding upwards to a cliff above us. “I want to see what we’re up against

there.”