Race

RORY

A few days later, I wake up by crashing into the pillows on the floor by the bed.

~Ugh.~

I open my eyes and let out a sigh. It’s been a long time since I’ve fallen off the bed like this.

~It’s a good thing the bedroom’s still Rory-proofed.~

Normally, Everett’s always lying beside me, holding me tight so I don’t fall down.

I waited for him, but he never came to bed last night…he must’ve spent the whole night interrogating that rogue.

I get that he was angry after everything that happened…but he really should’ve gotten some sleep.

Today’s the day Everett’s been planning for a long time.

~The Running of the Wolves.~

This is all part of Everett’s big plan to help reunite the pack using a little friendly competition, and I want to help in any way I can.

But honestly, I don’t feel nearly ready to be the luna he needs me to be in front of the thousands of wolves who are arriving today for the games.

I rub my eyes, feeling groggy.

~I~ barely got any sleep last night myself. The whole night, my mind was racing with thoughts about the attack at the university.

I couldn’t get the idea out of my head that it was all ~my~ fault.

Lupus University is supposed to be a safe haven for wolves. There’s never been a single rogue attack since it was founded over a thousand years ago.

Then, they let ~me~ in and ~wham~—next thing they know, the campus is swarming with rogues.

~Maybe they followed me in? And because I’m so clumsy and clueless, I never noticed them and they found out where the portal was?~

And considering my history with the rogues, after everything that happened with Robert and Red…

~It can’t just all be coincidence, can it?~

On top of that, I also can’t get my mom’s words out of my head. She told me to stop trying to bring people back from the dead.

She told me if I didn’t stop, ~terrible things will happen…~

~What did she mean by that?~

All I know for sure is one thing…

As much as I enjoyed my time there, I can never go back to that university. I need to stop my studies with Professor Xander.

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but I need to listen to my mom’s warning.

~Goodbye, Aurora the College Student.~

~Hello, Aurora the Luna.~

***

EVERETT

I stand outside in the pack gardens, making sure the set-up of the Running of the Wolves is going smoothly.

Pack omegas scurry around, finishing the setup of the stands and the large screens where the audiences will be able to watch the runners and cheer them on.

Contestants and fans have come from all the different packs for this—all competing for the glory that comes with winning.

But I’m still feeling really tense.

After what happened at the university, and with that ominous warning from Eden, I’ve tripled the security around the perimeter of the pack house this weekend.

I’m ~not~ going to let the rogues destroy this whole event.

This weekend is about uniting the packs, and if everything goes as planned, the Red Mooners will hopefully feel a lot more at home here.

I turn to spot Lucius and Amber—the two runners representing our pack—warming up and stretching in the shade.

I chose them both because they’re competitive and some of our best athletes.

But since Amber used to be part of the Red Moon Pack, if they can work together and win—it would be a win for the whole ~united~ pack.

Lucius spots me and jogs over.

“You ready?” I ask him. “Nervous?”

He grins. “About the race? Or because Amber always looks like she wants to bite my head off?”

I slap him on the back.

“You two will do great,” I tell him. “Go make the Shadow Blood Pack proud.”

He nods and walks away, but then stops and turns back to me.

“Oh, Alpha?”

“What?”

“I almost forgot to tell you. I looked into that symbol. That weird eye? Couldn’t find any evidence of it at all.

“And just to be sure, I looked into Xander’s background too. He’s completely clean. Just thought you should know.”

I nod.

I’d almost forgotten that I’d asked Lucius to do that. And to be honest, after seeing him protect Aurora during the rogue attack, I’m almost embarrassed that I’d even doubted Xander at all.

Suddenly, an idea dawns on me.

Since the university isn’t a safe place for Aurora to be… What if I invited Xander to come and teach her at the pack house?

A smile grows on my face when I think about how happy that would make her.

I’ll give him a call right now.

***

RORY

~Okay, I think I’m ready.~

I take a shower, dress up in a light-blue summer dress, and start walking downstairs to try to see if I can find a way to help out before the Running of the Wolves starts.

But when I get to the bottom of the stairs, I spot Professor Xander standing in the foyer staring at an old painting, holding a heavy-looking leather suitcase.

“Professor!” I call out. “What a surprise to see you!”

He turns, his face lighting up when he sees me.

“Aurora! I’m glad to see you’re looking and feeling better.”

I smile, giving him a hug.

“All thanks to you. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you weren’t there during the rogue attack…”

He waves his hand dismissively.

“Don’t think anything of it. I’m just happy you’re okay.”

I glance down at the suitcase curiously.

“What’s that?” I ask. “Something for the Running of the Wolves?”

Xander frowns. “Everett didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“He invited me to continue our lessons with you here at the pack house,” he says excitedly.

My mouth drops open.

Everett invited him ~here?~ That seems so unlike him.

“The Running isn’t for another couple of hours,” he says. “More than enough time to pick up where we left off.”

He lifts up his massive suitcase, looking around. “Where should we set up?”

I start to feel my heart race, terrified of how Xander will react when I tell him I’m giving up on my studies.

“Actually, Professor…,” I say timidly. “I-I can’t.”

He looks at me, confused. “What do you mean you ~can’t~?”

“I mean we have to stop our lessons.”

He frowns.

“Aurora…you’ve come too far to stop now… You’re so close! Don’t you see that you’re just moments away from being able to reverse ~death?~”

My mother’s warning flashes through my head. “I know, but…maybe death isn’t meant to be reversed.”

His eyes widen and his frown turns into an angry scowl.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he cries out. “Don’t you want to be a good luna?”

I stare at my professor in shock. He’s always so calm, put-together, and friendly, but it’s like his entire demeanor just changed in an instant.

“O-Of course I do…,” I stammer.

“Then don’t be so selfish and think about your pack for once! If someone gets hurt and they die, you won’t be able to do anything about it. And everyone will know it was ~your~ fault.”

I freeze, unable to say anything.

~Where is all this coming from?~

“This is your destiny,” he says, grabbing my arm. “This is ~our~ destiny.”

I really respect Xander and I don’t want to let him down…

But my mom wouldn’t have told me to stop if it wasn’t for a good reason.

“I’m sorry, Xander,” I say, my heart feeling like a stone in my chest.

He scowls, lifting up his suitcase and turning around. “Fine. I suppose that means I wasted all my time with you.”

His harsh words sting as I watch him walk away. I really respected Xander as a mentor and a friend, and now I’ve let him down.

I just hope it was the right thing to do…

***

I stand outside in the sun, watching as thousands of wolves file onto the stands to take their seats.

Excitement is definitely in the air, but after my conversation with Xander, I don’t feel a single bit of it.

Honestly, I feel a little depressed about it.

~Did I do the right thing?~

~What if Xander was right and when someone needs me to bring them back to life, I won’t be able to?~

~Does that make me a bad luna?~

Questions like that have been spinning in my head all afternoon like a merry-go-round.

But suddenly, I’m ripped from my thoughts when I feel two arms wrap around me from behind.

“Surprise!” a voice says, squealing with excitement.

I turn around and come face-to-face with Freya and Ace. My eyes widen as I squeal and hug her back.

I can hardly believe she’s actually here.

“Freya…,” I cry out, completely shocked. “What are you doing here?”

“Ummm,” she says, pretending to be hurt. “That sounds like you’re not excited to see me?”

“Trust me, you are literally saving my day,” I say. “But how on earth did they let you in here?”

“Ace and Everett fought the council for me to be here,” she says proudly. “So here I am!”

“That’s so amazing,” I say, hugging Ace as well. “Thank you.”

“Honestly, I thought people would be more weird about the fact that a human is here,” she says, looking around. “But everyone’s so focused on the race, I’m practically invisible.”

I laugh, staring at her fashionable, multicolored jacket and new pixie cut.

“You, Freya, are ~anything~ but invisible.”

“Is everything okay with you?” she asks. “We’ve both been so busy with school, we haven’t had the chance to catch up in a while.”

“Actually…,” I say. “I’m not studying anymore.”

“What?” Freya cries out. “But you love studying.”

“Yeah, but…things aren’t so good with the pack. I think it’s best if I focus on my luna duties for a while.”

She gives me a supportive smile. “Whatever you do, you’ll be amazing at it. That’s just who you are.”

I can’t help but smile when I hear her words. Sometimes, all it takes is your best friend to give you a little perspective on things.

But before I can say more, the crowd erupts into a deafening roar.

Ace pulls Freya’s hand. “Quick, let’s get to our seats! It’s starting!”

“Okay. Bye Rory!” she says, pulling me in for a hug before disappearing into the crowd.

That means I probably have somewhere to be too.

My eyes dart around until I see Everett standing at the starting line. He looks incredibly handsome in a blue suit and black tie, looking confident and tall in front of all these wolves.

I make my way toward him, focusing on one step at a time.

And to my surprise, I actually make it to Everett’s side without slipping and falling in front of every single wolf in the whole territory.

Everett beams, his hand grabbing mine tightly as we both stand in front of a sea of faces staring at us.

It’s good that I’m by Everett’s side, but I’m still super nervous. I’ve always been the invisible one, not the girl in the spotlight.

But then, I spot Mama’s smiling face.

A couple rows down, I see Freya and Ace, waving at me excitedly.

I even see Mia sitting with her friends, beaming at me.

My friends and family are all here to support me. There’s really nothing to be scared of.

“Welcome,” Everett calls out, his voice booming. “To the seventy-sixth annual Running of the Wolves!”

A wall of cheers and applause erupts from the crowd.

“The rules are simple. Two wolves from each pack must work together to catch the golden rabbit.”

He glances at Lucius and Amber—two wolves from different sides of the pack who are now on the same team.

“Biting and clawing are not allowed,” he says, “but everything else is fair play.”

The runners take their places, tensing up and getting ready to start.

“May the best pack win!” he calls out.

The crowd cheers one more time, but the noise dies down when everyone notices that there’s no rabbit waiting to be released.

“Where is the damn rabbit?” Everett mutters. We glance around; everyone has a confused look on their face.

~Someone screwed up.~

Everett looks at me, his eyes panicked. This doesn’t look good at all. No rabbit means no race.

But then, an idea dawns on me. I reach into my pocket and pull out a small, golden coin.

The coin that Xander gave me during our dinner at his house.

I concentrate on it, giving all of my energy in order to bring it to life.

~Please, please work…~

And then, it suddenly starts to spin in my hand, sparkling in the sunlight as it spins and floats into the air.

A smile spreads across my face.

I may not have finished my studies with Xander, but at least he taught me this.

Then, as if it had a mind of its own, the coin shoots out of my hand like a bullet, darting into the forest with a golden glimmer.

The crowd immediately erupts as the wolves shift, each of them sprinting past us and into the woods, following the coin.

Each pack cheers on their runners, but our pack is the loudest, because Lucius and Amber have already taken the lead.

Everett smiles, grabbing my hand.

“Best luna ever,” he whispers in my ear.

***

EVERETT

The race is well underway, with updates being sent by a pack announcer over mink-link.

Amber and Lucius are still in the lead, working together to get closer and closer to the golden coin.

Most of the other wolves have either gotten too tired to continue or injured themselves while jostling with other racers.

It’s just down to the last few contestants.

~C’mon…~

~You can do it.~

Amber blocks another wolf coming up on the rear as Lucius jumps over a bush, getting closer and closer to the golden glimmer.

That’s it.

You’re almost there.

But then, suddenly, a gunshot rings out.

Goddess…

Someone’s been shot!