Shadows of the Past

Fourteen

Empty. That was what the last two days had been like. I didn't understand it. I wasn't supposed to be heartbroken over leaving River like that. He never even actually kissed me, let alone mark or mate me! Yet everything about me was hollow.

No wonder Skylar couldn't finish the school year! It made more sense now that I had felt the pull. . . exactly what Sky said would happen. It was like suction to my heart, to my head, always trying to force me to contact him, or even go as far as driving all the way back down there. And I wasn't even head over heels for the guy! Goddess, Sky must have been in pure torture staying away from someone she actually loved.

I kicked at a rock, letting it bounce along the muddy ground until it smacked into a tree. I was taking the long way back to the pack house from school that Tuesday afternoon, needing a walk to think through everything, to try and keep thoughts of River's dejected face in the window in the deepest part of my mind. It was more difficult than I would have guessed, and he kept resurfacing.

Stop it! I scolded my brain. It was the last two weeks of my Junior year, I had to focus on exams. I had to focus on my pack and what we planned to do about the queen. So far, it was nothing, apparently. I wasn't sure what Dad was waiting for, or what Mom was so afraid of, but I was sick of looking over my shoulder any time I was outside in fear another pack was going to try and force Mom to go to Menai Moon.

I kicked another rock, and this time mud splashed onto my shoe. Ugh. Early June in the mountains meant spring showers were still a thing. The breezes that swept through the forests reminded us we weren't quite into summer yet. I hated the rain. I hated the mud it brought. I hated the forest shrubbery blocking my path when I went for runs. I hated-

Okay, I was mad at the world and I had no reason to be. Exhaling deep through my mouth, I closed my eyes as I walked, listening to the sounds of the forest instead of watching it. It helped, until the squish came from beneath me as I stepped into a drying puddle.

"Agh!" I shrieked, my anger spiking once more. My shout echoed off the trees, silencing the critter sounds and even the wind howls. I grinned and shouted again, hollering at the air. For some reason that made me feel lighter.

"Who are you yelling at?" A shout carried up from South of me made me stop abruptly.

"Amber?" I called back, squinting to see her form running at me. Slightly blurry, but it was definitely her long legs and dark strawberry-blonde hair tumbling behind her—it matched perfectly with her mother's, which I had seen in pictures. "Amber!"

I broke into a run and when we met in the middle, we collided, and we both fell into the mud. It didn't make me so angry anymore. Her laugh was contagious and soon we were both giggling as we stood up and scraped the mess off of our arms and hands. Then she pulled me into a proper hug.

"Your dad says there's a lot I've missed."

"That's an understatement," I laughed. "How did you know I was out here?"

She smeared a line of brown mud on her blue leggings to get it off her slim fingers. "Here," she said, not really answering my question and instead grabbed a large leaf and handed it to me. Grabbing one for herself, she demonstrated it's use by wrapping around her dirty hand and wiping as much of the mud off as possible. Like it was a napkin.

"Genius." I told her.

"Nah," she said. "Just common sense."

Amber was my dad's little sister, one half of a pair of twins. Autumn didn't come around as much, since the whole reason both aunts left was for her mate. Unfortunately for us, the twins now called Michigan their home. They were only eight years older than me, and often they didn't feel like aunts at all, but more like older sisters. I think they saw me like that too, sometimes. Dad was so much older than them.