The Bite (Book 1)

Original Edition - Chapter 15: Navy Blue Tent

Summer seemed to come quicker than I would have expected, and with it, change came too.

I don't know if it was my wolf or if it was me, but I felt like my past was starting to become more manageable. It was there, but it seemed like I had a better grip on it. That's not to say that I didn't struggle, that it didn't have me on my ass at times. There were still plenty of nights that I woke up in sweat and tears with my wolf close to breaking loose.

Those were the nights that reminded me how close my past really was. Those were the nights that reminded me just how vulnerable my past made me. Those were the nights that were as painful as the wounds that left the deep scars on my skin.

Those nights.

Those nights reminded me that no matter how strong I became, that I still had demons that could bring me to tears. I still battled them. The thing that scared me the most was the thought that they would always be with me; never fading, leaving, or disappearing.

Those nights were my own personal mountain with a raging snowstorm and abominable snowman included.

But the days were better.

Liam started to come train with me, and I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy his company. He was a good person. He was playful, much like his father, but he had alpha blood running through him that Levi was always very good at bringing out. Pissing Liam off was Levi's new favorite past time. And pissing Levi off became Liam's new favorite pastime. Men.

We spared together daily; sometimes against each other and sometimes we would team up against the vamps while Levi, and sometimes Lander, would watch so they could critique us.

It got better. Controlling her got better. I learned how to not fight her and embrace her. I learned how to start trusting her instincts, after all, they were my instincts now. Our bond became stronger every day, like iron. It was something that we both were fighting for; something I would always fight for.

The bond between Liam and I was still not as manageable as I would have liked it to be. It was a tiny tempting flame that entranced me. I never felt anything like it. It was the one true thing that truly frightened me. I wasn't ready for a male to be that close to me again. I don't know if I ever would be.

But still, it tempted me. Especially when I least expected it to, it caught me off guard.

Like now.

Levi had decided that Liam should start swimming with us. Liam would pull one boat while I pulled another. I was absolutely fine until I saw Liam dip into the water and rise again. Dammit. The water dripping down his abs was so sexy it shouldn't have even been legal.

My wolf knew better than to lick her lips in this moment. She knew how I felt about the whole damn thing. Yet she still purred in satisfaction of the fit male before us. Traitor.

Liam just turned back to me with his classic smirk. "See something ya like?"

I scoffed and trudged into the water. He wouldn't be smirking long, not after he started swimming with all the weight Derek was loading into his boat.

Derek looked back at me and gave me a playful wink as he loaded up an extra cooler in Liam's boat. He was definitely a fan of punishing Liam as much as he could, mostly because Liam's moaning and groaning was entertaining.

The water was cold but it felt good against my warm skin. It was familiar, tranquil, a domain that both of my wolf and I enjoyed.

Levi tossed me the rope which I started to tie around my waist. Liam gave me a curious look but I just chuckled. Silly boy was going to learn soon that his brute strength was only going to last so long with Levi.