WE spent hours in the pool, leaning on each other as we waited for my heat to taper off. Eventually, once many hours had come and gone, the heat began to subside, instead morphing into a wave of exhaustion.
I was not the only one plagued with exhaustion. Wade had stayed with me the entire time. He supported me when my body grew weary with heat. Being in the pool had been a big help, but it was not a foolproof solution. Wade's presence, however, had been calming, and I felt like I could handle any symptoms the heat brought on if Wade was at my side.
Once I started to doze off in the pool, water gargling through my mouth, Wade made the executive decision to haul ourselves back to the hotel room. It was a feat navigating back to the room, our towels wrapped around our bodies. We had acknowledged our exhaustion, and this acknowledgment had made us seep further into it.
We stumbled through the hotel room. We both moved over to the bed like we were a bunch of zombies. We leaned on the bed, still damp from the pool, and let sleep take us within minutes.
I was the first to wake up. Wade lay next to me, soft snores radiating from his body. Through the gap in the curtains, I could see it was the middle of the night. Reapers were out to play.
Gulping, I was still too tired to do anything but lay down and let my body recover from heat. I shuddered to think of my next heat. Heat would grow in intensity until both the bond was completed and a child had been conceived. Seeing as neither of those two things were in my future, I knew I had many heats ahead of me.
As I thought about my heat, I thought of my best friend, Olivia. If I had been back home, she would have loved to hear every detail of what had gone on in my life the past few weeks.
Mind linking had been blocked when I was at the Training Grounds, but I was no longer at the Training Grounds.
Olivia, I tested the mind link.
Almost immediately, she responded, Violet! Holy fuck, I haven't heard from you in so long. I had no idea mind linking at the Training Grounds was blocked.
It's so good to hear your voice, I sighed, repositioning my head on the pillow. How are things back home?
Not good, she said. A lot of people are getting sick, and apparently, Beta Finn is on suspension and Alpha Wade is nowhere to be seen, which is not a surprise, but, like, hello I think Bluestrike needs their Alpha right now.
About that.... My voice tapered off.
What are you keeping from me, Violet? Wait, did something happen? How are you able to mind link with me at the Training Grounds, she gushed, speaking at a thousand words per minute.
I found my mate, I paused, biting my lip.
He didn't kidnap you, did he?
Not exactly.
Violet, I could sense Olivia's concern. Tell me where you are right now, and I'll come get you. Just say the word, and I'm there. You've got to tell me if he's at least hot. He's hot, right?
Gulping, I said, He's Alpha Wade.
Holy shit, she exclaimed. I saw images of him over the mind link a while ago. He's fine as fuck. But, holy shit, my best friend is going to be Luna!
Not exactly, I clarified once again. It's complicated.
I should have expected as much, she did not sound impressed. He's been a recluse so long he probably doesn't know how to function. Wait, sorry, does that set your wolf off since, you know, he's your mate and all?
No, I laughed, smiling to myself. I hadn't realized how much I missed Olivia until just now. My wolf has a love-hate relationship with him.
Oof, so it's complicated, complicated, she breathed, and I knew the wheels were turning in her mind.
Things got even more complicated, I said sheepishly. I just had my first heat.
Did you guys mate?
It's complicated, I repeated.
Oh my god, don't tell me he had performance issues. I heard that's a common thing with Alphas. All talk, no game.
I don't even know how to respond to that, I half-laughed, half-choked. It's more like he still has feelings for his first mate.
Oh, she grew quiet. I forgot she even existed. Yeah, I can see how that can be complicated.
Anyway, how have things been for you? I asked, changing the subject.
I have single-handedly managed to piss off both my mom and dad, which is quite impressive. They found out about my witchcraft hobby, she winced.
Shit.
It's not that bad. I keep placing a spell to get them to forget, but it never lasts long, so it's currently like Groundhog Day over here, she explained.
Have you heard anything about Spencer?
I heard about his cousin, Jamie, but Spencer's back at the Training Grounds. A lot of people have come home to be with their families. I don't know why Spencer hasn't come home, she mused, and I sunk into my pillow.
Oh fuck, okay, I'm the worst friend ever.
What did you do?
Wade, Olivia giggled when I said his name. Rolling my eyes, I continued. Like I said before, I wasn't kidnapped in the technical sense, but Wade did kind of force me to leave the Training Grounds last minute, and I didn't get to say goodbye so maybe Spencer is out there waiting for my return.
If his cousin hadn't just died, I'd say he deserved it, she brushed it off. I've got to go, I'm almost done brewing something that will hopefully keep my parents forgetful for longer. But you have to keep me updated, or I swear to god, I will fucking curse you, Violet.
I quickly promised Olivia I would try and keep her up to date. Just as the mind link connection between me and Olivia dissolved, Wade rustled awake at my side. Flipping over, I watched as Wade rose to consciousness. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, and then opened his eyes. For a moment, he was alarmed but quickly settled when he looked over at me.
He grumbled a few incoherent words before checking his watch. He sprung to his feet. "We need to hit the road. Do you think you're well enough to travel?"
Picking myself off the bed, I tested my balance. I still felt sluggish and tired and a bit peckish, but it was nothing that a couple of hours in the car couldn't fix.
"I feel fine," I said, sitting back on the bed.
He nodded his head. "We'll leave in 15, then."
He quickly went to take a brief shower and freshen up before it was my turn to do the same. I brushed my teeth and then took a calming shower, washing away both the grime of my heat and the grime of the pool. But, as I had some time to reflect in the shower, I began to panic.
It was night, and we were poised to continue our travels in the car. Why couldn't it wait till the morning? Shouldn't Wade be afraid of the Reapers after everything that happened?
When I finally had finished showering and changing into a new pair of clothes, I reluctantly inched out of the bathroom and wrung my hands together. I opened my mouth to speak but then quickly closed it.
Walking to the window, I pulled back the curtains as Wade collected our luggage. With the window wide open, there was no doubt it was the middle of the night. My vision began to blur, and I reached my hand out, looking for a chair.
"Wade," I whispered, my eyes unforced. "Can't we wait to leave in the morning?"
"No," he responded, and I could tell by his unbothered tone he was preoccupied with finishing packing up his bag.
"I," my mouth went dry, my legs shaking. "I really think we should wait till the morning."
"Violet," he said, and I heard him move closer to me. Paralyzed in place, I couldn't sense that he was near. I just knew he was from his increasing footsteps. "What's going on? We'll be safe in the car."
Shaking my head violently, it was hard to catch my breath. "It's not a guarantee."
"Violet," he warned as my knees buckled underneath me. He caught me before I could fall. My body was numb, and I struggled to swallow the lump in my throat. "What's wrong?"
I didn't speak. I only shook my head from side to side.
"It's not safe," I croaked, and then I closed my eyes. Wade was not going to understand where I was coming from unless I told him—unless I told him about the worst day of my life. "My mom."
My voice choked, and I gasped for breath. Wade ran a hand down my back, and I took solace in his touch, even if my body was still numb. I continued, "My mom—My mom was the most hard-working person I know. She loved her job, and she would often get called into work after hours. It was thought you'd be safe from Reapers if you were in a car, so there was never cause for concern. My dad wasn't even worried when she'd leave during prime Reapers hours."
"But we don't know too much about Reapers. They can't get into a car, but then can produce ways to get in," I paused, and Wade wiped a stray tear off my cheek. "They couldn't get to my mom while she was locked in the car, but they could make her have a car accident, which would shatter all windows, allowing them to get ahold of her. They can't get into a car, but they can find ways to snatch you, regardless. A car is not safe."
"Violet," Wade's voice was soft. He pulled my chin up with his hand and looked into my tear frosted eyes. "Thank you for making me understand. But you don't have to worry about Reapers."
"How can you—"
"We're not in Reaper country anymore," he explained. "We're not in Bluestrike territory."
"What?" I asked, stunned. "How did I not notice?"
"It happened while you were asleep," he said, rolling his shoulders back. "Reapers don't show their faces where we're headed."
Stumbling back, I asked, "Wait, why don't they show their faces where we're headed?"
"Because worse things lurk in the shadows where we're going," he said, rising to his feet as he collected our luggage, ready to continue our journey.