Page 95 of Stargazer

Getting out of the car anyway, I crossed the flat expanse of grass that felt utterly still compared to its normal chaos, the wind picking up the only sign of movement in the plain. Even still, the air was hot and humid, thick and sticky, causing me to sweat in places I did not want to think about.

“Usually it’s a lot busier here, but given the weather…” I offered to Griffin with a shrug, not fully meeting his eyes.

He followed me casually, not seeming too concerned by the lack of people or the blanket of ominous storm clouds gathering above us. Ever the impassive male.

It was just him and me on this scouting mission, much to my dismay. All the other Knights had split up and taken other locations. I wondered if the same weather threatened their objectives too.

River, with a large chunk of the pack, had left as expected for a few days to try their luck with a pack that needed a bit more convincing. They were hoping the Alpha’s touch would help win them over.

Yesterday, after I got back home, Griffin was gone. He’d opted to spend the night at the Airbnb with the guys, leaving me a simple text message with his whereabouts.

I didn’t blame him for not wanting to be around after my ridiculous behaviour.

Knowing him though, I was almost sure he was giving me space to sort my shit out more than anything.

He was waiting in the Jeep for me this afternoon, ready to go with no mention of the previous day. Other than a single, long-lasting look when I entered the vehicle, his demeanour was no different to usual, most likely presuming this would be another thing between us that we ignored until I was ready to woman up and talk to him about it.

And in a way, he was right.

His absence last night worked in my favour because even though I’d made my decision, I wanted to wait until River was back from his visit to the Wellsboro pack to tell the Alpha of my choice before anything progressed further with Griff. Making today—and tomorrow—a difficult trial I’d have to overcome with ridiculous levels of temptation. Being alone with him now was not going to be an easy task.

I had waited this long though. A few more days wouldn't kill us. I hoped.

We’d come out here with every intention of analysing this campsite, figuring out where—if at all—the rogues could hide here on the full moon and where they might potentially choose to hunt and turn their prey. Amelia had told us that this spot was likely the target for the upcoming Harvest Moon. That they’d been ‘working on’—a nicer phrase for stalking—a potential transition who they’d discovered would be camping this full moon. They’d befriended the person and had been told of his plans. Somehow, they’d even managed to cop an invite to the camping trip.

Clearly, they were a little too good at their job. Which was quite terrifying.

She’d update us on the specifics when they were as good as confirmed, but until then, we’d do our own digging.

We were hoping with people around, we’d be able to see what the area actually looked like when populated: where people favoured to set up their tents and where others might go to escape the numbers. From there, we could pinpoint the weak spots—as was Griffin’s speciality.

At least that was the plan.

With no one here, it made that part quite difficult.

Making the best of the situation, we explored as much of the area as we could, noting all the possible entries, pathways, connections to other mountain ranges and anything else that could be of use to us. Although, it truly didn’t feel very productive.

When we’d gathered what information we could, I walked down the wooden pier, wanting to take in the view at least before we headed back.

Griff had been quiet, focusing mostly on the task at hand, but he followed me to the end of the platform anyway.

Staring up at the clouds, I attempted to estimate how long we had before the inevitable downpour hit.

“Honestly, the rain would be welcome right now. It’s sweltering, and I’m sticky, and this heat is driving me insane,” I complained, extra hot after walking around aimlessly for over an hour.

“Not a smart day to wear white, Cosmo,” he mused, eyes trailing down the white tank top I’d stupidly chosen to put on this morning. My denim shorts would also be a nightmare to deal with once wet.

Realising my mistake, I backtracked. “On second thought, maybe we shouldn’t stick around to cool off.” I went to walk past him, heading back to solid land so we could leave.

“There’s always other ways to cool off.”

I heard the dark amusement in his voice but didn’t register what it meant until it was too late … I was falling into the water, flailing my arms out to try reach the male who’d just pushed me in. To try reach anything that could anchor me and prevent me from hitting the surface.

I wasn’t so lucky.

Cold contrasted the heat that had been sticking to my skin. The sharpness of the icy bite penetrated my bones. But it was delicious and welcomed.

By the time I pushed my soaked hair out of my face, Griffin had already removed his shirt and his artfully inked body—glistening with sweat—was already diving into the water.

---