Page 89 of Sawyer

Despite the reasons we are out here, a part of me is excited to hike and camp. Sure, the reasons are all wrong, but I have always loved hiking, and with each inhale of crisp air, it feels like a cleansing breath, one I’ve needed for far too long.

“You look pleased with yourself,” Bryn comments, grabbing the map off the hood of the SUV and rolling it up, while Rumor and Sin head off to grab their packs.

“I don’t hate this,” I admit.

“Hiking a treacherous mountain range at night?” He pops the flashlight into his mouth to finish rolling up the map. A little wrinkle forms on his brow, and my fingers itch to smooth his skin.

“I love hiking, and I get why we are sticking to the night, at least for now.” The plan is to get a few miles in and out of sight from almost anyone who would walk the perimeter, then set up camp for a little before heading out midafternoon.

Bryn drops the flashlight into his hand before replying, “That surprises me.”

“Why? Because I’m a gamma?” I tease and head over to heft up my own pack. It’s significantly lighter than the guys’ who insisted they carry the heavy stuff. All I have is my sleeping bag, a few changes of clothes, extra socks, and snacks. They carry water, a tarp for shelter if it rains, more food, and emergency supplies—a bunch of things I wouldn’t have even thought about, but they did.

“No, smartass.” Bryn grabs his own pack, throwing it over his shoulders and snapping it in place. “You just still have surprises I haven’t uncovered yet.”

“Well, alpha…” I snap my pack in place and glance up at him. “We have miles and miles for you to ask me anything you want.”

“That sounds dangerous.” Rumor hands out night vision glasses to each of us. As a delta, he’s the only one with perfect night vision. I’m just a little jealous, because the aggression that comes along with being a delta is something I don’t want.

“I want in.” Sin doesn’t even hesitate, and I can already see all his questions spinning in his head.

None of which I suspect will be appropriate.

“We need to keep our voices down,” Rumor scolds.

I just barely catch Sin’s eye roll. “No one is out here,” he says far too loudly.

“That you know of,” Rumor retorts, hell-bent on causing a riot.

“Come on.” I link my arm with Sin’s and step off the logging road to head inward.

“I’ll take the lead.” Rumor slaps Bryn on the back. “You take the rear. Stay quiet and don’t say a damn thing until we find a spot to rest. I do not know if anyone is out here tonight, and I don’t plan on facing anyone yet.”

Before I do anything more, I attach my camera to my jacket. It’s a small thing I had to save up for. No bigger than a credit card, it attaches to my straps and records. Normally, I’d have it go straight to my phone, but since I left that in the diner, this is just recording. I have at least three days’ worth with this battery and three backups. It’ll go straight to a card, where all the footage will remain safe and sound for me to review later.

I don’t want to miss anything. Sometimes, I’ll go back and review the footage and find something in the background. Granted, I might only find owls or other birds, but I’m still not going to take the chance.

I slip my glasses on and blink a few times, so my eyes adjust.

“I hate it,” I whisper, trying to follow Rumor’s rule to stay quiet. He’s in command mode, and his voice is full of steel, and for some reason, I want to listen.

Everything around me glows in shades of green. It’s disorienting, but I can at least see the forest floor. Quietly, we move out one by one, heading toward a rocky climb that goes up at a forty-five-degree incline.

All my concentration is on the rocks and not breaking an ankle. The glasses help once I finally get used to them and see in colors that are foreign to me.

Excitement pumps through my veins the higher we go. All around me, the forest slowly comes alive, and about halfway up the rock face, the scurrying of feet almost distracts me, but then it’s gone.

Leaves from the prior fall rustle as nocturnal creatures scurry about, trying to find their breakfast.

Remaining quiet is more challenging than I thought it would be, but Rumor sets a brutal pace that doesn’t allow for conversation or those questions Bryn was curious about. It’s just us, the night, and our heavy breathing.

Normally, those three things would excite me, but this is not exciting.

By the time we reach a plateau, sweat beads on my back, and my shirt soaks it up. My feet step on even ground, and I reach for my water bottle.

“Small sips,” Rumor whispers, his eyes peeled. “You don’t want to puke it up.”

That’s damn hard because I want to chug the entire thing. The biggest workout I ever do is twirling around a stripper pole, which is as hard of a workout as they come. I hate running, and I am starting to think I was never in shape to pull this off.

---