Page 13 of Minx

Your wolf will arise when she’s supposed to.

My wolf hadn’t gotten the memo.

But with the embarrassment came a splice of pride. Theron, Bodhi, and Grim had already shifted. I got on the ground, on my knees, hoping they would get closer. They were breathtaking in their human forms, but their wolves were sights to behold. Theron’s wolf boasted the colors of autumn, all of them threaded into his fur. His amber eyes stayed the same.

Grim’s wolf’s appearance was no surprise. His shiny, inky fur stood out among the rest of the wolves who now spread out to run.

Bodhi’s wolf approached me and hit my hip with his nose. Tears welled in my eyes as I clenched my jaw and forced a smile. I’d always wished to have my first shift, but seeing them around me made me want it even more.

Longing singed my insides and built up until the tears fell. Thankfully, after the boys had given up and run away on their own. Grim looked back twice before disappearing into the forest with the others.

I stood and blew out a breath.

If my wolf could only speak to me, then maybe I could convince her to come out.

Silence remained.

I could’ve used a friend right then.

I sat on a wooden seat, much like a park bench, and let my thoughts wander to how tender Grim had been the night before. Joy rose within me thinking about their wolves and how much fun they must be having, running together.

I stood with a pulse of energy that emerged out of nowhere. I pressed my fingers to my chest, waiting for something to happen. My skin itched. The raging warmth took over but this time, it wasn’t just my chest or my torso; it was my entire body.

The skin of my fingertips crawled with movement under the surface.

I lurched forward with an overwhelming need to get on my hands and knees. My nostrils flared with new scents battering me all at once. The scent of the trees. The variety of body scents from the other students blasted at me, some making me sick and some I could decipher. The chocolate of Grim, the whiskey and smoke of Theron, the cedar and cinnamon that was Bodhi.

Gods, why and how could I smell them above all the others?

My gums ached.

Was this my wolf? Was she finally trying to come out? I didn’t know, but as the students trickled back in, putting on their clothes again and gathering up to talk about the run, I knew now wasn’t the time.

I hear you, wolf.

I forced myself to walk away as my three—the three guys came back. The ones who haunted my thoughts. I couldn’t let them see my shame.

This piece of me I had to keep to myself.

I heard them calling out for me but squared off my shoulders and continued my path back to the building.

No matter how painful it was.

Chapter Twelve

Stevie and I studied in silence that night with the exception of passing snacks back and forth. Studying went with snacks—period. Her declaration soon became mine.

Plus, I’d skipped dinner again, trying to save some of my dignity.

I couldn’t face the guys. Grim, maybe. He had seen me at my absolute most frantic, but the others…it hurt too much to let them see me after proving myself a failure.

Stevie shut her book. Her chair made an awful screech as she pushed back from the desk and flicked her lamp off. “I’m gonna shower and then go to bed. My brains are scrambling by the minute.”

Mine were too.

“I think I’ll take a walk,” I replied, putting all my books and notes back in my bag.

“Are you okay?” she asked, rifling through her dresser for pajamas. “You’ve been kind of quiet tonight.”

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