Page 36 of Raised By Wolves

“Gotta love those guys,” Waylon says. “They’rechampionassholes. They take their duties very seriously.” He stands up; the bell’s about to ring. “I do have a real idea, though,” he adds. “About Julissa.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I’m telling the truth this time. I think we can find her.”

“Where?”

“Meet me in the parking lot after school,” he says.

CHAPTER 26

“I DON’T GET why you’re so worried about her, though,” Waylon says as we walk east along the road toward town. “You’ve never even met Julissa Hill.”

“Well, the chief’s worried.” I point to the rangeland, the mountains, the forest—all the wilderness that surrounds Kokanee Creek. “It’s dangerous out there.”

And I know all about it.

“She didn’t get eaten by a bear, Kai.”

“How do you know?”

“Because we’re juniors at Kokanee Creek High School. We aren’t elk and wolves in a nature show about how only the strongest survive.”

“For your information,no onesurvives,” I say. “Nature’s a battle that all of us lose.”

“How cheerful,” Waylon says sarcastically.

“Sorry for being honest.”

“Uh, you’re obviously not.”

“Okay, I’m sorry that I’mnotsorry. Maybe living in a city cuts you off from the realities of life and death, but it’s a fact.”

“Last time I looked, Kokanee Creek wasn’t actually a city.”

He has a point—what’s the population, three thousand? But still. “It might as well be Paris as far as I’m concerned.”

Waylon laughs and knocks his shoulder into mine in a friendly, maybe even flirty way. When his skin slides against mine, I feel its smooth, delicious warmth. And I justfreeze. Every muscle in my body goes tense. I actually stop breathing.

“Kai?” he says. “Are you okay?”

No, no I’m not.

My heart’s pounding.

Get it together, Kai. Breathe.

“What happened?” he asks.

I inhale and blink at him. Try to smile and brush it off. Start to move again. “Tonic immobility,” I say.

Waylon looks at me blankly.

“After a predator has made contact with its prey, the prey freezes to prevent further attack,” I explain. “It’s called tonic immobility.”

He shakes his head. “Kai,” he says, “I’m not a predator.”

“I know,” I say.Of course you’re not.“I just—oh, never mind. I’m sorry.” I start to walk faster. I can hardly admit that one touch of Waylon’s skin sent me reeling. Made me feel something I’d never felt before.

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