Page 4 of Noah

“Can we go in there?” I asked.

He shook his head, unconcerned. “Not sure, but it doesn’t matter. It’s nicer out here.”

Jackson was right. It was nice. Even if I didn’t know where we were going, I didn’t mind just walking with him.

“Where do you think you two are going?”

The voice cut through the quiet, sharp and grating.

We turned to see Adrian standing a few paces behind us, arms crossed.

I sighed, already annoyed. Of course, it had to be Adrian—Thornebane’s golden boy. Always sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.

His gaze fixed on Jackson, the smirk widening. “What’s the plan, huh? You think you’ll find something here to run back to your pack and tattle about?” His voice dripped with condescension, each word carefully calculated to provoke.

Jackson stiffened beside me, his jaw tightening. Without a word, he put a hand on my shoulder and gently steered me to the side.

“Let’s go somewhere else,” he muttered, ignoring Adrian completely.

“Hey!” Adrian called after us, stepping closer. “I’ll tell them you’re sneaking around where you shouldn’t be!”

I frowned. The last thing I wanted was to get dragged back to that stuffy pack house.

And there was no way I was letting Adrian ruin our morning.

But if he told on us, wouldn’t he get in trouble too for skipping whatever summit stuff he was supposed to be at?

An idea sparked. “Alright, Adrian,” I said, turning back to him and crossing my arms. “Why don’t you just come with us, then?”

Jackson’s head whipped toward me, his eyes narrowing. I could practically hear the silentWhat are you doing?I gave him a quick shake of my head.I’ve got this.

Adrian tilted his head, clearly intrigued. “Come with you?” I could almost see the gears turning in his head. “Why would I want to do that?”

“C’mon,” I said lightly, keeping my tone casual. “No one will find out we’re all ditching. We’ll be back by lunch—no harm, no foul.”

Adrian’s eyes flicked between me and Jackson. He still didn’t look convinced, but something in his expression shifted.

His eyes narrowed slightly, as though realizing the situation wasn’t as straightforward as he’d thought—that I could easily put him in the same position he’d been trying to put us in.

I pressed on. “Besides, we don’t even know where we’re going. You could show us around.”

He snorted. “You want me to babysit you?”

“Not babysit,” I corrected quickly. “Just... lead the way.”

After a long pause, Adrian shrugged. “Fine. But you better not fall behind. Don’t even think about wandering off.”

As he passed us, his shoulder bumped hard into Jackson’s. Jackson’s lips curled slightly, his frustration evident, but he stayed quiet.

I ran a few steps ahead to walk beside Adrian, glancing back at Jackson. His expression was a mix of disbelief and irritation, but I hoped he’d get why I was doing this.

To keep Adrian distracted—or at least entertained—I started asking questions. “So, what’s there to see around here? Any good spots?”

Adrian glanced sideways at me, his initial scowl softening just a bit. “There’s a stream nearby,” he said after a moment. “And some rock formations further out. My dad says they’re natural markers for the pack borders.”

I nodded, pretending to be fascinated. “Do they keep them as part of your patrol routes or something?”

Adrian rolled his eyes. “You ask a lot of questions.”

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