Page 64 of The Wild Moon
“Wow,” I whispered as we crested the ridge. “That’s beautiful.”
Ahead of us, a valley spread out and away for miles. A vibrant swath of green covered the valley floor, except for where a river cut through from the northwest edge of the valley, down to the south, before flowing eastward out of sight.
Behind us, the sun was setting. Its rays fell perfectly between the peaks to our left and right, highlighting the third mountain in the north end of the valley, the ridges between the three forming the valley itself.
“Yes, it is,” Aaron agreed, taking a moment to admire the golden light covering the landscape in front of us.
Then, he put a foot forward and began to descend the ridge. I stayed behind while the rest of the team came up. Each paused to admire the beauty of Mother Nature for a few seconds before heading down after Aaron.
Fred was the last one to reach the top. He’d been watching our rear, which is one reason why I’d been up near the front. He gave me the creeps for a reason I couldn’t explain. Maybe it was just his silence or the menacing aura about him. Either way, I didn’t like it.
“If somebody did build a city out here,” Fred said gruffly, shocking me with his sudden eloquence. “They certainly picked a beautiful place to do it. Sunsets out here are grand.”
I nodded. “Yeah. That far mountain will be picturesque in an hour or two.”
“Even now,” he said, and then he was gone before I could respond, following the rest of his team.
I watched him go. I hadn’t expected that of Fred. Clearly, he wasn’t just a dumb triggerman. There was a depth there I had missed the first time around. I knew I wouldn’t underestimate him again.
“What would your friends say if they knew about your soft side, Fred?” I whispered as I left the top of the ridge behind and moved down into the valley.
It didn’t take long for me to catch up with the others, and in another hour, we reached a flat, open meadow at the base of the ridge. We crossed it and found ourselves on the embankment of the river.
“We’ll make camp here tonight,” Aaron said. “Crossing the river is best done during daytime. It’s deeper than it looks and fast flowing.”
I didn’t argue. I could hear it rushing past, the low rumble of so much moving water impossible to miss, even a few hundred yards from it. Water was probably my least favorite thing. A pool was great. But a deep, murky river where I couldn’t see the bottom that was also moving fast?
I shivered. No, thank you.
Around me, the team was setting up their tents. I wandered over to Aaron, basking in the numbing sensation I felt in his presence. It was no longer complete, but it was better than nothing.
The lower the sun set, the more active my Soulbond became, and I was grateful for even the slightest relief. It was preparing me for the Wild Moon when it would be freest to act, and I would be at my weakest.
My wolf would be in command, and if she decided to follow the pull of the bond, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to resist. Controlling my beast was hard enough on a regular Wild Moon.
Although, I won’t be around the pack this time. Perhaps things will be calmer. Less intense.
I snorted.
“Something funny?” Aaron asked.
“No,” I said, shaking my head, unslinging the pack he’d handed me from his truck and setting it on the ground. I wanted to get my tent set up so I could lie down and relax. The more we walked, the antsier I got. My body was practically tingling.
Rifling through the bag, I came up short with what I was looking for. Glancing around the camp, I saw the rest of his team disappearing into their tents. Fred had set up what looked like a tiny burrow of a tent I swore wouldn’t even fit himself, but he somehow slid in with ease.
Dave and Jaxton shared a two-person tent, while Pieter and Alexi were finishing setting up an identical tent.
“Aaron,” I said, watching as he pulled a tent from his bag.
“Yeah?”
“Where’s my tent?” I asked.
Aaron waved a hand at the tent he was setting up.
“Oh,” I said, feeling somewhat chagrined. Here I was preparing to get all cross with him when he was setting up my shelter for me. “That’s kind of you. Thanks. You didn’t have to do that, though. I’m not incompetent.”
He shrugged. “You’re paying.”
