Page 19 of Rejected Moons (Rejected Moons 3)

Emlynsurprisesmeagainby offering to take the first watch before I even have a chance to bring the subject up.

I wave her down, though. “I don’t think I’m going to be sleeping for at least a couple of hours,” I say. I’ve slowed down a bit, but I’m still stripping pieces of meat away from the big chunk we cooked and nibbling on them.

She eyes me critically. “You should take it easy on that,” she says. “You’re going to give yourself a stomach ache.”

“What are you, my mother?”

“Do whatever you want,” she says. “I’m just saying.”

“Yeah, well, I know my body. Besides, I don’t want the meat to go to waste.”

“So fine. Eat up. Don’t let me tell you what to do.” She shrugs. “Do you want the first watch, then?”

“Sure.” I raise my eyebrows. “You trust me to take it?”

“I don’t think you’re going to kill me in my sleep, if that’s what you mean by trusting you.”

“I could steal your backpack.”

“You definitely could. I don’t know what you’d do with a backpack full of women’s clothes. It’s not like they’d fit you. But I’m willing to take my chances on that one.” She stretches out on the ground beside our little fire. “Wake me up if you start to get tired, okay?”

“I’m good for at least three hours."

She looks doubtful. “If that meat starts to make you sleepy, make sure you wake me up.”

“Yeah, yeah. Will do.”

She gives me a dubious look, but I guess she’s pretty tired because she rolls over and I hear her breath settle into an even rhythm almost immediately, letting me know that she’s asleep.

Even though I’m surprised she trusted me so easily, she’s right to do it. I’m not going to try anything funny while she’s sleeping. I’m more interested in getting my fill of this deer. And while she’s probably right that it’s going to make me sleepy, for the time being, the only thing I can focus on is my hunger.

I try to eat slowly, to give my body a chance to process the fact that I’m actually getting food for the first time in days. If I just chomp down a whole bunch of meat after days of starvation, she’s right—I’ll make myself sick.

Not that I didn’tknowthat already. I don’t need her to explain the obvious to me.

I don’t know why I’m letting Emlyn get to me, honestly. Shehasbeen helpful so far. It’s not like she’s being arrogant and self-righteous without even the benefit of beingright, the way Butch was so much of the time. When she says something with conviction, she’s usually got a pretty good point.

I guess I’m just not used to women trying to tell me what to do. And even though we’re not packmates, or even long-term friends, there’s a part of me that feels like she needs to learn her place.

I’ll have to get over that, though. I’m not planning to assume any responsibility over her, so for her to submit to me would be a complete waste of both of our energy.

I take another bite of meat and chew thoughtfully, trying to let the flavor spread through my mouth instead of just swallowing the bite straight down the way my wolf would do. I’ve got a wolfish appetite right now, but considering that I spend a significant amount of time in a human body, it’s healthier to eat while human. This body’s more delicate than the wolf’s is.

The wolf has more finely honed senses, though, and so it takes me a moment to realize I’m smelling something I shouldn’t.

The scents of the forest are rich and pleasant, and they almost overwhelm this other smell at first, but it’s getting closer, and after a moment, it’s impossible to ignore.

Wolves.

And not my pack, either. I know the scent of my own pack, and this isn’t them. Whether it’s wild wolves or other shifters, this whole area is on the verge of becoming enemy territory.

I grab Emlyn’s bag and sling it onto my shoulder. After a moment’s thought, I unzip it and pack in the rest of the cooked meat. No point in letting that go to waste. I throw some dirt on the fire to stifle it, even though the animal carcass is going to let our enemies know we were here. Then I creep over to Emlyn’s side, cover her mouth to keep her from crying out, and shake her awake.

To her credit, she comes alert easily and without making a sound. She rolls to her feet, and I let her go, releasing her mouth. It’s clear that she understands we’re in danger and isn’t going to do anything to make that worse.

I beckon to her.

She holds out a hand for the backpack.

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