Chapter 59

KATHERINE.

The sun shone through the treetops, casting shadows on the forest floor while the smell of pine and damp earth was strong and comforting, and the sound of twigs breaking under my feet filled the air as sweat poured from just about every area imaginable.

“This is nice. We should do this more often,” Josie said as she jogged backward, facing me, and I plastered a smile on my face. When I’d suggested that we should go for a run, I meant for like thirty minutes to an hour but I’d failed to clarify that.

We had been doing this for almost two ‘hours’. I felt like I was about to collapse from exhaustion while Priyanka, Josie and Lenore didn’t even look fazed. I needed to know what kind of training they underwent in their packs.

Unfortunately, Blake wasn’t here. I’d decided not to text him the trail we would be taking because I didn’t want Priyanka to get pissed and even though he hadn’t texted me to ask, I’d felt quite guilty about it. He’d dropped by our room this morning though – to give us our ‘emergency ghost defense starter pack’ – but I’d been in the bathroom then and Lenore was the one that collected them from him. She hadn’t seemed upset when she mentioned him dropping by so I assumed they’d resolved their issues… I don’t know.

“Seconded,” Priyanka called out from ahead. She and Lenore were several steps ahead of Josie and me, and I was sure Josie was only staying in step with me because she didn’t want to leave me behind.

“Slow down, you guys<” Josie said and Priyanka and Lenore glanced over their shoulders before coming to a stop and when we got to them, I immediately hunched over, placing my hands against my knees as I took in lungfuls of air.

“We should rest for a bit,” Lenore said and I immediately felt bad after Josie and Priyanka agreed. They had other plans and then resting for a bit because I couldn’t keep up would delay them and I didn’t want to be a burden. I already felt like I was one to my partner in the combat training club, I didn’t want to be one in any other aspect of my life.

“No, no, it’s fine,” I said, still panting. “We should keep going.”

“You look like you’re about to die,” Priyanka stated and if I wasn’t breathing so hard, I would have laughed. I shook my head sideways and she tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at me. “...Okay, let’s walk the rest of the way then.”

“Okay,” Lenore and Josie said in unison, looking like they really didn’t mind so I nodded before Lenore and Priyanka began to walk.

“Want me to give you a piggyback?” Josie asked, lowering herself in front of me and holding her hands out like she expected me to climb on. The corner of my mouth turned up and I gently pushed her away.

“No. I’ll take you up on that another day though.”

We began to walk too, talking about our other plans for the day and tomorrow for minutes till we came to a fork in the path and Josie stopped. “I’m going to run that way.” She pointed at the other path. “I'll meet you guys ahead.”

“Oh, okay,” I muttered and she blew me a kiss before she took off in that direction. I then picked up my pace so I could catch up with Lenore and Priyanka but slowed down once again as I picked up bits and pieces of their conversation.

“...they want us to get married soon. We’ll be picking a date during the school’s anniversary…”

“He’s an asshole though, no offense. Are you sure you want to…”

I came to a stop. What and who their conversation was about was clear and as I watched them walk away, I wanted to hear more but I didn’t want to use my hearing. That’d be wrong and besides, I shouldn’t care that Lenore and Theo would be getting married soon. I mean…

My heart tightened in my chest and I swallowed, watching the both of them till they were out of sight. I sucked in a breath and glanced heavenward.

‘He’s not my mate. I don’t care. He’s not my mate. I don’t care. He’s not–’ My chant was interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing and I pulled it out of my fanny pack to see that it was a call from my uncle before letting out a harsh breath. I hadn’t spoken to him since that day that we yelled at each other over the phone, the day Theo gave me his handkerchief, the Theo that would be getting married soon–

“Stop it,” I muttered to myself and for good measure, I repeated the chant in my head one more time before answering the call. “Hello.”

“Katherine…” he started and when the pause drew on for too long, my brows creased.

“Hello?” I repeated before he heaved a sigh.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” I replied and waited for him to say why he called but what I got again was seconds of silence. “Uncle Lander?”

“I’m sorry for how I spoke to you last time.”

My brows lifted in surprise. ‘Oh.’

“You’re not a child,” he said. “I mean, you are a child, but you’re not a ‘child’... You get what I mean,” he added and my mouth twitched into a smile as I walked under a tree to get away from the sun.

“I’m sorry for how I spoke to you too.” My uncle and I might clash a lot but we loved each other.

“That’s fine. You were right.”

“We were both right then,” I replied because his words that day might have been harsh but they were the truth. If I didn’t get my shit together, there wouldn’t be a River Ash pack anymore.

I needed to find my mate. ‘Theo’s not my mate. I don’t care.’ I needed to speak to my pack’s seer and before I could tell him that, he spoke

“Well, uh, I have news,” he said and I raised my brows, waiting for him to continue and hoping it wasn’t something bad. “You remember Storm Forest and Comet?”

“...Yeah?” Those were the first packs that ended their alliance with us after my parents died because they didn’t like the fact that ‘a child’ was going to become River Ash’s Alpha.

“They want to be allies again.”

“What?!”

“I heard there was an event in your school on Friday and that the Administration was there.”

“Wait, go back to the alliance thing,” I said in a rush while my heart excitedly pounded away in my chest and he chuckled.

I knew I shouldn’t be this excited about them wanting to be allies again after they cut us off in such a rude and demeaning way but I couldn’t help it because my pack only had two allies and no offense but those packs needed us more than we needed them. Storm Forest and Comet weren’t as strong as Silver Bow but they were ‘strong’ and my pack needed ‘strong’.

“It’s not just those two. Several other packs want to be allies too.”

‘Huh?’ Now, I was confused.

“What’s happening?”