River & Her Royal Mate novel Chapter 6

Class felt distant and vague.

And no Kai.

Days zipped by and trudged along.

With no Kai.

Home life blurred around the edges and every run held the anticipation of another possible run in. But the rest of the days leading up to the Ascension ceremony came and went without any sign of Kai.

That, and more than a little anxiety and her average everyday over thinking worry.

It was, after all, a public event and one coordinated around Clay Baldwin.

One she sort of had to go to.

On the other hand, it might mean she could see the luscious male whose lake-soaked, sun kissed skin, tousled hair, and oh-my-God-those eyes, were a constant peripheral distraction in her head.

Stupid Kai.

Stupid, butterfly-inducing Kai.

But, aside from the pesteringly gorgeous male’s presence in her thoughts and the nagging discomfort of angst, River had other slightly more pressing concerns.

Something was different about her.

Every time she hit the trails, she felt like she was about to explode with energy. And more than that, she could run faster and jump higher and push harder than she ever had before.

That wasn’t end of it.

Studying came easier, almost like her brain was supercharged. She could see clearer, smell sharper, hear so many tiny sounds.

She could even imagine more intensely, Kai’s full, sensuous lips brushing down her neck, her collarbone…

Whoa there, River.

Every sense was on fire.

She felt like her homework hardly presented a challenge.

And once again there were the…urges. Cold showers and long runs helped.

Some.

Most of the time she hardly gave it a second thought, so consumed and busy as she was, but here and there some worry and wondering encroached on her thoughts about her health.

Was there something wrong with her?

She had never heard of a disease that made you stronger.

The changes that came with becoming a wolf usually started after your first shift into your new form, and those even longer after the inner wolf’s voice made itself known in puberty.

River hadn’t heard a peep.

No wolf. Nothing.

Additionally, from all accounts she had ever heard of growing up in a pack, the mate bond breaking between her and Clay should have had lasting effects on her and taken a lot longer to get over, if ever.

Of course, her and Clay had not mutually accepted the bond and consummated it.

Thank goodness.

Ick.

The thought of anything remotely intimate with Clay made her want to puke.

It was harder and harder to believe each day that she had been fated to be with him, and worse, that she had been attracted to him in any way. The only real emotion she currently felt about it was relief, if she was honest about it.

She had only crossed his path again a few times in the halls on the university campus. Each time he was evasive, but stared openly at her.

Almost desperately.

It sort of felt like a role reversal.

He looked at her from afar with a look in his eye that made her skin crawl. River remembered watching him in a sadly similar way in high school when he captained the basketball team, laughing with friends in the lunchroom.

Wishing he would notice her.

Or, that she could be included in some circle.

Trusting that he was keeping her at arm’s length for a good reason.

Ha. Right. Turns out he was just a selfish dick.

Somehow, this new sensation of energy, or for lack of a better word, power, also helped alleviate those old pangs of shame and embarrassment.

Not completely, but they bothered her much less frequently.

Unlike those pesky, tingling, boiling hot thoughts of another male…

The day of the ascension ceremony dawned and River found herself up with the sunrise, feeling almost anxious for the proceedings. She couldn’t for the life of her think of why…

Not because she would get to see Kai.

Certainly not that.

Grandma Lucy shuffled into the kitchen with a faint smile and an eyebrow raised as River set a steaming cup of tea on the table for her and plated up fresh eggs and toast.

“Who are you and what have you done with my granddaughter?”

“I know. I just couldn’t stay in bed. And I couldn’t just sit around waiting for everyone to get up!” River protested, not bothering to hide her grin.

“Feel free to make a habit of it,” Grandma muttered, sipping her tea.

Klara joined them and the meal was spent quietly, a pleasant camaraderie of family and feminine companionship.

Thankfully, neither female asked her about her apparent change of heart.

A short while later found the three driving across town and through the pack compound’s wide western gate. The road ended and turned to gravel and dirt, leading off into the woods.

Weaving up into the hills, they soon saw a line of other cars stopping along the sides of the road and followed suit. Dust settled in the mid afternoon sun revealing pack members and their families, most in wolf form, or in the process of shifting.

River wished she could join them, but as usual, no sense of anything inside told her it was time.

Her wolf must just not exist.

Following the procession, the road ended at wooden railing over a drop, showing off the clan meeting grounds nestled in a valley.

It was a stunning vista with low hills rimming the horizon on three sides and the grounds sidling up to a small lake. Trees sheltered the gathering on all sides, providing privacy and a sense of auspiciousness for any meeting at the square.

The wide, manicured courtyard sprawled with lush, soft grass and natural stone bench seating for those who preferred to stay in their skin form like many of the elderly members or the youth.

River had only ever been to the ritual grounds once when she was younger. They were generally reserved for fully grown pack members and important gatherings.

A sloping path led down into the milling groups of happily chatting clusters and many, many wolves mingling, some running the field and playing at hunting.

There were so many.