Page 58 of Before the Bond
I grinned.
"I mean it," he said. "I was worried when they said you found out the truth. But when you stayed… and then when you greeted me like nothing bothered you…”
His voice trailed off.
“I was really happy.”
Jake's hand trembled against the blanket. He still struggled to tell people what he was really feeling.
I gently touched his arm.
“I’m happy, too,” I said. “And it’s going to take a lot more than Donovan being snippy to get rid of me.”
“Not the other wolf stuff?” Jake said with a laugh.
“Oh, Donovan’swayscarier.”
Sunset drew closer.
Jake was starting to lose his composure. Between the pain and his bigger fever spikes, his gaze kept drifting toward the window, fingers twisting the edge of his blanket. Once his medications calmed him down, I decided to stay next to him just to be sure.
Outside, the medical tent was fully set up.
I could see Tomas setting up a generator for proper lighting. Maureen arranged a table with sandwiches and thermoses, in case the night was long.
"What if I wake up different?" Jake suddenly asked.
“Different how?"
Jake shrugged. "I don't know,” he said. “Just different, I guess. Caleb told me that after you shift, you hear more of your ‘wolf’. What if I don't like that side of me?”
It was the first time Jake said something without trying to cover it up with a joke. He didn’t even smile.
I scooted closer to his bed. I lowered my voice and smiled.
“Jake,” I said. “I may have only known you for a short time, but I can say with certainty that you’ll be fine.”
“What makes you so sure?”
I didn’t know a lot about wolves. My knowledge about shifts was surface level at most. But the next part, I said with unwavering confidence.
“If your wolf is anything like you,” I said. “Even just the tiniest bit… I know everyone’s going to love him.”
Jake's mouth pressed into a tight line. He nodded and reached out for my hand.
I squeezed it tightly.
“I’m glad it’s you,” Jake said.
“I’m glad, too.”
An hour before sunset, Donovan appeared at the edge of the east trail.
I was in the middle of my own slow perimeter walk, keeping in mind the points of exit that Donovan and the others showed me.
I wore a jacket over some comfortable clothes and running shoes. It would be easier for me to go back and forth in case the tent needed more supplies.
The rest of the pack hurried back and forth. Despite everyone’s meticulous preparations, the tension was growing.
