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* * *

Not only did the cabin have a hot tub, but also an unlocked liquor cabinet with a few bottles half full of rum leftover from Gina’s parents last party.

“
Anyone else want another? I’m going to brave the cold to get more,” Kyle shouted over the music as he slipped out of the hot tub, his and Rachel’s cups in hand.

I held up my cup. “Nope, I’m good.”

“
Me, too,” Gina said, her completely full cup sloshing her drink into the water as she sloppily made out with Mark.

“
Mmmhmm,” Mark muttered in between kisses.

“
Get a room, you two!” Rachel slurred, pushing Gina roughly, before climbing out to follow Kyle into the house.

“
Actually, we have one.” Gina giggled. She took Mark’s hand and tugged him out of the hot tub.

I watched them stumble into the house and slam the sliding glass door shut behind them with more force than was necessary.

“
Well,” Jace said, tipping back his cup. “Looks like we’re alone at last.”

I smirked at him. His hair was tousled and damp from the humidity and his hands running through it sporadically the entire night. A drunken flush had tinted his cheeks a deep shade of pink and droplets of water dripped down his bare chest, which glistened in the glow from the string of lights that hung across the banister.

I bit my bottom lip and grinned at him. “Yep, looks like.”

Jace cocked his head to the side, his eyes growing lustful. “Have I told you yet how beautiful you look in that little thing you call a bathing suit?”

I tipped my head back and laughed out loud, excited by the hungry gleam in his eyes. If I hadn’t had so many rum and cokes in my system, I probably would have felt embarrassed by his statement. Instead, I silently thanked Rachel for talking me into borrowing her tiny black and white polka-dot bikini.

I slithered my way toward him. “You think so, huh?”

“
Damn right,” he said, snaking his arms around my stomach.

The sliding glass door slammed open, startling both of us, and Rachel stuck her head out. “Hey guys, Kyle found the chips and dip. We’re making some Ramen noodles too, you want some?”

“
Sure, we’ll be right in,” I said, just as a flying chip bounced off her head. I shifted to look directly into Jace’s eyes. “Later,” I whispered, attempting to sound as sexy as I could, before quickly climbing out and starting toward the sliding glass door. I glanced back at Jace and giggled.

A boyish grin sprang on his face as he leaped out of the hot tub after me. “Don’t think you can get away from me that easily.” He groaned, pulling me in for a kiss.

“
You’re letting cold air in,” Rachel whined, starting to close the door on us.

I pulled away from Jace and wrapped my towel around myself tightly before heading inside, trying to tame my goofy grin. It felt so good to be doing something normal again for a change, especially with my boyfriend
and
my friends.

* * *

“
I’m going to miss this,” I muttered later on that evening once everyone had turned in for the night and Jace and I were in our room.

“
Miss what?” Jace asked between kisses across my bare shoulders.

“
This… hanging out with my friends like this, doing normal things,” I answered in a whisper.

He pulled back and looked at me, his face still flushed from all the alcohol. “You’re not going to be locked away or anything. You can still do
normal
things.”

“
I know. It’s just things between me and Rachel won’t be the same anymore after I leave,” I said, hoping this wasn’t going to turn into an argument.

“
You two are best friends; you’ll get through it,” he said, seeming so confident in our friendship.

“
I hope so. It’s just that… she’s gonna want to know why I’m leaving and I haven’t decided what to tell her yet.”

“
Tell her the truth,” Jace said, his lips going back to worshiping every inch of my skin. “You’re moving away with me.”

I laughed as his lips brushed against a sensitive area of skin, but his words had stirred something in me. If I valued mine and Rachel’s friendship any, then I’d have to tell Rachel the entire truth, just like my mom had told my dad. This meant I’d have to prove it to her as well, the same way I’d planned on proving it to my dad, because she wouldn’t believe me otherwise.

I didn’t say a word to Jace about it. Instead, I let the alcohol rushing through my veins take over and allowed myself to give in to his kisses and soft touch once more.

Afterward, I lay in Jace’s arms, my head resting against his chest while I listened to the hypnotic beating of his heart.

“
Sweet dreams, Tessa,” he whispered into my hair before planting a kiss there.

“
Sweet dreams,” I muttered.

I lay awake long after Jace had fallen asleep, listening to his even breathing, wondering how many more times in my life I’d get to enjoy the simplicity of this moment. Were they limited? Could they be counted on one hand?

All I could think about was how the waning moon in the sky was quickly growing smaller, which only meant one thing… the Wolf Moon was drawing closer, and as was the Ordeal with Shelby. My stomach twisted into knots, and I wondered for the hundredth time if I would be able to survive in a fight against her. Her venomous glare flashed through my mind and doubt crept in close behind it, overtaking me.

PART TWO ~ WINBURG

CHAPTER NINETEEN

I stared out the passenger side window of my car as Jace drove, watching darkened street signs and shinning lights from gas stations and fast food places flash by, thinking of everything that had happened over the last few weeks.

One minute I’d been an eighteen-year-old daughter living with her parents, a student at Breckwater High, and a best friend.

And the next, I was a high school drop out with a GED, moving to a new state to live with my boyfriend, best friendless, and about to step into a battle that could possibly be for my life with my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend.

I leaned my head back against the headrest and replayed mine and my mother’s final conversation.

“
Just because he’s chosen you doesn’t mean that you have to accept,” she’d said in a pleading tone.

“
I know, but it’s what I want.” I smiled. “I love him, Mom.”

Her lips had twisted into the faintest smile. “I’m glad, sweetheart.” Her cool fingers had brushed against my cheek, and I’d thought I’d lose my battle against the tears I’d been fighting to keep in.

“
And look, my GED papers came in the mail just in time,” I said, holding up the envelope.

She nodded. “Good.”

“
Aren’t you happy? I passed!” I said, jumping up and down.

It had taken some persuasion, but Jace had finally agreed I should drop out the week after I went back from Christmas break. I’d taken the walk of shame with the pink slip of paper I was supposed to have signed by all of my teachers with my head held high. Each of them had without a doubt thought that I was stupid for dropping out with only one more semester left. I could sense it, but they didn’t know my reasons behind my decision. My parents hadn’t been too pleased with my decision either, but it was what felt right to me. In fact, it felt liberating.

“
I would have been happier if I’d been able to see you walk across that stage,” she’d said curtly.

Apparently it had been one thing for her to fail in keeping me from becoming a werewolf, but it had been quite another for her to fail in keeping me in school until I graduated. It all seemed completely ridiculous to me, considering it had been my decision, a decision that had nothing to do with her parenting skills in the slightest. I’d lost count of how many times I’d told her so.

“
Mom, please just be happy for me,” I said with a smile.

“
I am, honey.” She squeezed my shoulder. “I promise.”

“
Tell dad that I love him when you see him,” I whispered, wishing I could say those words to him myself, but he hadn’t been around much lately. Work seemed to occupy the majority of his time.

A tear tickled down my cheek, and I moved so that my hair was hiding my face from Jace. It had only been a few hours since we’d pulled out of my driveway, and here I was already feeling home sick and wishing time would fly so that I could come back soon. There was a lot I needed to fix before I went to Winburg for good.

My tears reminded me of Rachel and how badly we’d parted ways. I’d gotten a large dose of what Jace had gone through back when he wasn’t able to tell me anything about his family or himself because I hadn’t been able to tell Rachel anything I’d wanted to. Instead I had to settle with giving her vague, cryptic answers to her millions of questions. I did promise her I’d be back in a month or so and that I’d have more answers for her then. I only hoped she’d still be willing to see me again when I did come back. Right now, though, Rachel was too pissed by everything I’d done recently—dropping out and moving away—to even look at me let alone speak to me.

“
You okay?” Jace asked, placing a hand on my thigh.

“
Yeah, I’m fine,” I answered. “It’s just hard; I can’t believe I’m actually leaving.”

“
It’s just for a few weeks. We’ll be back.”

“
I know,” I whispered. And with that our conversation was over. There was nothing he could say to make me feel better and nothing I could say to make him understand how I felt.

* * *

“
It’s just up here a little farther,” Jace said excitedly. Even though I knew him and his parents were on the outs, he still seemed animated and anxious to be back in his hometown.

Nervousness swelled in me as I glanced around. The entire town seemed small and quaint, sort of like Breckwater. Shops lined the two-lane street we were on and people walked up and down the little sidewalks. I wondered how long Jace’s pack had been hidden among the humans of this tiny little town.

“
We’re here,” Jace said as we turned down a long gravel road.

It felt secluded, but in a good way. Thick woods bordered both sides. The sight of them brought a smile to my face. We rounded a sharp corner and there it was—Jace’s parents’ house.

With the little bit of sunlight that filtered through thick clouds I was able to make out the overly large brick house. It was probably three of my houses put together, plus it had two stories.

“
Nice place,” I said, staring at the solid wood front door and wondering if any of the people behind it were going to be welcoming.

“
Thanks,” Jace said, pulling in behind a gold sedan.

I glanced around the graveled parking area, scanning each vehicle, and thankful there was not a cherry-red Mustang in sight. My gaze shifted back to the house, and I noticed an older woman who resembled Jace standing in one of the tall windows on the first floor.

“
Ready?” Jace asked, his hand gripping the door handle.

I nodded and attempted a smile. “Yeah,”

“
Don’t be nervous.” His forehead creased with concern, and his eyes became somber. “They’ll love you once they get to know you.”

I smiled a little bit wider and dropped my gaze to my chipped green nail polish, wishing I had half the confidence in his statement as he had as I walked into that house.

Jace opened his door and the scent of damp earth and pine wafted to my nose. I hesitated long enough to take in a deep breath before I opened my door and climbed out, as ready as I would ever be to meet whoever was inside.

CHAPTER TWENTY

My palms felt slick with sweat as I followed behind Jace into the house. I wiped them against my jeans and then shoved them in my coat pockets. The scent of apples and cinnamon tickled my nose once we crossed the threshold, giving me the feeling of comfort and home. Apples and cinnamon were my mom’s favorite air freshener scent. It wasn’t until we rounded the corner from the foyer and entered the sitting area that those feelings were slapped away and replaced by unease and tension.

The woman who’d been standing in the window started toward us, and I suddenly realized how uncomfortable it must have been for Jace all those times with my mother. The woman held a small glass tumbler filled with an amber-colored drink that matched her eyes perfectly. There was a scowl placed firmly on her face, and it was directed toward me.

“
Mother, this is Tessa. Tessa, this is my mother, Vivian,” Jace introduced us.

“
It’s nice to meet you,” I said, hoping she couldn’t tell how much I was squirming underneath her intense stare.

Vivian eyed me from head to toe. “Nice to meet you, too, dear.” She took a sip of her drink and flashed me a frail smile.

She was a very attractive woman who I guessed to be in her late forties to early fifties. Medium blond hair brushed her shoulders and Jace’s same amber-colored eyes stared back at me from her face. She was taller than me by a few inches and very well dressed in slacks and a satin blouse, which made her appear all the more intimidating. I immediately regretted choosing to dress more comfortable for the long ride in a pair of jeans, tennis shoes, and my slightly faded red coat.