“Making your life hell?” Charlie’s lips tipped into a half-smirk.
Zane shrugged, acting as if it didn’t bother him, when in fact it drove him insane. He didn’t know how to act around her now. All he could do was be himself, be the man that he hoped she’d fallen for before all this shit happened. “I deserve it. Conner, if I could make this private?”
“She deserves to hear whatever it is you’re planning.”
Zane glanced to her. “Yeah, I know. Charlie—”
“No,” Charlie said. “I’m curious. But one more stupid idea and I’m done, Alexander.”
And he had no doubts that she wouldn’t pack up and leave at the look she fixed him with before walking off. Conner cleared his throat. “Don’t have all day,” he reminded him and Zane launched into his plan. Thankfully Conner agreed with only a slight grumbling and, after they’d set up the when and where, Zane climbed the steps to his trailer with a load off his mind and a weight off his shoulders.
He went inside and grabbed a soda from the fridge, then made his way to the living room. Parker and Micah were sprawled on the couch, their feet propped up on the coffee table as they mashed buttons. Benji was sitting in the chair, idly strumming his bass, his gaze locked sightlessly on the wall of the trailer. Zane eased down to sit on the floor across from them and watched them. Silence droned by, seconds spanning into minutes, before Zane had had enough.
Leaning forward, he blew out a sharp breath. “What do you want me to say, guys? I’m sorry. I fucked up, worse than usual. I should’ve had more faith in you, shouldn’t have accused you. Micah, you were spot on: My plan was hatched out of insanity.”
They were quiet as the continued to do what they were doing, without so much as a glance his way. Nerves gouged the inside of Zane’s stomach, clawing to get out. “I know I can’t just wave a magic wand and make everything perfect again—I’m no fairy godmother, but Christ. This can’t be what breaks us.”
Silence. Zane groaned. “Do I have to get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness?”
At that, Micah’s lip twitched in the beginnings of a smile. “It might be worth a shot, you never know.”
“I could use a little groveling to perk up my day,” Parker added.
Biting back a growl because he knew he deserved this, plain and simple, Zane stood up and placed himself between them and the TV until they were both looking at him. Then he got down on his knees and grabbed both their hands in a dramatic fashion. “I’m sorry guys. Really. I’m an idiot sometimes, but… Take me back?”
Micah pulled his hand away, giving him a shove on the shoulder. “I’m not your girlfriend. But fine, only because you begged. Next time, listen to the voice of reason and grow a brain that’s not controlled by your dick—or your sappy heart.”
Relief bled through him. One out of three wasn’t bad. He turned to Parker and before he had a chance to open his mouth, Parker wound back his arm and punched him. Zane toppled back, knocking over the coffee table with a crash, and shock replaced the former relief.
Parker smirked. “That felt amazing. Apology accepted.”
Zane rubbed at his cheek. “I’ll admit it I deserved that.” He paused. “Benj?”
Benji looked up from his instrument and frowned. After a moment, he spoke in a quiet tone. “What did you tell Charlie?”
“The truth. That I fucked up and that I love her. I just hope that maybe someday down the line, she forgives me. Like I said, I don’t expect to wave a wand and make everything hunky-dory—if she wants to leave after the tour is over, I won’t stop her.”
He dropped his gaze, looking away. “I’m sorry for being an idiot. I’m sorry for keeping you out of the loop. Next time I hatch an insane plan, you’ll be in on it, I swear.” He tried for light and joking.
Benji just shook his head and strummed a throbbing bass chord that Zane recognized as “Heart of Light”. “Do I get to punch you, too?” A sliver of light returned to Benji’s eyes.
“Will that make you feel better?”
“It’s a start.”
“Well by all means, go ahead. Just don’t break anything important?”
“No promises,” he said with a half smile, right before wailing on Zane’s shoulder.
“Shit, man.”
Parker laughed. “You hit like a girl!”
Benji’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve got plenty of angst left in me if you’d like a taste.”
He whistled. “No thanks.”
Zane stood up and looked at his guys, his pack—his band. “Be right back,” he said before ducking into his room for his acoustic. He sat cross-legged on the floor where he’d started, strumming the first chords of “Heart of Light.” In response, Benji started the bass part and Micah began to tap his fingers on the now-upright coffee table. Parker laughed, belting out half-assed, butchered lyrics, his voice wavering like a drunken sailor’s.
Together they practiced together like there had never been conflict, and when Charlie walked in with alarm on her face, they were wailing along to their first-ever single, heads thrown back like wolves howling at the moon. Zane caught her eye with a wink and just kept playing. She rolled her eyes with a half-smile, then wandered into the bathroom and Zane felt his heart do a flip.
That’s a start.
***
They threw together pizza for dinner, Zane being careful to keep the mood light and fun, keep his friends laughing. They blatantly avoided the topic of Jeremy’s murder and the fact that someone might be out there, waiting to off them for no apparent reason, and the night went smoothly.
Benji and Parker were sitting at the table, slaving over a notebook of hastily scribbled lyrics to a new song and every few minutes, Parker belted out a couple lines of silly, somewhat-crudely rhyming lyrics. Charlie’s laughter was bells in Zane’s ears and he caught the pleased look on Parker’s face when she wasn’t looking, like her amusement was his very goal.
After polishing off two and a half sausage and pepperoni pizzas, Zane addressed them while they were still all gathered in the kitchen. “All right, guys. You know what time it is?”
“Two freckles past a hair?” Parker snickered.
“Kiss my ass, Wilde. No.”
“It’s the full moon tonight and don’t even think about plotting to escape for a run, Alexander.” Charlie’s voice was suddenly stern, her frown disapproving.
“Believe me, baby, we’ve had enough stupidity for one month. But I do have a surprise for you. All of you.”
As if on cue, the door swung open to reveal Conner. Zane whirled and shoved a paper plate of still-hot pizza into his hands, welcoming him without a word to their merry little band. Conner blinked in surprise, but then shrugged and ate the pizza as a peace offering.
“Okay everyone, road trip—don’t look at me like that, Charlie,” Conner said dryly. No one complained, they just piled into the back of a black van, Charlie sitting up front with Conner. She dialed the radio on and when Parker started singing—horrible and off-key—she switched it to country. Everyone groaned.
Conner parked outside Lakeside Gym, which was still lit up on the inside despite the hour. As they got out of the car, Zane moved to the front of the group and when he faced them, he found himself looking right at Charlie.
“I meant it when I said I was sorry. Consider this icing on the cake—a night of worry-free running. Might not be under the light of the full moon, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.”
Conner nodded. “I’ve got people surrounding the premises. We have the building to ourselves until ten tomorrow, so be ready. I’ll come to collect you in the morning.” He turned to make an exit, but Zane stopped him.
“Not so fast, big guy. There’s a reason I hired extra security for tonight. You need the run just as much as we do.”
The man looked dumbfounded for a moment, but Charlie seconded Zane’s words with a sharp nod and Zane could smell the beginnings of excitement coming from her. “Come on, Conner. If we all died tomorrow, you’d regret not coming for a run.”
Micah snorted. “Bluntly put, but somehow appropriate.”
Zane offered Conner a wide smile. “So what do you say? Lock us in. Let’s have a little fun. For tonight, you’re one of the guys.”
Chapter Sixteen
A run… She
really
hadn’t been looking forward to the prospect of spending the night cooped up inside while the full moon mocked her. She pushed through the doors and into the gym, leaving the guys to pick up the slack behind her. On the inside, her wolf danced with a mix of need and delight, and even though this was nowhere near as wonderful as running wild under the pale light of the moon, like Zane said: Beggars couldn’t be choosers.
Zane seemed to have learned from his stupidity, but tonight wasn’t the time or place to dwell on the situation. No, tonight she just needed to cut loose and, without waiting for the others to catch up, Charlie shifted and glanced around with pricked ears and a keen nose. The scents of the gym were that of latex mats and stale sweat and hard work. She could smell the tracks of everyone who had used the gym that day without even trying.
A moment later, five other wolves of various sizes and colors raced past her, excitement blooming off of their pelts. Zane dipped towards her, his fur as bright as freshly fallen snow, and his tail wagged amiably. Never having seen Conner in wolf form before, she was surprised at how sleek he seemed compared to his burly human counterpart. He watched the guys uncertainly as Benji made a flying leap over Micah’s back and Micah gave a low bark.
She felt a nip on her flank and she turned, meeting Parker’s eyes. A large wolf with a rusty red pelt, he smelled of dominance and a hint of mischief. Knowing the glint in his eyes didn’t bode well for her, Charlie backed up a step, her tail flagging straight up. She bared her teeth and pushed a thought towards Parker.
Don’t even think about it, buddy.
She fully expected some sort of smartass comeback from the younger wolf, but he only stared at her with dark eyes. He lowered his head and stalked towards her, a wolf on the hunt, but it wasn’t until he was only about a foot away from her that he spoke.
Too late.
He pounced on her, his weight sending her tumbling. She flailed beneath him, whipping her head around, trying to dislodge him from her back. She snagged his flank with her fangs, tasting blood against her teeth when a flash of white caught the corner of her eye. Parker went sprawling and Charlie leapt to her paws, not surprised to see Zane standing between them.
The other guys stood around them in a half-arc, Parker picked himself up off the ground and stood tall as low growls sounded through the air. His ears pinned back and Zane lunged, snapping the air just short of the other wolf’s muzzle. His jaws clicked together with an audible snap.
Enough!
Surging forward, Charlie nipped at Zane’s neck, trying to ignore the rumbling growl that continued to pour from him.
Come on, Zane. Back off.
For Christ’s sake, tonight was supposed to be fun and Zane had decided to go caveman on her, apparently, just because Parker was Parker.
Zane’s eyes were locked on Parker, who just stood there, almost taunting, and Charlie sighed. She backed up and took a running leap, her front paws colliding with Zane’s side. He stumbled, jerking around in surprise as they went down. The growling fell silent and she found herself sprawled over Zane as they lay on the floor. For a moment he stiffened, but when his eyes met hers, the fight seeped out of him.
She cut him a look
. I’m not a bone you have to protect,
she told him
. I’ve taken care of myself this long, I can hold my own against Parker. Besides, you know how he is.
Yeah…
He looked away, his ears folding back in a way that made him look doleful. He glanced sidelong and Charlie looked up to find that Parker had grown bored and had set his sights on Benji. They wrestled, Micah dancing along behind them and snapping at them whenever they pushed into him.
Since joining in probably wasn’t a smart idea, as she’d just gotten Zane to chill out, she decided to make her own brand of fun. She gave a yip and spun away, taking off at a run towards the bleachers. While in human form she hated running up and down stairs with a passion, but as a wolf it was amusing. She heard claws clicking behind her and she lowered her head, pushing for more. She moved up, across, and then down the stairs at breakneck speed, enjoying the feeling of freedom her wolven half brought.
Unfortunately, she had forgotten one important part of the gymnasium: The shiny floors were slick and had almost no purchase when it came to stopping or turning. After reaching the bottom of the stairs and racing along the length of the gym with Zane in tow, Charlie tried to turn. Instead she skittered wildly, legs flailing in an attempt to stop before smacking into the wall only a few feet away.
She slid for what seemed like forever, breathing a sigh of relief when she managed to stop. Giving the wall the evil eye and feeling more than a little bit smug at her success, Charlie turned to prance away only to see that her antics had had witnesses.
It figures, the one time I’m ungraceful,
she thought wryly.
Surprise danced across her face when, one by one, the guys lined up at the far end of the gym and took turns running towards her at full throttle, skittering much the way she had, only to stop just short of the wall. It became a game of chicken and she joined in for awhile before weariness nibbled at the corners of her mind.