Only to stop right at the edge of a lake that isn’t supposed to be here.
I turn my head back and forth, scenting the air. This is the end of the path, just as expected. But the lake isn’t supposed to be here.
Ducking behind a tree, I shift back to my human form and pull the map out of my pack. Aurora gets off of her motorcycle and walks over to me, a frown on her face.
“Something wrong? Are we lost?”
“I don’t know.” My wolf growls, his temper short. “This lake isn’t supposed to be here.”
Aurora snorts. “Lakes don’t just appear out of nowhere.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” I snap, every instinct inside of me screaming that we’re in danger. “This is the path. Iknowthat it’s the path. And the next pack is on the other side of this lake that isn’t supposed to be here.”
“Which means we need to go around the lake.” She gets back on the bike, revving the engine impatiently. “Should be easy enough.”
Glancing at the eerily calm blue water, I feel my hackles rise. “Right. Easy enough.”
I store the map and shift back, then lead Aurora on the right side of the lake. It feels like we go for ages, only to wind up nowhere closer to seeing the end of the still blue water.
So I spin around, digging my paws into the dirt, and scout in the other direction. Aurora’s bike tires fling mug as she revs around to follow me. I put all the speed into my run that I can, agitation and frustration nipping at my heels.
No end in sight in the other direction either.
But there is a boat on the shore.
Aurora’s bike is far behind me. I shift back to human form in time for her to catch up as I pull my shirt over my head.
“You could’ve waited for me,” she snaps. “What were you in such a rush to?—”
I gesture to the boat in the same moment that she spots it. “I’m starting to get the feeling that something strange is happening here.” My wolf growls, and I involuntarily lift my lip, his emotions bleeding over into mine. “I don’t like it. Neither does my wolf.”
“Well, I don’t have a wolf, but I know one thing: don’t look a gift boat in the mouth.” She walks up to the boat and peers inside, gauging it closely. “It looks deep enough and sturdy enough to hold my bike. Better than swimming, too.”
“Except that it’s some kind of trap.” I stare across the deep blue water, my nerves on edge. “No lake appears out of nowhere. Especially one this wide in every direction… almost like we’re being given no other option.”
Aurora looks over her shoulder at the path, which cuts through the thick forest. Then over at me with those beautiful split-colored eyes. In a low voice, she says, “You’re thinking that you’d be able to cross as your wolf if it weren’t for me and my bike.”
“I’m not saying that. I’m just not sure about using the boat. It’s not about you.”
“It is. We’d be able to cross together if I could shift.” Her nostrils flare. “It’s fine. You can look for another way. I’ll take the boat.”
She seems hurt. I search for words to say, but feel in over my depth. The truth is, even though she’s my mate, I have no idea how to soothe her.
“We’ll go together.” I pause, my wolf a howling thing inside me, desperation for connection with his mate. “I’m not going to leave you behind.”
“Right. Because the Elders wouldn’t allow it.” Her shoulders are back, her walls up, the space between us full with too many words left unsaid. “Let’s just get it over with.”
Thankfully the boat is large enough to fit a handful of people, and Aurora’s motorcycle is slim and off-road ready, weighing maybe a few hundred pounds at most. We load it into the boat together and secure it to the stern. Aurora and I climb into the bow so the boat is evenly weighted.
It’s a modest boat, with a simple sail, rudder, and wheel. Thankfully I learned a few things about sailing from Pack Peridot when I stayed with them. As a spread-out pack of shifters living on islands off the east coast, the shifters there went sailing frequently, and even used small boats to get back and forth between their homes.
“Turn the wheel slowly,” I instruct Aurora as I man the sail and pick up a breeze. “We’re going to have to be careful to stay on course. I have no idea how big this lake is.”
Aurora shades her eyes with her hand and gazes at the distant horizon. “It looks like the water comes to an end not too far out.”
“For now,” I mutter, the hair on the back of my neck prickling. “Something tells me that this isn’t a normal lake.”
I can feel every movement Aurora makes as I direct her around the boat, having her help me tighten the sails and steer the rudder. Her scent carries to me on the faint, cool breeze that whisks across the still water. My wolf claws at me from within, desperate to claim his mate. With nowhere to go to get some distance from her, I’m forced to grit my teeth and keep going.
