#Chapter 63: As If Things Couldn’t Get Worse

We run for hours, barely stopping, when I finally collapse from exhaustion. Rita reluctantly slows, then stops, and backtracks to where I’m seated on the ground, my arms pretzeled over my head to open up my chest so my lungs can take in more oxygen. Rita folds her arms over her chest and cocks her hip to one side. “This is why you needed to stay behind. We can’t afford to stop.” And I can’t afford the breath to argue with her. I lift my head and close my eyes, willing my body to stop hurting. Rita releases a long sigh and sits down beside me. At first, she doesn’t say anything, just scans the area with her eyes. Finally, she says, “Look…I know you really care about Alex and that’s why you stubbornly insisted on coming along.” She emphasized the word stubbornly. But before I could argue, she added, “I think it’s brave—especially knowing that dangerous werewolves are waiting to tear you limb from limb.” Was this her way of intimidating me or apologizing? I don’t know exactly how to