chapter 42

Everyone enjoys dinner, and the atmosphere is energetic as everyone excitedly gets ready for the pack run. People disperse in groups and head toward the forest. The place feels alive with echoes of howls ringing through the night. The buzz rippling through everyone is contagious. Mateo tugs his shirt over his head before draping it over a fallen tree next to the tree line. I watch as he and Ezra strip off before shifting, but Kora never comes forth. I try to feel for her, searching the depths of my mind for her, but come up empty. It is like searching through an empty filing cabinet. I have no tether to her like she is completely gone, and that empty, hollow feeling sweeps over me again when I find myself shoved backward on the grass. Maddox jumps on top of me before gripping my shirt between his teeth and tugging it off, leaving me in my jeans and bra. “Maddox, stop,” I object. Ares nips him when he continues to try to undress me, his claws scratching me, and I can hear Ezra trying to