Wolverton by Julie Steimle (best romantic books to read TXT) 📕

“See you at the bonfire?” she said, stepping back to go.

“Yeah,” escaped from Rick before he could stop himself, watching her go.

Grinning that million-dollar smile, Daisy waved and rushed off.

Kurt stalked around him and said again, “You are so whipped.”

Rick didn’t bother to counter him this time. Honestly, he was entranced by her. Daisy. Who would have thought it? Out of all the girls he knew— even the really pretty ones—none of them really ever made his heart go thump like that. And he knew a lot of pretty girls. Eve McAllister of course was at the top of the list—like Snow White mixed with Twilight. And her sister Dawn was actually quite beautiful, like Amanda Seyfried. His best friend’s girlfriend Jessica Mason was also something else. Not the ultimate hottie, but spunky and spicy like cinnamon and chili pepper. He had always figured that if his best friend and Jessica ever broke up, he would be happy to take her on the rebound. Yet even Selena Davenport (who was a gorgeous sirenic beauty of elvish proportions) never made his heart go boom the way Daisy was right now. If Daisy said jump, he’d say ‘Where to?’

‘How high?’ was stupid question and had no purpose.

Wilk came around to invite Rick to the bonfire when the sun started dipping and the sky was coloring.

Blushing, Rick said, “You are gonna have to walk me through this. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

Nodding, Wilk grinned with pleasure. “Of course.”

He led Rick with Kurt to the men’s prep hall.

The room was full of boys and young men. Most of them Rick had played football with that afternoon. There was a party atmosphere as every one of them undressed. Everyone was joking and running around as if this was normal. Kurt jogged off to be with his pals. Wilk went out to handle the bonfire. Every man in the large room from his thirties to his early teens was stripping off his clothes and putting them aside. And though he had been in plenty of showers with all boys in a locker room, Rick felt utterly self-conscious, like he was changing in PE for the first time.

 His face feeling warm, Rick undressed entirely and folded his clothes, setting them on a bench next to everyone else’s. Rick kept his gaze up, on heads as best as he could. But the men with him eyed his scars. And he stared at their mar-less flesh. They were barely hurt. Not even chicken scratches or the bite marks of a little animal they might have killed. Compared to them, he looked like a war-torn soldier rather than an heir to billions, and they murmured about it.

“Tell us about that one,” Thomas Blaidd said, pointing to the huge claw scrape everyone always asked about.

The men chorused with interest.

“He told me about that one.” Kurt cut in.

Rick smirked, stepping to the side to give him the spotlight.

“Well then, tell us,” his friends and the other around them asked.

Winking at Rick, Kurt said, “Do you believe in demons?”

“Ah!” The crowd laughed and pulled away, slapping him in the arm.

“No, really,” Thomas asked, laughing.

“If you don’t believe in demons, you’re not going to believe him,” Kurt said, grinning.

And that ended the interrogation session. None of them were going to play that game, especially on the verge of a sacred wolf rite. Besides, they probably figured they could pry it out of him later. They had the next day after all.

“Thanks,” Rick said to Kurt as the crowd broke up.

Nodding, Kurt smiled. “Don’t mention it.”

Then the call came for the men to line up. They did so by age, the oldest going out first, all the way down two the youngest who was about twelve or so. Rick was put in between a guy named Artemis Kullin and Luko Hunter. He stood taller than them both, feeling incredibly self-conscious as he stood out even now among all the young wolves. He was still something different. Wilk came down the line to make sure everyone was in the right place, then he stopped at Rick and said in whispers, “Your job is to resist the moon as long as you can as you stare at it. So, regardless of what instructions I give them, ignore that one point for yourself. Do not lift your eyes to the moon until I tell you.”

Rick nodded. But then he whispered, “But when I stare at the moon, I don’t have much resistance at all.”

 Wilk smiled. “Try anyway.”

He then turned the crowd of boys and men. His voice resonated, reciting set of instructions as he paced in front of them like a stalking wolf in a cage. “…tonight. As the moon rises overhead, embrace it. Feel your wolf heart. Heave your wolf breath. Embrace your wolf mind and let go of the human world. Tonight we hunt together. Tonight we are only wolves.”

The boys and men started to howl.

A wave of chills ran through Rick. It took all his might to keep in human form. Wilk saw it, surprised. But he did not stop his speech.

“Leave this place as men, and stand at the fire to go out as wolves. Let your humanity burn away for this night.”

Rick wasn’t so fond of that last part. He like humanity. The wolf part had never been quite as kind to him.

The line immediately marched out the door. Rick went with them, keeping pace.

Out under the starlight and moonlight, which Rick avoided looking at, they all walked in procession to the bonfire which they could see just a house away. In the line, the men-wolves traveled together a‘natural while those along the sides of the road sang and chanted. Rick didn’t know the song, but it was hauntingly beautiful and it took all his strength to stay human during it. Wolves howled all around him, young and old. The line of young men entered the bonfire square from one end, taking positon on one side of the blaze. While at the same time, Rick noticed a line of women, their bare skins shining in the firelight, taking position on the opposite side of the fire.

His heart pounded.

His breathing quickened.

As he came into the square, he tried hard not to stare at the naked shapes of the women on the other side of the fire while he took positon facing them. Their faces, everything, was brightly illuminated. And he saw Daisy in all her glory standing a couple paces down, smiling back at him.

His heart was pounding in his ears now. He was hot from more than just the bonfire. He could hardly hear what Wilk was even saying. And the chanting around them, the wolf song especially, was not helping.

“…Raise your eyes to the fire!” another wolf cried out, an older one officiating in the rite. “Gaze across at your future mates. Life is a circle. The hunt feeds it. Embrace all that is wolf within you.”

Rick could hardly contain himself, feeling his wolfishness rise inside him like a hot surge. His body wanted to be a wolf. His mind howled to be wolf. And his thundering heart now matched the rhythm of the chanting.

Then the chanting stopped. All they could hear was the fire crackling, their heavy breathing, and the distant crickets.

“Look to the moon,” Wilk’s and a woman’s voice drifted over the crackling of flames simultaneously. “Gaze at your mother.”

Rick lifted his eyes with all the others. In an instant he felt like he was being drawn up into it, and though he tried to resist, it was no use. He let out a howl so earth shatteringly deep, that the wolves around him shuddered with ripples of fur, claws and teeth. He fell on all fours first.

“Lead the hunt.” The officiator’s wolf eyes were on him.

Taking in a breath, Rick could already smell the deer. If they had released it when he was there, he certainly had not seen it. But boy, could he smell it. And it made him hungry.

Rick-the-wolf broke off, darting into the high grass, chasing the scent.

All the wolves ran after him. Then with him.

Never had he felt anything like this before. Never had he ever felt so entirely wolf that his human worries drifted away. Together they chased down the deer, locating it. It wasn’t just him alone. It was them together. Like an intrinsic piece of something he never knew he was part of, Rick and the pack chased down that buck, first surrounding it, then with strategy to take it down.

They killed the deer together.

And then they fed.

After that, other wolves came in, joining the feast.

This was the celebration. The bonfire was just a game. A silly ritual to excite them. Now entirely and completely, they feasted as a pack.

Once Rick ate his fill of warm flesh, he breathed heavy through his wolf snout, licking the residue in his maw, satisfied. Normally he would return to his human form and clean up, but here there was no need for that. Wolves did not clean up. They ate up. And as more wolves finished their meal, the young wolves around him started to play, backing off for the older ones so they could have their share, also allowing the young pups who could not hunt so well come in for their bit. It was so beautiful. He didn’t want to become human again, at least not yet. He joined the play instead.

Yipping, jumping, getting into tangles, the she-wolves and he-wolves skittered off into the grasses, teasing one another in wolf-tag. He could not tell which wolf was who, and he really did not care. He just jumped in, rolling around in the grasses in tumble play, nipping and soft biting as he had never been able to do before. He lost himself in it while the game itself was changing. He-wolves soon exclusively pursued she-wolves. The play continued, but it was no longer just tag. He could smell it in his nostrils as they got even friskier. A few she-wolves flicked their tails aside in his direction to entice him into ‘play’. For a moment, he staggered back, until he caught that scent.

He looked and saw the she-wolf with golden white hair, smiling at him. Drawn to her, he made chase. Playfully, she yipped and nipped at him, leading him away from the teasing youth in the grasses. With the euphoria of the hunt wrapped around him, the thunder of his heart beat out a song he wanted to dance to so desperately as they sprang around together. And so he danced. Entirely wolf, words forgotten, they scampered after one another in wolf-tag, enjoying the moon, enjoying the dance, enjoying the moment, high on Daisy-the-wolf’s smell as she licked his face, rolling in the grass with him. She teased, dodged, and flicked her tail.

Rick gave into his wolf side completely.

Chapter Nine

Rick breathed in and out. The smell of the grasses around him filled his nostrils along with the sweet odor of sweat. He opened his eyes, staring up at the blue sky over him. Little fluffy clouds drifted in it like distant sheep. His heart was beating in rhythm with the other one thumping against his chest, which weighed heavily, though softly