Initiation (Wolf Blood Academy Book 1) by RaShelle Workman (best book club books for discussion txt) 📕

Penelope hopped on and kept going. She was like a ballerina. So light on her feet.

Billie went next.

Then Fallon and Vivian.

Finally me.

By the time I reached the fourth step, Wyatt had leaped over Cohen. Holly jumped up and took Wyatt’s hand as he sailed through the air and grabbed hold of the next step. They both hung there a moment. Wyatt lifted Holly up until she was able to grab hold of the step. Then she climbed up, and he followed. Wyatt was like an action hero. The way he moved in the air hadn’t seemed real, and my heart stopped until he shouted that I needed to hurry. Wyatt was pissed. That much was easy to see, but at least they were safe. He told Holly to keep going, but to stay on the final step. I figured that was the secret. Since we were a team, we needed to cross as a team. That meant no one got on or off until we all could.

“You next,” Wyatt shouted to Cohen.

With only a moment’s hesitation, Cohen hurdled the sunken step, and his foot touched on Wyatt’s. Wyatt caught hold of his hand. When Cohen was secure, Wyatt told him to keep going.

“I’m going to help the rest of you cross, but we need to hurry.”

Penelope jumped over to Wyatt, who caught her hand, but he hadn’t needed to.

Fallon struggled and nearly fell, but Wyatt went to his stomach and caught him, pulling him up onto the step. Sweat beaded on his face, and his hair was wet. After Fallon went on, Wyatt ripped off his sweater and tossed it away.

I watched it fall into the lava, sizzle, and vanish.

As I went, the steps became further and further apart. Not only that, but the heat from the lava had me sweating too. My karate classes did help me move with agility, but Vivian and Billie struggled. Again, Wyatt came through and helped them across. When it was finally my turn, Wyatt looked exhausted. Sweat had his shirt sticking to his chest and his hair clinging to his face.

“Ready?” Wyatt asked.

The gap between us was enormous. Not even an exceptional human could jump it unless they had a running start, and it was downhill.

“I don’t know.” I’d only been a wolf a few days. This didn’t look possible.

“Trust your wolf,” Wyatt said. “You have the ability. Allow your wolf to help.”

I glanced over the edge and swallowed down my fear. Wyatt said the Academy didn’t want to kill us, but the lava looked and felt real.

“I’m going,” Holly said.

“No,” Wyatt shouted, but she didn’t listen and jumped off on the other side.

Cohen did the same.

Penelope reached the final step and glared at the others, holding up her hands, telling them to wait. But it didn’t matter. My step started to shake. At the same time, Wyatt’s began to rise.

“Jump,” Wyatt shouted.

“I can’t,” I said, sticking my hands out to my sides to keep my balance. My little monster friend, who’d been completely quiet before that moment, dug his sharp nails into my side.

“I’ll keep you safe, Oakey,” I said quietly.

“Come on!” Wyatt held his hand out.

Part of me wanted to run back the way I’d come, but that feeling angered my wolf. She snarled to life, and before I knew what was happening, I was off my step and flying through the air. My hands and feet tried to claw myself closer, but I could tell I was going to fall short. Wyatt saw it too and fell to his stomach, reached out as far as he could, as though through will alone, he could catch me.

It was like a lifetime passed before my fingers touched the tips of his, but we were both slick with sweat, and I felt myself slipping. He let go of the step and grabbed me with his other hand.

“I’ve got you,” he said, straining and pulling me up.

The step was still rising, and by the time I was standing beside Wyatt, the next step looked to be ten feet below us. Wyatt looked at me and then looked at the step.

“We’re going to have to shift,” he said, but that didn’t seem to excite him.

My body was shivering like we were locked in a freezer, even though I knew it was my fear. I shook my head.

“Hang on,” he said and then shifted. His black wolf was so big, I nearly fell off the step, but Wyatt nuzzled me onto his back.

After only a little hesitation, I climbed on. Before I was steady, Wyatt soared, passing the next step and landing on the one after that.

Pen, Vivian, Fallon, and Billie had scurred off the steps when they started to move. Within seconds, Wyatt and I were on the other side on solid ground. I heaved a sigh of relief and quickly climbed off, my knees wobbly.

Even in wolf form, it was easy to see how upset Wyatt was. He could no longer tell us what to do, not that Holly and Cohen had listened. He lifted his head and howled in frustration.

In the distance came a howl in response, followed by several others.

Did Wyatt have a pack? It sounded like it. Not that it mattered. For the purposes of this trial, we were his pack. We had to be.

“Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not sticking around,” Holly said. “It looks like the next obstacle is a maze. I’ll see you on the other side.”

If I had to guess, it would be that she was right. I’d been through my share of corn mazes as a young teen. That’s what it looked like, except it wasn’t dried out corn stalks but a tightly woven together yellowed bush that stood nine to ten feet tall.

“Holly is right. I’m coming too.” He shrugged. “Besides, if we go ahead, we can help you guys out.”

“I’ll go with you,” Vivian said. “Mutant with the monster inside her is bad luck.”

“Fallon?” Holly asked,