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

According to the map on the screen, I knew which direction I needed to go for the first flag and tucked the map in my pocket.

“Sorry, Diana,” Penelope said.

“It’s okay. I know it isn’t personal.” I shrugged, catching a look at Wyatt out of the corner of my eye. The man wasn’t happy. He seemed torn between wanting to help me and wanting to win. I could relate.

But I had to do my best. I didn’t want to come in last, not if I could help it.

Wyatt whispered in my ear. “Shift into your wolf, you’ll be faster.”

I looked into his eyes. They were beautiful and so full of… what? I wanted to ask him what he’d been about to tell me, but there wasn’t time. Plus, his idea of shifting was a good one. If only I could.

“Time starts in three, two, one,” Logan said.

The timer began counting down.

“Go, Diana,” Wyatt hollered.

I took off, whipping past the others and Logan and heading toward the Shade Rasa.

Chapter Thirteen

As I ran, I thought about my wolf, begging her to show herself. Transform, I kept thinking, but it wouldn’t happen. Oakus climbed out of my pocket and scurried up to my shoulder. It was probably three minutes before I reached the edge of the forest. My body wanted to slow, but my mind pushed on. The flags represented the colors of the houses. They were royal blue, emerald green, and raspberry red. The one closest to me was the red one.

Once I crossed into the Shade, Oakus, who’d been quiet, suddenly began to chitter loudly. I lifted him off my shoulder. “What’s wrong?” I asked, caressing him carefully. His big eyes studied me like they were desperate for me to understand, but I didn’t.

Except maybe, now that he was back in the forest, he wanted to go back to his mom and dad. The prospect terrified me, but I squatted, setting him on the ground. As soon as I did, he took off, and my heart sank.

But after he ran a few feet, he stopped and turned back.

“Go on, then,” I said, thinking he’d probably been missing his parents.

He shook his head and waved me over. I took a tentative step, knowing I needed to hurry. Before I went further, I removed the map from my pocket. It was pretty much dark, but I could see well enough with my wolf abilities and worked to unfold it. What I saw filled me with dread. Both sides of the paper were blank. No map!

“Figures,” I said, thinking Logan was trying to sabotage me. There was no way I could win without a map. The Shade was scary enough. But at night and without direction.

Oakus returned and climbed up my body until he rested on my shoulder. Then he touched my face. In a flash, I saw in my mind the green flag.

“You know where it is?” That seemed impossible. The monster had been with me the whole time.

At my words, he climbed down and started forward into the forest again. Then stopped and urged me to follow.

“Alright.” I started after him.

It was better to believe Oakus knew where he was going. That gave me hope, and hope was better than nothing at all.

He scurried quickly along the ground over fallen leaves and under bushes almost until I couldn’t see him anymore before he stopped and waited. If only I could shift. I tried to relax and make my wolf come out, but the harder I tried, the further away my wolf and Oakus seemed to get.

In the quiet of the night, I heard the howl of several wolves. I froze and listened, wishing I understood what they were saying. Oakus chittered loudly at my feet, pulling on the edge of my sweatpants. I hurried on until we were deep in the forest. The trees and brush grew so close together. I began to feel claustrophobic. To see my monster friend, I had to push away the branches. What if there were spiders or something worse beneath the canopy of underbrush, and I wouldn’t know until it was too late? It was that question that hung in my mind as I came upon the first flag.

“Victory,” I whispered, and ran over to it. The flag had been hung on a tree branch, its red color sticking out like a ruby shadow against the darkness of the night. I plucked it from its place and tucked it into my waistband. Then bent over so Oakus could step into my hands. “You’re brilliant,” I told him. He made some sounds that I guessed were him talking. Of course, I had no idea what he was saying, but he was so freaking cute, it didn’t matter. I nuzzled my cheek against him. The looked at him. “Think you can take me to the next one?”

Before Oakus could scurry off my hand, the sound of growling and a high pitched whining permeated the dry air. Frightened, I placed Oakus on my shoulder and ran in the direction of the noises.

After several minutes, I came upon the scene. Three wolves were snapping and attacking a… My mind worked to comprehend. It was a monster. Something out of a nightmare. With the face of a snake and the body of a wolf. There are patches of what looked like snakeskin, the areas smooth while the rest of it was covered in fur. On either side of its mouth are enormous fangs, just like Oakus. And I wondered if this was mama monster searching for her baby.

“Does this monster belong to you?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

In response, Oakus dashed down my body and in the direction of the monster.

My first thought was sadness that my friend had taken off and left me. But as the wolves barked, snarled, and snapped at the massive creature, I worried they would hurt him. With a speed I wasn’t prepared for, I hurried after Oakus. The