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

The movement from the bushes got closer, and for the briefest moment, I wondered why he wasn’t with his mom. “Oakus,” I said and lifted him as I sat. I was no longer in my wolf form, but back to my human self and buck naked. Not cool. I didn’t want bugs getting into my crevices. Standing, I held Oakus to me, turning in the direction of the sound, hoping whatever was moving, it didn’t intend to eat me.

The sound stopped, and there was only silence. Not even the trembling of leaves in the wind. Nothing.

Chapter Fourteen

What was out there? Probably another monster. “Crap,” I whispered, unsure which direction to go or what to do.

Oakus yawned, stretching.

“Where’s your mother?” I asked, keeping my eyes trained on our surroundings.

He chittered. Since I wasn’t in my wolf form, I had no idea what he said.

“It’s okay,” I said as a holographic screen appeared directly in front of me. On it appeared the two teams with an X beside Vivian’s name and the word CAPTURED in bold letters. “Great,” I said, but also turned toward where I’d seen the wolves go down. I prayed they weren’t dead as I carefully made my way over.

After searching for several minutes, I decided Kya must’ve told the truth. She hadn’t killed them. Relieved, I looked at Oakus. “Can you show me where the red flag is?” I hoped when I shifted, it hadn’t been ripped to shreds, but it had been tucked into my waistband, so anything was possible.

The little monster shimmied from my hand and ran down my body. His little claws in my skin tickled. More than that, they reminded me that I was utterly exposed. Before I could debate what to do, Oakus ran under some brush and vanished.

“Wait up,” I said, and quickly followed. It took several minutes, but Oakus brought me right to the flag. I picked it up. “Impressive, little guy.” I wadded the fabric in my hands. “Do you know where the others are?”

He took off again.

I jogged after, careful of my tender feet. It wasn’t long before I noticed the sun was rising. Light permeated through some of the thinner leaves, giving the morning a dewy radiance. My eyes were heavy from lack of sleep, but I continued until I saw the green flag in the distance. Hanging on a tree branch, I cried out with excitement. Two down, one to go.

Feeling a hint of excitement, I continued after Oakus, who only stopped long enough for me to get the flag before starting again. I hadn’t gone more than a hundred feet when the holographic screen appeared, showing me another X next to Cohen’s name. Only Holly and I remained, and I still had one more flag to capture.

“We need to pick up the pace.” I thought of changing into my wolf again, feeling more confident about it. The thought was fleeting as something stepped on a branch a few feet away. I ran over to a bush and hid between it and a tree, hoping they couldn’t see me.

“Diana, we know you’re here,” Wyatt said and pushed his way through a giant fern until he was standing where I’d been only a moment before.

Fallon, Billie, and Penelope appear from different directions. They don’t know it, but they had me surrounded.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Billie said.

Oakus was at my feet, but he wasn’t hidden very well. No one knew he was my friend, which was good unless they saw him and tried to kill him.

“Where did she go?” Fallon asked.

“I swear she was right here,” Penelope added.

“This isn’t personal,” Fallon went on. His hands were on his hips, and he was turning in a circle.

Billie was looking up into the trees. Smart.

Wyatt didn’t move. He didn’t seem as anxious to capture me as the others, though he had to act like it. Desire jolted through me. Would it be worth it to let them win if I could be in his arms? In the same breath came a resounding no. I had to win. “She must’ve slipped past us,” he said. “Let’s go.”

Wyatt started toward me, and I clamped a hand over my nose and mouth. He and the others had better hearing than regular humans. As he walked past, he stopped and was about to look at me when Billie screamed.

A monster growled.

Oakus perked up his ears. It was then I knew he’d escaped his mom and come back to me, but now Kya was pissed. From the sounds of it, that was an understatement.

“Not again,” Wyatt said and swore, his eyes getting big before he shifted into his enormous black wolf.

Oakus took off, and I knew at that moment, my fight to win was over. Because I had to save Oakus, and I couldn’t let Kya hurt my friends.

As fast as I could think it, I shifted and burst from my hiding place.

Kya had Penelope by one leg, and she dangled in the air. In Kya’s other hand was Billie, her claws around the girl’s neck.

Fallon shifted and stood beside Wyatt, who seemed unsure of what to do. But only for a second before he ran at Kya, who stood probably twenty feet tall or more. It was like a great white shark against a seal. Even in our wolf forms, we were no match for the colossal monster.

Wyatt snarled, nipping and dashing around Kya, going in with his teeth before and backing up, reassessing, and going in again. He didn’t seem to be doing any damage.

Kya snarled in frustration, her big fangs opening as milky liquid dripped from them. When it landed on the ground, the leaves sizzled. Obviously, she was poisonous as well as gigantic. Kya brought Billie close to her mouth and flicked out her tongue, rolling it over the girl’s face.

Billie screamed and tried to shift, but Kya’s grip wouldn’t let her.

Penelope was able to shift and bit onto Kya’s