The Hunt

Chapter 21

I hadn't spent long at Anthony's, not wanting to overstay my welcome or make anything weird between us.

So, I excused myself, letting him know that I was more than up for his carpentry tutoring, hoping to have another possible friend here, making my time here less miserable.

I hadn't seen Amara or Tirus, much to my own fault, but I was actually beginning to miss their company, now considering them actual friends of mine, feeling at ease in their presence.

I needed to invite them over once Cole told me I didn't have to stay at his house anymore.

I decided to head to my cottage, needing to pick up my things if I was expected to stay with Cole for a bit. I couldn't survive in his oversized clothing, looking much like I had just rolled out of bed and not even bothered to make an effort. It wasn't a good impression.

The floor began to freeze my feet as I walked yet again, my human nerves not nearly as resilient as the wolves', pain shooting along the skin until they turned completely numb, making it much more difficult to walk.

I wrapped my arms around myself, the bitter cold causing goose bumps to dot along my thin skin, my legs subconsciously moving faster until I had reached my cottage.

I quickly slipped in through the creaky wooden door, shutting it behind me in an attempt to keep the cold air out, not that it overly mattered since I wasn't going to be staying, but it was now a habit.

I was starting to actually miss my little cottage.

Although it wasn't nearly as liveable as any of the other houses here, it was cosy and I had made it my own, Amara purchasing some plants for me as well as some cute photo frames, adding a nice splash of colour to the dull walls and furniture.

I quite liked my own space, I always had done, but loneliness still lingered around me sometimes, and it was why I was always willing Amara or Tirus to pop over, feeling a little out of depth in this environment, needing their company.

Grabbing a woven tote bag Amara had loaned to me to take my belongings to work, I began stuffing my necessities into it, frowning at how little I could actually fit in it, having to fold up the rest of my clothing and carry them, barely able to see over the jumbled mess in my arms.

I slipped on my shoes, unable to get one of them fully on one foot, and practically stumbled out of the door, hoping nobody could see how uncoordinated I looked.

If anyone who had heard of my brawl with Saskia was looking at me now, they surely wouldn't believe it. Although training had been my entire life back at my human colony, I actually missed it.

I missed being physically active, noticing how my muscle mass had begun to deteriorate since being here, making me feel like a skinny child next to the wolves. I hated it.

I needed to ask Amara and Tirus if I could work out with them. They hadn't mentioned anything about training, but I was sure they did, their bodies lean and toned, but that could just be their natural wolf genetics.

I made my way across the grass and followed the dirt path, praying that it wouldn't be as icy as it previously had been before.

However, I was out of luck, my shoes having little grip, causing me to slip and slide in the frozen dirt, having to move each foot slowly and cautiously in order not to fall and embarrass myself further.

I breathed a sigh of relief once I reached Cole's house, quietly pushing the door open in case he was in, not wanting to alert him to my presence.

I was unsure where I was supposed to put my things, but I decided to just make my way up the stairs and into Cole's bedroom.