A Wolf's Miracle

Chapter 36

Being around him now that I knew how I felt was almost incapacitating. Watching him smile made my chest hurt. God, he was so handsome. 

Even though it annoyed me he didn't answer my questions. When I asked where we were going, he smiled and started walking. His beautiful, charming smile. It almost made me forget how irritated I was.

We walked for a while in complete silence, and it wasn't uncomfortable. It was peaceful, just being around him was benign. It was what I liked most about him. 

"How did you sleep?" I couldn't help but ask. He tensed up almost immediately. 

He had a bad dream.

"Fine" he lied, I knew he was lying.

"Are you sure? Because I can prescribe you something--"

"I'm fine Di, really," he said abruptly stepping in front of me and grabbing me by the shoulders.

"Fine" it was my turn to say. I couldn't force him to open up, I wasn't going to. It doesn't work that way. People need to want help to be helped. 

"Don't worry about me" he said "We are almost there, anyway."

"Almost where?" 

"Miracle."

"Why are we going to Miracle?" I asked, cursing myself for not noticing sooner.

"I was tasked with getting some things for the ceremony, I brought you along so you could help me carry stuff," he said with a smile, but I had a feeling he'd brought me to spend more time with me.

I could be wrong, of course, but I really wanted to be right.

"So free labor?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes," he laughed "If I buy you a new outfit for tonight will we be even?"

"Is there a specific way one should dress in a ceremony like this?" I asked, looking down at my shorts and plain black T-shirt.

"You'll see everyone tonight, but as long as you wear something comfortable and pretty you'll be fine"

____

Harlan lied, he absolutely and utterly lied. I realized it from the moment I arrived at the party. There was no moon that night, the only source of light being the bonfires scattered around the clearing.

The biggest one was in the center and most of our friends were gathered there. Wearing next to nothing.

"You're here!" Selene came closer and hugged me. She was wearing a dress, that consisted of a top that crisscrossed over her chest and a bottom that reached the floor with two slits on each side of her hips. The sheer purple fabric looked amazing with the gold head accessory that was braided into her hair. 

"You look amazing!" I said with a smile and she returned the compliment though I wasn't sure I had dressed accordingly. I was so mad at myself for glaring at Harlan when he said the outfit needed to be more revealing. He was just eying me now with 'I told you so' written on his face.

"You look fine," Selene assured me "We mostly dress like this because of the heat the bonfire produces" Now that she mentioned it, it was extremely hot. 

"She looks beautiful" Blaze suddenly said as he stepped in front of Selene and kissed my hand. He was shirtless and had black swirls of ink all over his body. So did Damien and all the other men I could see. His muscles looked like they were hand-sculpted, he was just as strong as Harlan and Damien but I liked Harlan's body more. Maybe because I was biased.