Shadow Bite || WATTYS 2017

Chapter Forty-Five

The tip of the charcoal pencil skims over a naked page of my sketchbook, and I feel the inspiration returning to my hands after so many months of it being untouched. If I recall correctly, my last sketch was the one with the deer - (A/N: No I'm serious, I don't actually remember the last one, so if you know please tell me!) - the time that my visions took a drastic turn towards darker images, the time that a full-grown wolf ripped that poor animal to pieces and showed my utter powerlessness facing it all. Now, sitting before the glistening lake and feeling my sun-kissed skin warm under the milky-blue sky, I run the tip over the page and the landscape begins to form before my eyes. The meadow appears, then the tent, the bonfire, and then the rock where I'd leaned into Asher's chest and gazed at the stars with his chin resting atop my head. Centuries seem to have passed since that untouched time of beautiful peacefulness.

The blank page slowly but surely gains lines of dark charcoal as I sit there with my toes skimming the edge of the lake's crystal-clear water and the breeze running like a smooth whisper over my face. The temperatures have risen even higher, and jean shorts and a simple white tee seem to have been the best possible fit during these last few days. Absent-mindedly my free hand drifts up and my fingers glide hesitantly over the puncture points that form the crescent-moon-formed shape. Asher's mark has faded since that memorable night - a night that Jack hasn't stopped teasing me about - but the evidence is still clear and loud on the smooth skin of my collarbone.

It's mid-afternoon and the sun is still burning like a gleaming torch in the clear sky, and my eyes drift over to the three travel bags nestled together in the slightly-yellowing grass. Emma, Mary and I are going to be spending the last months of school at my parents' house because of the full moon coming to a near in the next two days. I haven't helped but felt the agitated emotions that Asher keeps on sending through the mate bond - a bond that has gotten so much stronger since I first wore that mark. Since that night, Asher - already being possessive as it is - has been extremely reluctant letting me go back to my parents, and it wasn't until he'd sent several pack members out to scout the perimeters and they deemed it safe that he put part of his mind to ease at the idea of my departure.

Though the house is safe, it's the question of what's inside of it: Jasper and two other werewolves went to visit my parents, and they confirmed with curiosity that the spell seems to have been lifted: apparently they had to have a long talk with my parents to explain Mary and I's absence during all this time, and guilt has been eating at me ever since those news reached me. Mrs. Lee hasn't tried to take over me ever since I tried to kill Asher under her and Killian's control, but who says that she won't do it again? And this time when I'm with my parents or my little sister. That thought has been stronger than ever, and every time the opportunity has been presented I've scanned the colours of the orb to see if the colours grow darker: so far it hasn't.

"Cami? Are you ready?" I look over my shoulder and Emma waves at me weakly from the car with a tired smile on her pale face. The sickness has taken an abrupt toll on her body again and she still isn't getting any better. You can imagine how much of a fight Zander put up when she told him that she was going with me: four werewolves were required, and one of them was Asher's powerful Alpha frame. Werewolves are stronger when angry, and it's a scary sight.

"Yup, two sec!" I shout back, scrambling to my feet. I slide the sketchbook and the pencil into a pouch of one of the bags before zipping it shut and swinging that one over my shoulder. Mary runs over to Emma and says something that makes my best friend laugh earnestly. She helps my sister into the back passenger seat and closes the car door, turning back to look at me with expectance and leaning against the car. She places a hand on her hip and tries not to laugh as I struggle with the two remaining bags.

"Hold up! Let me help you with that!" I turn around to see Jasper running towards me. I breathe out a sigh of relief when he discards my shoulder from the heavy bag and leaves me with the lightest one out of the three.