Wolves' Bane (The Order of the Wolf, #3)(33)

“Hey, I only signed up for jogging.” But the look Candy shot me sent me scrambling out of bed and beelining for the bathroom, slightly fearful of what kind of drill sergeant Lance would turn out to be.

I used to run all the time, jogging every morning before class. Until I’d dropped out of school and became a hardcore lazy bum. But I’d always missed it, the quiet mornings with only the chirping birds and crisp air to greet me. It was calming and invigorating at the same time. Like Candy, I’d never enjoyed running on a treadmill. Jogging lost all of its appeal if you couldn’t go out and experience the world.

I quickly cleaned up, washed my face, brushed my teeth and got dressed. When I exited the bathroom, Candy was sitting on my bed, a pair of sneakers dangling from her hand. “I’ve got an extra pair of runners for you. I hope you’re the same size as me.”

I smiled as I accepted the shoes. “Thanks, Candy. I really appreciate it. I used to do a lot of jogging, but I kind of stopped.”

Candy shrugged. “Well, I hope you’re ready for a workout today. Lance likes to run for an hour before breakfast.”

I grimaced as I plopped down next to Candy and quickly laced up the shoes.

An hour? Shit, I hope I don’t embarrass the hell out of myself.

The early morning assaulted my nostrils with the fresh sting of crisp air, instantly bringing life to my exhausted body.

Lance was waiting for us, wearing his usual playboy smile. He swept his gaze down my legs then slowly back up again. With a small nod, he said, “You’d better do some stretching before we get started.”

I followed his suggestion, falling into my old routine for warming up muscles. I’d given up lately. Dropping out of school in December had been the first of many things I’d abandoned. It could be why I’d made such a poor choice when it came to Jimmy, desperate to feel something, do something that got my heart working again. I’d wanted so badly to be normal, to stop feeling like my world was crashing in on me. My life had never been wonderful, but things had definitely been better.

I had always believed in potential at least. The potential for a bright future. When I’d earned a full scholarship to Reed College in Portland, I’d had such high hopes for a better life, and for a while, being away at school had given me that. I’d loved the academic atmosphere, being surrounded by like-minded people—intelligent people. I had thrived, and I’d been happy. Once I’d completed my Arts degree, and Master’s, I immediately enrolled—and been accepted—in the doctorate program, my scholarship carrying through for that as well.

But two years into my doctorate and the depression hit like a cement block. Things like school stopped appealing to me. I no longer wanted to socialize. I lost my drive. My grades slipped and I was on the verge of losing my precious scholarship altogether. That was when I dropped out. I told my advising professor that I was quitting, and he convinced me to take a leave of absence instead so I wouldn’t lose my scholarship right away. Just in case I changed my mind. He’d argued that it would be such a waste of potential if I closed the door on my education.

That had been over six months ago and up until Cal and his gang of Hunters had crashed into my life, I still hadn’t found my drive. With Jimmy’s betrayal, that final tether had seemed gone forever.

But now that weight had shifted. In some really messed-up way, Cal had given me back the drive to succeed. He’d given me a challenge to overcome. Defeat the king of the werewolves? I hardly thought it was possible, but just the idea had my heart pounding with vigor. Was I scared? Yes, shitless actually, but I was also excited. I had a purpose, even if it was a death sentence. Although I didn’t really believe that. Call me na?ve, but despite our problems, I didn’t think Cal would let me die—something in my gut told me that if we worked together we could overcome any obstacle. It wasn’t enough to make me want to bond with him, not yet anyway, but it was enough to get me out of my slump and focused on something other than myself. I pulled my arms above my head and arched my back in one long stretch, loving the crack as my spine realigned.

“Okay, girls,” Lance said as he started a slow jog toward the tree line. “Let’s get going.”

I hesitated, remembering Cal’s fury at seeing me so close to the forest the night before.

“Come on, Morgan,” Candy called as she easily caught up with Lance. “There’s nothing to worry about. They can’t get past the barrier.”

I eyed the border a moment longer before the urge to run pulled me into motion. It had been so long since I’d been motivated to do anything for myself that I couldn’t pass it up. Also, f*ck Cal and his overprotective bullshit. He couldn’t have it both ways.

I sprinted, a short burst of energy to get me in line with Lance and Candy, then fell into an easy jog, loving the feel of my lungs working, my legs pumping and the soft grass beneath my shoes, cushioning the impact.

I made it a lot longer than I’d thought I would, keeping pace with them for at least two miles before I started slowing down. Candy called to me, slowing as well, but I waved them on. I was developing a nasty cramp in my side and knew that before long I’d have to stop altogether. I didn’t want to hold them back.

“I’ll meet you guys at the house,” I called.

Lance backtracked to me, then turned on his heel to run backward as he kept pace with me. “You’re not getting out of it that easily.”