Bay Lawson is only seventeen years old but she has already learned that life can be cruel. In a pack where everyone knows his or her place, she feels lost.
From the first time Bay met Flynn Cruz, she feels an attraction she can't explain. It doesn't...
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Bay
I was running, not really caring where I was going. Branches scratched my arms as I pushed myself as fast as my legs would carry me. My lungs burned but I kept going, fearing if I stopped I would feel the suffocating ache that I couldn't get rid of.
Being on the edge of physical pain was the only way to halt the emotional chaos inside of me, so I pushed my body to its limit. I had been unable to get a handle on it. It had been a month of a constant ache inside of me.
But I knew what had caused the pain. Or more importantly who. Flynn.
It had also been a month since I had last seen him. For an unknown reason, I had gravitated to him. It didn't make much sense.
An image of him standing tall with his midnight-black hair and onyx eyes appeared in my mind. It was enough to take my breath away. But I knew whatever I felt for him, it wasn't just a physical thing, it went deeper than that and that's what really scared me.
I ran harder but the momentary lapse in concentration was all it took to take a wrong step and I tripped forward. I landed on the ground, scraping my knees.
Ouch. Grimacing, I sat down and winced when I took in my bloodied knees. The pain stung and my vision blurred. With the throbbing pain, my emotions that I'd been keeping suppressed began to surge forward, seeking release. I gritted my teeth as I held them back. I feared what would happen if I allowed myself to feel the pain, betrayal and hopelessness I had kept suppressed.
Still breathing hard, I remained seated, unable to get up again to outrun the demons that had plagued me the last four weeks. I dug my nails into my hands, hoping the added physical pain would break the emotions suffocating me.
Briefly I closed my eyes. An image of a dark figure filled my mind. Familiar black eyes on me, seeing deeper than most.
No, I thought, refusing to allow him to consume my every waking thought. But as hard as I fought, I couldn't stop him from monopolizing my mind. I had been determined to carry on with my life like I had before my brief encounter with the Keeper, but I couldn't fit back into the life I'd lived before him.
I was changed.
I sniffled and wiped the wetness from my eyes with the back of my hand. I let out a heavy breath before I attempted to stand up. My knees ached and I tried to brush the dirt from them. Needing to get myself together, I tilted my head up to the sky and tried to push away all thoughts of Flynn and the heaviness in the middle of my chest.
There had been more than a few times that I had fought the urge to pack up everything I had and leave without saying a word. Like I could outrun the pain.
'How are you? How are you doing?' The constant questions from the people closest to me were getting to me. I knew it was because they cared but being reminded about it hadn't helped. I wanted to forget.
