Clare

  My blood was boiling as I overheard the whispers from the group of jocks near the campfire. They weren't being particularly subtle about their opinions on Elijah's "fitness to be future beta" after the video leak. Most of the senior class had been supportive, or at least decent enough to mind their own business, but these guys...

  "Bet he can't even—" one of them started, before another elbowed him quiet.

  My hands clenched into fists, but before I could move, Elijah's fingers wrapped gently around my wrist. "Don't," he said quietly. "They're not worth it."

  "The hell they're not," I muttered, but I stayed put. Across the clearing, Sawyer's head turned sharply—he must have caught the tension in my voice. Sometimes I forgot how attuned he was to these things.

  "Hey," Emma called out, breaking the moment. “We're having a cooking competition between the groups, and lots of groups are teaming up. Want to join forces with us?”

  "Yes," Elijah answered, squeezing my wrist once before letting go. I wanted to give him a thumbs up when he held his head high as we walked over, refusing to let those idiots make him shrink.

  Emma's group had already gathered ingredients, and Sawyer joined us as we started setting up. That's when we discovered that my boyfriend's many talents definitely didn't include cooking.

  "If we measure everything precisely," Sawyer said, frowning at the recipe on his phone, "we should be able to optimize the flavor profile."

  "Babe," I said, trying not to laugh as he meticulously measured pasta into neat portions, "sometimes you just have to go by feel."

  "That's inefficient," he protested, but there was a glint in his eye that told me he knew exactly how ridiculous he was being.

  Elijah stepped in, gently taking the measuring spoons away. "How about you handle the prep work instead?"

  As Elijah guided me through the actual cooking, showing me the little tricks he'd picked up over the years of cooking consistently, I caught myself watching them both. Sawyer, who could command a room with a look but was currently arguing with a tomato he was trying to slice. Elijah, who carried so much weight on his shoulders but still managed to laugh at Sawyer's battle with the vegetables.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The easy conversation flowed around us, most of our classmates dropping by to chat or steal tastes of the sauce. If anyone shared the jocks' opinions, they kept it to themselves. Pack politics aside, Elijah was still one of the most popular seniors in our class.

  After dinner, Sawyer suggested swimming. The lake was beautiful in the evening light, and far enough from the main campsite to feel private. The water seemed to wash away some of the day's tension, and for a while, we just played around like kids, splashing and laughing.

  It wasn't until we were drying off that I felt the familiar, frustrating itch under my skin. The pull of my wolf, always harder to reach because of my mixed bloodline.

  "Try now," Elijah said softly, noticing my distraction.

  Sawyer moved closer, his presence steady and sure. "Close your eyes," he murmured, his hand warm on my shoulder. "Feel your wolf. Don't fight her. She's you and you’re her. You just need to connect to her."

  I closed my eyes, trying to follow his guidance. The shift had always felt like waging war with my own body, my mixed heritage making everything harder. But something was different this time. Maybe it was the lingering peace from the swim, or the way they both stood with me, creating a space where I didn't have to be anything but myself.

  The transformation started, stuttering at first like always, but Sawyer's quiet encouragement and Elijah's steady presence helped me push through the rough spots. When I opened my eyes, I was on four legs, the world sharp and clear in a way it had never been before.

  Even though my wolf wasn’t very big, shifting still tore my clothes. Thankfully, I had a second bunch because Sawyer had promised to help me shift.

  In order to shift too, Sawyer and Elijah went behind a large tree and I turned my back to them because I knew they needed to take off their clothes.

  Soon, Sawyer’s massive black wolf advanced toward me, its powerful frame radiating dominance and strength, each step exuding a predatory grace that sent shivers down my spine. Every instinct urged me to cower before its terrifying presence, but then my gaze met his eyes—familiar, warm and steady, a striking contrast to the fearsome beast towering over my smaller, scrappy form.

  Elijah followed closely behind, his sleek gray wolf form moving with a commanding presence that was only slightly less intimidating than Sawyer’s. His powerful frame exuded quiet strength, and the way his silver-streaked fur shimmered under the starlight gave him an air of calculated control rather than raw dominance.

  Together, we found a comfortable spot deeper in the woods, settling into a warm pile of fur and comfort.

  As I drifted off to sleep, Sawyer’s neck nestled snugly against mine and Elijah’s steady warmth pressed against my other side, my thoughts wandered to the call that had felt like a lifetime ago—the one where Elijah and Sawyer asked me to date them both before deciding. Then to Sawyer’s recent, unexpected offer: how he said he didn’t mind sharing me with Elijah if that was what I wanted and how he promised we could make it work, the three of us.

  I’d been hesitant, caught up in fears about what people would think, about whether I could really embrace something so unconventional. Yet here, beneath the stars with both of them beside me, it didn’t feel complicated. It felt right.

  Maybe, I thought as the pull of sleep became irresistible, maybe we could actually make this work. Tomorrow would come with its share of challenges, but tonight, I let myself believe in the possibility of us.