Read Online Wolf Moon by A.D. Ryan - Free Book Online Page B

his feet,
his eyes pleading for forgiveness. He reached for me, but I smacked his hands
away. “Don’t touch me!” I shouted, backing against one of the large windows and
feeling the chill against my body.
    “Brooke, I’m sorry. I
didn’t mean—”
    “ You left me , remember?”
He shut his mouth to let me finish, but I couldn’t because the truth of it was
I was jealous…and I had absolutely no
right to be. I had no claim over Nick before and even now. Especially
now. I should have still been torn up about David being gone, and here I
was acting like a jealous girlfriend meeting her boyfriend’s ex. What the hell
kind of person did that?
    The guilt of momentarily
forgetting about David hit me harder than Nick’s earlier words, and I panicked.
“I-I need some air,” I mumbled, pushing past Nick and leaving the room. I heard
him right behind me, but I didn’t stop. I ran down the stairs, right past
Corbin and some dark-haired girl who looked to be a little younger than him.
    “Brooke?” Corbin called
after me.
    “I’m sorry,” I murmured
as I continued on my way.
    “Brooke, wait!” Nick
shouted as I pulled the door open and fled.
    Once I was outside, I
didn’t know where I was going. It was cold, but it didn’t seem to affect me the
way it did when I was just a human. Plus, I didn’t care. There was no time to
stop, because if I did, Nick would catch up with me, and I just wanted to be
alone. Apparently, I sucked at dealing with shit when the wounds were fresh. I
much preferred to keep them exposed and let them fester.
    I went right, following a
path around the side of the house that was made by someone else. As I ran, I
passed a snow-covered tennis court and lost my footing on a patch of ice. After
regaining it, I kept on going. Straight ahead, I saw a copse of trees in the
middle of what looked like a pond—of course this place had its own little
island. Why wouldn’t it?
    I decided I wanted to go
there. I knew Nick could track me, and I was actually surprised to not hear him
behind me. I found the wooden bridge that led to this little island and crossed
it. Hidden amongst the frost-covered trees, there was a tiny gazebo. Sitting
down, I imagined how beautiful this place might look in the spring and summer
when the trees were green and had birds chirping in their nests. I wasn’t sure
which I liked more. This winter wonderland, or my imagined
green paradise. They both held appeal.
    What didn’t hold appeal
was my current situation.
    I buried my face in my
hands and shook my head. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. When the crying started, I
pulled my feet onto the bench and hugged my knees to my chest. The pain in my
heart hurt less like this—not much, but a little. It was a temporary fix ; a patch. “David, I’m sorry for everything that happened.”
The wind whistled as if in response, and I smiled softly, brushing my tears
away. “I miss you so much, and want nothing more than for you to be with me.”
Another sob broke free. “But you’re not, and I feel guilty. For
not being able to save you. For throwing myself at Nick as a means to
forget about the pain your absence has left. It was wrong, and I’m a horrible
person.”
    “No, you’re not,” a voice
spoke up, startling me.
    I stood up, muscles
tensed and the hairs on the back of my neck on end. Slowly, Jackson stepped out
of the trees, and I growled defensively.
    “Sorry, didn’t mean to
interrupt,” he said with a shrug. “I was out here trying to escape the family
reunion back at the manor when you showed up.” Even with so much space between
us, I swore I smelled cigarette smoke.
    I turned to leave, but
Jackson hopped the side of the gazebo with ease and stopped me. “You’re not a
horrible person,” he said, surprising me. “You lost someone, and that pain is
indescribable. There’s a part of you that’s left void,” he continued, turning away
from me and scanning the trees in the distance. I watched him, still