CHAPTER 10

KATHERINE. Tryouts for the scavenger hunt club had started about fifteen minutes ago and the rules for it were simple. Each one of us who wanted to join the club was given a flag which we wrote our names on and we had to keep the flag in our possession till the time for tryouts ended. We’d been given the go-ahead to try to steal flags of other participants to prevent them from joining the club but I wasn’t interested in doing that. I was more interested in exploring the forest that all the participants – including me – were currently in because exploring forests was one of my favorite activities even though I couldn’t shift. My dad had gotten me into it when I was eight and I’d constantly explored the forest on our pack’s land ever since but after my parents died three months ago, I stopped. I couldn’t bear to look at the trails and trees we’d marked, knowing that I’d never see him again, but now I explored this peaceful and serene forest because I couldn’t help but wonder if my parents had once walked the path I was currently on. I came to a stop when I got to a point where the path broke into two and as I tried to figure out which one to take, a feeling of unease, like someone watching me, poured down my spine like ice. I waited a moment but it didn’t go away and then I heard the crunch of branches underfoot somewhere behind me. Before I could glance over my shoulder to see if it was one of the people who wanted to join the scavenger hunt club, the hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stood as I sensed the person coming up behind me fast. I immediately moved to the left just as the person who had been running at super speed came to a stop where I had been standing a moment ago and my brows jumped when my gaze fell on his face. The first time I saw him was last night and though we had been a bit far away from each other then, his golden hair and bright smile told me that this was unmistakably Blake. ‘Holy hell, he’s hot!’ …Scratch that, he wasn’t just hot, he was ‘glorious’. He was tall and tan with blazing golden eyes and an angular jawline, and though his hair was windswept, it still looked amazing as it sparkled in the sun. His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar just enough to reveal a smooth sliver of skin and the chiseled shape of his chest, along with the hint of a tattoo. Now I fully understood why the girls who wanted to join the scavenger hunt club because of him had made that decision. “You pay attention to your surroundings.” His voice was pure silk when he spoke with his eyes fixed on me and having his attention focused on me made me swallow while I stared, mesmerized. Then my gaze fell to the numerous ‘flags’ that had names on them in his hand and my brows snapped together. “What the hell?” I muttered just as I realized that he had just tried to steal my flag. “You’re already a member of the club.” “And we need to keep the number of new members ‘down’ some way,” he replied with a shrug while his gaze dropped to the flag at my waist. ‘So this was what Ethan meant when he said Blake was going to be our coach.’ “So you’re a flag snatcher?” His gaze flicked back to mine and he gave a lazy smile, almost cat-like. “Most of the people trying to join the club are flag snatchers,” he said before taking a step closer to me and I prepared myself for a sudden movement from him. “What I am… is a lady-killer.” I drew my brows together. “What?” He suddenly rushed toward me with an arm outstretched to snatch my flag, letting me know that he had said that to distract me, and I moved out of his way just before he could get it. “What?” “I hope that’s not literal.” A surprised look crossed his face and he sputtered for a moment, making my lips twitch into a small smile.”Oh, Goddess no. It’s not.” “Then why’d you say it?” “Let’s back up a second.” “You said that ten seconds ago,” I stated before that bright smile he’d given everyone at the bonfire last night made an appearance, the one that made it seem like his face was about to split from smiling, and my heart skipped a beat. “Let’s back up thirty seconds.” My smile widened at that and the next moment, he quickly came at me to try to get my flag but again, I evaded him. “Sorry ‘Don Juan’. You’re not getting this flag.” “Oh yeah?” Now he looked intrigued. He raised an eyebrow, studying me with the hint of a smile on his lips, and once again, his attention made my cheeks grow warm. “Oh yeah.” He came at me again but instead of only evading him, I also snatched the other flags he had in his hand. “What the-” “See you later, dude,” I called out, still smiling, before taking off at super speed and when I came to a stop in a clearing a couple of seconds later, I took a moment to thank the stars that I hadn’t run straight into a tree while making my escape because that would have been beyond embarrassing. I then glanced over my shoulder to make sure that he hadn’t followed me and after moments passed without him showing up, I heard the horn that signaled the end of the tryouts. The corner of my mouth turned up as I glanced at the flags in my hand. “Guess I passed tryouts,” I muttered and honestly, part of me was excited that I was going to be in the same club with Blake. With our encounter still lingering in my mind, I began to make my way back to the scavenger hunt clubhouse. I didn't run into any participant on my way back and I couldn't help but wonder if Blake had gotten every other participant's flag except mine. ‘Did Priyanka make it?’ I thought just as the clubhouse came into view and my question was answered when I saw her standing next to the stairs with a couple of flags in her hand while her flag was still at her waist. A grin took over her face when she saw me approaching before her expression morphed into one of surprise when she saw the flags in my hand. “Wow, Katherine. I didn’t know you were that eager to join the scavenger hunt club,” she said as I got to her and I let out a laugh. “I didn’t actually–” “You snatched all these?” a voice asked, incredulous, and I looked up to see Ethan coming down the stairs with his brows furrowed in disbelief. “How?” I flashed him a smile as I held out the flags and he took them from me. “Blake was in a sharing mood.” “What can I say? Sharing is caring,” I heard Blake say and I glanced over my shoulder to see him walking up to us, a faint tremor of amusement on his lips. He then moved his attention from me to Ethan who was giving him a skeptical look. “...I’m kidding. She got me. She got me good.” That drew another smile from me and Ethan’s gaze bounced between us for a moment before he shrugged. “Congrats on passing tryouts then. Come up and register,” he told me before going back up the stairs. Blake went after him and as he walked past me, he said, “It was nice to meet you… darling.”