My Blood Moon

Chapter 21

I turn around quickly and roll eyes. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Oh, you wound me." Colin says with a goofy grin, holding a hand over his heart.

I can't help but laugh at his remark - I like him like this, so carefree. Having Ailsinn has done him wonders - even if it's only been a day. I mean sure, he's always been the more pleasant of the twins, but he's just so openly happy now. It makes me feel like there's still some hope out there in the world...somewhere. Without thinking about it I throw my arms around his neck. At first, he's shocked beyond the capacity to move but - not too long later - he relaxes and squeezes me gently.

"Thank you." I tell him with no tangible reason to say it.

Hearing a soft growl we both quickly pull apart and look over at Aislinn, Raif, and Arielle all standing there. Embarrassed, I quickly put a few steps between Colin and I. I'm not sure why I feel so guilty but it's hard to look the girls in the eye, so I focus on Raif instead. Who's smirking. Smirking for heaven's sake! That Jerk! Does he really think making fun of me is the best thing to do at this particular moment? Could he just...not?

I glare at him. "Shut up."

"Oops, I can't believe I just did that!" Aislinn gasps, slapping a hand to her mouth - is it bad that I think she's just so perfectly adorable and how I'm glad she found Colin? "That never happens, like ever! I don't know what's wrong with me."

Yup, completely justified to think she's probably the cutest thing to ever grace the planet - in a fluffy, bunny-rabbit type way.

"Don't worry about it." I sigh and smile at Ian as he silently sneaks up, sliding his arms around Arielle's waist. She lets out a startled gasp and turns around quickly, hitting him in the chest playfully - I can tell she already forgives him for sneaking up on her. I miss those days where...looking up at me, Ian's eyes glow for a second before he kisses her nose.

"We're going to be late if we don't head out now." He tells us, taking Arielle's hand in his own.

"Beks, can I talk to you for a second?" Jase asks, coming up from behind me.

"Sure..." I say, smiling at the others. "I'll see you all at practice later."

They wave as they head off together down the hallway. I can't help but smile as I look back toward Jase - who looks very nervous right now. Confused, I just stare at him as he cautiously glances around the halls before suddenly grabbing my wrist. Dragging me to one of the empty rooms, he slams the lock into place as his heart races time.

"Jase, what's wrong?" I ask, scared for his sanity.

"I'm telling Anna," he tells me in a quick burst. "She'll be here in thirty seconds and I'm going crazy! My wolf and bond to her are screaming 'yes,' while my brain and body are freaking terrified. What if she rejects me? Or she doesn't, and her dad finds out, and he kills me? What if I have a heart attack..."

"And what if the sky opens up to a rainbow of aliens sharing the magic of skittles?" I yell, covering his mouth to shut up his panic attack. "One, you need to calm down. Second, Anna is crazy about you and - I'll be honest - things will be difficult for the two of you. Anything that's worth fighting for will be worth the struggle. But being apart will be even worse - because it's not natural for mates to cut themselves off from one another. No matter what happens, it'll always be better to tell her. Otherwise you'll always wonder about what could have happened."

He nods and a glazed sheen covers his eyes. "Yeah, I don't want to wonder."

"Good, because she's pacing right outside that door." I tell him.