Rise of the Werechipmunks (ONC 2022)

In Which Sophie is Soulmate-less (and kind of okay with it)

Jaxon decided to let them live.

He'd been quiet for almost five minutes—and yes, Sophie had counted the seconds—but he'd declared an alliance with Team Sora and their sidekick/pet Irienna. Hunter had stormed off in a huff, returned two minutes later, and declared his undying love for Sophie. When she wouldn't take him back, he stormed off again. According to Jaxon's scouts, he was in eastern Europe, murdering children with poisoned teddy bears and having the time of his life.

The next week passed quickly. Cora fit right in at the battle strategy table, but Sophie was often left wandering the den's endless tunnels, hoping she wouldn't accidentally stumble into any unending trenches. She'd tried to talk to Cora about the kiss, but Cora had shut her down quickly.

"I know it didn't mean anything. Don't worry about it," she said.

"Oh. Well, actually—"

"Yes?" Cora looked up from the list of werechipmunk weapons she'd been studying and Sophie froze. There was something about her expression—her lips slightly parted, her eyes wide, her hands crinkling the paper in her grip—that made Sophie pause.

Cora was her best friend, maybe her only friend. Did she really want to mess with that relationship? And besides, she knew Cora's type: smart, quiet, and into serious, philosophical discussions—not Wattpad. Cora had kissed her back because they were going to die. Now they weren't going to die, so it made no sense to make drama where there was none.

YOU'RE JUST SCARED, Silver had growled, but Sophie had already started speaking.

"Friends?" Sophie had held out her hand.

Cora had blinked. She'd nodded once. Then she'd shaken Sophie's hand. "Always."

Now, sitting in a dark tunnel with only a dying flashlight for light, Sophie wished she'd said something a little more eloquent. Why didn't love confessions just roll off the tongue? Why hadn't she said something like 'Your lips are the earth and I am a comet' or 'I would choose you over Wattpad, acorns, and a million chocolate bars because you are the light of my life, all that is good in the world, and the most rational person I know' or even the boring, but direct 'Can I kiss you again?'

BECAUSE YOU WERE SCARED. AND AN IDIOT.

"You're supposed to be on my side, you know that, right?"

WELL, YOU'RE NOT REALLY ON MY SIDE, ARE YOU?

Silver had been especially growly lately. Sophie suspected she was taking the loss of her supposed soulmate particularly hard. For as much time as she had spent dreaming of true love, Sophie was surprised by how little she cared about Hunter's disappearance.

Her shins burned. She'd been walking for an hour, trying to get some measure of exercise in. Without Wi-Fi or a functioning right hand, there wasn't much she could do. Jaxon kept kicking her out of the war room—werewolves weren't allowed inside—and Cora seemed to be busy with everything from the war effort to math homework. Apparently, it was never too early to start working ahead. Even Irienna had struck up a friendship with a cute werechipmunk.

"Silver," Sophie started. "Do you ever worry that we're going to die alone?"

YOU SENT HUNTER AWAY. OF COURSE WE WILL DIE ALONE.

"No, I mean—" Sophie sighed. She really shouldn't be having this conversation with a giant wolf who lived inside of her head and focused solely on the best way to produce pups and find her mate. Maybe she should find a therapist.

She checked her phone. Still not working. Not only could she not call some random helpline in hope of good advice, she couldn't even access her Wattpad account. How did she get back to the werechipmunk den again? Left, right, then another left, then that slanting right that was sort of a left, and then...