Finding Happily Ever After

Chapter 13

During free time the day of the run, Ashton and I took a short walk around the grounds so that we could inconspicuously hide our packs behind some trees for later.

The run wouldn't be until 10 that night. Everyone was excused from their breeding duties tonight so that we could save our energy for the run.

All day I was going crazy. Nervous energy bubbled within me and I couldn't stop fidgeting, pacing, or drumming my fingers. I felt bad when I was caught several times not paying attention to conversation when we were eating in the cafeteria.

Ashton, on the other hand, was the picture of calmness. He carried on with the day as if nothing was different, only he tried to make me feel less anxious by rubbing my arms, holding my hands, or sending me a smile whenever he caught my eye. Come to think of it, that really wasn't so different from a normal day. Ashton's presence helped put me at ease and calmed my fraying nerves.

During free time, we tried to maintain our routine so as not to raise suspicions. We only trained in the gym for a little while because we didn't want to tire ourselves before tonight. When we finished, we headed upstairs to watch a movie with Ashton's friends.

Marcus was sprawled spread eagled on a couch while Hannah sat on the floor in front of it leaning back against one of his legs. Eve was on a chair adjacent to them. An action movie was blaring on the screen, but the three friends laughed and chatted through it.

Ashton and I had grabbed some pillows and blankets and laid off to the side, close enough that we could join the friends conversation if we wanted to, but far enough that we had a bit of privacy.

For the longest time, we laid next to each other, staring into each others eyes. I knew that today might very well be my last day with Ashton, and I wanted to memorize every detail about him.

His deep green eyes that got little crinkles next to them when he laughed, the little dimple he'd get on his left cheek when he smiled mischievously, his blond hair that was always sticking up in every direction because he couldn't stop running his hands through it, the way his eyebrows quirked when I said something silly.

Everything about him had torn down my defenses until my heart was bare and exposed, completely at his mercy. I had never cared so much for anyone before, and I realized that if anything happened to Ashton today, it would destroy me.

I looked away from Ashton as tears started running down my face. I bit my lip to prevent myself from all out bawling.

Quickly, Ashton wiped my face and tilted my chin so that I was forced to look him on the eyes once again.

"Olivia, what's wrong?" Ashton asked, his voice pleading as if he was desperate to fix whatever was upsetting me. His hands were still holding my face, thumbs stroking my cheeks.

This man was so precious. I had to make sure that he would be okay.

"If we get caught, we're going to say that I was trying to escape and that you were just trying to catch me to bring me back. If they-"

Ashton scoffed loudly and cut me off.

"If we get caught, I'm going to hold them off while you make a run for it," Ashton said, looking at me like I was a silly child.

"Are you joking? This whole thing was my stupid idea. There is no way in hell that I will ever leave you behind" I chided.

"Well there is no way in hell that I'm leaving you behind either. And in case you haven't noticed, I really like you despite the fact that you have annoying morals and the compulsive need to do what's right. So I don't hold your need to escape against you. In fact, I think that it makes me like you even more."

I would never understand how Ashton's tone transitioned from admonishing to joking to deadly serious so effortlessly. But, as his words sank in, my heart warmed and more tears began to form in my eyes.

"Well, I guess that if we go down, we'll go down together," I whispered.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Ashton returned, and leaned over to kiss me.

The kiss was gentle yet desperate, both of us trying to convey our hopes and fears and the depths of our feelings for each other through the brush of our lips.

The movie ended and it was time to go down for dinner. Ashton walked next to Marcus in front while I stayed next to Hannah with Eve a few steps behind.

"You make him really happy. It's cute," Hannah said, nudging my shoulder.

"More like disgusting. You were practically dry humping him during the whole movie. Have some respect," Eve scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Hannah gasped and I froze, taken aback by this sudden bout of hostility. But then as I thought about it, I began to feel bad for Eve.

If I had to guess, I would say that Eve is one of Ashton's "other girls." I never asked him about it because I wanted to respect both of their privacy, but based on the hateful looks she frequently gave me and the possessive body language she used with him, combined with what she just said to me, I had to assume that she at least had feelings for him.

And how could I blame her? I had fallen for him as well. I couldn't imagine how much it would hurt to be so enthralled with Ashton only to watch him show interest in another girl.

So, instead of screaming at her or slapping her like I wanted to do, I simply gave Eve a tight lipped smile and said, "I'm sorry that we bothered you. We'll try to be more courteous in the future."

With that I continued walking, trying to catch up with Ashton and Marcus, who had gotten ahead while we were stopped. Hannah and Eve hung back and I thought I heard Hannah quietly but angrily scolding Eve, which made me smile. I had grown quite fond of Hannah over the weeks and would miss her.

Once we all sat down at the table, Hannah turned to me, eyes gleaming.

"I can't wait to see your wolf tonight, Olivia! What does she look like? Wait, no, I'll wait until tonight to find out so it will be a surprise!"

I couldn't help but laugh at Hannah's eagerness. I had never seen much of my wolf. The end of her snout and her paws were the only things that I could see from her viewpoint, so I didn't know too much about what she looked like. The only thing I was certain about was that she was relatively small.

Somehow, I managed to get through dinner without having a nervous breakdown. Everyone mostly discussed the impending run tonight. It had been a month since the last run and our wolves were itching for freedom.

This time, when Ashton stole a strawberry from my plate, I let him get away with it. He took a bite, then held the strawberry to my mouth for me to take a bite. I took the whole thing in my mouth and he burst out laughing. We smiled at each other for a few seconds until Eve started making audible gagging noises.

After dinner, we all went to our rooms. I took a nap and then went over our plan several times, trying to think of everything that could possibly go wrong. It seemed like there were more things that could go wrong than that could go right.

It was too late to worry about that though. It was finally time for our run.