Cravingz [Editing]

Ch. 40 (Jacob)

Jacob's POV

My father, brother, and I went away to visit our relatives in Miles Forest. Mother thought it would be a good idea to get out of town and reconnect with our roots as werewolves. Everything that was familiar felt different now, and I found myself struggling to adjust to this new reality.

We had been there for over two weeks, and I was starting to adapt to the lifestyle of these people. My father and my uncle Kendrick were deep in conversation, while I opted to exercise outside. Kendrick had come along with us, as all pack members needed to be present for the upcoming ritual. I decided against shifting for now; I wasn't ready, and my girlfriend Jessica felt the same way. My parents agreed, but that didn't stop me from training and honing my skills in the wilderness.

Despite settling in, something felt off. I hadn't heard much from Jessica, which was unusual. At first, I thought she might be preoccupied with school, graduation, prom, and her witchcraft studies with her mom, but that didn't explain why she had stopped taking my calls. When I reached out to her mom, she mentioned that Jessica had been acting differently, raising more red flags.

Frustrated, I tossed my phone aside after attempting to call her for the tenth time. I missed her, and a sinking feeling crept in—maybe this was her way of breaking up with me. I sat on a nearby tree stump and decided to send her a text instead. After I hit send, I sighed and ran my hand through my hair.

"Hey, man." Kendrick approached, sweaty and shirtless. I glanced at him tensely; ever since I arrived, he had been nothing but nice, but it felt insincere. He'd been prying into my relationship with Jessica and trying to persuade me to join the pack. I had declined repeatedly, but he seemed determined to change my mind.

"Seems like Jessica found someone else to occupy her time since you left," Kendrick said casually, scrolling through his phone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I shot back, turning to face him. He raised his hands defensively, a low chuckle escaping his lips.

"I'm just saying. I thought you noticed how close she and Ash's brother were before you left." His words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I started replaying moments in my mind.

"I see you two have become close?" I muttered under my breath, feeling the familiar weight of jealousy settle in.

"Hey, babe, who are you texting?"

"I didn't know you were a texter now."

I sat down, my mind racing as I grappled with the possibility of betrayal. Jessica was my girlfriend—smart, wise enough to know better than to do something like this to me.

To us.

Jessica's POV

I can't believe Chad had me walking into the woods at this time of day. I paused for a moment to catch my breath, bending over and holding my knees. He stopped in his tracks and laughed at me.

"Come on, you lazy bug. We're not there yet!" he chuckled, patting my shoulder before jogging ahead.

"There? Where is 'there,' Chadwayne?" I asked, glancing back, wishing I could turn around and head home.

"You'll see," was his only response.

It was almost noon, and we were trudging through a forest. I had forgotten the name of it—like every other thing happening in my life, it was strangely normal for me to forget.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, we finally reached a clearing. Strange writings adorned the stones and the ground. I noticed the trees surrounding this particular area were different from the ones we had passed earlier. An overwhelming sense of power radiated from this place, making it clear that it was sacred ground. But I was confused and a growing sense of dread settled in.