Page 26 of Brutal Reign

“Just watch,” he says, spinning around and putting his back to us. He slides his thumbs into the waistband of his boxers on either side of his hips, dropping them to the ground in one fluid motion.

“Seb!” River shrieks, snapping her head sideways and shielding her eyes. “What the…”

“Just watch!” he barks, still turned away while he curls and uncurls his fists at his sides.

A few seconds pass, feeling like they drag on forever, and I’m about to open my mouth and ask what the hell he’s playing at when I see the air start to shimmer around him, drawing a sharp gasp when I hear the first crack of his bones.

“No fucking way,” I breathe, staring wide-eyed as Seb curses and groans in pain, fur sprouting from his skin and his body slowly rearranging itself.

River whips back around to stare toward Seb, the same look of shock and awe playing out on her face as my own while we watch a wolf start to take shape where our friend stood. It may be slow and clumsy, but it’s definitely a shift. When the shimmering air clears, Seb’s massive black wolf shakes out his fur, lifting his chin proudly as he turns to face us.

“Your wolf came in!” River squeals excitedly, rushing toward him.

Guess she doesn’t mind running if it’s toward something worthwhile.

I slowly trail after her, watching as she drops to her knees in front of Seb’s wolf and throws her arms around his thick neck, nuzzling into his fur.

“Oh my gosh, he’s beautiful!” she gushes, marveling at the way his thick, glossy fur slides through her fingers.

Of course Seb would be the first to get his wolf. I’m not jealous. Not at all.

Shit, okay, I’m kinda jealous.

He looks like he’s enjoying this way too much, knocking River over with his big blocky paws and licking her face. She giggles on the ground, batting him away, and he sits back on his haunches with a dopey grin as she scrambles to her feet.

“When did it happen? How many times have you shifted? What’s it feel like?” River asks, her excitement bubbling over in the form of rapid-fire questions.

“He can’t answer you, not till he shifts back,” I mumble, stepping in closer to Seb and reaching down to run my own fingers through his fur.

He cranes his neck to look back at me, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Smug asshole.

“C’mon, let’s give him some room,” I direct, moving backwards and hooking my arm through River’s to drag her with me.

“But I wanna pet him some more!” she protests.

I roll my eyes, continuing to pull her along with me. “He’s not a pet, Riv.”

“He could be! I like this version of Seb way better.”

I can’t help but laugh at that, slowing once we’ve reached a respectable distance and giving Seb the nod to go ahead and shift back to his human form. Again, the seconds seem to drag on for hours before the air starts to shimmer around his body, and both River and I politely avert our eyes as Seb shifts and slips his boxers back on. Then he clears his throat, prompting both of us to turn back around and start wandering toward him.

“To answer your questions… last night, five or six, and it hurts like a bitch,” Seb drawls, the corner of his mouth pullingup in a lazy smirk. “But it’s worth it. My wolf’s a total badass, I already feel stronger.”

“Ugh, I’m so jealous!” River groans, throwing her head back and dragging her hands down her face. “I can’t wait for my wolf to come in. I’ll bet as soon as she does, I’ll be a great runner.”

“Yeah right,” I snort, shoving her playfully. “Not even your wolf’s strength can help you there, babygirl.”

She rolls her eyes as she shoves me back. “Just wait and see. I’ll bet my wolf’s gonna be bigger and badder than both of yours, and when she comes in, I’ll be running circles around you.”

NOW

The recruit barracksare quiet at this hour, but not everyone’s asleep. Bailey Monroe snuck out about twenty minutes ago to hit the trail for her morning run, and now River’s creeping down from her top bunk, preparing to do the same.

She’s always hated running, so I can only assume she’s trying to work on her conditioning. Probably something she should’ve donebeforecoming to training camp. I don’t sleep a whole lot, and when I do, I’m always hovering in the grey space between dreams and reality, apt to wake up at the slightest disturbance. That’s how I know River’s been making morning runs part of her routine since we’ve been here at camp, which means they’ve become part ofmyroutine, too.

I stay perfectly still on my bunk, silently watching as she slips away to the locker room to change and put in her contact lenses before returning to stow her belongings in the cubby at the endof her bunk. Then she sweeps her long dark hair up into a high ponytail, pulling it tight, slipping her gym shoes on, and starting for the exit.

That’s my cue.