The soft tick of snapping twigs moved through the forest ahead of her. When would that fool ever learn to move silently? Her own feet made no noise as she wove through the trees, moving closer and closer to the edge of the woods. She stopped and doubled back. The scent trail hit her like a slap in the face. It reeked of determination, bitter somehow, with an edge of something almost like ammonia. The rich musk of self-importance cut through it, mixing unpleasantly with the first smell.
She allowed herself a small, victorious snuffle, almost inaudible beneath the ruffling leaves. Stupid, egotistical bitch. She deserved whatever happened to her.
On Friday night, Lisbeth pulled up in front of Doug’s driveway, which was packed with cars. Half the street was full too. Claire swallowed hard. She’d been so excited to see Matthew that she hadn’t really thought about all the other people who would be there. Even though things had gone okay at the diner, it still made her nervous to walk into a roomful of incredibly popular people.
“Well, are you going or not?” Lisbeth teased.
“Yeah, of course.” Claire opened the door and slid out. If she backed out now, Lisbeth might get suspicious. She’d just have to suck it up and hope that she didn’t get laughed out of the room when everyone saw her walk in.
“I’ll pick you up at eleven,” Lisbeth called.
“I’ll be ready.” Claire shut the door, smoothed her hair, and walked up to the house. She knocked once, but there was so much noise inside that no one heard her. After a couple of deep breaths, she opened the door and stepped in. The living room was full of people huddled in small groups. In the corner, a CD player thudded away next to a table with bottles of soda and bowls of chips and pretzels. Claire hesitated in the front hall and took another deep breath. The smell of cheap alcohol tinged the air, and Claire realized that not everyone had soda in their red plastic cups.
Across the room, Kate-Marie Brown caught sight of Claire and curled her lip. She turned to whisper something to the blond girl next to her, and Claire felt her heart stutter in her chest.
Okay, so this was definitely a huge mistake. I don’t know what I was thinking when we were at mini-golf, because I really, really don’t belong here.
A warm arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against a familiar body. “Hey, there,” Matthew murmured in her ear. “I’ve been dying for you to get here.”
Claire twisted around, looking up into his sparkling eyes. “It’s really good to see you, too,” she said, meaning every word.
She shouldn’t be worried about Kate-Marie or anyone else. They were all just … humans, right? Clare caught her breath, startled by her own thought.
Matthew frowned, catching the sudden change in her mood. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. A little thirsty, maybe.”
“Then let me get you something to drink. Do you want it spiked or unspiked?” He stepped toward the table with the cups and raised his eyebrows at her.
“Something diet and unspiked, please.” She hoped her answer wouldn’t make him think she was a total dork. Then again, he hadn’t smelled like he’d been drinking, and she’d been plenty close enough to tell.
“No problem. I’ll be right back.”
Matthew worked his way across the room, stopping to slap a couple of guys on the back and to greet a cluster of girls that were staring at him. The girls practically fell over themselves flirting with him, and jealousy gripped Claire, squeezing her ribs until she couldn’t breathe.
Her self-control was slipping, and panic rose in her chest. She could feel her wolf-form pushing against the too-thin layer of her human skin. What if she changed without meaning to, the way she had in her room that first day? She forced herself to unclench her hands. The backs of her hands were still smooth. Just because her heart was twitching against her ribs was no reason to freak out.
The smells around her suddenly intensified, and the urge to flee became too strong to ignore. She had to find some place to calm down, somewhere away from all these people. While Matthew’s back was to her, Claire slipped out of the room and down the back hall. She opened the first door she came to and breathed a sigh of relief. It was empty. And decorated in princesses. She’d found Doug’s baby sister’s room. Claire closed the door behind her and sat down on the edge of the bed.
After a few deep breaths, the haze of panic started to clear. Claire stood up and ran a hand over her hair. A few more seconds, and she’d be ready to go back out there.
The door opened and Matthew poked his head in. He had a cup in each hand.
“Hey—I wondered where you’d gone. Everything okay?”
Heat rushed into Claire’s cheeks. The last thing she wanted was for Matthew to know that she’d freaked out. She wanted to lie to him, to tell him she’d taken a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom.
Claire shrugged. “It was just a little claustrophobic in there. I needed some air.”
Matthew stepped into the room and set down the drinks on the nightstand. He stood close enough to her that Claire swallowed hard.
“So, are you feeling any better?”
“Not really,” she admitted. Damn, why was it so hard to lie to him?
“Then let’s get out of here,” Matthew whispered.
Claire’s pulse sped up, and a little glow of anticipation sparked in her middle.