Chapter 7

• Karin
• “Oh my god, will you just stop?!” I scream at the top of my lungs from Killian’s back, my fingers already white from gripping his black fur.
• It’s a miracle the bags haven’t fallen off his back. I used rope to secure it, but Killian is running through the forest like a wolf possessed by a speed demon. When he finally stops, I’m panting like it was me who just ran a marathon.
• “Let’s…never…do that…again,” I huff out and fall flat on my stomach on top of his back.
• Killian turns his head, his long tongue sticking out. He almost looks just, but only almost because a cute, loyal werewolf wouldn’t try to kill the girl they are dating.
• I scowl at him. “Don’t even try to be cute! I seldom speak my mind since I’m an introvert, but that…that was crazy! You could have gotten me killed!”
• Killian pauses, and I turn to stone. Crap! Did I just call myself an introvert? Anna definitely isn’t an introvert, and if I want to keep pretending to be my twin sister, then I need to act less like Karin and more like Anna.
• I clear my throat. “I mean…it was fun! So much fun!”
• Killian narrows his eyes at me. He seems suspicious, and I grow uncomfortable, convinced he has figured out that I’m not Anna. But then he just sneezes and skips forward.
• Doesn’t he suspect anything?
• I’m shocked but say nothing as Killian gathers sticks in his mouth. He must be planning on making a fire, and I slump back against him. His fur is soft, which makes Killian the ultimate bed for traveling. The best part is that he doesn’t seem to mind, so I close my eyes, only for a second…
• When I wake up, it feels like hours have passed. Darkness still hasn’t fallen, but I’m no longer resting on top of Killian’s fuzzy back. Instead, I’m lying on top of a sleeping bag under the radiant sun.
• I blink and find Killian sitting beside me with a knife in his hand. He is using it to whittle some wood and smiles at me.
• “Slept well?”
• “Shit...” I sit up, hoping he doesn’t think less of me for falling asleep on his fuzzy werewolf back. “I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to fall asleep…” I mumble, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks.
• I’m anxious but quickly find out that emotion is wasted when Killian laughs at me. “It’s okay, Anna. You needed the rest.”
• “I’m sorry,” I apologize again. It feels wrong to use Anna’s name, but I have no choice if I want to maintain my disguise.
• “Stop apologizing,” he laughs, finally looking at me. His blue eyes are so warm and inviting that uninvited butterflies swarm my chest.
• But since falling for him is forbidden, I swat them all away and peel my eyes off his face. “Did you get any sleep?”
• He shakes his head and returns his gaze to his work. “No, someone had to make camp and watch over you.”
• That makes me feel even guiltier, but before I can apologize again, Killian’s gaze settles on mine once more. He is wearing an expression I can’t read, which frightens me.
• “Tell me something, Anna,” he begins. “How is it that you’re bubbly and energetic whenever we head out to eat food in the city, but right now, you’re acting like a totally different person.”
• My heart jumps into my throat, and beads of sweat form on my forehead. Has he figured it out? Killian raises an eyebrow at me, the look in his eyes serious, waiting for an explanation.
• “Oh, that…” I laugh nervously, praying I can come up with a believable excuse. I can’t lose control of the situation now. “Well, I guess this place brings out a different side of me, you know? We are in nature, away from the city’s hustle and bustle. It’s peaceful.”
• He seems to consider this for a moment before shrugging and returning to his whittling. “I suppose that makes sense,” he murmurs.
• I exhale in relief and try to calm my nerves. That was too close for comfort.
• After a day of unsuccessfully trying to catch fish and almost falling into the water when I finally did, I’m ready to call it a day. Even Killian seems tired since his whole demeanor has changed. He is quiet and more reserved than he was earlier today, his gaze wandering towards the moon whenever it peeks through the clouds.
• What is he thinking about?
• The fire crackles as I stare at him from across the dancing flames. The orange glow plays off of his high cheekbones, casting long shadows over his face. His eyes seem unfocused, distant and lost in thoughts that I could only dream of understanding.
• Suddenly, he looks at me, and our eyes meet. Surprised, I look away quickly, my cheeks heating up under his intense gaze.
• “I… I should probably get some sleep,” I stammer out, breaking the silence.
• “Sleep?” he chuckles. “But if you go to bed now, how are you going to see the stars?”
• “The stars?”
• “Mhm,” he points up at the dark sky, grinning. “There are barely any clouds tonight and once the fire is out, I was thinking we could fall asleep while stargazing.”
• “That sounds…” I stop myself from speaking.
• Anna would never look up at the stars and dream of distant worlds. She is vibrant and always in the center of attention. The real world calls to her more than nature does, so if I want to pretend to be her, then I must turn down his offer.
• “Yes?” he urges me to finish my sentence, his brows furrowing as he tries to read me.
• “...tempting,” I finally blurt out, much to my surprise. It seems my mask is slowly slipping off, revealing more about the true me. I can see the excitement in Killian’s eyes, and despite everything, I find it difficult not to mirror it.
• “Great,” he beams and stands up. “Let me just get my sleeping bag. It’s big enough for us to share.”
• Wait, what?
• Does he seriously want to sleep in the same sleeping bag? Shit. I can’t let that happen. I wouldn’t be able to handle it and probably pass out from being up close and personal with his abs!
• “Uhh, I’m fine using this one!” I kick at the sleeping bag I slept on earlier and smile.
• Killian, however, doesn’t smile back. He towers above me, smirking slightly as he says, “You’re going to freeze if you sleep in that bag.”
• “Freeze?” I ask in confusion. “Excuse me, but werewolves are never cold.”
• “Most of them aren’t,” he crosses his brawny arms across his even broader chest. “But you’re not like other werewolves, are you, Anna? You get cold.”
• I awkwardly laugh in my seat. Killian is about to sniff me out, but I can’t let him. Not now.
• “What are you talking about? I don’t get cold, you silly goose! I’m actually warm. Very hot.”
• Instead of laughing, Killian raises an eyebrow. “Is that why you’re shivering like a leaf right now?”
• “Am not,” I retort, trying to hide the very obvious shiver that racks my body just then. Caught off guard, I wrap my arms around myself, pressing the thin fabric of my shirt against my skin.
• “See? You’re freezing,” Killian sighs and shakes his head before starting to take off his clothes.
• My heart races as my eyes widen into saucers, darting between Killian’s naked form and the fire. “W-what are you doing?” I stutter.
• “Getting undressed,” he scoffs, and this time, there’s no mistaking his annoyance. Killian is mad at me, but that somehow only makes him sexier. “What does it look like I’m doing, Anna?”
• “I can see that you’re undressing, but why?”
• “So that we can share body heat,” he replies matter-of-factly, but the thought of being pressed against him only makes my nerves skyrocket.
• “I think I will pass,” I blurt out.
• Killian rolls his eyes, grinning at my reaction. “Pity,” he says in his low voice, stepping into his sleeping bag and zipping it up. He flops down onto his back and turns his gaze to the starlit sky.
• I zip up my own sleeping bag and get inside of it while keeping my eyes on Killian. I can’t take my eyes off him, even though I know I should. There’s something about the way he looks under the moonlight that makes him a hundred times more attractive.
• “Are you going to sleep?” I finally ask, breaking the silence.
• “Eventually,” he replies quietly. “But first, I want to watch the stars.”
• I glance up at the dark canvas overhead and find myself smiling. “Me too.”
• We watch the stars for what must be an hour until I feel the cold biting at me through the sleeping bag’s fabric.
• Shivering, I curl up into a tighter ball, hugging my knees close to my chest in an attempt to preserve some warmth.
• “Cold, Anna?”
• The teasing note in Killian’s voice is hard to miss. I lift my gaze from the dwindling fire to find him watching me with a smirk dancing on his lips.
• “No,” I lie defiantly as another shiver tears through me. “I’m not cold.”
• He arched a brow at me, the firelight dancing in his blue eyes. “You don’t have to lie.”
• My pride falters, and I look away from him before he can see it crumble entirely. “It’s not that bad,” I softly insist, but the words are hollow even to my own ears. The ground beneath my sleeping bag is cold and unforgiving, the chill seeping through the fabric and into my body.
• Killian’s chuckle breaks the silence between us. “You’re as stubborn as a mule.”
• “Am not…”
• “You are, but that’s okay,” he shifts on the ground, and when I turn to look at him, he zips up his bag to reveal his glorious naked body. “Why don’t you come over here?”
• Holy shit...
• Do all Alphas look like sex-on-a-stick?!
• By now, I’m pretty sure my jaw is somewhere on the ground. I can’t stop staring at Killian’s body. He is built like a Greek god, something I missed that other night we spent together.
• But I quickly snap my gaze up to meet his when a mischievous glint sparks in his eyes.
• “You...you want me to sleep…?”
• “Next to me, yes,” he finishes my sentence with a nod, patting the space beside him invitingly. “You don’t have to if you aren’t comfortable with it, Anna. But you will be warmer. And remember, I will only bite if you ask me to.”