This gets his attention, and he snaps his face to mine, snarling and baring his teeth. But I just cross my


    arms, ring up at him. “Would you listen to me? I know things, all right? And she’s not here.”


    Jackson goes still, just staring at me.


    “I’m not tricking you, Jacks!” I shout, frantic myself now, wanting to get a move on, wanting to get his


    mind back on the correct problem before he wastes more time than he already has. “Do you think I’d lie


    to you? Seriously, after everything we’ve been through in the past few months I know I’m still keeping


    things from you, Jacks, but do you honestly think I’d turn you away from your mate if she really needed


    your help!?”


    Jackson’s face softens slightly as he stares at me, his teeth still bared.


    And I nod once when I see his eyes clear, see him believe me.


    Because, despite everything, over the past few months we have be friends. I have earned some


    of his trust, and he knows I won’t betray him.


    Jackson stares at me for a few moments longer and I hold his gaze, willing him to take side.


    And then he just turns, covering his face with his hand as he tilts his head up to the sky, groaning as he


    shakes his head. “God, rk, what the fuck is going on?” he murmurs against his palms.


    my


    And I sigh, shaking my head, wanting desperately to tell him, to make this easier on him.


    “Can we just go, Jacks?” I say on a sigh, exhausted by all of this by the Examination, by the sight of my


    mate so upset, by the fact that another cadet just tried very hard to murder me.


    And god, we’re not even an hour into this bullshit.


    Slowly Jackson turns, sighing himself, meeting my eyes. “I don’t understand this, Ari,” he whispers, and


    the fact that he’s using my name now not rk


    –


    warms me.


    Emergency calls only MOODT…


    “I know,” I say in reply, taking a step towards him. “I’m sorry.”


    095%


    15:42


    He just shakes his head, closing the distance between us and wrapping a broad hand around my arm.


    “Is she okay?”


    I exhale sharply, looking up at him. “She’s fine.”


    He stares at me, confused, but I look to the right, along the ridge.


    “Come on,” I say, taking a step forward and pulling him with me. “Jacks, we have to go. We can’t stay


    here – we have to get to the end.”


    He tightens his hand, not letting me get away. “Do you promise?” he breathes, and I turn back to him,


    my heart aching at his sincerity. “Do she’s safe?”


    you n


    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    “She is now,” I say, steady.


    Jackson takes a deep breath, nodding once, and then drops his hand from my arm. I nod back, steady,


    and then I start again, adjusting the crossbow slung over my back, and I don’t look back to see if he’s


    following. Because I know that he is.


    My mate- of course he’s at my side. Of course he is. And with him here, I actually have a shot at


    surviving this.


    Jackson and I walk for a long time in silence, and I give him the space to pull himself together. I don’t


    miss, out of the corner of my eye, that he sends worried looks over his shoulder and I swear at one


    point that I hear a very wolfish whine of worrye from his throat.


    But I just breathe out and concentrate on moving forward and paying attention to our surroundings,


    because one of us needs to be attentive to the world around us. A thousand things could happen now,


    the most dangerous of which would be getting attacked by anotherrger group of cadets.


    As we walk, though, I calm, and I feel Jackson next to me do the same. Passively, I wonder if that’s just


    normal empathy letting me know that he’s calming down and starting to concentrate on the situation at


    hand, or if it’s the connection between us, growing deeper.


    After about twenty of minutes of walking, Jackson pushes a canteen against my chest,


    Emergency calls onlyM


    # -.095%


    15:43


    making my jump a little. “Drink,” he murmurs, and I nce to the side to see him pulling his own map


    out of his pocket, looking over it. “Let me see your map,” he murmurs. “I want to make sure that they’re


    the same.”


    I oblige, taking a quick sip from the canteen as Jackson holds one map in each hand looking them


    over. He gives a swift nod, handing one back to me.


    “Thanks, by the way,” I say, taking my attention from the path for a moment as I hand his canteen back


    to him. “For…rescuing me. Again.”


    Jackson doesn’t say anything, just shoots me a little look and nods like it was the obvious thing to do.


    But guilt wells in me, because I know that even though his mate and I are one in the same, that he


    wasn’t actually trying to save the me he knows, Ari rk trying to save some anonymous girl.


    And a little jealousy suddenly wells in me….


    But I scowl and brush away.


    –


    he was


    Because honestly, am I wasting time in this Examination being jealous of myself!? My wolf huffs at me,


    giving my soul a nip, telling me to pay attention. So I do, pushing myself forward along the ridge as fast


    as I can, which is slower than I’d like it to be. The terrain has changed now, moving from smooth forest


    to rocky terrain that slows my steps, even as night falls.


    After about two hours, Jackson sighs, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Stop,” he says, and I turn to see


    him shaking his head as he looks up at the sky. “We need a n.”


    I


    stop, turning to him as he again pulls out his map, taking advantage of thest gasps of light to review


    it. Ie to his side, standing on my tiptoes so that I can see it as well.


    “The bridge is a trap,” I murmur, frustrated.


    “It wouldn’t be,” he replies, his voice chagrined, “if we were faster.”


    fumy up the


    I scowl, because I know that’s my fault. If it weren’t for me, Jackson would be halfway up mountain by


    now.


    “Taalean paue eneaking his thoughts aloud as he


    Emergency calls only


    *.095%


    15:43


    +5


    studies the map. “How fast we can move, how we deal with our apparent enemies, whether or not we


    can change ns on a dime. Eventually, it will test our ability to handle rough terrain,” he says, pointing


    towards thend closest to the Final Destination, which I noted early is mostly cliff’s that we’ll have to


    scale.


    I study the map alongside him. “Cadets are going to gather at the bridge,” I sigh, shaking my head.


    “Make it hell for anyone to cross.”


    “Yup,” he agrees, nodding. “It’s not a bad n- anyone who is strong and fast enough will have already


    crossed anyway and made it to the mountain by tonight. But for anyone who is a little slower or doesn’t


    have the ability to shift, it will be worth it to take the time and knock out faster candidates as they try to


    cross. I mean, I can take them, but…” he nces down at me, not needing to finish the sentence.


    I ignore the fact that I cannot, looking up into his face and frowning. “Would it even be worth it, though?


    I mean, even if you could take them and do some damage, you risk getting hurt.”


    “They can’t hurt me,” Jackson mutters, his eyes roving over the map for a n.


    “Jacks,” I sigh, suddenly pissed and a little sick at the idea of him barreling through a gauntlet of cadets


    at the bridge. “You’re not invulnerable, you’re just big. Stop being so cavalier.”


    Jackson takes a second to study me with a frown, I think surprised that someone is worried. about him.


    But then he just shrugs. “It doesn’t change anything,” he says. “We still have to get you across.”


    I bite my lip, staring up at my mate’s perfect face, suddenly horribly guilty at all he’s giving up by


    dragging my tiny little self along in his wake. “Jacks,” I say softly. “Just…go on without me. Leave me


    behind.”


    Slowly, Jackson turns to stare at me like I’ve said the craziest thing he’s ever heard.