We stayed at the creek until the sun was going down. I was absolutely freezing, the towel didn't even help that much. But no one else was complaining about being cold so I just kept my mouth shut. It was probably just because my body was adjusting to longer being in hot and sunny Arizona.

I was currently standing a few feet back from everyone, as Grayson seemed hell-bent on splashing and dunking everyone underwater. Ivy was yelling at him to stop, claiming that she would make him sleep outside for the next week if he dunked her again. Audrey and Brad were both trying to suddenly sneak past Grayson without noting and Xavier was too busy laughing to even pay attention.

"Achoo," I sneezed. I was almost shaking from the cold.

Xavier appeared beside me in a second, holding out his black hoodie that he was wearing earlier out to me. "Here."

"Oh, no it's fine," I tried saying. I didn't want to ruin everyone's fun on my account.

"Take it, you're cold," Xavier said.

"But if I take it then you'll be cold," I said but my willpower was caving every second as I grew colder.

"Trust me, Addison, I won't be cold," Xavier pushed the hoodie into my hands.

I quickly unwrapped the towel around me and sipped Xavier's hoodie over my head. It feel to almost my knees and smelled just like him -- chocolate and strawberries.

"It looks good," Xavier said all in one breath. His eyes looked like they were getting darker, like before at the cafeteria, but that didn't seem right. Maybe I was just too cold and seeing things wrong? Yeah, that has to be it.

"Thanks," I whispered. All of a sudden I was feeling shy under Xavier's gaze.

"Hey, guys!" Brad called out to us. "It's starting to get dark, I think that we should get going back to the house. Don't want to run into anything out here."

"Yeah, we wouldn't want any rogue-" Grayson started to say but Ivy pushed him into the creek.

"Any rogue animals coming up to us," Ivy finished his sentence for him.

"Right," Xavier nodded his head slowly at her. "There have been some mountain lion sightings the past few weeks here," he clarified to me.

"And we're just out here in the woods?" I asked shooked. "They could kill us."

"I would never let anything happen to you," Xavier said in a hard voice, his eyes boring into mine.

I had no idea what to say.

We all started to make our way back to Xavier's house, Grayson was still grumbling about how Ivy pushed him into the creek and that it wasn't fair. Brad and Audrey were walking behind us but in front of Grayson and Ivy. Xavier was walking right by my side, his hand kept brushing mine and every time I felt sparks.

We were almost at Xavier's house, I could almost see his backdoor when a loud growl shook the trees. Everyone frozen, Xaiver immediately pulled me behind him, keeping a tight grip on my wrist.

"Ivy, Audrey take Addison back to the house and lock the doors, call Hunter and Jackson and tell them to meet us out here," Xavier started to list off commands. "Grayson, Brad-"

Another loud growl cut Xavier off. But this one seemed closer than the last.

"We have to go," Ivy snatched my wrist out of Xavier's grip and began to drag me away from the boys and towards the house.

"What the heck is going on?" I tried to rip my wrist from her grip but Ivy was stronger than I was.

"we'll explain later," Audrey said.

I heard a distance ripping of clothes behind me and then what sounded like feet hitting the ground before whatever it was ran off. I tried to look over my shoulder to see what it was but Ivy only yanked my wrist harder and snapped my head back around to her.

"Did you mind-link Hunter and Jackson?" Ivy asked Audrey in a worried tone as her pace picked up.

"Yeah, they're running over here now," Audrey confirmed.

Ivy didn't let go of my wrist until we were safely in Xavier's house and all the doors were locked.

"Ok explain," I demanded.

Both Ivy and Audrey were sitting at the kitchen island with worried loos on their faces.

"Uh it was a mountain lion and the boys went to go tell the police and animal control and didn't want us to get hurt," Audrey said but it came out more like a question.

"what's a 'mind-link.'" I asked Ivy.

"That's what we call phone calls," Ivy said too quickly.

"I didn't hear Audrey make a phone call," I crossed my arms over my chest taking a step back from them.

"Probably because of all the adrenalin pumping through you, you must have just blocked it out." Ivy went on.

"Ok," I said calmly, I walked over to where my bag was and slipped it over my shoulder before making my way for the front door,

"Where are you going?" Audrey asked me panicked. "You can't leave, Addison. It's too dangerous right now with the mountain ions still on the loss."

"Well, I'm not going to stick around here and be lied to," I spit back.

"Addison wait!" Audrey called. But it was too late, I had already pulled the front door open and was starting to unlock my car to leave.

A blur of black and brown flashed in the corner of my eye, and when I went to look I was meat with the sight of five large wolves fighting.

"Oh my god," I whispered dropping my eyes to the ground.

One of the wolves let out a large snarl in my direction before making a dead sprint over to me,

My feet were frozen to the ground and all I could do was bring my hands over my face and just wait for the attack.

But nothing ever came.

Instead, when I looked back up through the gap in my arms I saw a large, pure black wolf had tackled the brown one to the ground and was now fighting it.

I felt hands grabbing the back of my shirt and pulling me away and back into the house.

"Xavier is so going to kill us," Ivy groaned leading us back to the kitchen where she handed me a glass of water and gestured for me to take a seat at the counter.

I felt like I was going to pass out any second. What the heck did I just see?