Taming the Beast novel Chapter 35

(Caroline’s POV)

I ignored Keegan for almost a week. I caved and talked to him at the volleyball game, but only a few words. Keegan screwed up, and I was already screwed because of it. The problem with letting go of Keegan was that I had to let go of everything that came with him. And I wish I could say that I hate him, but I don’t. I don’t think I could ever hate him.

Monday rolled around slowly. Per tradition, I didn’t talk to anyone until lunch. I didn’t even talk at lunch. I always got lost in my thoughts and ended up staying quiet anyway. Keegan and the guys didn’t sit with us anymore. I was kind of relieved for it. I didn’t know how well my self-control would hold up with Keegan so close to me. I was barely surviving my Forensics class. I felt Keegan’s eyes on my back. He was always watching me. Even the guys were sulking around. I really missed them. Lunch was awkward and uncomfortable. I was all to glad to get out of the cafeteria and into my Forensics class. Well, I was glad until I remembered who I sat next to, and saw what we were doing today.

Today, we were watching a Crime 360 video. They were supposed to help us practice what to look for in a crime scene. Mr. Norman turned off the lights and my heartbeat doubled as I felt Keegan’s presence even more.

“Caroline,” he whispered. I stayed quiet and kept my eyes on the projector screen. “Please talk to me. I can’t take this anymore; I miss you. There’s something I need to tell you,” he said softly. I tried to ignore the way my heart fluttered at his words. I shushed him without taking my eyes off the screen. From across the lunchroom, I would look at him, but up close like this made me want to melt, so I avoided looking at him from close distances. I shook my head, eyes trained on the “educational” video. Half of the class was asleep already.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my thigh near my knee. It immediately set my core on fire. Tingles and electricity ran up my leg as I gasped softly. Why did I decide to wear shorts today? With Keegan’s hand on my thigh, I couldn’t think straight. My lips parted slightly as a sharp breath escaped me. He started rubbing light circles into my leg and tracing patterns I couldn’t keep up with. Electricity followed his touch, leaving ghost whispers of where he’s been. My breathing picked up as he inched further up my leg. I wanted to stop him but at the same time, I didn’t. The final straw was when he squeezed the inside of my thigh near the hem of my shorts. My eyes closed briefly as I moaned. It wasn’t a quiet one either.

My eyes shot open and I slapped a hand over my mouth as eyes started looking back to find the source of the noise. Keegan took his hand away as he smirked. He knew he got me. I only glared at him as I jumped out of my seat and rushed out the door, taking the bathroom pass with me. I let out a deep breath and leaned against the wall as soon as I got out. I leaned over, setting my hands against my knees as I waited for my breathing to slow down. When it finally did, I ran a hand over my face and through my hair. What the hell just happened in there? That’s it, I’m going home early. I went back into the classroom, replacing the bathroom pass and grabbing my stuff. I gave Mr. Norman the lame excuse of me not feeling well before I was out of there.

“You didn’t even let me explain,” I heard a familiar voice say from behind me. I rolled my eyes and started walking faster.

“That was a week ago. I’ve been avoiding you since then. I was hoping you would get the hint by now,” I yelled over my shoulder. I jumped in my car and sped off. I wasn’t ready to go home yet. I pulled onto own of the many country roads (this was Texas after all) and drove to my favorite stables. Because of everything that happened, I hadn’t ridden much lately, but I used to go all the time when my parents were still alive. The stable hands and owners all knew me and let me ride whenever I wanted. I parked my car and grabbed my riding boots out of the backseat. It took some digging through Preston’s toys and car seat, but I finally found them. I pulled them on and walked into the barn.

“Caroline!” I heard from in front of me. I looked and saw a woman’s head peaking over the wall of a stall. She exited the stall before she came and hugged me gently. I smiled.

“Hi Rosa,” I greeted her. Rosa was one of the owners here. She tucked a piece of her curly black hair behind her ear and gave me a once over.

“How are you holding up?” she asked sympathetically. I shrugged.

“I’m ready to start riding again,” I replied. She smiled and pulled off her gloves.

“You can take Cali out. You remember where everything is,” she said as she started walking away from me.

“Bye Rosa,” I yelled. I quickly pulled Cali out of her stall, tacked her up, and mounted. I took her out on the West trail that was covered heavily by trees. Halfway down the trail, Cali started freaking out. I tried to calm her down, but it wasn’t working from her back. I slid off of her and grabbed her reigns as I tried to calm her down. She neighed and reared up. Her hoof was coming straight towards my face, and I knew it. I was so shocked that I couldn’t move. My life flashed before my eyes and I realized that no one would find me out here in time. This was it. I was going to die.

A large black figure pushed me down in time. I heard a hoof connect with the animal and it whimpered and buckled slightly as it stood over my body on all fours. It was only then that I realized that the thing that protected me was a wolf. Its pointed nose was only inches from mine as it breathed. I froze. Its eyes were a warm amber with flecks of gold and black… kind of like Keegan’s eyes. It looked intelligent; like it could understand everything going on around it. I wasn’t sure whether to be scared or relieved. On one hand, the wolf saved my life, but on the other, it was probably what scared my horse in the first place.

I let out a breath of relief. For some reason, I knew this wolf wouldn’t hurt me. After a moment, I sat up and leaned against a tree. And the wolf let me. There was a small bit of pain in its eyes. I peeked over its back and saw where Cali caught him in the back. He whimpered a little as he laid down in front of me. I hesitated before I reached forward and pet the wolf’s head. It let out an almost content sigh and relaxed.

“I thank you for practically saving my life, but I think you were the one who spooked my horse in the first place,” I said with a small scowl. As if the beast understood me, his body shook with a deep noise that sounded like chuckling. Its eyes opened and it looked like he was smiling at me. I took this opportunity to look over the wolf. It was huge. I don’t think wolves are even allowed to get this big by nature. The spot on his back where Cali kicked him was healing faster than I ever thought possible. It was hard to see through the thick black fur, but if I looked close enough, I close see the skin shifting. My eyes widened in shock. The wolf sighed and closed its eyes again, resting its head on its paws. He wasn’t scared of me, and I wasn’t scared of him. In fact, I was slightly drawn to him, which was ridiculous because it was an animal.

“I’m going to call you Keegan because you remind me of this guy at me school,” I said with a slight smile. The damn thing rolled its eyes at me!