Free Moon Crossed (Werewolf Hunter Series): Season 1 (Episodes 1-6) (Crescent Hunter) by Bella Roccaforte

nothing can
describe this, nothing can capture this feeling, only doing it.
    We dart and run
sometimes side by side, other times I take to the trees where he
can't reach me.
    After hours of running
and playing my legs start to tire. I bring my full run down to a jog,
then stop. He's nowhere in sight, but I can feel him very nearby. I
look around, trying to see through the dark forest. My eyesight is
keen, but I can't see in this much darkness.
    Focusing on the sound
of him stalking closer, I purposely turn away to give him the idea
I'm unaware. He stills and I'm sure he's preparing to pounce on me. I
remain statue-still and a sly smile bleeds across my features. His
steps change from four-legged to two and I feel him directly behind
me. Barely brushing my shoulder, he slides one of the straps of the
backpack off. “My pants.” His tone is deflated and
unreadable. I'm not sure what just happened to kill the fun we were
having.
    When I hear the zipper
of his pants go up I turn around but remain silent, just looking at
him through the darkness.
    “Watch the
sunrise with me?” he asks wistfully, turning in the direction
of the clearing.
    Looking to the east, I
can see the horizon beginning to lighten. Wanting desperately to see
his eyes light again, I smile playfully, poking him in the stomach.
“I would love to.”
    He looks down at where
I poked as though he expected to see blood gushing from his guts. He
looks back up at me then continues walking. “Don't do that.”
    “Do what?”
I'm confused.
    “Poke me.”
His words are barely there, but I feel the seriousness in them.
    “Sorry.” My
cheeks redden, but I'm not really quite sure why.
    When we reach the
clearing, we sit in the spot we did yesterday, but he's sitting
further from me than before. I don't get it, but it's okay. I'm going
to just enjoy watching the sunrise in his company.
    We remain silent for
the entire show. He fidgets with the cuff of his jeans a couple of
times and breaks strands of pine straw into dust.
    Just as the sky is
changing to a more blue hue from the brilliant reds, Cole's phone
chirps. He startles and reaches into his pocket. “Shit.”
    It dawns on me. “Oh
no, curfew.”
    “Yeah.” He
looks over at me, pressing his lips into a tight line, “I think
I screwed up.”
    “I'm so sorry.”
I have no idea what he's facing having missed curfew. I honestly
don't understand it. “How old are you anyway?” I know how
old Trevor, Locke, and the boys are. They range between twenty-five
and thirty-two, but in wolf-borne years that's more like nineteen to
twenty-one. So yeah, technically speaking I'm older, but only in
maturity.
    He stands up, texting
something on his phone, “Not old enough to not have a curfew.”
    Standing with him, I
brush the dirt off my bottom. “Sorry.” I feel really bad
and responsible; I should have remembered he had to go.
    “It's my fault, I
just lost track of time. But I've gotta go.” He looks down at
the ground then back up to me. “See you later?”
    “Yup.” I
nod, sucking my bottom lip in. We shuffle in place for a minute. Both
of us want to offer the other a hug, but neither of us will make the
first move.
    “I'm going to
shift and run back to my truck. Will you keep my pants for me?”
He leans down to be at my eye level.
    “Of course.”
A smile blooms on my lips. “I'm apparently starting a
collection.”
    He huffs a laugh.
“Don't get too attached; I only have three pairs of jeans that
are wearable in social situations and I worked very hard getting
those knee-holes just right.”
    “Good to see you
smile.” Crap, I said that out loud.
    He quirks his brow in
triumph. “You too.” He puts his hands on his button and
gives me a look that says I'd better turn around if I don't want to
see him au natural.
    “Oh, sorry.”
This startles me and I spin around immediately.
    “I'll see you
tomorrow.” His pants make a thud when they hit the ground
beside me. I hear him shift and run