Ray of Hope: The Cursed Elements Series Book 1 Read online

  "I can't wait to jump off these cliffs later. I'm doing the highest one!" I shout as I drop my tent and begin to unpack the pieces.

  I see Wyatt rolling his eyes as he unrolls his sleeping bag.

  It's too easy to irritate him sometimes.

  Just as I get my tent up and the stakes into the ground, Cayden's red Toyota Tacoma pulls up. I walk over as he turns off his truck, pull down the tailgate, and start to help him with his things. The quicker everyone unpacks, the faster we can go cliff diving.

  "Cayden!" I say as he gets out of his truck with an expression that says he's so excited to be here.

  Not.

  "Why the grimace, man? It's almost a week of freedom and bro time," I say, smiling.

  He just huffs and begins to get his gear out.

  As I grab a cooler, I see another car parked next to our spot. Damn! We usually have this whole area to ourselves. Oh well. At least there are a bunch of trees and bushes separating us. All I can see are glimpses of people setting up their tents. A figure starts to head closer to me and so I'm not labeled "stalker status," I turn to place the cooler under the canopy, which will be our "kitchen" for the next couple of days, and turn back to get more supplies from my car. That's when I smell the most amazing aroma.

  The instant it enters my nostrils, I can feel the different scents as though they absorb into my wolf blood and calm his aura. My wolf has never been calm. Not for a long time, anyway. For the first time since that night, I feel at peace, and it frightens me. Just as I begin to welcome the feeling, Wyatt calls me over to help him lift something, pulling my thoughts away from the weird feeling.

  Chapter Three

  Barrett

  Squatting down next to the pile of nylon and tent poles that will be my home for the time being, I start staking the corners into the ground and connecting the poles together. I could do this in my sleep with as many times as I have gone camping back home in Pennsylvania.

  I'm excited to be here with the guys, finally. I wish we could do this more than once a year. It's nice to get away from home and the stress of my responsibilities. With managing the pack farmlands, learning the ropes to eventually take over as pack alpha, and constantly living with the fear of never finding my mate, I need a break to decompress. I'm looking forward to relaxing with a good book and doing a whole lot of nothing.

  "Are you guys almost done?" Liam asks. "We’re burning daylight." I glance over at him, he’s practically jumping up and down in anticipation.

  I turn to Liam, "I'll be done in a few minutes." He nods and turns to mess with something on the picnic table. I'm ready to go swimming too; it's hot as hell here today.

  Cayden stomps his way over to me, glancing back at Liam. "I swear to God he better calm that shit down. I do not have the patience today," he says.

  I laugh. "You never have the patience for anything, Cayden. Just go finish up your tent so we can finally start enjoying ourselves."

  "Fine." He sighs and walks off.

  Finishing the tent, I lift my shirt to wipe the sweat dripping down my face. I grab my sleeping bag and duffle bag and go inside to set up my bed. I change into my favorite black trunks with the Golden Snitch from Harry Potter printed all over them. Yes, I’m a giant book nerd, don’t judge.

  Stepping outside, I join the others and catch a glance of our neighbors setting up their campsite.

  I was annoyed when they first arrived, being used to having the whole area to ourselves. When one of the women stepped out of the car, I caught just a hint of a tantalizing scent. It soothed my wolf. It quickly passed, so I can't be sure, but I've heard stories of what finding your mate would be like.

  I glance over there again. What if that's what it was? What if that's her right there, just beyond the trees?

  Don't be stupid; it's not going to be that easy. Most males don’t find their mates until they’re close to one hundred years old. It isn’t easy trying to find your mate when there are billions of people in the world. Not to mention, who even knows if she’s been born yet or not.

  The arguing starting around me grabs my attention, causing me to shift my focus to the guys.

  “I can’t wait any longer for Cayden. He’s taking way too long,” Liam says, stepping closer to the cliffs. He looks like he’s about to make a run for it.

  Wyatt’s face gets hard, “Don’t be an impulsive moron for once in your life. You know we still need to climb down there and make sure the water is deep enough right now, and if there are any new large rocks in our way.”

  “Ok, Dad,” Liam says rolling his eyes. “I don’t see why you need to control every single thing we do.”

  Wyatt’s voice raises as he points at Liam, “I’m not controlling shit! It’s called common sense and planning shit out. You know, so we don’t die.”

  “Alright, you guys,” I say, stepping between them. “Knock it off. We just got here and we have almost a whole week together. Let’s not kill each other yet.” They shut up but continue their staring contest.

  I don’t know how Wyatt can take anything he says seriously right now. I mean, the man is standing there in bright yellow swim shorts with little blue rubber duckies all over them, and a matching towel around his shoulders. Yes, I know mine have Golden Snitches, but come on, it’s rubber duckies!

  I look over towards Cayden as he exits his tent in his black swim trunks, holding his towel. He joins us and raises his eyebrows. “Y’all ready to go or what?”

  “Fuck yes!” I declare, smiling at them as we start to make our way over to the cliffs.

  Cayden

  Standing on the edge of the cliff, I take in every ounce of the scenery around me. The sun is shining high in the sky, causing a bright reflection off the lake below. People are out on their boats and jet skis enjoying this beautiful day. I love this lake; it’s so peaceful. The only downfall is that it’s close to Austin, so there are a ton of college students that hang out here. That’s why we like to come during this time of year and stay the week. School is in session, so the lake isn’t as crowded. Come Monday, most of these people will be gone.

  I clench my fists. I’m pretty pissed we have people camping right next to us. I don’t like being around people I don’t know. Hell, I barely like being around these assholes that I call my friends. They are like brothers to me, but I’m not the best people-person.

  I think back to that feeling earlier. It made the hair on my arms stand up. I don’t know exactly what it was, but I hope it isn’t what I suspected. I’m not ready for that shit. I don’t deserve that kind of happiness.

  “Cayden, get your giant ass down here! We want to have a climbing competition.” Wyatt shouts from below.

  I shake off the negative thoughts and look down at them. “What are we, fucking ten?” I shout back.

  “Just get your ass down here, and stop being such a fucking Debbie Downer!” Liam calls up at me.

  I’m going to punch him in the face. He’s not making it out of this trip without a black eye, I can feel it.

  Stepping back, I take a running start, and leap out to the water below. I hit hard with a cannonball, and hopefully gave those assholes a face full of water.

  Breaking the surface, I shake out my brown shoulder-length hair and smirk at them.

  “About damn time,” Liam mumbles.

  Barrett splashes water in his face. “Man, you better shut up, or he’s going to be hard-pressed not to drown you.”

  “Ok!” Wyatt says, clapping his hands together. “We are going to swim to that twenty foot cliff to the right of us and climb up the protruding rocks. None of us have climbed that path yet, so it’ll be fair.”

  “What are the stakes?” I ask him.

  “Well, the winner will get bragging rights obviously,” he pauses for a second in thought, “and won’t have to walk the trash out to the dumpsters while we’re here.”

  “And the loser?” Barrett asks. “What happens to them?”

  “Oh!” Liam says, “I got it. Loser has to
cook tonight and all the meals tomorrow.”

  We all agree and start swimming our way over to the other rocky cliff. Lining up at the bottom, we all wait for Wyatt to do the countdown. On three we start hauling our asses out of the water. The rocks are biting into my fingertips as I climb. Water is dripping off me and making my sleeves of tattoos shine in the sunlight. The climb isn’t so easy with three other big dudes so close in proximity. About three-fourths of the way, I glance up when I hear Liam shouting in victory. Dammit! Of course, he won! He regularly does shit like this for the hell of it.

  Groaning, I finish the climb dead last. I don’t know why I agreed to race. I knew I wouldn’t win; I’m way bigger than these fuckers. Oh well, they will be the real losers in the end because I can barely boil water. Laughing to myself, I join the guys on the walk back over to our cliff.

  After a few more hours of jumping and swimming, we all head back to the campsite to get dressed and start getting ready for dinner.

  The guys are starting a fire while I’m standing at the picnic table, prepping the food we’ll need for the hotdogs. I decided to take mercy on them for tonight. They won’t have to suffer my awful cooking until breakfast tomorrow. I really know how to screw up some scrambled eggs.

  I hear footsteps on the road behind our camp. I glance up and see the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on, walking along the road. I’m hit in the face with a scent that’s being carried by the breeze, causing my heart to skip.

  No, please, no. That woman can’t be the one. Bonds may be sacred and rare, but I’m not ready for this yet. I can feel my wolf howling inside of me, though, so there's no doubt this is my mate. I can feel the pull to go to her already, but I fight against it.

  When I’m finally able to breathe again, I look over to the guys to see if they noticed my strange behavior. However, they appear to be as frozen as statues watching the girl walk down the road, with the same look of unbelievable shock that I’m sure is on my face. Why are they staring at her like that? Like they just found “the one.”

  “What. The. Fuck.” I say, staring at them in shock.

  Chapter Four

  Brayleigh

  Grabbing a beer from the cooler, I return to my seat next to Hudson by the fire. We’re in the middle of an intense game of truth or dare. Lincoln is currently drying off from his skinny dipping dare.

  Nikki turns to me, "Truth or dare?"

  Nikki is beyond beautiful. She looks a lot like Camila Cabello, flawless caramel skin with dark brown hair and big brown eyes.

  “Dare,” I say cautiously.

  “I dare you to give Hudson a lap dance for one minute.”

  Kesley starts giggling, getting her phone out to record this train wreck.

  Nikki changes the song to “Pony” by Ginuwine, and I instantly turn red. Hudson’s grinning ear to ear, and all I’m thinking is I better not fuck this up.

  I’ve never really given a lap dance, but I’m pretty confident in my body. I was blessed with curves and a good metabolism. Plus, I’ve got great boobs.

  Standing up, I go to straddle him and start moving to the music. I feel his hands land on my hips as I lean down to nibble on his ear. Sitting back up, I turn my back to him and start grinding on his lap. Flipping my hair, I look over my shoulder at him, bite my bottom lip, and wink.

  “Time!” Nikki says, stopping the music.

  Relaxing back on Hudson’s lap, I can tell he enjoyed that dare very much. He’s practically prodding me in the ass cheek. Nevertheless, I sit there because I’d rather get prodded than have everyone see his hard-on.

  Turning to Sawyer, I ask, “Truth or Dare?”

  “Truth,” he answers while running his hand through his dirty blonde hair.

  “Pussy,” Lincoln coughs.

  Sawyer glares at him and throws an empty beer can at his head.

  “HA HA, shut up!” Sawyer shouts, as Lincoln laughs at him.

  I put my hands up. “Alright guys, chill out.”

  Looking at Sawyer, I ask, “Have you ever had a sex dream about one of your friends’ moms?”

  He goes pale, making the scattered freckles across his nose stand out even more, and glances from me to Lincoln. Nailed it!

  “Pass, I’d rather chug a beer,” he blurts out and grabs a new beer and shotguns it.

  He belches a burp that any guy would be proud of before turning to Kelsey. "Truth or Dare?"

  “Dare,” she replies bravely. She doesn’t scare easily. That’s one of the things I love about her.

  “I dare you to kiss Nikki for ten seconds…”

  Kelsey jumps up from her seat while clapping her hands once, saying, “Let’s do this.”

  “With tongue,” Sawyer finishes.

  She looks at Nikki, raising her eyebrows up and down while batting her eyelashes. “Did you hear that Nik? We are about to get up close and personal.”

  Nikki laughs as she gets up to meet Kelsey in the middle of the circle.

  I’m practically crying, I'm laughing so hard.

  As they meet, all the guys scoot to the edge of their chairs, including Hudson, almost knocking me down. Kelsey goes in first, grabbing the back of Nikki’s neck and slamming her mouth onto hers. There is a lot of tongue action and silence around the circle. After a few seconds, they separate and go back to their seats, getting whoops and hollers from the guys.

  After a few more rounds, and quite a few drinks later, we head to bed.

  Wyatt

  I wake up groggy, having tossed and turned all night. I change and then exit my tent, only to be hit with the scent of the most disgusting eggs I’ve ever smelled. Damn this good nose of mine. Cayden is at the camping stove, cursing like Gordon Ramsay, except the result is not Master Chef worthy.

  Heading over there to help him out, I see the rest of the guys come out of their tents. Barrett comes out gagging, trying not to throw up stomach acid, and Liam, of course, yells, “What in the actual fuck is that smell?”

  I laugh as Cayden hands the spatula over, looking defeated. He goes to make coffee as I hold my nose and dump the “eggs” into the trash bag. I whip something up quick so we can actually eat this morning.

  “Breakfast is served,” I announce as we all gather in our chairs to eat.

  “So, are we going to talk about what happened yesterday?” Barrett asks.

  “Nope.” Cayden scowls.

  “Which part? How we might have the same mate or how she’s already taken?” Liam questions.

  “What do you mean taken?” Barrett asks, narrowing his eyes.

  “She was giving her boyfriend a sexy little lap dance last night,” Liam says, smiling.

  Barrett chokes and sprays his coffee.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Cayden growls as he clenches his fists.

  “Last night, their group was playing truth or dare. You guys missed a good show with lap dancing and girls making out. There was also a penis flopping around when someone streaked through the woods.” I answer.

  Barrett chokes and sprays his coffee again.

  Liam glares at him, wiping his arm off with his other hand. “Dude, you need to work on your swallowing skills.”

  That has me almost spitting out my coffee. Fucking Liam, he has always had a way with words.

  Cayden growls deep in his chest, looking too angry to speak, bringing our attention back to the topic at hand.

  “Could all of us really have the same mate? That’s not possible, is it?” Liam asks.

  “I’ve never heard or read of wolves having more than one mate, but there are some elders still around that might be able to help answer that,” Barrett replies.

  I’ve experienced a lot of loss. Thinking that I finally found my mate through those trees and the fact that I could lose her is just too much for me to think about right now.

  Barrett

  My thoughts are racing a million miles a second. I can’t believe I found her! I also can’t believe the four of us might share a mate bond. I�
�m trying to think about which Elders are still around that could possibly help us, since so many were killed by either witches or vampires. Thinking back on all the books I’ve read of our history, I don’t remember any mention of shared mate bonds.

  “Well, what are we going to do about the situation right now? We need to at least go meet her and make certain it is, in fact, a mate bond we’re feeling,” I say.

  “Fuck no.”

  “I don’t know...”

  “Hell yes! Let’s do it.”

  They all respond at once. Cayden is glaring while Wyatt just looks apprehensive, and Liam’s already jumping out of his chair.

  “If we are really going to do this, then we need to come up with some sort of reason to go over there and talk to her,” Wyatt says.

  I shovel another bite of eggs into my mouth, thinking about how to get closer without coming across as a creeper and scaring her off. We can’t just walk over and say, “Oh, hey, we’re wolves, and you’re our mate.” Yeah, that wouldn’t scare her off, not at all.

  The hardest part about finding your mate, if you’re ever lucky enough to find her, is convincing her she’s a wolf and that our world does, in fact, exist. Wolf females are born human and given up for adoption for their protection. We don’t know why they are born human and we aren’t. I assume some cosmic test from the universe. Some fucked up right of passage to prove we are worthy of our mate.

  Not to mention the attacks from the witches and vampires. Witches hunt our females to try and weaken us. They are the reason the wolf population is so low. Vampires on the other hand just hate us, and the feeling is mutual.

  We have a better chance of finding our mate out in the world than them surviving with us. If we can’t find our mate then they will continue to live their life as a human, never knowing what they are or what they’re missing. It’s better this way.