Where The Ice Gives Way Chapter 21

**(Blake)**

By the time Charlie gets back to our place, the yard already smells like smoke and meat and Dad’s idea of “subtle,” which is three different marinades and enough food to feed a small town. The pack is spread across the grass in loose clusters, talking over each other with plates in their hands. Charlie stays close to me at first. He nods politely when people talk to him and laughs in the right places. He does that thing where he looks like he’s fine, even when I know he’s counting the seconds until he can breathe. Theo slides in beside Charlie with two plates stacked in his hands, bumping Charlie’s shoulder. “Eat,” Theo tells him. Charlie glances at the plate, then at me, eyebrow lifting. “It’s not poisoned,” I tell him. Theo grins. “It’s only poisoned a little.” Charlie snorts and takes the plate. Theo can get anyone to loosen up in ten minutes with a target.

People come and go as the light fades. We drag more logs toward the fire pit, and the smoke thins and the sky turns dark. Charlie ends up on the edge of the fire with us, knees drawn up, elbows resting on them, his gaze fixed on the flames. Theo watches him for a while, and I can see the thought forming behind his eyes before he even opens his mouth. “I’ve got an idea,” Theo says. I keep my voice flat. “No.” Theo ignores me and looks at Charlie instead. “You fast?” Charlie shifts his gaze to Theo, slow and careful. “Faster than you.” Theo’s grin turns sharp. “Prove it.” Charlie glances at me, like he’s checking if I’m going to shut this down, and I don’t, because honestly, I do want to see how fast he is. Theo stands up and points toward the tree line. “From the fire pit to the old boundary marker and back.” Charlie’s mouth quirks. “That’s a decent run.” Theo kicks his shoes off, and Charlie looks at Theo’s bare feet, then down at mine. I smirk and kick my shoes off, too. Charlie laughs. “You guys do this barefoot?” Theo shrugs. “Shoes are for people who don’t plan on winning.”

Charlie stands, rolls his shoulders once and toes his shoes off. He lines up beside Theo at the edge of the clearing, both of them facing the dark line of trees. A couple of the pack drift over, and Joey laughs and calls out, “Don’t embarrass us, Theo.” Theo glances back. “I do what I want.” I step up beside them and count it down with my fingers in the air. Three, two, one, and then we go. The first few strides are human speed, bare feet slapping dirt. Then Theo does what Theo always does when he gets competitive: he cheats with his wolf. I see the moment Charlie decides to stop pretending. His speed shifts, and his body cuts through the air. He’s quick. Quicker than most. He eats the distance like it’s nothing. Theo laughs as he runs, loud and stupid. I push too, my wolf sliding closer under my skin, my muscles tightening, my lungs pulling in air. We hit the boundary marker almost simultaneously. Theo taps it with his hand like it’s a finish line. Charlie touches it too, but he’s already turning back, feet digging in, body snapping around. He looks over his shoulder at me on the turn, a grin flashing in the dark.

We run back through the trees and into the clearing, and the pack hoots and laughs. Charlie crosses first by half a breath. I come in second, then Theo, and we all slow down at the same time, hands on knees, chests heaving, breath fogging faintly in the night air. Charlie straightens up and looks at Theo, then at me. There’s a flicker across his face like he didn’t expect us to keep up. Theo wipes sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm. “You’re quick.” Charlie’s grin stays. “Yeah.” I nod once. “It’s been a while since someone could best me in a foot race.” Charlie laughs under his breath, but it cuts off quickly when he pulls his phone out and checks the time. His shoulders stiffen. “Ah, shit,” he mutters. Theo leans in. “What?” Charlie stares at his screen. “It’s late. Dad’s going to be pissed.” His thumb hovers over the call button without pressing it. I watch him for a second, then jerk my chin toward the house. “Crash here.” Charlie blinks. “What?” I shrug. “We’ve got a couch. We’ve got a floor. We’ve got blankets. Mum will feed you again in the morning like you’re a stray she wants to keep.”

Charlie looks at me, and in the firelight his face goes still, his eyes sharp again, like he’s checking for the catch. Then he glances back down at his phone and shoves it into his pocket like he doesn’t trust himself with it. “Alright,” he says quietly. “Okay.” Theo drags him inside. Mum fusses in the background and throws a blanket at his head and tells him he can’t sleep in his clothes because “teenage boys smell like feet.” Theo argues with her while Charlie stands there holding the blanket for way too long. He takes the couch. Theo takes the floor. I take the armchair because there’s no way I’m leaving them alone in the living room when I know Charlie’s mind is going to spin the moment the lights go out.

Morning comes too quickly. Theo is up first, his light-brown hair sticking up like he got electrocuted, grabbing cereal and shoving it into his mouth. Charlie sits at the table with a mug of coffee Mum put into his hands, eyes tired but clearer than they were last night. He doesn’t talk much, and neither do I. I drive us all to school, and we pull up out front. I see Charlotte before I even shut off the engine. She’s sitting on the bench near the gates, shoulders hunched, head down, hair falling forward like a curtain. She’s got her arms folded tight across her chest, hands buried in her sleeves like she’s cold, even though this morning isn’t that cold. Charlie gets out, moves around the front of the car and stops dead. “Shit.” Then he’s running. Theo and I get out behind him, and I’m a few steps slower. I can’t see what he sees as he blocks my view of her. I hear the small sound she makes when she realises he’s there. Charlie drops to a crouch in front of her. “What happened?” he asks. Charlotte turns her face just enough for me to see the black, swollen eye and bruising on her cheek.

I snap. Lex shoves forward under my skin, and my breath goes shallow before I can stop it. Charlie’s hands hover near her face, and Theo comes up beside him quietly. I take one more step forward, and her eyes flick to me. A low growl rips out of my chest before I can swallow it down. “Who did this to you?” I ask.