Chapter 34
Chapter
Thirty-Four
Theo woke in the forest, blinking at the fractured sunlight leaking through the canopy. His mouth felt dry, and his muscles ached as he lifted himself from the leaf-strewn ground. Another night had vanished into the haze of his bear’s wild frenzy. He glanced down at his human body and took in the ragged scrapes and bruises on his skin.
For a long while, he sat beneath a pines, trying to think rationally. He had to accept that he had become a fugitive. The evidence stacked against him made him look like a saboteur. Despite the bitterness, a firm decision grew in his mind. He was done running. He would return to the academy and face whatever awaited him, even if that meant handing himself over to the police.
The thought of walking up to the gates in his battered, naked human form made him cringe. He considered shifting back into his bear. It felt safer. He could move quietly through the woods that led to the campus.
He exhaled a shaky breath, pushing the hair from his forehead, then let the bear rise. The shift was a slow burn this time, almost delicate after the frenzied nights that had come before. Fur rolled over his arms and back, muscles expanded, and his hands morphed into heavy paws.
His heart pounded as he lumbered closer to the academy. Would they chase him down if he emerged? He thought of Serena, and how she once looked at him like he was the worst kind of monster. Through a thicket, he spotted colorful flags fluttering in the breeze. It was the charity climb route, snaking along a rocky trail. He approached slowly, staying hidden behind thick foliage.
Movement caught his eye. A lone figure crouched near a stack of ropes at the top of a climbing wall. Theo peered closer, shifting his weight. It was Kai. Theo felt a rush of anger. Kai was tampering with something, possibly cutting or loosening the ropes.
Theo’s fury ignited. Kai was the true saboteur. This was the man who had turned the academy against him, who had probably planted evidence in Theo’s office and cabin, then pointed the blame on him. A surge of vindication made Theo want to roar, to charge and end the deception once and for all.
He nearly burst out of the trees. Then he forced himself to remain still. If he attacked, Kai would only accuse him of being violent. Theo’s plan suddenly changed. He had to expose Kai beyond all doubt. If Theo did not act carefully, Kai would slither away from justice.
Theo thought of his phone. It was still in his car, abandoned when he ran off into the forest. A plan formed in his mind. He would retrieve his phone and capture photos of Kai in the act. That evidence would be undeniable.
Sometime later, he stumbled naked onto the staff parking lot where he had left his car days ago. There was no one around, but anxiety knotted his stomach. He spotted his car and grabbed the spare key from the secret compartment under the front door. He yanked open the trunk and pulled on some clothes from his duffel bag.
Relief washed over him when he spotted his phone lying on the passenger seat. He snatched it up, checking it for battery life. It still had just enough charge. He forced down a spike of adrenaline and started back through the woods.
When he returned, Kai was nowhere to be seen. The rope Kai had tampered with sat coiled where it had been left. He stepped closer. These ropes could cause a serious accident if left unchecked.
He snapped a few photos, knowing he needed to alert Logan. Theo’s chest tightened. He stood with his phone clutched in his hand, faced with the task of somehow proving that Kai was the saboteur.