Page 29 of Lone Wolf

And my brilliant response?

Fuck you.

Real mature, Santiago. Real mature.

I’ve managed to avoid her most of today, except during group training. And even then, I stuck with Vanessa or Enzo if we were forced to pair up, even though those two are assholes.

This afternoon the weather is fine, and it feels way too damn cheerful for my mood. The rose garden is a riot of colors—vibrant purples, bold reds, happy yellows—wild and alive. I can see why Aurora loves it out here in the gardens. But right now it just feels like another reminder of things I can’t have: sunshine and fucking roses.

That’s why I grabbed up the pruning shears and started chopping.

I replay the other night for the millionth time. Ariadne’s hands on my skin. Her mouth on mine. The way she moved against me like she was starving.

And then that wall slamming down, her eyes going distant, cold enough to give me…

Well. Frostbite.

The worst part isn’t that she pushed me away. The worst part is that Icare. I always care too much, wear my heart like a neon sign on my sleeve while everyone else keeps theirs locked away safely. I’m so tired of being the one who reaches out only to grab fistfuls of air.

“I believe that rose bush has surrendered.”

The sudden voice startles me and I whirl around to find Aurora watching me, amusement in her eyes. Without asking, she gently takes the pruning shears from my death grip and demonstrates the proper technique on the mangled bush.

“Sorry,” I say automatically. “I wasn’t thinking…”

“Like this,” she says, making a clean cut. “You want to open the center, let it breathe. But really, this isn’t the best time of year to be cutting back.”

I grunt in acknowledgment. Aurora brings order to chaos, just like Ariadne tried to do with me. The difference is Aurora doesn’t act like emotions are a contagious disease.

“You know,” she continues, setting down the shears, “some flowers need careful cultivation. Others grow wild no matter what you do. The trick is knowing which is which.”

“Is this a metaphor? Because I’m not really in the mood.”

She smiles. “Bad morning?”

“Bad week,” I sigh.

“But the mission that went well, from what I hear.”

“The mission went great. It’s what happened after.” The words tumble out before I can stop them. “We…connected. Ariadne and me. And then she just shut down. It might never have fucking happened as far as she’s concerned.”

Aurora nods thoughtfully. “Ice melts in its own time. Ariadne’s under there, under all those ice layers. But she’s been frozen for so long she’s forgotten how to thaw.”

“So what, I’m supposed to wait around until she starts acting like a goddamn human being?” I grumble. I feel like a kid whining to mom, even though Aurora isn’t much older than me.

Aurora studies me. “You know, before you came to Elysium, no one ever laughed during training. You bring something special here, Sunny.”

Her words catch me off guard. I look around, suddenly conscious of the other people in the garden—Syndicate members wandering among the plants or just enjoying the morning. A fewnod in my direction. One even smiles. I guess it’s true; people do seem to like me.

Except for one.

“Life’s too short to chase people who run away,” I say finally, more to myself than to Aurora. “Anyway, I better get going.” As I leave the garden, I stuff one of the cut roses into my pocket. Maybe I’ll put it in a vase or something.

I stab myself on the thorns of it later, forgetting it’s there at all when I shove my hand in. I bring it out, cursing at the deep prick in my thumb that’s drawn blood. The rose is still beautiful, even crumpled from my pocket and missing more than a few petals.

But it’s still dangerous, too.

Several nights later, I’m running up and down Elysium’s main staircase, training. My plan is simple: work until my muscles scream, then work some more. Physical pain is easier to deal with than emotional limbo. I’ll train until I’m too exhausted to think about Ariadne and her mixed signals. Maybe I’ll even?—

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