Page 31 of Lines

Clear.

Huge.

Terrified.

Cursing under my breath I extend my hand slowly and move closer. “It’s okay, buddy. You are fine. I won’t hurt you.”

His head moves to the side, and I can see his ears twitch at the sound of my voice. He’s scared, but that doesn’t stop him from growling softly at me.

“I won’t do anything,” I promise, my voice soft.

Once I’m a few steps away from him, I squat down and offer him my hand again. “Come on. You are safe. Those guys won’t bug you again.”

The pup stares at me, almost like he’s assessing me. His blue eyes are slightly creepy. They are so light and full of intelligence. I can almost hear him think. Will he hurt me? Is he worthy of my trust?

Patiently, I wait for him to get up and come to me. I don’t want to scare him even more than he already is.

Slowly, the dog gets on his skinny legs and limps closer. He is just a puppy, no more than three or four months old. He has pointy ears and his fur is a mix of blacks, grays, and browns. He’s dirty and really skinny. He drags his back left leg behind him. Most likely, he’s been around here for a while, left by his owner.

“That’s it, buddy. Come here.”

His soft nose touches my outstretched fingers. He sniffs my fingers and my hand before slowly licking it. When he looks like he’s comfortable enough around me, I scratch him under his chin.

“What am I going to do with you?”

Amelia

“Lia! Amelia, wait!” I hear my name being called in the maze that’s the school hallway just before the class starts.

At first, I think I’m imagining it, it’s so loud in here, but I can hear the quick footsteps following behind me.

Looking over my shoulder I see one bulky form right behind me. My eyes go up, way up. “Max!” A shy smile curls my lips, but not for long. “What happened to you?”

“What?” He rubs the back of his neck.

“Your lip.”

My hand moves on its own, touching the slightly red, swollen skin. It’s cut open in the corner. Thankfully the blood is not running out of the wound. Still, it looks raw and new. All puffy and swollen, so I guess it happened not that long ago, probably yesterday.

His fingers trace his puffy lip as if he just now remembers what happened. A shadow passes over his face, but it’s gone quickly, replaced by a carefree smile.

“It’s nothing.” He waves his hand. “The practice just got a bit rougher than usual.”

My brows furrow in confusion. “Practice?”

“He’s a Wolf.”

I jump in the air at the sound ofhisvoice. Why does he do that?Howdoes he do that? For a guy that’s over six feet and two hundred pounds, he can sneak up on someone too easily. It shouldn’t be humanly possible to do so, but of course, if somebody can do it, it’s Derek.

Goosebumps rise on my flesh, and I can barely contain my need to shiver. But there is no stopping my heart that kicked up a notch once it felt him near.

Traitor.

I don’t turn around to acknowledge him. It’ll irritate the hell out of him, and no matter how childish it may seem, that small thing gives me immense pleasure.

“You play hockey?”

“Yep.” The P pops and his grin widens, showing off his dimples. “You should come to the game sometimes.”

---