Page 1 of Wedding for My Werewolf

CHAPTER 1

Don’t look back. Don’t look back.

Robin repeated the mantra to herself over and over but it was useless. The back of her neck prickled and she whipped around, scanning the highway behind her for the tenth time in the past hour. Was that the same black pickup truck she’d seen in Asheville when she boarded the bus?

Before she could decide, the pickup truck took the exit ramp, but her heart still wouldn’t slow its frantic pace. She pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the bus window, her breath fogging the pane in irregular patterns as she tried to bring it back under control.

An elderly woman three rows ahead laughed at something her husband whispered. The sound made her flinch, and she ducked lower in her seat, even though the couple hadn’t glanced her way once during the entire trip.

Taking a deep breath, she hugged her worn backpack closer to her chest. Everything she owned now fit in this one bag. Afew changes of clothes. A toothbrush. Some cash. Her old life stripped down to the bare essentials.

The bus left the highway and lurched around a sharp bend, giving glimpses of the valley below through the snow-covered pines. Mist clung to the mountainsides like ghostly fingers. She pulled her worn jacket tighter, though the bus’s heating worked fine.

“Next stop, Fairhaven Falls,” the driver announced through crackling speakers. “Twenty-five minutes.”

She stuck her fingers in her pocket, checking once again that the printout for her appointment was still there. An appointment made through an anonymous email account for a job advertised online. Over the past six months she’d learned more about how to stay hidden.

Perhaps this time it would work. Perhaps Fairhaven Falls would be a chance to stop running, at least for a little while. If she’d been successful. If he didn’t find her this time.

A blast of music from across the aisle made her jump again. The teenage boy sitting there pulled his headphones back into place, giving her a sheepish smile. A perfectly normal teenager—except for his pale blue skin and the pointed ears beneath the headphones. An Other—one of the creatures of myth and legend who shared the world with humans. She knew about them, of course, but they tended to prefer rural areas and she’d always been a city girl. Until now anyway.

Fairhaven Falls was one of their towns, but she’d decided that a town full of monsters was better than monsters hidden in human form. And the elderly couple looked normal enough.Even the big man dozing at the front of the bus was probably human, despite his size.

It’s going to be fine, she told herself, but she still couldn’t prevent herself from taking another glance back over her shoulder.

The bus finally wheezed to a stop in front of a weathered wooden sign reading “Welcome to Fairhaven Falls.”

Keeping her backpack clutched to her chest, she waited for the other passengers to file out first. Through the grimy window, snow-covered mountains rose into a crystal blue sky, framing the town like protective giants.

Her boots threatened to slip on the icy slush as she stepped onto the sidewalk, but she caught her balance, casting a nervous look around.

“There you are, dear! I’ve been waiting ages.”

A tiny old woman wearing a hot pink tracksuit bustled towards her, and she backed away

“I think you have the wrong?—”

“Nonsense.” The old woman grinned up at her, revealing disturbingly sharp teeth. “I’m Flora, and you’re exactly who I’m looking for. Come along now, you must be exhausted.”

“But I didn’t?—”

“The inn’s just around the corner. Best beds in town, if I do say so myself.” Flora linked arms with her, her grip surprisingly strong for someone who barely reached Robin’s shoulder. “And don’t worry about a thing, dear. You’re safe here.”

If only that were true. Her throat tightened. “How did you?—”

“Know?” Flora patted her arm. “Let’s just say I have a knack for these things. Now, come along.”

Her instincts told her to run, but something in Flora’s sparkling black eyes made her pause. The old woman radiated warmth and understanding, and that elusive promise of safety. Unexpected tears pricked her eyes and she shook her head.

“I really shouldn’t?—”

“Nonsense.” Flora started steering her across a wide street lined with old-fashioned storefronts that led down to a frozen river. “In Fairhaven Falls, we take care of our own. And you’re one of ours now, whether you like it or not.”

The words should have sounded ominous, but instead they felt oddly comforting. She’d never had a place where she belonged.

They continued along a street lined with old houses and huge ancient trees. Flora chatted merrily about the inhabitants of each house but Robin barely heard her, still dazed by the sudden turn of events. It wasn’t until she realized they were walking up a long driveway towards a huge white house with a sign that said Fairhaven Falls Inn that she balked.

“I… I can’t afford to stay here.”

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