Page 70 of Wolf's Providence

There would be no honeymoon for Caleb and me. He was a shifter, I was not. I didn’t think there was a happily ever after in our future.

Lorna changed the topic when she saw how subdued I was. We said our goodbyes around four, and I refused her offer of a lift. I needed to be seen and lure out my would-be-attackers, so I opted to walk. Like I usually would.

As I walked home, the world felt strange, the hairs on my arms prickling as I walked. It was the tail end of November,Thanksgiving was three days away, and I was bound to be feeling the chill since the snow had started falling.

Only I wasn’t cold. In fact, the cool air was pleasant. My steps slowed as I considered the changes in my body since coming off of Blackridge Peak.

My appetite had increased. I wanted more meat in my diet. I felt so much stronger in my body.

I’d only had one ME flare-up since I came out of the bunker, and it was so mild it was barely noticeable.

Fishing in my pocket, I brought out my phone and immediately called Doc. I then hung up as quickly. I couldn’t have this conversation in the street. I didn’t know who was listening. And then I didn’t know if I wassupposedto have this conversation in the street because I wasn’t supposed toknowpeople were listening.

God, my head hurt.

I was so caught up in my head that I didn’t even realize it was happening until it happened.

The figure moved in my peripheral vision, hovering just long enough for me to register the threat and then recognize the threat. He was closer than I’d expected, and his face was partially hooded, but I would have recognized him anyway.

The man from the bus station.

He walked rapidly towards me with a single-minded intensity that froze me in place. I stumbled slightly in my haste to walk backwards. I knew I needed to moveaway. Recovering myself, I forced myself to turn around, every nerve on high alert as I started to run.

I heard him chasing me, and fear made me run faster. Suddenly, a hand as strong as steel grabbed my shoulder, hauling me backwards as I let out a hoarse scream for help.

A hand was slapped over my mouth as I was lifted off my feet. I got ready to struggle when out of nowhere, the guy wasknocked away from me. I fell to the ground, my hands scraping against the sidewalk. When I looked up, the guy from the station was wrestling with the guy from the bakery, and I felt some relief as I watched him wrestle the other shifter.

Then Caleb was there. He crossed the distance between us so fast it was almost unnatural, his shoulders rigid, his eyes as hard as steel. The guy from the station clambered to his feet, took one look at Caleb, his face pale beneath the shadow of his hood, and then he bolted.

The guy who’d tackled him was already on his feet, giving chase. Caleb’s arm was around me, pulling me to my feet, crushing me to him. “Are you okay?” His voice was low, and though it was probably meant to sound reassuring, it came out as a growl.

“I’m fine,” I whispered, my knees shaking. “I’m okay.” I saw the wildness in his eyes. “Go, find out who he is.”

“I’m not leaving you,” he bit out. His face was dark with fury. I hadn’t seen that look of anger on his face since the night on Shadowridge Peak. His fists were twitching, his wolf riding close to the surface, and I saw his eyes change color as he struggled to hold on to his control, as if he were fighting the chance to tear into someone.

I knew what those fists felt like when he lost control. Without thought, I backed away.

Caleb saw my move, saw where my gaze was fixed, and I saw the devastation in his eyes as he realized what had happened. He looked away, masking the pain at seeing my reaction.

I moved towards him, but he held up his hand. “Don’t, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Caleb…”

His jaw clenched. “It’s not over. I need to know who he is and what he’s doing. Come, I’ll take you home.” He walked briskly the short distance to my home, never speaking.

And I didn’t know what to say.

At my front door, he backed away. “Lock the doors, open for no one. Not even me.”

He was gone before I could say a word.

Inside, I paced the floor of my living room as I bit my thumbnail, waiting for word from Caleb that he was okay. My cell rested on my coffee table, but it never rang.

Eventually, I made a cup of tea, but it lay untouched as time moved on, and when I did lift the cup to my mouth, it was stone cold.

As the night got darker, I did my best to stay away from the windows. Eventually, I called Doc. I needed a distraction. My improved health would serve that purpose.

He answered on the third ring. “Willow? What’s wrong?”

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