Page 40 of Wolf Cursed
They waved as they drove off.
The office and garage were eerily quiet as I made my way through and up to the apartment. Oscar had already left for whatever mysterious—or nefarious—appointment he’d mentioned earlier. I remembered their warnings, though, and made sure to lock everything behind me as I made my way through the shop.
Upstairs, I turned music on to chase away the silence and took a shower as hot as I could possibly stand before changing into the same pair of comfy sweatpants Oscar had lent me that first night. A sports bra doubled as a shirt, and I made a mental note to ask Idrissa to take me to the thrift store as soon as possible.
The fridge was fully stocked, thanks to my grocery run, but I had zero energy left to cook, especially considering it was just me. After pulling out some steaks to marinate for tomorrow, I settled for a sandwich and a water and sank into Oscar’s aged couch.
Part of me wanted to examine and dissect everything Idrissa had said. And especially everything she hadn’t. There was a hell of a lot more going on between the lines of her explanation than what she’d actually explained—of that, I was damn sure. But I also had a feeling that the more I dug, the less I’d like it.It will only get worse from here.That’s what she’d said. And it had proven true already.
I couldn’t stop thinking about that wolf I’d seen emblazoned on the biker vests earlier. It meant something. I just didn’t know what. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to, honestly. Because if I looked too closely, I’d have to do something about it.
So, I did the thing I’d done with my Dad for years. I landed somewhere between coping with the truth and denying the inevitable fallout to come.
Avoiding anything that resembled reality, I let Netflix lull me. It didn’t take long for the exhaustion to set in and sleep to claim me.
I woke later to find the sun had long since set and Netflix had shut itself off from inactivity. Through the window, I saw that the moon had risen high, and even without checking the microwave clock, I knew it was late.
I got up, carrying my dishes to the sink until a wolf howl froze me where I stood. The haunting, mournful sound sent shudders up and down my spine. It was loud too, which meant it was close.
I peered out the small window above the sink and into the trees that encroached along the edge of the back lot.
Something moved inside the forest, and my breath caught. Dark hair. Broad shoulders. Muscled arms. A flash of eyes that always looked angry.
It had to be my imagination. But I could have sworn I’d just seen Kai Stone standing at the woods’ edge, staring directly up at me.
I gripped the counter and waited, watching to see if he’d reappear. But he’d vanished into the cover of trees as if he’d never been there at all.
It felt like the last straw. Secrets were one thing. Stalking me was another.
I hesitated another moment, weighing the sanity of what I was about to do.
“Screw it,” I said and grabbed my jacket as I slipped out the door and down the stairs.
Outside, the howling had stopped, but a distant growl sounded, pulling me toward it like a magnet rather than sending me running back inside to safety.
I started walking.
In less than five minutes, I was inside the trees, swallowed up by the forest itself. The lights of the road vanished until the town was only a distant idea. There was only me and the forest—and whatever apparition of Kai I’d conjured up.
This was stupid.
I knew it, and yet I continued forward, picking my way across fallen logs and around low-lying forest growth.
Not a single sound broke the silence, which probably should have made me turn back too. Even the night insects had gone quiet. I thought of the wolf I’d heard. If a predator was around, the silence of the other night animals was usually a good indication.
This was such a bad idea.
But the moon lit the trees in a bright glow that was more than enough to illuminate the shadows. If anything, it all seemed lighter here. Ethereal even. Like the light was drawn to this particular part of the forest more than anywhere else. It was so weird. And weirder still was the fact that my feet kept moving me forward.
I should have been terrified out here alone.
I should have hauled ass back to Oscar’s. Hell, I hadn’t even thought to bring my phone with me on this insane little jaunt. But I’d never been one to make the safe or wise decision in the face of danger. More than that, though, something pulled at me like a magnet. Insisting I keep moving. So here I was, still walking toward the growling and howling that seemed to pull me like some sort of magical lure.
Finally, the trees broke, and just ahead, I caught sight of a clearing. Except it wasn’t clear. Or empty.
It was full of wolves. Large ones. Like, bigger than I’d ever seen—even on TV. Bigger than should have been possible.
They were monstrous, and even at a glance, I could tell they were deadly. The way they stood. Casual but ready. Alert.
