Page 8 of Dark Wolf Soul
“You want me to stay and walk you?” he asks.
“Nah, I’ll be fine.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. Shady’s still here,” I tell him, waving him on.
Besides, I could use some quiet after the chaos of the past few hours.
He leaves, and I hurry to finish my work. When the last table has been cleaned and all of the chairs have been stacked, I turn in my apron and head for the staff exit in back.
At the door, I hesitate, wondering if I should ask Shady to escort me out. It’s a rule for the dancers that they can’t leave alone—for safety. But I’m not a dancer, and I’ve never heard of an obsessed customer stalking the waitress. Besides, Shady is on my list of people to avoid, especially since he would have heard about my VIP show by now and undoubtedly plans to use it as an excuse to offer me a promotion.
Again.
With that in mind, I slip outside and head for my car. The two-door beater was a gift from the shelter for my volunteer work. It’s lasted three years so far, which, according to Violet, is three years past its expiration date. Now, the heap of metal is probably one pothole away from disintegrating, but I try not to think too hard about future problems considering my current ones are bad enough. Living in it will suck, but I try not to think about that either. Maybe this time, I’ll leave the tiny town of Lakeland, North Carolina behind, start over somewhere new.
Lost in worry, I don’t register just how quiet it is in the gravel lot until I’m halfway across it and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Suddenly, all I noticeisthe silence.
A sense of being watched has me glancing back. There’s no one there.
I force myself to breathe and keep walking.
The wind lifts my hair, sending the ends of it dancing in a breeze that might have felt refreshing—if it didn’t also bring a sense of foreboding.
The club is on the edge of town, which means no traffic comes through unless they’re headed straight here. The isolation has never bothered me before, but suddenly, it leaves me feeling exposed. Vulnerable.
Two things I hate feeling.
The sensation of being watched grows stronger.
I glance around again, peering into the thick trees that border the employee parking lot, but there’s nothing visible in the darkness that wraps the night. The only car left in the lot besides mine is Shady’s lifted truck.
No one else is here,I tell myself.
If there was another car, even out on the street, I’d see it from here.
From behind Shady’s truck, a noise sounds, and I freeze.
In the stillness, a creature steps into sight.
I stare in shock as a wolf, larger than anything I’ve ever seen, stares back at me. Its fur is dark, but its eyes glow bright yellow—and they’re narrowed on me.
I force myself to take a shallow breath and whisper, “Easy, boy.”
Wolves aren’t unheard of in the hills surrounding our tiny rural town, but they don’t come this close or show aggression toward humans for no reason.
At my words, the wolf bares its teeth and emits a low growl.
It takes a step toward me, and panic erases all thoughts in my mind. Before I can decide if it’s smart, I turn and run. My bag falls out of my hand, but I don’t bother going back for it. The gravel is uneven, and my feet wobble beneath me as I aim for the club door. Somehow, the wolf manages to cut me off, blurring past me and planting itself between me and the staff entrance.
I pull up short.
The wolf looks back at me with an awareness that feels impossible. But I can’t deny it just anticipated my route and blocked it rather than coming straight at me.
What the actual fuck?
Why would it do that?
