Page 2 of A Wolf's Wound
All I want to be in Stonehaven is a vet—Dr.Hannah Kelly.
Though there is a caveat.There’salwaysa caveat with wolves.They’re trickier than foxes,dammit.
My stepdad couldn’t just let me go and be on my own in a strange town.He had to help me find the clinic in Stonehaven, and when he demanded he be the one to negotiate the deal with Gavin Stone, I finally understood his angle.
In Stonehaven, I will be a nothing but a vet to the humans of the town.
But I’m also the healer for the Stone pack should they need assistance.
And oh!By the way, I’m under the pack’s protection now.
Goody.
I almost groan at the memory but swallow it down and refocus on April as she chatters on about the man she’s soon to meet.
“He picked me up in a bar,” she confesses, wrinkling her nose just a bit, and I mirror the expression.
“Wow,” I deadpan, my voice dry with teasing sarcasm.“Exactly where I’d want to find my Prince Charming.”
“It isn’t serious.Yet.” April shrugs.She nudges my shoulder then.“But maybe I should find out if he has a friend.You could do with some…” She waggles her eyebrows.
“Yeah, maybe.We’ll see.”I’m eyeing the bed again.
Veterinary school can be tough, especially when some patients get stuck in fences at two in the morning.I realized a long time ago that sleep is my most precious resource.The bed was my only damn concession.This time, I keep the expletive inside.I don’t need another grumbling lecture from Shadow.
“Anyway, I have to get ready.I’ve helped all I can.I don’t know about the bed, honey.Maybe I’ll find a chainsaw on the way home.”She wiggles past the bed and down the hall to her own room.
“Don’t you dare!”I call to her as she hurries to get ready for her date.
April is out the door twenty minutes later.If only getting ready was so simple for all of us.
The place is too silent after April leaves.Things areneversilent with my BFF around.She keeps a stream of chatter going at all times, unless she’s at work.Then she’s all business.I didn’t realize how comforting it was until she’s gone.
So I turn on the television in my new bedroom and flick through the copious shows until I settle on something I like.God, April would cringe if she saw that I was watching another David Attenborough special.
I zone out while Sir David speaks about the eating patterns of whales and go about unpacking more boxes.While my bedroom may be small, I do have a lot of space to myself.
I have my own bathroom, and a small living area with lots of storage.There is also a shared living area with a kitchen and a shared bathroom.All in all, I think I’ll be pretty comfortable living here.
I’m nearly finished unpacking when I hear a knock on the door.I look up, dazed, and see that only an hour has passed since April left me to my own devices.It’s still early in the evening.Maybe April’s date was late and she slipped back to change her outfit?
Or maybe she forgot her keys?
I hope it’s her and not someone from the Blackwood pack coming over to “pop in” because they were “in the area.”
Knowing my parents, they’ve already got someone in the neighborhood to keep an eye on me.Like I said, tricky, tricky wolves.
I’m pretty convinced a keyless April is at the front door as I maneuver my way through the various boxes strewn all over the place.
Maybe if it was anyone else, I’d throw on a robe since all I’m wearing is a pair of loose shorts and an oversized shirt.I’m walking barefoot, and my long hair is in an unkempt bun.I haven’t had the willpower to brush my hair or put on real pants since the move began.
Besides, summer is settling into its peak, and sweat has already gathered at the nape of my neck and at the small of my back.
“Coming, April,” I call out as I look around for her set of keys.“You need to get your head screwed on right.”They must be in her room, I conclude as I reach for the dead bolt.“What if I’m not here when you forget your keys next time?”
The door is only half unlocked when it bursts open, the force sending me stumbling back.Wood splinters fly through the air, spinning and twisting in the crowded entryway.
For a moment, I’m frozen even as I fall.My mind can’t process any information except the debris clouding the air as my body moves unbidden.Then movement near the entry draws my gaze, and I stare as a body moves toward me.A man bursts through my door.He’s average-sized with his shoulders hunched, but that is all I can see of him.
