Page 10 of Little Red Riding Hood
Red clutched the map tighter, glaring. “Absolutely not. The Queen has entrusted me with this task, and this map! I am perfectly capable—”
“Of getting us both killed?” Wim raised a brow. The challenge hung in the air, thick and heavy as wood smoke.
Red’s grip loosened. Wim’s hand, large and calloused, reached out.
“Fine!” he all but shouted. “You may assist, until I get my bearings again.” Red wasn’t particularly convinced he’d ever had his bearings in the first place.
Wim pored over the map, mouth twitching into a smirk. “You’ve gone a very funny way so far. You’ve added at least two days onto your journey.”
Red groaned, smacking his forehead. He knew it. He should have turned left at that forked path with the gnarled oak. Instead, he’d stubbornly insisted on taking the right fork, certain it would be quicker. Now he’d wasted precious time.
The Queen’s words echoed in his mind.“Get it done, Red. Show me your worth, after all this time.”He’d been so determined to prove himself, to show he could navigate this cursed forest without help. Fat lot of good that had done. Red’s cheeks burned with embarrassment and frustration. He’d have to swallow his pride and admit his mistake.
“Well?”
Red’s jaw clenched. He’d rather eat dirt than confess his error to the insufferable wolf. But what choice did he have?
“I… may have made a slight miscalculation,” Red muttered, refusing to meet Wim’s gaze.
“Aslightmiscalculation?”
Red bristled. “Oh, do shut up. As if you could do any better!”
Wim’s lips quirked again. “Actually, sweetheart, I could. These woods? They’re almost as familiar to me as my own home. I know every stream, every hidden path.”
Red’s eyes narrowed. “Then why in blazes didn’t you say something earlier?”
“You seemed so confident.” Wim shrugged, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Who was I to argue with the Queen’s chosen one?”
Red’s fists clenched at his sides. He wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug look off Wim’s face. But the sands of time slipped further away.
Wim pointed in a direction that Red thought could be northeast, the complete opposite direction from what Red would have chosen. “Got a wider trail this way. Help us pick up the pace. But listen—traders of the shadier sort use it regularly. They’re not fond of company they don’t know.”
“Fine,” Red spat. “Lead on, then, Oh Great Navigator of the Forest. But I’m watching you. One wrong turn and I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” A growl rumbled deep in Wim’s chest, primal and raw. He stepped closer, looming over Red with his considerable height. The morning light caught on the sharp edges of his canines as his lips curled back—not quite a snarl, but a clear reminder of what lurked beneath his human facade.
Red’s mouth snapped shut. He’d forgotten, for a moment, just what Wim was capable of. The wolf’s eyes darkened, pupils dilating until only a thin ring of colour remained, reminding Red of their first encounter in the forest. Those were not a man’s eyes, they were a predator’s, sizing up their prey.
Wim’s broad shoulders seemed to expand as he drew himself to his full height, his presence suddenly overwhelming. Everything about him seemed magnified in that moment—how very large his hands were, how very sharp his teeth gleamed, how very wild his eyes had become. This was no ordinary man standing before Red, but something from the old stories, something that devoured unwary travellers who strayed from their paths.
Wim’s tongue shot out to moisten his lip, and a shiver ran down Red’s spine, settling low in his belly—fear, certainly, but something else too, something he refused to acknowledge as their gazes remained locked in a silent challenge.
In the space of a blink, Wim abruptly broke the intense moment to turn and walk, weaving around a fallen log.
Red let out the breath he was holding in, clutching his red hood closer around his shoulders.
He jogged to catch up, falling into step with Wim. “I’m not scared of you.”
“You should be.” Wim growled it like a threat. “I’ve… hurt people.”
The hairs on the back of Red’s neck prickled, but he scoffed.
“You laugh, but I’ve claimed three humans as my meals.”
A chill shot through Red that had nothing to do with the frigid air. “I thought that was against your wildling code?”
“Aye, it is. It’s the reason I’m here in these distant woods, rather than running with my pack back home.” Wim’s voice wavered ever so slightly. “Many moons ago now, I developed this… condition.” He slowed his steps to glance at Red. “One that takes over inside of me. A beast that demands to be sated. My pack has banished me until I can cure myself of it.”
