somewhere safe – if that place existed. Out here, in the mountains with Aidan’s silent but strong presence, she could believe it did.
“You asked me that yesterday,” she said finally. She looked over at him. The drive seemed to relax him as well, the worry and strain on his face replaced by peace.
“And?”
“Still sore but mostly healed already.”
“Because you’re a werewolf.”
She tensed, the words coming like a physical blow. Yet he sounded more perplexed than anything.
“Yes.”
He nodded and then began to smirk. His smirk turned into a smile before turning into a chuckle. She arched one of her eyebrows and looked at him.
“You know, it explains a lot,” he said, shaking his head.
“What do you mean?”
“I couldn’t figure you out. You didn’t care you’d been bitten. You didn’t blink at the existence of werewolves. You didn’t ask questions when you figured out I’m a werewolf.”
She squeezed the tip of her thumb, tucking the information away for future reference. The chances of her getting swept up into the affairs of another pack didn’t look all that likely, but it hadn’t seemed likely when she’d arrived in Echo Falls either. She needed to be more careful with her behavior. Silly mistakes could only lead to bad things, and she already had more than enough of those. She had to learn to better cover her tracks.
“Do you have a pack? Did you?” he asked.
She wrapped her arms around herself and stared out at the road. “No. Not a real pack. I had friends, but they weren’t… My brother…” She sighed. “No. No pack.”
Relief flooded through her when he didn’t press the subject, though it must have made him curious. Revealing her inner wolf had been hard enough. Other things would have to wait until later. Much later.
“Why didn’t you change the night of the attack? You could have turned into a wolf and defended yourself.”
She began squeezing her thumb again and thought about the question. After all, it would have made sense if she had transformed. Even at the risk of a non-Were seeing her, if it saved her life what did it matter?
“I was too afraid, I think. When I saw the blood, I just wanted to get away. I think I would have changed in the alley, but by then it was too late. Too late to think. I wouldn’t have thought the person chasing me would end up turning into a wolf before I did.”
He nodded and then took a deep breath. “Thomas thinks that someone in the pack is helping the killer.”
She opened her mouth, but no words would come out. Pack or no, it didn’t take a genius to know that pack went beyond friendship and family to a level you just didn’t betray.
“The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. How all the victims were Weres. How he knew where they lived and killed them in their homes. I’m starting to think the attack on you wasn’t a coincidence.”
A cold chill ran down her spine. She reached over and briefly squeezed his thigh. “I’m sure he’s is wrong. There’s another explanation.”
He pulled off the main road onto a dirt road – if it could be called a road – that wound between the trees, taking them up a steep incline. She held onto her seatbelt as the truck bumped and jostled until they came to a flat that had been cleared of trees and covered in gravel.
He parked and then got out of the truck, walking around to open her door. She looked at him, surprised, as he closed it after she got out. She followed him over to the edge of the gravel and almost jumped when he turned to look at her.
“This way,” he said, indicating a walking path she could barely see in the fading light. He looked at her shoes, not exactly practical for hiking, and offered her his hand. “Hold my hand. It can get slippery when it’s damp”
She stared at his outstretched hand, her heart in her throat. Taking a steadying breath, she put her hand in his and they began to walk.
“Do you know about packs?” he asked, looking
“You asked me that yesterday,” she said finally. She looked over at him. The drive seemed to relax him as well, the worry and strain on his face replaced by peace.
“And?”
“Still sore but mostly healed already.”
“Because you’re a werewolf.”
She tensed, the words coming like a physical blow. Yet he sounded more perplexed than anything.
“Yes.”
He nodded and then began to smirk. His smirk turned into a smile before turning into a chuckle. She arched one of her eyebrows and looked at him.
“You know, it explains a lot,” he said, shaking his head.
“What do you mean?”
“I couldn’t figure you out. You didn’t care you’d been bitten. You didn’t blink at the existence of werewolves. You didn’t ask questions when you figured out I’m a werewolf.”
She squeezed the tip of her thumb, tucking the information away for future reference. The chances of her getting swept up into the affairs of another pack didn’t look all that likely, but it hadn’t seemed likely when she’d arrived in Echo Falls either. She needed to be more careful with her behavior. Silly mistakes could only lead to bad things, and she already had more than enough of those. She had to learn to better cover her tracks.
“Do you have a pack? Did you?” he asked.
She wrapped her arms around herself and stared out at the road. “No. Not a real pack. I had friends, but they weren’t… My brother…” She sighed. “No. No pack.”
Relief flooded through her when he didn’t press the subject, though it must have made him curious. Revealing her inner wolf had been hard enough. Other things would have to wait until later. Much later.
“Why didn’t you change the night of the attack? You could have turned into a wolf and defended yourself.”
She began squeezing her thumb again and thought about the question. After all, it would have made sense if she had transformed. Even at the risk of a non-Were seeing her, if it saved her life what did it matter?
“I was too afraid, I think. When I saw the blood, I just wanted to get away. I think I would have changed in the alley, but by then it was too late. Too late to think. I wouldn’t have thought the person chasing me would end up turning into a wolf before I did.”
He nodded and then took a deep breath. “Thomas thinks that someone in the pack is helping the killer.”
She opened her mouth, but no words would come out. Pack or no, it didn’t take a genius to know that pack went beyond friendship and family to a level you just didn’t betray.
“The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. How all the victims were Weres. How he knew where they lived and killed them in their homes. I’m starting to think the attack on you wasn’t a coincidence.”
A cold chill ran down her spine. She reached over and briefly squeezed his thigh. “I’m sure he’s is wrong. There’s another explanation.”
He pulled off the main road onto a dirt road – if it could be called a road – that wound between the trees, taking them up a steep incline. She held onto her seatbelt as the truck bumped and jostled until they came to a flat that had been cleared of trees and covered in gravel.
He parked and then got out of the truck, walking around to open her door. She looked at him, surprised, as he closed it after she got out. She followed him over to the edge of the gravel and almost jumped when he turned to look at her.
“This way,” he said, indicating a walking path she could barely see in the fading light. He looked at her shoes, not exactly practical for hiking, and offered her his hand. “Hold my hand. It can get slippery when it’s damp”
She stared at his outstretched hand, her heart in her throat. Taking a steadying breath, she put her hand in his and they began to walk.
“Do you know about packs?” he asked, looking
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