Among the wolves

A wolf in the window

The rest of the day dragged on forever. I had two more classes where people stared and whispered. Teachers gave me sympathetic looks about my parents.

By the final bell, I was exhausted.

Marcus found me in his car. “Rough day?”

“You could say that.”

“Tyler’s an i***t. Don’t let him get to you.”

“It’s not just Tyler. It’s everything. Everyone staring, everyone whispering. And Asher—”

“What about Asher?”

“He was in my English class. We had to sit next to each other. It was…” I couldn’t find the words.

“Painful,” Marcus finished. “The mate bond gets stronger the more time you spend together. Even being in the same room intensifies it.”

“How am I supposed to survive a whole semester sitting next to him?”

“I don’t know. But we’ll figure something out.” He unlocked the car. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

On the drive back, I stared out the window at the passing trees. The forest looked darker today. More menacing.

“Marcus? What’s a rogue?”

He tensed. “Why do you ask?”

“I heard Elena mention it. That night I overheard you all talking. She said a rogue was targeting me.”

Marcus was quiet for a long moment. “A rogue is a werewolf who’s left their pack. Broke the rules. They’re dangerous because they don’t follow our laws anymore.”

“And one is after me?”

“We think so. There have been… incidents. Hikers attacked near our property. Someone’s been watching the house. And your mother called Elena a few months before the accident, saying someone was following her.”

My hands went cold. “You think the rogue killed my parents?”

“We don’t know for sure. But the timing is suspicious.”

“Why would a rogue want to hurt me?”

“We’re still trying to figure that out. But Elena thinks it has something to do with your hybrid blood. You’re rare, Maya. Special. And sometimes that makes you a target.”

Fear crawled up my spine. “So I’m in danger.”

“You’re safe at the house. We won’t let anything happen to you. That’s why Dominic’s been so strict about security. Why do we all take turns patrolling at night.”

“I heard howling last night. In the forest. Was that—”

“Probably the rogue. Testing our boundaries. Seeing how close he could get,” Marcus looked at me seriously. “That’s why you can never go into the forest alone, Maya. Ever. Promise me.”

“I promise.”

****

Back at the house, delicious smells came from the kitchen. Elena was making dinner.

“Good first day?” she asked.

“It was okay. People stared a lot. This boy, Tyler, was awful to Marcus.”

Elena’s expression darkened. “The Harris boy? He’s always been trouble. His family’s been in Silver Creek almost as long as ours. They’ve always suspected what we are.”

“He called Marcus a freak. Asked if he was going to transform and bite him.”

“He’s fishing for reactions. Trying to get proof.” She stirred something on the stove. “That’s why we have to be so careful. One mistake, one slip up, and the whole town could turn on us.”

“Has that ever happened? A town finding out?”

“Once. About sixty years ago, in Colorado. A Blackwood cousin got careless. Changed in front of humans. They tried to kill the entire pack.” Her voice was grim. “That’s why we have rules. Why we so protective of our secrets"

Footsteps on the stairs made us both look up. Asher appeared, saw me, and immediately turned around.

“Asher Michael Blackwood, you stop right there,” Elena said sharply.

He froze but didn’t turn around.

“You two had a class together today.”

“Yeah,” Asher said tightly. “And I’m going to talk to the teacher about switching seats.”

“You’ll do no such thing. That’ll only draw more attention.”

“I don’t care. I can’t sit next to her every day, Mom. It’s too much.”

“You can and you will. You need to learn to control yourself around Maya. Running away isn’t the answer.”

“Control?” Asher spun around, his golden eyes blazing. “You want me to control the mate bond? That’s like asking me to control my heartbeat! Every second I’m near her, I’m fighting every instinct I have. It’s impossible!”

“Asher—” I started.

“No!” He looked at me and the pain in his eyes was unbearable. “You don’t understand. You feel the pull, I know you do. But for me, it’s a thousand times stronger. My wolf is screaming at me to claim you, to protect you, to never let you out of my sight. And I can’t. Because doing any of that could kill you.”

“What if it wouldn’t?” I asked quietly. “What if Liam’s right? What if I’m strong enough?”

“What if you’re not? What if we try, and you die in my arms like Sarah died in Thomas’s?” His voice broke. “I couldn’t survive that, Maya. I couldn’t.”

He turned and ran up the stairs. A door slammed.

Elena sighed heavily. “He’s terrified. We all are. The mate bond is supposed to be the most beautiful thing in our world. But for Asher, it’s a nightmare.”

“Because of me.”

“No, honey. Because of the situation. Because of the rules that say wolves and humans can’t be together safely.” She touched my shoulder. “Give him time. And try not to take it personally. He’s not rejecting you. He’s trying to save you.”

That night, I couldn’t sleep. Again. I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything.

Tyler’s threats. Asher’s pain. The rogue in the forest. My parents’ maybe-murder.

It was too much. All of it.

Around midnight, I heard it. A long, mournful howl from the forest. Closer than before.

I got up and went to the window. The moon was almost full, casting silver light over the trees.

Movement caught my eye. Down in the yard, a figure stood at the edge of the forest. Even from here, I could see who it was.

Asher.

He was staring into the dark trees, his body tense. Like he was listening to something. Or waiting for something.

The howl came again. Asher’s head snapped toward the sound.

Then, as I watched, his body began to change. It happened fast bones shifting, muscles rippling, his form dropping to all fours.

Within seconds, where Asher had stood, there was now a huge wolf with dark gray-brown fur.

My breath caught. I’d known it intellectually, but seeing it was different. He was magnificent. Powerful. Wild.

The wolf Asher lifted his head and howled back at the forest. The sound was both beautiful and terrifying.

Then he disappeared into the trees.

I stood at the window for a long time, waiting for him to come back. But he didn’t.

Eventually, I crawled back into bed. But sleep didn’t come for hours.

All I could think about Asher. Those golden eyes still unmistakably Asher’s, even in his wolf form held me completely. It didn’t matter that he stood before me as something wild and untouchable; I could still feel that same quiet pull, that same impossible tenderness.

And God, I still ached for him.

For his touch.

For the warmth of his hands against my skin.

For the way his lips might feel if they ever finally found mine.