Wolf Mate

2

A few steps into the trees, I was sure no one could see me from the EEU campus. I rubbed my chest to relieve the tension. I hated how my emotions took over at times. It was as if something inside me amped them up, and the anxiety-controlling coping mechanisms countless counselors had taught me didn’t do s**t to help, though I still tried them.

I walked a mile into the woods, not slowing until I’d taken the edge off the hysteria. When I spotted a sizable fallen tree trunk, I sat on the wood, ignoring the faint dampness from the rain the night before that was soaking into my jeans.

A cool breeze contrasted with the warmth of the air, and I leaned my head back and looked skyward, hoping I’d see a bird fly overhead.

As I breathed in the forest pine scent, the wolf I’d helped right before I graduated from community college flitted into my mind. He’d been caught in a hunter’s trap, a hunting practice that was illegal in that part of the mountains. When I’d stumbled upon him, he’d growled, but those bright-yellow eyes had seemed so intelligent … so real. I’d told him I was there to help him, and it was as if he’d understood me. It was the type of moment that made me want to be a vet.

A sense of calm embraced me. My lungs filled with fresh air, and the sounds of animals scurrying in the woods brought me serenity.

Home. The word echoed in my head, and a vision of the tall guy popped into my brain. My stomach bubbled, not out of discomfort but from excitement and expectation.

This had to stop. I had to clear my head.

The fizzle subsided to a jolt as I allowed the tranquility of the moment to wash over me. I dug my shoes into the mulch, slowing the momentum of the thoughts that kept invading my mind.

I was sitting there in silence, lost in the moment, when curiosity brushed against my mind. A branch snapped, and I wasn’t surprised to find a deer twenty feet away. Its head tilted as it took me in and slowly inched forward.

This was why I visited the woods: to be one with nature and see its miraculous creatures alone and up close. The deer continued toward me, curiosity brimming in its dark eyes. I held out both hands, wanting her to see I meant her no harm.

A chill ran down my spine, and the hair on the nape of my neck rose.

I tensed as an all-too-familiar sensation washed over me, and the deer paused. She averted her eyes to my right, confirming my fear.

Someone was watching us.

Huffing, the deer spun and ran in the opposite direction, and the lump in my throat tripled in size.

I tried to swallow and failed.

Perhaps someone was merely hiking in the woods, but my skin was crawling. I’d seen the evil mankind could do when they encountered something they didn’t understand—like a deer walking straight up to me without concern. Not that the deer had gotten that close, but it had been approaching.

I wouldn’t stay here to see if the person meant me harm. After all, I needed to move my stuff into my apartment and didn’t want to worry Lucy by how late I was.

I stretched as if I didn’t have a care in the world. Showing my fear was the worst thing I could do; if this was a bullying tactic, it would make whoever was spying on me feel more powerful. I pretended to yawn, hoping it would help my act, though my blood was already fizzing again.

I stood slowly, attempting to come off like nothing was wrong, but every cell in my body wanted to run. The last time this had happened was in high school. A group of students had cornered me in the back of the school and shoved me around. Worse, the ringleader had been Lizzy, a girl who’d been my best friend in preschool.

Acid inched up my throat as I started to hike back toward the campus. I had an inkling where the person was, thanks to my deer friend, so I made sure to move to the left of that area.

The woods were supposed to be my salvation, not a place where I didn’t feel safe. This was the one place I could go to find a little sanity and feel as if I belonged.

Gritting my teeth, I listened hard for sounds that the person was following me or trying to cut me off. All I could hear was my rapid heartbeat.

Adrenaline shot through me, and the jolt turned into the fizzing sensation again. Something like sinister curiosity rolled over me, and sweat pooled under my arms. Something was definitely out here with me.

The trees thinned, and I was almost free.

My skin tingled as my blood hummed within me. I glanced over my shoulder, searching for the cause. Any pretense of calmness was gone, and I sensed that someone was nearly on top of me. I began to jog, often glancing over my shoulder for anyone behind me. Then I crashed into something that felt a damn lot like a brick wall.