The Moon's Legacy

Quiet Before the Storm

Willow POV

My alarm beeped, pulling me out of a fantasy world where I'd been holding my baby boy. A tear slipped onto the pillow before I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to get up.

These dreams used to plague me nightly, but it had been months since the last one, and I thought I was past them. I'd made a place for myself here in Maple Glen, a place where I was friends with the people in the community and felt safe. But these dreams—even the happy ones where I was able to hold the child that I'd lost—stripped away that feeling of security.

I went through my morning routine. The apartment that Mr. Spence rented to me was tiny, but it was home. Over the past year, I'd added small touches—a pretty blue curtain on the window, a thrifted quilt on the sofa, a colorful ceramic bowl on the counter. It had become mine, just as this town had.

I grabbed my keys after slipping on my shoes and headed out. There was still time to swing by the diner before I had to be at work. The scent of coffee and bacon greeted me as I entered, and I couldn't help the smile on my face as Sally waved a hand in greeting. I slipped into my favorite booth, and she came over with a steaming mug, sliding it across the table.

"Your usual, honey?"

"Yes, please." I smiled at her, then grabbed the mug and took a careful sip.

Idly, I listened to the conversations around me as I waited for my food. The usual morning crew was here, plus a few stragglers. I tuned in more consciously to a conversation behind me when I heard the word "wolf."

"I'm telling you, Charlie, I saw a wolf running in the woods last night! A big white one!"

The man, who must have been Charlie, made a disbelieving sound. "Nonsense, Joe. There haven't been wolves in West Virginia for a hundred years. You probably saw a coyote or something. Or someone's lost dog."

Shit. This wasn't good. I'd been letting Ivy run in the woods nightly, but I thought we picked areas that were remote enough that no one would see us. Ivy was alert now, listening in as well.

"It wasn't a coyote, Charlie. I know the damned difference," Joe huffed.

I forced myself not to turn around. Curiosity was normal. A woman suddenly paying attention to a conversation about wolves was not.

"Either way. Next time you go wandering around the woods, lay off the booze first."

Their conversation turned to talk of the best local fishing spots, and I let out a sigh of relief. 'We'll have to be more careful, Ivy.'

'I know.' She settled back down, and Sally arrived with my food.

With a full belly, I waved my goodbyes and walked the four blocks to the veterinary clinic. After I'd decided to stay in Maple Glen, I knew I'd need to find a job, and Doc Blake had an open receptionist position. I convinced him to take a chance on me, and I've been there ever since.

I unlocked the doors to the Maple Glen Pet Hospital and stepped through. A mix of scents carried through the building—the various cats, dogs, and other animals we treated—but on top of them all were the stress hormones of an animal in pain.

Lights came on as I flicked switches on my way through the office to the treatment rooms and overnight kennels. Steel clattered against steel just as I reached the back.

Doc Blake looked up at me briefly. His quick smile was just a flash on his face as he acknowledged my presence. His attention immediately fell back to the chocolate lab on the table in front of him. The dog whimpered, and I could see she was bleeding. Its nose twitched, eyes whirling as it caught my scent. It knew I wasn't human.

The sound twisted something deep in my chest. Hurt like that was always worse when the creature suffering couldn't understand why.

The doctor spoke to it gently, trying to calm it as it started to thrash.

'Ivy!'

'On it.'

Ivy fully masked our scent at the same time as she pushed calming waves toward the injured dog. It settled, and when Doc adjusted her leg, I could see we were dealing with a girl. "What happened, Doc?"

"She stumbled onto my property this morning, whining and bleeding. It looks like some wild animal tore into her."

I stepped over to the table and laid my hand on her head, gently soothing her. Doc looked like he was going to say something, then just shook his head as she calmed down. For a second, I thought he might ask how I did it. My shoulders tensed, waiting for the question I could never answer. He glanced up at me, then went back to suturing her hindquarters. "You certainly have a way with them, Willow. Any other tech in your spot would have been bitten by now."

I shrugged. "I've always had a good relationship with animals. It's people I struggle with," I joked.

He smiled. "Tell me about it."

It fell silent then as he continued to work on the dog. When I was sure his focus was on his stitches and not on what I was doing, I sent a pulse of healing energy through my hands. I could feel the deep internal damage she was suffering ease, so I kept up the flow of energy until I was sure she'd survive. I broke off just before Doc Blake stepped back, wiping the back of his gloved hand across his forehead.

"I think that's the best we're going to be able to do. It's up to her now." He stripped off his gloves, tossing them into the trash. "Thanks for sitting with her while I did this, Willow. I didn't have time to do more than a local anesthetic on her. Keeping her relaxed made all the difference."

Ivy snorted in my head. 'Our healing made the difference.' I ignored my wolf.

She went suddenly still in the back of my mind, her attention snapping toward the front of the clinic.

'What is it?'

'I don't know,' she murmured after a moment. 'Just… something.'

The sensation faded as quickly as it had come, and she settled again. I dismissed it just as easily.

"Happy to help, Doc." I stepped away after one last caress of the dog's head. "I'll get the office opened up."

Humming, I finished the routine of opening rooms and setting up the spaces for the appointments we had scheduled. I wrote the names on our welcome sign, lined up the files Doc would need, and put out the list of pets coming for the groomer. The tasks were soothing.

The morning flew by in a blur of customers bringing their pets in for vaccines, routine checkups, and maintenance appointments for chronic conditions. It was almost lunchtime when a bus pulled up in front of the clinic. It looked like some kind of tour bus, but the sides were blacked out and there was no name on it. A man, well over six feet tall and dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, burst out of the door as soon as it opened. He turned and two more men, both of them tall and preternaturally handsome, maneuvered down the steps, carrying something between them.

Ivy went on alert, though I sensed curiosity more than anything from her. When they were finally away from the bus, the one in the lead strode toward our building, and I saw what the guys behind him were carrying.

Gray fur hung limp between them. Blood dripped steadily onto the pavement as the massive animal’s body sagged in their grip.

Ivy surged forward inside my mind. 'Wolf.'

Suddenly, their size and their looks made sense.