The Wolf Under the Full Moon

Chapter 9: The Cave

RORY POV

I smiled at my mom and quietly walked out the front door. I felt a little guilty leaving her since we spent almost every waking moment together, and the sanctuary was both of our responsibilities. But I also needed a break. I was looking forward to spending some time with a human that wasn't my mom, Brian or Mei. And Mei hadn't volunteered at the sanctuary in a few weeks now, so besides my mom and Brian, I hadn't spent time with another human. At least until Oliver and I had hung out.

'On my way!' I texted Oliver.

'Cool, you remember how to get back to my house?'

'Yeah,' I texted back. That was a little white lie. I sort of did.

'Okay, meet me at the trailhead at Saffron. Text me when you get there, and I'll ride up.'

'Okay, see you soon,' I texted back. I could feel my heart pumping. I didn't want to think about how excited I was to see him. All those tingly feelings started to flow through my body, and I could feel in between my legs quivering just thinking about him. What was this man doing to me?

I started at the back gate and headed west towards Saffron Mountain. Today I felt prepared. I had my bear spray, I had my cell phone, and I had mom's gun. This time, if wolves surrounded me, I had a chance of surviving.

I started up the narrow path through the thick forest surrounding the sanctuary. The property's previous owners had used this little path to get to the main hiking path. That was the same path that wrapped its way around the back of town, finally merging with the Saffron Mountain trail. I was a little nervous about hiking alone but tried to occupy my mind just enough to stay focused and alert of my surroundings without focusing on my fear of being in the wilderness.

All my mom's pressing reminded me that she probably was lonely. She hadn't dated anyone since my dad had passed away when I was three. That's over two decades. I wondered if she had a secret lover in town. There was no way someone went twenty-three years without a romantic touch and was okay with it. My mom could have her cold moments, but she seemed like someone who would enjoy the company of a male companion who wasn't an employee or a wolf.

I thought about my dad. I wonder if his death had permanently scarred my mom in some irreversible ways. I didn't know much about my father. I wondered if they ever had turmoil in their relationship. And I had been serious when I had told Oliver about getting a DNA test. I have always wondered if I had relatives out somewhere in the world. After this missing wolf situation was sorted out, I would try to get around to that.

After finally reaching the main hiking trail, the path widened, and I could choose to hike left towards Saffron Mountain or right towards the river. I turned left towards the mountain and began walking down the hiking trail, nicknamed by locals "The Wayford Trail," to the top of the tree line on the other side of town. The plan was easy enough, I reminded myself. I had to reach the trailhead. I would text him and wait there, and he would meet me at the top of the hill next to his house with his quad. It sounded like a solid plan.

Today, the trail was empty, and I think that word about the rogue wolves had gotten around. Usually, you would see at least a couple of people on the main trail, either hiking to Saffron or traveling east towards the river. But I didn't see a single person, and I started to worry I would never feel safe in my hometown until these wolves were dealt with. Paisley and Mr. Brown had been chased down in town. And here I was walking remotely alone, the perfect situation for a group of angry wolves to take advantage of.

I picked up my pace and made it safely to the top of the tree line. Here, the path widened, and an old brown wooden sign was staked into the ground with "Saffron Mountain Trail" inscribed. I pulled out my phone to text Oliver I was there at our meeting point. No signal.

Of course. Why hadn't we thought of that? I could have sworn I would have a signal at least a little further up the mountain, but I guess I was mistaken. I turned my phone off then back on to see if that would help, but I still had no signal. I pulled up Oliver's last message and texted him, 'here at the trailhead.' I was greeted by a 'message not sent error. I had a few options. I could go home. Or, I could try finding his place myself. I could see the small path hunters took that led down the mountain to the left. I wanted to believe that was the way towards Oliver's house. There weren't any other visible trails on the opposite side, and as I scanned both sides of the trail, that was the only other side trail I could see. That had to be the way to his house.

I could also go back down the mountain and text him when I had a signal. That was probably the safer bet and much more logical than giving up and going home. But how long would that take? I had put on a pair of black knee-high riding boots that, while not entirely uncomfortable, weren't exactly the right shoes for outdoor hiking. I frowned to myself. I usually made better decisions than this. In fact, usually, I worried too much and tried prepping for every possible scenario. The idea of hanging out with Oliver had made me so excited I hadn't logically thought of all the worst-case scenarios this time or prepared for them.

I decided to hike back down and try texting him when I had a signal. I turned and began walking back down the hill, back towards home. I thought about all the weird, sensational feelings I had when we had hung out that day. And more importantly, questioned why I couldn't stop thinking about him. He wasn't like any man I had ever met in Wayford, sure, but since the day we had hung out, every free second I had spent thinking about him.

And I had yet to process how the white wolf had been at my rescue twice. The first time, he had just disappeared, and in his place, had stood Oliver. Why was the white wolf just showing up where the pack of aggressive wolves was? Why wasn't he aggressive? And why was he alone? I couldn't help but think that somehow the situation with my wolves disappearing and the fierce wolves were related. It was hard not to believe they were connected. But how did Oliver factor in? With his grey eyes, grey just like the white wolf's eyes.

And what about Jeremy's pack comment? Didn't Oliver mention something about packs disappearing? I thought it was a strange coincidence that Oliver knew so much about wolves. And he and Jeremy just moved into our small town randomly, right when wolves start attacking humans. How did this tie in with our wolves going missing?

Oliver had said he worked with crypto, but "crypto" was not a job when I researched online. It was a form of currency. He hadn't elaborated on the crypto thing. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I figured there was something suspicious going on.

I reached the bottom of the trail at the back of town and pulled out my phone. Still no service. I stared at my phone in confusion. Why wasn't I getting any service? In my defense, I had never really paid attention to when my service cut out. In fact, I really didn't use my phone much, at least not as much as other people my age did. Have I always not had service in the woods?

I put my phone back in my jacket pocket and decided to begin my way back towards the mountain. I knew where the trail was. How hard would it be to find a giant stone house in the woods?

***

AT SAFFRON MOUNTAIN TRAILHEAD

I reached the trailhead about a half-hour later and began my way down the narrow path through the spruce-covered hill. I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of a stone house, fence, or any signs of civilization. This was a hunter's path, not really made for hiking. I stepped carefully as it weaved around trees and down the hill at a zig-zag.

After hiking downhill slowly, the path veered right at a level clearing, where the forest continued, and a small stream ran across. Where was the house? I looked to the left and right of me and saw nothing but spruce-filled forest for what looked like miles. There was no way I could have taken the wrong path; this was the only path at the trailhead. Had there been another I didn't see? Across the clearing, the forest and trail continued. I stepped across the stream. I had no choice but to keep going. I felt the climb back would be too steep for me to climb without slipping and falling, especially with these boots, but hopefully, I wouldn't have to worry about that.

I made my way across the forest and was relieved to see I was on a hill that gently sloped ahead. But when I made it to the edge of the mountain, I saw there was simply more forest below. Miles of it. I had somehow made a wrong turn somewhere. I checked my phone, not surprised to see there was still no signal. There was, however, a cave at the base of this hill not far down. I wasn't sure if going near it was safe, but I didn't have a choice but to keep going. The cave was at the tree line, which meant I should find one of the smaller trails leading to the Wayford trail if I kept hiking further eventually. I doubted the house was anywhere near my location, and I couldn't see the town.

I made my way down to the cave. I hadn't seen a cave in this area before, and I wondered if this cave was something locals really knew about. My mom had never mentioned the cave, and I had never heard anyone else mention it either. I peered in and was surprised to see a shiny purple light coming from inside the cave. It was a light purple color, and it seemed to radiate from inside. Was someone inside?