Page 19 of A Wolf’s Wound

Ryder

I lunge forward and grab the wolf by the collar. He turns around and I take a step back, baffled to see that while he has the snout of a wolf, the rest of his face is human. What the hell is this creature?

Whatever it is, it takes a swing at me. I duck reflexively and then straighten up and land a punch on its jaw. The creature stumbles backward, and I lose my grip. I look quickly at Hannah, who’s taken several steps away from it and looks horrified.

The creature rushes me low, driving its head into my stomach. I gasp and bring my hands down on its shoulders, grabbing its shirt and pushing down at the same time I bring my knee up. The crack that echoes when my knee connects with its face is incredibly satisfying.

The thing stumbles backward, and I lose my grip again. It raises its face, blood streaming from a cut under its eye. I aim another punch, but it jerks to the side and I only connect with air. The creature and I circle each other, each of us looking for the advantage. We’re both breathing hard.

It lunges forward, and I block its punch before returning one of my own that lands with a solid thud in the center of its chest. The creature gasps and goes down, and I jump on top of it, raining blows on its face and torso until it stops moving.

“Are you okay?” I ask Hannah as I slowly stand up, keeping one eye on the still form on the sidewalk.

“Yeah. Are you?”

I nod, even though my knee aches and I can already feel how sore I’ll be tomorrow. I fumble for my phone. “There are patrols out all over the city tonight. Let me call for backup.”

Hannah nods as I make the call. Within seconds a team of enforcers shows up. They handcuff the unconscious creature and haul him back to the compound. I imagine Gavin will be up all night questioning this thing.

“What was that?” Hannah asks after they’ve left. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“Me neither,” I admit. “I thought it was a man at first.”

“So did I. But that face…” she trails off and then shudders. “I’ve seen some fucked-up things during my training, but that beats them all.” She looks at me. “I’m not happy you were following me, Ryder. Still, thank you for what you did.”

“You’re welcome. And at the risk of pressing my luck, I’d like you to stay at the compound tonight.”

“With you?” she asks.

“Me and the rest of my family,” I quickly add. “It’ll be safer than staying in your apartment tonight.”

“Not if I lock the doors and refuse to open them for anyone,” she replies. “Which is what I’d prefer to do.”

“Hannah, I want you to be safe.”

“Funny, but that’s what I want too,” she says dryly. “I feel safe in my apartment, Ryder. But thank you for your concern.”

I sigh, knowing there’s no way I can convince her.

“Fine. But if anything seems off, I want you to call me. Give me your phone.” She reluctantly hands it over, and I save two numbers on it.

“Now you have my number and also the direct line to the compound. Call that if you need backup or you can’t reach me. ”

“Thank you,” she says. “I appreciate that.”

“Can I at least walk you home?” I ask. She begins to shake her head. “Consider that your repayment to me, for saving you,” I add quickly.

“And here I thought you were just being chivalrous,” Hannah says but with a small grin.

“Hey, no good deed goes unpunished,” I reply and she gives me a full smile.

“Fine. It’s unnecessary, though,” she adds and I shrug.

We don’t say anything else on the short walk. For me it’s enough to just walk next to her, our arms occasionally touching. I expect her to say good-bye at the entrance to the building, but she doesn’t say anything when I follow her in.

She unlocks her apartment door and pushes it open.

“April?” she calls, but there isn’t a response.

Hannah doesn’t step into her apartment, and I see a quick flicker of concern cross her face.

I realize that despite what she said outside, Hannah was rattled by the attack, and the empty apartment doesn’t help.

“At the risk of being overbearing, mind if I do a quick sweep of the place?” I ask. “Just so I won’t stay up all night worrying about you.”

Hannah sighs, but I can tell she’s relieved I’ve offered. “If you insist.”

“I do.” I enter the apartment and she follows. I check all of the rooms, but the only sign of life is her pet raccoon asleep on her bed. When I come back into the kitchen, though, Hannah’s staring at the table, her eyes wide. “What’s wrong?”

“You tell me,” she says, and I follow her gaze. An envelope is lying on the table, with my name on it.

“Someone got in? And left something for me?” I ask, confused. This doesn’t make any sense. Who would even know that I would be here tonight?

“How did someone get in?” Hannah asks, her voice tinged with panic. “You didn’t see any signs that anyone broke in. Did you?”

“No, none. Maybe someone dropped this off when April was home?”

“But for you?” she asks.

“I don’t know.” I shake my head. “Maybe it’s from Gavin.” I reach for the envelope and tear it open. Inside is a typed note.

Hi Ryder , it begins. Looks like everything’s starting to come together, hmm? Bet you can’t guess what’s going to happen next. Don’t worry. You’ll find out. And you won’t have to wait long!

I read the note once, twice, and then a third time. “What does it say?” Hannah asks, and I hand it to her. “Okay, what does it mean?” she asks after she reads it.

“I have no idea,” I say. “Honestly, this makes no sense to me.”

“It’s like the world’s friendliest threat,” Hannah says. “It creeps the fuck out of me.”

“Me too,” I admit. I take the note from her and study it again. I hold the paper up to the light, and Hannah gives me a baffled look.

“What’s that supposed to do?” she asks.

I shrug. “I don’t know. I guess I was hoping to see some mark on the paper that would show where it came from.” I lower my arm, bringing the note closer to my face as I do, and suddenly a familiar scent fills my nostrils.

Stunned, I take a step backward. I can’t place the scent, but it fills me with such anxiety that my head starts to spin. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before.

I close my eyes, but that doesn’t help. The anxiety is still swirling through me, but now it’s accompanied by a host of other sensations.

I smell the sharp scents of alcohol and sweat as I hear voices and music.

Bodies are all around me, and the noise is so loud I can barely hear myself think. Wherever I am is dimly lit and hot.

It’s a bar, I think. I can feel the weight of a glass in my hand. I realize this is a memory, that this really happened. I was in a bar and… what else? I open my eyes and see Hannah staring at me.

I sit down at her table. The anxiety is starting to ebb, but I’m more confused than ever. Why did this note stir up all those feelings? What night was I remembering? And who is behind this?