Page 30 of A Wolf’s Wound

Hannah

For the rest of the day, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being watched.

I know it doesn’t make any sense. I’m in the clinic the entire time.

I control who gets to see me; I even keep my office door closed, which is uncharacteristic enough that I catch Melinda giving me strange glances all day.

Lori’s not in, which is just as well. I don’t know how I’d be able to handle being around Ryder’s mother today.

Every time Melinda pages me to announce that a patient has arrived, my blood pressure shoots up until I can confirm that, yes, it’s just a patient, not Ryder. Or Gavin. Or another of the Stone pack.

I stay in for lunch and finally catch up on the mountain of paperwork that’s collected over the past few days. But even then, I can’t tamp down the sense that someone is keeping an eye on me.

By the time we close up, I’m totally fried. “I’ll see you tomorrow!” Melinda chirps as we lock up.

“Yeah,” I say, trying to muster up a smile. “Have a good night.”

“You too. Hey,” she says, looking a little concerned, “do you want a ride home?”

It’s a sweet gesture, but the thought of having to make small talk seems like too huge a chore right now. “Thanks, but I enjoy walking,” I tell Melinda. “Get home safe.”

“You too,” she says.

Maybe , I think as I walk away from the building, this will give me a chance to clear my head. Or at least shake off the lingering bad feelings from my argument with Ryder.

I expected him to keep going, trying to wear me down with sheer persistence. I have to admit, I was surprised when he just left. And a little impressed. I can’t help but respect him a bit more.

But just a bit. I’m still pissed off that he wouldn’t take my refusal for an answer, that he wouldn’t believe I’m more comfortable on my own than at his family’s compound. And I still don’t think I can trust him.

By the time I get home, I’m not feeling any better. In fact, thinking about all of this on the walk home has just made me more irritated. And now I’m absolutely sure I’m being watched. Probably followed by one of Ryder’s enforcers, who’s reporting back to him on my every movement.

“Argh!” I cry when I finally step into the apartment. I slam the door behind me, and it closes with a satisfying bang. April, who was lying on the couch, sits up suddenly.

“Damn, what’s wrong with you?” she asks, looking startled. “I was napping.”

“Sorry,” I grumble, dropping down on the couch next to her. “Bad day.”

“Patient or Ryder?” she asks.

“Ryder, of course,” I spit out. “He makes me so mad! It’s like he doesn’t know how to listen to anyone, least of all me.”

“Wow, a guy who doesn’t listen,” April says dryly. “What a shock.”

“I know. I know.” I nod. “It’s totally predictable and all that, but that doesn’t make it less infuriating.”

“You’re right,” she says. “What happened?”

“Oh, the same old bullshit,” I groan. “He doesn’t think I’m safe here and wants me to move in with him—”

“The hell?” April asks, and I nod.

“Right? I mean, not with with him, not like that. But into his family’s place so he can keep tabs on me or whatever.”

“One could argue that it’s kind of sweet, how much he cares for your safety.”

“One could also argue that it’s kind of infuriating to continually tell a man ‘no, thanks, I’m good,’ and have him ignore your words.”

“And that one would be right,” April agrees.

“Thank you! There’s another thing too.” I sigh.

“What?”

“I don’t know if I trust Ryder.”

“Why not? Has he lied to you about something?”

“I don’t think so, but I get the feeling he knows more about what’s going on than he’s telling me.”

April wrinkles her brow in a puzzled frown. “Why do you think that?”

“No real reason, I guess. Just a hunch.”

“You do have good instincts,” April says. “I mean, look at how awesome your roommate is.”

“Indeed.” I grin back at her. “Although I do wish I had something more definite to go on here than just a feeling.”

“It’s better than nothing, and I say you trust it,” April advises. “It could be that whatever Ryder’s keeping from you is no big deal. But the fact that he is keeping something from you is a big deal. You know?”

“Exactly! But trying to get him to see that perspective is a fucking waste of breath. It’s so annoying.”

“You want my advice?”

“Desperately.”

April stands up. “Forget about Ryder, at least for tonight. You’re not going to figure anything out when you’re this worked up, anyway.” She goes into the kitchen and comes back with a bottle of wine and two glasses. “I vote girls’ night!”

“Yes, please!” I pick up the remote. “Any movie preferences? If you say romance I’m moving out,” I warn her as Shadow jumps into my lap.

“Nothing too sad,” she says, uncorking the wine. We settle on an action movie and kill the first bottle of wine by the time the movie’s halfway through. I get a second bottle, and as the credits roll, we decide to order in food and cue up the movie’s even worse sequel.

By the time that movie’s almost done, we’re done with our third bottle of wine.

The debris of our night is spread out over the coffee table: half-empty takeout containers, the wine bottles, crumpled-up napkins.

April’s fallen asleep on her end of the couch and I’m only half-watching the movie, my eyes closing in longer and longer blinks. Shadow’s snoring on the floor.

Then there’s a loud banging on the door. Shadow jumps up and into my arms. I’ve bolted straight up, my heart suddenly racing. April sits up, too, and looks around, confused.

“It’s probably just Ryder,” I tell them, but then the banging begins again. It’s frenzied and strong, and April and I look at each other. “It’s not Ryder.”

She shakes her head. “Hannah, this is freaking me out,” April hisses.

“Me too,” I agree. “I locked the door, though.”

“Good,” April says, just as we hear the wooden door begin to splinter. We both leap off the couch but then immediately freeze, not sure what to do next.

“Call someone!” I tell April, throwing her my phone. “Go into the bathroom and lock the door.”

“Come with me!” April begs as the door continues to shatter. We can see chunks of light from the hallway streaming through the cracks.

“Not until I know who this is,” I tell her. “Go!”

April runs toward the back of the apartment. I watch her go and then turn back to the door. With a terrifyingly loud crash, the door shatters into pieces, and a large, wolflike creature enters my home.

“What do you want?” I yell, trying to sound louder and braver than I actually feel.

The creature doesn’t say anything. It just advances toward me. Its eyes are wide and bloodshot, and it is breathing heavily. I recoil as a plume of foul breath tickles my nostrils.

I’m aware of Shadow winding himself around my legs. I try to shake him off, push him in the direction of the bathroom and April, but he’s stubbornly hanging on. Together we back up one step followed by another and another, until I’ve backed into the couch and can’t move.

The creature has been coming toward me this whole time, still silent and panting. “Get back!” I yell, to no avail.

Then Shadow launches himself straight at the creature’s face, teeth bared and claws extended. With one hard swipe the creature knocks my little raccoon to the ground.

“Shadow!” I cry, kneeling down. Blood is pouring from him, but I can’t tell where he’s hurt. He whimpers and I stroke his head.

“It’ll be okay,” I whisper. But when I pull my hand away, it’s covered in blood.