Page 34 of A Wolf’s Wound

Hannah

“Shadow, what’s wrong?” I ask, kneeling down and putting my hands on his front paws. “Is it your cut?” I take a close look at the scratch but don’t see any blood or new bruising.

“Is he all right?” Lori asks, looking concerned.

“I don’t know,” I tell her. Shadow clutches my hands and moves closer to me. I pick him up and hold him tightly. He burrows his nose into my neck as I stand up.

“Can I help?” Ryder’s father asks. At the sound of his voice Shadow squeaks again and begins to chatter as he squirms against me.

“No, thanks, he’ll be okay,” I stammer, taking a step back. I don’t understand; Shadow’s been around wolf shifters before, plenty of times. But this time I can’t calm him down.

Maybe the events of the evening are catching up to him too. I rub his back and scratch his ears, both of which usually relax him immediately. Not this time.

Then Ryder appears, back from wherever he and his brothers went. Shadow jumps out of my arms and into Ryder’s, who catches him easily. “Hey, little guy,” Ryder says and Shadow chatters back happily.

“You have the magic touch.” I laugh as Shadow relaxes against Ryder.

“I guess so,” he says with a smile. “With raccoons, at least.”

“You might be helping me to relax too,” I admit.

“Oh, yeah?” Ryder says, his smile growing.

“Yeah. Your parents are really nice,” I tell him. His mother and father had drifted away once Ryder approached, but I catch Lori’s eyes and see the kindness in them.

“I can tell they like you,” Ryder says, also looking at his mother. Then he looks back at me. “And I’m glad that you’re relaxing.”

“Thanks for not saying ‘I told you so.’”

“Hey, a gentleman never gloats.”

“But does a gentleman disclose his whereabouts?” I ask.

“Oh, me and my brothers? We just had to talk about some stuff.”

“You mean what happened at my apartment,” I say, and Ryder nods. “Did they have any ideas?”

“Not really,” he says. “We all have a lot of theories, but unfortunately that’s about all we have right now.”

“Me too.”

Ryder’s father comes back over. “Hannah, you look quite comfortable here,” he says. “Sometimes newcomers aren’t as relaxed around a pack.”

“Dad, you forget that Hannah’s been around packs before,” Ryder points out.

I wonder if his father really did forget, or was just trying to avoid what he thinks could be an awkward topic.

In case it’s the latter I smile, feeling as though I need to reassure them both that I’m okay.

“It’s true that I grew up in the Blackwood pack although we didn’t have a brood of brothers leading the charge,” I say.

Ryder’s father chuckles. “‘Brood of brothers,’ I like that,” he says.

“Although if you ask Gavin, he’d insist he’s the only one leading anything,” Ryder adds.

“And he’d be wrong because this woman here is our true leader,” Ryder’s father says as his wife joins us too. He puts an arm around Lori’s shoulders and kisses her cheek.

Lori smiles modestly. “Oh, I don’t know about that,” she says.

Gavin, Michael, and Evan wander over, all holding plates of food. “What? You’re not even getting your date dinner?” Evan asks Ryder.

Ryder blushes. “Sorry, Hannah, do you want anything to eat?”

“I’m okay, but maybe grab a burger for Shadow?” I ask. Shadow nods enthusiastically, and he and Ryder go to fix a plate.

“Hannah, sorry your introduction to Stonehaven has been so fraught with danger,” Michael says.

“Well, I did move here for new experiences,” I say lightly.

Michael smiles. “Adventurous, huh?”

“I like to think so,” I reply.

“Where did you live before this?” Evan asks.

“I was at Othercross University for undergrad,” I tell him. He nods, looking impressed. “That’s also where I got my doctorate in veterinary medicine.”

“Beautiful and brilliant,” Lori says admiringly. I blush, but I’m pleased by her compliment. The more time I spend with Lori, the more I find myself wanting her to like me.

“And you grew up in the Blackwood pack,” Gavin states. It’s not a question, but I nod anyway.

“I’ve met Mason a few times,” Michael says, mentioning my stepfather and how I became connected to a pack as a human. “I admire him. Everyone in the enforcer world does, actually. Some of his exploits are legendary.”

“He doesn’t talk about that a lot anymore,” I reply. “At least, not to my mom and me. But I don’t think he’ll ever really stop being an enforcer for the pack.”

“The best ones can’t just walk away,” Michael says. “They’d feel like they were letting down the pack, no matter who else is also there.”

“Is that dedication or arrogance, though?” Gavin muses. “I’m not talking about Mason here, Hannah. Just wondering.”

“Are you saying you want to put our own head enforcer out to pasture?” Evan asks mischievously. “After all, Michael here is next in line for the top job.”

“And I don’t want it until I’ve earned it,” Michael says forcefully. “You know that, Evan.”

“Hey, I was just kidding!” Evan protests.

“You’ll have to excuse my sons,” Lori says. “Some of them have a bit of a chip on their shoulder about their place in our pack. They feel that since they have the Stone name, others assume they don’t work hard.”

“I can relate to that,” I tell her. “There were plenty of times growing up that other kids thought I was getting special privileges because of who my stepfather was. I hated it.”

“See, Evan?” Michael says. “She gets it.”

“I get it too,” Evan says. “I just also think that hey, why not enjoy our place in the pack?” He gestures to the yard and the houses and buildings around us. “It’s a pretty nice life.”

“It is lovely out here,” I agree. “Although I have to admit that I am more of a city girl.”

“We kind of figured.” Gavin smiles. “Your reluctance to come out here spoke volumes.”

“I’m sorry if I offended any of you,” I say to Ryder’s family.

Lori shakes her head and takes one of my hands in hers. “Not at all, dear. If you don’t enter a new situation with an open mind and a willing heart, you might as well not enter it at all.”

Something in her voice makes me think she’s talking about more than just my presence here tonight. And that reminds me of what she said earlier, before Shadow freaked out.

Evan turns to his father, and Gavin pulls out his phone to show Michael something. Lori’s still holding my hand. This would be a perfect time to ask her what she meant, both earlier and now.

“I think you’re a fine addition to Stonehaven,” Lori tells me before I can say anything. “We’re all happy you’re here,” she adds with a knowing look in her eyes.

Before I can talk, though, Ryder is back. “Hey, hope you guys haven’t been giving Hannah the third degree,” he says.

His mother shakes her head and drops my hand. “Honey, we were just chatting. Don’t worry.”

“Although we were about to show her your baby pictures,” Evan says. Ryder playfully slaps him on the shoulder.

But when Ryder looks back at me, I can tell he’s not completely comfortable. Is it Shadow? I glance around and find Shadow happily eating a burger under a tree. And I don’t think that I’ve done anything to make Ryder uncomfortable.

Which only leaves one option… Does he sense something? I look around, trying to pierce the darkness that hovers just outside this well-lit yard. Is something out there, waiting to attack? I remember the creature that broke down my door.

Could he have returned? Is does Ryder sense?