Page 29 of Her Big Bad Wolf

I stumbled around as if I couldn’t see in the dark.

Sure enough, there were goats, sheep, a donkey, and even a chicken coop. Other shadows were in the distance. Was that an alpaca in the trees?

I was so confused. I almost wondered if I had hit my head or something and didn’t realize it.

Was I delusional?

Was this really here?

And that scent. I could happily stay here forever smelling it.

A short distance away I saw a cozy cabin. There was smoke coming from the chimney, but even that couldn’t diffuse the scent I now realized I’d been tracking.

Who lived all the way out here?

Where was I?

I walked around checking it out, but didn’t quite make it to the window because that’s when I heard it—the unmistakable sounds of running feet in the woods.

The boys.

Remembering why I was out here, I ran towards the sound as fast as I could, but about twenty yards into the woods, I tripped and faceplanted on the ground. The momentum had me skidding headfirst into a wall of stacked logs.

“Ow,” I whined.

Looking around I was confused. It looked much like a small fort, but why would it be out here?

The click of a shotgun had me frozen in place.

Crazy Sac.

My fight or flight instinct kicked in. Apparently, both worked simultaneously.

As he approached, I kicked out and scrambled to my feet.

I heard him roar followed by the crashing of the logs.

Not sure if he had fallen on them or deliberately destroyed them, I kept running. How fast could an ancient old man be anyway?

This was my flight instinct in full swing.

But I was wrong . . very, very wrong.

I could suddenly hear footsteps behind me and they were coming fast. I didn’t dare look back, but when the shotgun fired off, I froze in place.

My eyes frantically searched the area for somewhere to hide.

“Don’t move,” a deep voice said. The sound of it vibrated through my body with a strange awareness I was not prepared for.

Mine,my wolf said, and my entire world turned upside down.

Isaac

Chapter 10

The squatter in my woods was getting more brave by the day, or stupid.

I’d had the surveillance cameras on my television watching for any signs of trouble all day. It was getting late and I was considering getting ready for bed. I’d even stepped away long enough to take a shower and clean up before calling it a night.