Page 12 of The Alpha Dire Wolf (Bloodlines & Bloodbonds #1)

Sylvie

A ll the spots were open, so I pulled into the one directly under the New Lockwood Surplus & Hunting sign.

The letters painted onto the black background had once been a perfect jungle-green, but the sun had gotten to them, eating away the paint until it faded and flaked away.

Much like the pair of clothing racks sitting out front, loaded with equally sun-soaked standard issue army “camo” gear, the mottled greens were fading to that ugly yellow-beige as all such things did.

Throwing the car in park, I let the war between common sense and “sixth” sense play out one last time.

Though, was it really a war if the outcome was already decided?

My instinct was telling me that I had to be prepared, that I was making the right decision.

If the wolf or the sexy forest lumberjack appeared again, I should be ready.

Ready for what?

The counterargument from my common sense kicked in immediately. What exactly was I going to do if I encountered them again? Follow them into the forest? I didn’t possess any sort of tracking skills, I was no hunter. Simply entering a hunting store didn’t magically change that fact.

They might be the only ones with answers. I have to try.

Back and forth they went, the two sides of the coin spinning endlessly. Until a third argument joined the fray, turning the battle into a free-for-all.

“No,” I growled and bashed the palm of my hand against the steering wheel, trying to deny the thought, to shut it down.

There was another option—an easy one that didn’t involve wild beasts or wild men. All I had to do was sit down and read my grandmother’s journal. All of it. Front to back. Surely I’d find answers in there.

Just the thought made me uncomfortable, twisting my stomach. My instinct was saying I should enter the store. My common sense said to go home. And the part of me that wanted to read the journal? I wasn’t sure what that was. Good or bad?

But rifling through the possessions of the dead wasn’t something that I was ready for. I’d already read some of it, and the uncomfortable sense of intrusion hadn’t faded. That was my grandma’s life, her private thoughts. I had no right.

She left your name attached to it.

I got out of the car and slammed the door shut, trapping those thoughts inside and forcing myself to go over the mental list of things I needed.

Forest gear: boots, pants, a jacket that wouldn’t be too hot in this weather, maybe some rations, perhaps a backpack and sleeping gear.

I also wanted to pick up one of those combination smoke-carbon monoxide detectors to install, just in case.

Throw in some new clothes as well, since my “overnight” bag that I’d stuffed hurriedly was empty, and I didn’t want to do laundry every day now that I was apparently sticking around. Yet another “hunch” I was trusting.

Why are you questioning it now? When have you ever led yourself astray by trusting your gut?

The better question was what had happened when I’d ignored it?

Such as the first time I met Caidyn and shoved aside the warning because he was handsome and kind.

Or thinking I could trust my college boyfriend with my best friend at the time.

Or thinking I could trust my college best friend with my boyfriend at the time.

It didn’t matter, really, the point I had to make to myself was to go with it.

Always.

A tiny bell tinkled overhead as I pushed open the door, hinges squeaking more than enough to let anyone inside know they had a customer. Fluorescent lights ran in rows down the jam-packed aisles, most of the covers broken or just outright missing entirely.

The shelving units leaned precariously, metal straining hard to keep from falling over. Boxes upon boxes were tossed haphazardly, some of them cut open to display the wares within. One of the lights flickered, giving the particular aisle a menacing appeal.

How the hell was I going to find anything in this mess?

“Help ye, ma’am?”

A tall, gangly man with hair turning from gray to white appeared behind the counter to my left, leaning on the glass top with one hand to support himself.

I couldn’t imagine how badly his knees had to hurt given his height and age.

He had a weatherworn face, and his mouth was twisted up like he’d bitten into something sour.

“Uh, if you please. That would be swell. I need a few things, and I don’t have a ton of time.”

I was meeting Charlene for lunch to do some more catching up. She’d also promised to ask around her little group to see if anyone else had heard anything about the guardian.

“What kinds of things do you need?”

I listed it off.

“I c’n git you that. C’mon.” Shuffling down the counter, he grabbed something out of a bin, tossing it on the counter. The circular disk was clearly labeled as the combo-detector. The yellowed plastic left me wondering if it would work, but the price was good and cheap.

“Size seven?” he asked, leading me down an aisle dedicated entirely to boots.

“And a half,” I confirmed. “I’m impressed.”

He bobbed his head. “Was’n a quartermaster. Ye learn dem things.” A moment later, without having to search, he thrust a box into my hands. “Boots. Fer forest werk.”

“Thank you.”

The man looked me up and down with a clinical eye, like a doctor, not an ogre. “What kind’o ferrest stuff you need?”

“Better than this.” I waved at my current outfit of leggings, red shirt and sneakers.

“Ye huntin’?”

“No, no, nothing like that. Walking. Hiking. Exploring. That sort of thing.”

“O’coarse. This way.”

Lightweight but sturdy feeling pants made their way into my arms, followed by two shirts, and a vest studded with pockets. A jacket of stiff fabric completed the ensemble.

“Thank you.”

“Yer gonna want sum socks too,” he said, digging in another box. “What kind’o pertection do ye wants?”

“Per … what?”

“Pro-tec-tion.” The shopkeeper sounded it out formally, his face twisting even further as he did. How much had that cost his pride?

“Protection? What do you mean?”

His sigh was heavy enough to shrink me by several inches. The look of utter contempt that followed, as if I was the biggest imbecile he’d ever seen, didn’t help much either.

“Them woods r’nt natural. Ma’am.” He shook his head heartily, strands of thinned hair bouncing.

“Nope. Not’t’all. Them wolves in there, they big ones.

I seen more’n a few o forrest in the army.

Nuttin like this one. I ain’t ever see nothing like it.

Somethin’ different about it. You don’t want to get caught in there alone. ”

He said the last words in perfect, unfiltered English. Probably so I would actually pay attention without having to work to understand him through his accent.

“Take pertection.”

“Uh, sure,” I said, thinking about the bear with red eyes. “Probably a good idea. A knife, maybe?”

“Good call. I’ll git ye that. Some spray too. Incase ya dun wanna look it in the eyes.”

“Right.” I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding and then inhaled, trying to steady myself.

Easy. It’s just stories.

The wolf in my mind turned its head, gold and blue eyes burning bright.

When everything was piled on the counter, I had to fight back second thoughts. This was insane! I wasn’t going to war. I didn’t want to hurt or kill anything in the forest.

Not having it was even less sane, however, which is why it all got rung up on my credit card after all, and not tossed back into whatever pile it had come from.

“I’ll help ye carry it out.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I can do it myself, you don’t … okay, thank you.”

He’d already scooped up the accessories into his arms and come around the counter. Apparently, it wasn’t an option. I hurried to open the trunk, thanking him again.

“Nonsense. Jus’ me job. If there’s anything else I kin do, jus say.”

I nodded and watched him go. Then an idea came to me.

“Excuse me,” I said, hurrying after him.

He paused.

“Do you know anything about local legends? About the forest. Have you ever heard the words heart or darkness used to talk about it?” I swallowed my embarrassment and continued. “Or maybe … a guardian?”

It felt incredibly stupid to throw that last one out there, but I had to know. Had to see if anyone knew what it might mean.

The shopkeeper looked up, as if considering. Then his eyes narrowed. I turned, following his gaze, just in time to see a huge eagle or falcon soar overhead. Right behind it was another bird of prey. And another, all different. A flock of birds raced by over them.

All flying in the same direction.

Something clopped nearby, and a deer came scampering down Main Street, appearing from behind the next building over. A rabbit paced it with two more coming hurriedly after them.

“Well,” the shopkeeper said dryly, “that’s not something you see every—”

Screams erupted from farther up the street, accompanied by a dull rumble that quickly escalated into a roar.

“What the hell?” I took two steps away from the shopfront to see better.

At the same time, all hell broke loose.

Animals came pouring down the main strip. Normal-sized wolves and raccoons raced past slower porcupines and squirrels. Foxes ran in tandem ahead of a bear. Deer were everywhere .

Then the moose appeared, their giant forms towering over the rest of the wildlife. Smaller animals, rodents, were perched on the backs or clinging for dear life to the sides of anything they could.

“Inside!” the shopkeeper bellowed in a loud, commanding voice. “Move it, move it, move it!”

“Yep, good idea!” I cried as we raced inside before the wave of animals washed over the cars in the parking lot.

Overhead, the sky abruptly darkened behind black, impenetrable clouds that hadn’t been there before, boiling up swiftly out of nowhere and casting a shadow over the entire town.

“What the hell is going on?” I hissed, the door rattling as the stampede went on by. “Is it normal for the animals to run a 5K down Main Street?”

“Nope. I never seen sumthin’ like this. Darndest thing.” He shook his head. “Curse of the woods, it is, I tell ye.”

Curse of the woods?

The shopkeeper stood, and the clouds parted, the sun beaming down again as the last of the wildlife scampered on past, leaving nothing but confusion in their wake as they headed for the forest on the other side of town from which they came.

We exited the store, as everyone else was doing from other stores nearby.

“That was weird,” I said, shaking my head.

Behind me, the door of the shop clicked with a very distinctive locking sound. I spun, fearing I was being shut out, that perhaps it wasn’t over, but I needn’t have feared. The owner was on the outside too.

“Enough for today?” I said, the joke as feeble as it sounded.

“No. Not that. Time to head to town hall.”

“Town hall?”

“A’yup. Afer sumthin’ weird like that? The mayor be speaking, bet you me. Gun be mighty interest’n, I’d say.”

“Yeah,” I said as he walked away. “Mighty interesting indeed.”

I stared down Main Street, chewing on my lower lip. This was too much. It was too much of a coincidence.

My grandmother’s note. The timing of it, this wild animal marathon, the giant wolf, my sexy lumberjack mystery man. All of it. It’s connected. I could feel it .

I just didn’t know how.

Without thinking, I started off down Main Street. I wasn’t alone. Lots of others from stores and offices were making their way as well. Everyone seemed to know where to go.

Maybe I could ask some of them about the “curse of the woods” the old shopkeeper had mentioned. Because something was going on in New Lockwood. It just didn’t make sense.

Not in the “real” world at least …