“It’s my mom. She says, ‘Ask Finn if he likes his steak bloody.’”
We both laughed.
“She invited me to have dinner with you tonight.”
“Did she? When?”
“I stopped by your place before I came to pick you up. I’m leaving tomorrow morning, and I wanted to tell your mom about it in person.”
My heart sank and my sadness echoed in my voice.
“You’re leaving?”
“I have to. Your mom and I agreed that my being here isn’t safe for you.” He got up and pulled me along. “Wolves can sense each other. You kept your existence secret all this time, and I could attract some unwanted attention.”
“Then they can sense me too. You did. What does it matter if you’re here or not?”
“I don’t think they can. Not until you turn. I sensed you because you and me . . . We have some other kind of connection. Believe me, you don’t want other werewolves to find out who you are. There’s a lot you don’t know yet, and I promise to explain everything to you later. But for now, I better stay away. I left your mom a detailed map. You’ll have no problem finding me. My place will be much safer for you.” His warm look locked with mine. He cupped his hand around my cheek and brushed it with his thumb. “I’ll be waiting for you, Spencer.”
My hand slid up his chest and I felt his heart hammering against my palm.
“So,” I said quietly, holding my eyes on his. “Do you like your steak bloody?”
“My wolf loves it,” he whispered back. “In human form, I would eat anything when I’m hungry.” His face was close to mine now, but the moment he looked down at my lips, he dropped his hand. “And I’m really hungry right now. We better get there before that steak gets cold.”
He laid his hand around my back and led me toward the car.
* * *
FINN
I’ve spent years looking for hybrids like me. I found a few men, and a couple of them became my friends.
As history tells, there were only six hybrid girls born in the last two hundred and fifty years, and only one of them survived the transition. She was hunted down and killed by werewolves way before she could learn about her purpose or find a way to harvest her powers and fulfill her destiny as the heir of the Great Alpha.
I could’ve never dreamed of meeting a female half-witch, half-wolf.
And here she was. And she was perfect.
Every day we spent together brought us closer to each other, and it became hard to part from her. I knew she felt the same way. I could sense her attraction to me, and so did my wolf.
After dinner, she walked me to the car, and when I said goodbye to her, my wolf surfaced and released a quiet growl. It took great effort for me not to kiss her as her blue eyes looked back at me with longing. But if I did, it would make it even harder for me to leave, and for her to let me go.
I knew I would see her again in a few weeks, but for how long? The thought that I could lose her at the next full moon was unbearable.
Will Spencer survive the shift? And if she did, she would still be in great danger. Would I be able to keep her safe? I would die before I would let someone hurt her. But would I alone be enough to protect her from what’s coming?
* * *
SPENCER
That night, once again, I heard a howl under my window. I slid down from the bed, looked out, and saw a wolf looking up at me from behind a tall bush.
Oh my God, he’s huge.
I pulled my sweatpants on and ran outside. I rounded the house, and with my heart beating in my throat, I slowly approached the wolf.
“Finn?” I whispered, stretching my shaking hand toward him.
Gracefully, he moved closer, and when he stopped in front of me, his head was level with mine.
His big gray pupils with golden rings shone in the dark.
“You’re gorgeous,” I beamed, sinking my fingers into his soft fur glowing silver under the moonlight.
He released a quiet growl. Then he stepped back, bowed his head, and ran away. Pinned to the spot, I watched him disappear into the darkness of the grove.
SPENCER
The next day at school, Brian slammed his back against my locker right before I was about to open it.
“So, is that it then?” he fixed me with his poignant look. “You’re gonna dump me for some guy who you’ve only known for a few days just because he was, what, nice to you?”
“No. It’s not because he was nice. It’s because you weren’t.” I shook my head in disappointment. “That day at the party, I told you I wasn’t feeling well, and instead of walking me home, you pushed me against a tree. Because who cares that Spencer is in pain, right? You had to have your fun,” I emphasized the last word for him.
He opened his mouth to say something, but I raised my finger, shushing him.
“If you say you’re sorry one more time, I’ll punch you in the face. It’s over, Brian. And not because of the guy. This wasn’t the first time you mistreated me, and I had enough of your excuses. Here’s my advice. When you meet a new girl, don’t screw it up just because all you care about is yourself. Think, if not with your heart, then at least with your head. And I mean the one above your shoulders.”
* * *
I was so ready for school to be over, but after Finn left, it was like time had slowed down and the days seemed much longer. He called every night to check on me. Every time I heard his voice, I remembered that sad smile he gave me at the lake. I knew it wasn’t only because he was leaving. Something worried him.
After seeing his wolf, I kept imagining myself as a wolf running with him through the woods. I wondered if my wolf would be as big as his.
I couldn’t wait for graduation day. However, when it came, it made me a little sad. Alex and I were close friends for three years, and tomorrow we would go our separate ways: Alex to Savannah to visit her dad, who moved there after he got divorced from Alex’s mom two years ago. And Mom and I would go to Asheville. Who knew when, or if, the two of us would see each other again.
The whole ceremony took about forty minutes, during which Mom took about a million pictures.
Excited that it was over, we took the first gulp of our freedom and, waving our caps, Alex and I rushed to her car to drive around, and then home, together, for one last time.
The moment we got into the car, Alex turned on our favorite song, and we took off singing along at the top of our voices.
* * *
My suitcase was packed, and I was ready to take off, but Mom couldn’t just leave her job. She still had a few days to work until her vacation, and after Alex left, I was all alone, waiting for another week to pass.
I spent my time mostly reading and doing some research, looking for non-fictional information on werewolves, if such existed. What I found so far was based on legends and tales, and when Finn called, I would ask him to help me sort out the truth from all I’ve learned so far.
Now I knew it was true that werewolves healed fast when injured, and they could live for more than a hundred and fifty years. But not many lived that long. Wolves were aggressive and territorial animals, and most of the deaths were the results of fights or wars between packs.
The silver bullet was a myth, it was just a bullet like any other.
Wolves could communicate with each other in wolf form, but only after being permitted access to their minds. Their human emotions were heightened, and their senses, like hearing, smell, and sight, were much stronger than normal humans, which helped them see perfectly in the dark, sense any other living beings, and track them down.
I tried to keep my questions to one at a time, so we could also talk about something else. Like us. Or normal life stuff. And he liked that too.
* * *
On June 10, Mom woke me up at eight in the morning.
After a quick breakfast, we loaded our bags in the car and hit the road.
I loved road trips, and I couldn’t wait to see Finn again. The only thing that overshadowed my happiness was the fact that there were only four days left until the full moon. Two days after my eighteenth birthday.
Seeing Finn’s wolf muffled some part of my fear of becoming an animal. But thinking of the process itself turned my blood ice-cold.
I could tell that Mom was freaking out even more than I was, but to take my mind off it, she tried her best to turn the seven-hour trip ahead of us into a little adventure.
When it was time for a lunch break, she stopped the car next to a green field and pulled a basket out of the trunk that she prepared for the picnic.
Then she decided that I needed new clothes, and she took a little detour and stopped in Charlotte for shopping.
When we were more than halfway through, and the sun was high, it became hot in the car. She pulled out a map, pointed at the lake she marked when she was planning our trip, and beaming, said, “How about we take a swim?”
She was about to take us to a fancy restaurant for dinner when I stopped her.
“Mom, this is a road trip. We’ll miss out if we don't have a normal burger in a normal diner at a gas station.”
“Normal burger coming up,” she said with enthusiasm. “And we could get some gas.”
We rolled into the next gas station, and I volunteered to fill the tank while she ordered the food.
I stuffed the nozzle into the tank and glanced up. At the car next to the pump across from mine were two guys. The one with dark curly hair was at the pump. The second one was in the driver’s seat, waiting. With his elbow resting on the open window, he ran his fingers through the wave of his blond hair and lazily looked around. A smug grin crossed his face the moment our eyes met.
I turned away.
While watching the running numbers on the pump, from the corner of my eye, I saw the guy come out of the car and start toward the shop. He was eye-catching, hard to ignore, with self-confidence in his pace.
As he leveled with me, we looked at each other. His smug grin was gone. He was slightly frowning, and his gaze was more curious now. I held the stare of his blue eyes until he passed by while a hundred thoughts buzzed in my head.
What the hell was that? That wasn’t a ‘hello there’ kinda look. Have I grown demon horns in the last few minutes?
I didn’t understand why his weird look alarmed me, but I could feel my heartbeat speed up. The guy next to the car was now tightening the fuel cap. He glanced after his friend, then got into the car and drove it to the parking lot.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, making me jump. I was about to get it out when I noticed that the tank was full.
I pushed the nozzle in its place, locked the tank, and got into the car. After I parked it, I got out and checked my phone.
It was a text from Finn.
Where are you? I’m worried. You should’ve been here a couple of hours ago.
I typed a reply.
Sorry. We made a few extra stops.
Where are you now?
At the gas station. No more stops, I promise. We’ll be there soon.
Just be careful, okay?
Always am. I added a smiley emoji.
Pushing the phone into the back pocket of my jeans, I headed to the diner.
* * *
After we finished eating, I told Mom to wait for me in the car and headed to the bathroom.
When I came out and was on my way to exit the diner, the blue-eyed guy stopped in front of me.
“Hey.” He smiled, but I couldn’t bring myself to do the same. “I found this on your seat.” He was holding my phone. “It must’ve fallen out of your pocket.”
“Thanks.” I took the phone, thinking that the last part was supposed to be my line.
Pressing my lips together, I stretched them into a smile, nodded, and walked away.
Where did he come from? I didn’t even notice he was in the diner too. And how did he know it was in my pocket? Maybe I simply put it down next to me and then forgot to pick it up? Was it just a suggestion, or was he watching me all this time?
Now you’re just being paranoid. He said ‘must’ve,’ didn’t he?
I threw myself into the car.
“Are you okay?” Mom asked, her eyes narrowed.
“I’m fine. But Finn is worried. Let’s go before he gets here to drive us himself.”
Still looking at me with suspicion, Mom started the engine.