Page 20 of Taken By the Wolf Daddy

She sneered, her anger unabated. “And now you’re with that human girl, aren’t you? What does she have that I don’t?”

I sighed, trying to find a way to reason with her, to make her see the futility of her anger. “Ophelia, it’s not about comparing anyone. Marie and I have something different, something real.”

But my attempts at calming her only seemed to stoke the flames of her jealousy. Her eyes narrowed, and she took a menacing step closer. Our past had left its scars on both of us, and now, it seemed, those scars threatened to engulf us in a dangerous and destructive blaze.

Thankfully, she couldn’t say anything else. A loud sound distracted us both.

My heart raced as the piercing howl of Big Ed cut through the forest, shattering the tense standoff with Ophelia. His urgent signal alerted us to something gravely wrong, and my instincts kicked into high gear.

Before I could question Ophelia further about her intentions and the unsettling encounter we’d just had, I turned sharply toward the direction of Big Ed’s howl. The realization struck me like a bolt of lightning–if this was the discovery of another fresh corpse nearby, combined with Ophelia’s presence, then it couldn’t be a mere coincidence. I would have to accept she was the killer.

Wait, I needed to get her, to stop her before I went anywhere. Just in case. I moved swiftly to detain Ophelia. However, as I turned back to where she had been standing just moments before, I was met with an unsettling sight–she had slipped away, vanishing into the shadows of the forest before I could do a thing.

Cursing under my breath, I made a split-second decision. Pursuing Ophelia right now would only lead to a wild goose chase, and my priority had to be addressing the immediate threat, whatever Big Ed had discovered.

I hurried toward the location where Big Ed had signaled us, the dread growing with each step. The forest seemed to close in around me, a silent witness to the unfolding mystery that had taken hold of our mountain community.

As I approached the gruesome scene, I could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on me. It was a corpse, mangled and lifeless, revealing the brutality of the attack. The talon-like marks and the ominous presence of the rogue wolf hung in the air like an unsettling omen.

Ophelia.

With a heavy heart, I focused on the task at hand, knowing that finding the truth behind these recent events was essential. As I examined the scene, my thoughts raced, searching for answers, and the chilling realization dawned that our mountain had become a hunting ground, and the predator was one of our own.

ELEVEN

MARIE

The house was enveloped in a heavy silence, punctuated only by the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock. Belle, tucked safely in her bed, had succumbed to slumber hours ago, leaving me alone in the dimly lit living room. Tonight, I was at Jesse’s home, because my father had a lot going on at the church with worried people turning to him for assistance, and I didn’t quite know what to make of it. It was all too silent until the front door clicked open, and I bolted to my feet.

It was Jesse, and his weariness was evident in his every step. Without a word, he made a beeline for the shower, leaving me standing there, wondering about the events that had transpired while he was gone.

As the sound of running water filled the small bathroom, I paced in the living room. Something had happened, something that had clearly affected him. My mind raced with a myriad of possibilities, but without any information, I was left to stew in my own anxiety. Minutes felt like hours as I waited for him to emerge from the bathroom. I couldn’t help but worry about the man I had come to care for so deeply. His safety and well-being were paramount to me, and the uncertainty of the situation gnawed at my insides.

Finally, I heard the water turn off, and moments later, Jesse emerged from the bathroom, his face tense and drawn. He met my concerned gaze, and for a brief moment, our eyes locked, communicating a depth of emotion that words couldn’t express. It was hard to focus on anything else when he was only in a towel and there were droplets of water trickling down his muscular chest… but before I could relax into admiring him, I needed to know more.

I couldn’t hold back any longer. “Jesse,” I began, my voice tinged with worry, “what happened out there? Are you okay?”

As Jesse slumped into a worn armchair, his gaze distant, I hesitated to intrude on his thoughts again. The lines etched on his face, normally masked by an aura of strength, betrayed a vulnerability I had rarely witnessed. It was a stark reminder that beneath his stoic exterior lay a man burdened by responsibilities and the weight of his position as an Alpha.

I sat down and shifted on the couch, torn between the desire to offer comfort and the fear of encroaching on his personal space if he didn’t want to share what was going on. The only problem was I really needed to know. As the minutes ticked by, I battled my inner turmoil, yearning to bridge the gap that had grown between us.

Jesse’s eyes finally met mine, and in that moment, I saw a glimmer of something I couldn’t decipher–a mixture of longing, doubt, and a silent plea. There was a pause, as though he weighed his words carefully before deciding to share his burden. “Marie,” he began, his voice low and heavy, “my ex… She’s here.”

My heart clenched in my chest at his words. It was a revelation that sent shockwaves through me. “Oh, I see…”

“She’s the wolf you saw. The one with the diamond across her chest. I guess she tracked my scent to your home.”

I deflated. “What… What does that mean? Is she… the one?”

Jesse offered me a helpless one-shouldered shrug. “I don’t know, but she’s gone rogue, and it seems like this is the work of a rogue wolf.”

I swallowed hard, wondering what I should do next. Jesse’s distress was evident, and the disbelief in his eyes mirrored the turmoil I felt within. The thought that someone he had once dated could become a ruthless killer was almost too much to bear. I wasn’t sure how I would handle it, so I couldn’t put myself in Jesse’s shoes however hard I tried.

“There’s something else,” Jesse continued, making my blood run even colder. My heart quickened, and I nodded, urging him to continue. He took a deep breath, his eyes searching mine for understanding. “Ophelia knows about us. She has been following me and watching us. She knows that something else is happening.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine. “What does that mean for me?”

“She is pretty relentless,” Jesse admitted, “and she’s… Well, she’s incredibly jealous. I don’t know what she might do, but I want you to be extra careful. Even more so than before. I don’t want her to come for you, I don’t want anything to happen.”

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