Page 34 of Alpha's Forbidden Bond

Chapter 16

Diana

Since I hadn’t bothered to replace my tire yet, I opted to park the car far down the road from the turn-off for the Vilks property. I didn’t want to risk another encounter with broken bottles. Besides, the spare tire made this loud creaking sound every time I went over a big bump, and I was afraid if I got any closer, someone on the compound would hear me. I was there to snoop and wouldn’t have a believable excuse this time if I got caught. It was the middle of the night, and I had no boxes of books in my trunk. If one of the Vilks saw me—I’d be fucked.

Stepping out of the car, I pulled my cardigan tighter across my chest as an icy wind ripped through me. It was very dark outside, and there were no streetlights, so I had to use the flashlight on my phone to get around. I kept it trained on the ground instead of into the trees, hoping no one would see it. I walked along the road's edge until I came to a paved turnoff. Traveling along the cement would make be more visible, with absolutely no tree cover. But if I walked off the edge of the pavement, my feet would crunch on the gravel, making it harder to stay quiet. After debating my options, I ultimately decided to risk being seen and walk along the cement. I dimmed the light as much as I could without killing it entirely and walked at a slow, silent pace. With each step, as I came closer and closer to the edge of the property, it became harder for me to breathe.

What the fuck am I doing?

The thought struck me when I was only ten or twenty feet away from where I’d popped my tire last time. I couldn’t make out any shapes in the distance; that’s how dark it was, but the hair on the back of my neck stood up as I stared into the inky blackness.

Someone was watching me.

It was the same feeling I’d had when I knew someone had been outside my window, only this time when I whipped around to see who was there, I was met by a pair of eyes. The person watching me hadn’t darted out of the way or ducked behind a tree.

And that’s because it wasn’t a person at all.

It was a wolf.

I opened my mouth, but all that escaped was a pathetic cry. I couldn’t even scream or form the word ‘help.’ I was frozen with fear, unable to take a step back as the wolf emerged from the forest beside the road and let out a low growl. The animal was huge—bigger than a bear, and it was staring directly into my eyes. I gulped, recalling the attacks that had been mentioned on that kid’s blog and wondering if I was about to be the most recent victim.

Once again, I tried to speak. Wolves were just big dogs, right? And I’d always loved dogs. They seemed to like me in return.

“That’s a good, wolfy,” I said, putting a hand up in front of me. “You stay there, and I’ll stay here, and we don’t have to bother each other. I am just going to back up—” The moment I moved, the wolf shot forward off its back paws and skidded to a stop only a foot or so in front of me.

This time, I screamed.

What else could I do? This thing was about to eat me. There was no doubt in my mind. I put my hands in front of my face and released the kind of scream that could only come from a place of true fear and braced for impact. I couldn’t outrun the thing, but maybe it would bite me a few times and grow bored, just like bears didn’t bother you if you played dead.

That’s a real thing, right?

This thought, among others, came to mind in the seconds after I fell silent. It suddenly occurred to me that I shouldn’t be having these thoughts. Because I should be dead—or at least knocked out. I slowly dropped my hands and opened a single eye. The wolf was still standing there, panting gently, its gaze locked on me. But it was no longer growling. In fact, if I didn’t know any better—I would’ve said the wolf didn’t look like it wanted to hurt me at all.

Shaking from head to toe, I gave up any thought of reasoning with this wild animal and decided my best approach was to just wait until it ran away. If it wasn’t looking for a late-night snack, then it would get bored of me eventually and scamper off. That’s the logic behind playing dead around bears, right?

I let my hands drop to my sides and stood my ground, and then bit back against a scream as the wolf began to advance. Its movements were slow and calculating, but I still felt threatened by the way it kept steady eye contact with me. It got too close.

Oh my god, run!

But my body betrayed me, and I froze instead.

Once the wolf was only a couple of feet away, I gained enough control over my muscles to release the smallest little yelp. Up close, I was even more astounded by the size of this creature. But no amount of sizing up could prepare me for what came next. The wolf rocked back and dropped its weight onto its hind legs, lifting the front half of its body up in the air. My jaw fell open as the thing towered over me and licked its chops. I was suddenly reminded of a nature documentary about polar bears and how tall they were when standing upright.

If I had to guess, I would’ve said this thing was taller.

This is it. I hope Georgie doesn’t come looking for me here.

Not able to close my eyes, I watched in horror as the wolf once again met my gaze, and I waited for it to pounce.

But it didn’t.

Something else happened.

The wolf, still balanced on its back legs, threw its head back and howled. The sound

was both beautiful and terrifying, and it sent a chill down each vertebra of my spine. The creature then began to shake its head and make peculiar noises—ones that sounded almost… human.

Between the light coming from the half-full moon and the beam of my phone’s flashlight, I was able to pick up on little changes here and there. First, the wolf’s gray and black hair began to shorten around the neck and paws. Next, I looked down to see the claws of its back feet retract and the shape of them begin to elongate. Finally, my stupor broke, and I was able to take a step back, gasping as the rest of the transformation took place before my eyes.

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