Page 5 of Falling for her Guardian

She sent a quick text to her mom to let her know she was coming over to hang out and that Noelle was coming too. Then she put her phone into the cup holder and put the car into drive.

The trip had been uneventful up until she reached the section that cut through a wooded area that hadn’t seen a snowplow yet. The snow was coming down even faster now, the big, fat flakes building up on her windshield wipers.

She leaned forward, her hands tight on the steering wheel, watching the road. Or at least what she was pretty sure was the road. Everything was white in front of her, save for the trees on either side.

The sun had set and her headlights made the snow look like crystals.

Her car shuddered suddenly.

Oh no. No, no, no!

Her car could not crap out on her now!

It kept going for a few feet and then shuddered again, lurching to the left. The tires skidded for a moment as she tried to ease the brake pedal down and not slam it as panic set in. But no matter how light the touch, the car started to slide on the snow-covered road and head to the right, toward the trees. There was a bump as she left the road, and then the car made a strange squealing sound before the engine died and an alarm started to beep.

“Shit.”

She picked up her phone.

“Oh hell.” No bars, damn it. She just had to break down on one stretch of road without a signal.

She was at the halfway point of the drive, but it was very cold, and the snow was only getting worse. If she couldn’t call for help, she was a sitting duck.

How long would her parents wait before she didn’t show up to try to get hold of her, think something was wrong, and then come looking for her? Probably hours. She hadn’t seen a car since she’d hit the wooded stretch of road.

Deciding it was best to walk in the direction of her parents’ house, she turned off the car. She knew there was a gas station right at the edge of the next town, but maybe she’d get cell service back before she reached it. Then she could call for help.

She looked at the phone screen, and it said SOS. Shecouldcall emergency services, but maybe she’d wait to see if she could just get cell service. If she got too cold, she’d turn back and call for help that way.

Zipping up her winter coat, she was thankful she was wearing fleece lined leggings and not a skirt, plus her favorite boots.

She found her gloves and hat in the console and put them on, then pressed the button for the hazard lights.

Bracing for the cold, she got out and shut the door, pressing the button on the key fob to lock the doors.

Shit it was cold.

Tucking her hands into her pockets, she hunched into her coat and walked down the road.

Something caught her eye in the woods.

A flickering, orange light.

What the hell could that be?

She looked ahead at the dark, lonely stretch of road and then back to the flickering orange light. Maybe someone was camping? Or it was a porch light for a cabin?

She debated whether to keep walking or check out the light and opted to check on the light instead.

Stepping off the road, she waded through ankle-deep snow as she picked her way through the trees, keeping her gaze on the flickering light.

Her sister would think she was a loon.

Seren wasn’t a risk-taker. She was the least risk-taking person who ever lived. The last time she’d taken a chance on something, she’d dated a wolf shifter who she thought was a good guy, but he’d just been pretending. Fucking the human for fun while he kept his she-wolf friends close.

Humiliation burned on her cheeks and she scoffed at her train of thought.

She wasn’t with Finn anymore. He and his fake charm could fuck all the way off. He might have broken her heart, but she wasn’t going to wallow in the past.

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