Page 58 of Moonlighting with the Werewolf

Immediately upon waking up, I sensed Conall’s absence.

Vaguely, I remembered him whispering a goodbye in my ear, something about having to get back to the compound before softly kissing my lips and telling me he’d see me tomorrow.

Was that hours ago or mere minutes? I felt his side of the bed. Cold. The guy was basically a space heater, so he must’ve left a while ago.

So, what’d woken me up? It was pitch black outside, save the light of the waxing gibbous moon, which lit up a feline form.

A hiss and a growl emanated from my kitty, and I clenched my phone and scooted to the other side of the bed. I thought I saw a flash of light, but my mind might be playing tricks on me.

“What is it?” I asked Sir Pounce. “Is the raccoon back?”

I hoped it was nothing more than the masked trash bandit, although it’d be easier to convince myself of if my instincts weren’t sounding a three-alarm alert. Now the question becamewhether or not to turn on the lights, alerting the possible intruder I was awake and hoping it’d scare them off, or to creep around like Nancy Drew.

My heart thundered as I dropped to my hands and knees and crawled over to the window, feeling ridiculous yet scared enough to follow through with the move. Crouching so that I was balanced on the balls of my feet, I lifted myself enough to peek through the panes, into the blackness, no idea what I’d do if I found eyes starting back at me.

Remembering what Gina had said about shifter hearing, I whispered Conall’s name. “Conall?” After what’d happened at the bar, maybe my closest werewolf friend had come to check on me. “Gina?”

Nothing.

“Sasquatch?” That last one was a literal shot in the dark, although considering Conall’s overprotective side, not totally absurd.

The same sense of being watched that plagued me after my first encounter with Conall settled over me.

Only this felt different.

Darker.

My phone chirmed, and I jumped, nearly dropping it. I spun to a seated position on the floor to read the message on my screen.

Gina: Hey, crazy night at the bar. Hopefully, you’re tucked into your bed after ironing out things with Conall, but I’m locking up now, so if you need me, let me know. XOXO

I told myself there could be a simple explanation for the creepy-crawly sensation pricking my skin, much like the night a critter had tipped over my trash can. After taking a coupleof seconds to gather my courage, I flicked on the lights. I stood, flattening myself to the wall beside the window frame and squinting into the inky night.Man, I could really use some supernatural senses right now.

I nibbled on my thumbnail and then pulled up Conall’s contact information.

Me: Hey. Just woke up missing my cuddle buddy and checking to see if you made it home safely.

Conall: Cuddle Buddy? Am I being friendzoned?

I quickly tapped out another text, doing my best to remain calm and collected while feeling anything but.

Me: Sorry, I forgot how much I have to stroke your fragile ego. I meant to say I’m missing my big, bad, SEXY werewolf. Are you at the compound already, then?

Conall: I got home about an hour ago and was about to crawl into bed. Why? Wanna come join me for round two?

Conall: Because if we’re being honest, there’s something else I’d much rather you stroke...

My stretched-thin nerves unraveled in a pile at my feet. Whatever was going bump in the night outside of my cabin, it definitely hadn’t been him.

If I asked him to, I had no doubt he’d rush right over. But he was clearly tired after a day spent being Super Alpha, and if he came to check out the cause of my “weird feeling,” only to findnothing, I’d feel awful. The other werewolves would irrefutably resent me for it, too.

Everything felt more ominous at night—that was probably it. I padded into the living room to check if Conall locked up on his way out. Sure enough, the front door was secured, and a quick glance at the patio door showed the bar was still down.

I headed to the window at the front of the house, beating myself up for not getting new blinds like I’d sworn I was going to do. I hadn’t realized it’d take driving to another town at the time, and then life got unexpectedly busy, and, and, and...

This time, I remained in the corner of the room as I did another sweep of the yard. Trees, rocks, dirt. Basically, a whole lot of nothing.

Guadalupe Falls was a tiny town with a low crime rate, and I refused to be the city girl who cried wolf.

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