Page 51 of Wolf's Mark

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing,” she stated with far too much defiance.

“Talk to me.”

“Really, it’s nothing. I just thought I saw an odd glint. The moon can play tricks on my eyes. I was thinking about a wolf for some reason. It’s crazy.”

“A wolf? Why?”

“It’s silly.” Her insistence had me even more curious.

While I also sensed a presence, at this moment it was difficult to draw any conclusions. “Nothing about you is silly.”

“When I was a little girl, I got lost in the woods behind my mother’s house. It wasn’t for long, maybe three hours and the strangest thing happened.”

Her memory was raw, her breathing shallow. “What happened, Sedona?”

“A wolf led me back home.” She tilted her head, darting her eyes back and forth across mine.

The moment, the deep connection, was even more unusual. “Wolves are often loners, but they are also fiercely protective. Were you afraid?”

“No. I was fascinated. It was surreal, like I could talk to him with my mind. I know that sounds crazy. Trust me, my mother saidI must have fallen and hit my head, but I knew better. The wolf was real.”

I shifted my attention to the trees. She noticed when I inhaled deeply, holding my breath for several seconds.

“Why did you do that?” Her question was softly accusatory.

“Do what?”

“Don’t do that. Don’t act like you think I’m not attentive. Who inhales to see if someone is watching them? Are you able to decipher people from animals from their scent?”

Coming up with a solid excuse wasn’t going to be the way to handle answering her question. She wasn’t easily fooled or someone who would believe a frivolous answer.

“I have very keen senses, smell being one of them. You can tell many things about a person by the fragrance they carry. Fear. Hatred. Love.” What bothered me was that if there had been another wolf watching us, stalking even, my senses hadn’t picked up on it. Mine had never faded, never failed me when I’d needed them.

“What does mine tell you?”

“That you are a very sensual woman.” I looked again and she followed my gaze.

“You have me confused with someone else. I’m just a down to earth girl who loves being in the lab. Anyway, maybe I was just seeing things. I couldn’t see a wolf from here anyway. After the other night, I’ve been a little jumpy.”

“Perfectly understandable.” Now she was the one lying to me.

The story had just been jarred from her memory. My presence was the reason.

As it seemed every single time we were in the same room, we were interrupted, this time by the waitress returning.

“Are you ready to order, sir, or should I come back?” the girl asked.

“I’m perfectly capable of ordering for myself,” Sedona said. “And yes. We are ordering.”

I watched as she stormed back to the table, taking a few seconds to glance back at the forest line. This time when I gathered a scent, I was able to detect something: a stench unlike anything I’d ever smelled before. It was rancid, much like rotting trash full of raw meat.

Or worse.

The instant my nostrils were filled, a deep vibration swept through me. It was exactly the way I’d felt moments before coercing my wolf from the depth of my being. Only this time, it was instinctual.

The need to protect her.

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