Page 59 of Wolf's Chance

“You trying not to snap at me is funny,” I told him without lifting my head from my sketchbook.

“Don’t you have to have someone’s permission before you draw them?”

“Do you?” I murmured. “Is it the same permission you need before entering someone’s home without their knowledge?” I looked up at him. “Is that what you mean?”

Caleb met my look of feigned innocence with a scowl. “Yeah, something like that,” he grumbled.

“That’s what I thought.” Dipping my head, I hid my smug smile.

I sketched while he drove. There were no more complaints, and the silence became comfortable again. I knew Caleb wasn’t completely at ease, but he had no other option but to accept it. I reluctantly acknowledged that he handled that resigned acceptance better than I had.

Deep in concentration, I was adding his eyelashes when the truck swerved erratically. An arm as firm as iron pushed me into the seat, and my sketchbook went flying as Caleb controlled the spin of the truck with one hand.

“Caleb!” The screech of tyres drowned out my scream.

The truck shuddered to a halt. I could smell the burning rubber on the asphalt, and peeling my eyes open, I looked at the man beside me.

Caleb’s arm was still on my chest. He slowly lowered it, his attention focused on the road ahead. Following his gaze, I gasped loudly as I saw a large brown wolf in the middle of the road.

He told me to stay put as he turned off the engine. It took a moment for his words to sink in, and by the time I snapped out of my shock, he had already jumped out of the truck, leaving me unable to stop his madness. With my jaw dropped, I watched him walking towards the wolf, and I held my breath, fully expecting it to pounce. However, the wolf simply repositioned itself as Caleb got closer.

Still, I anxiously waited for the wolf to launch itself at him, or at the very least, I expected it to snap at him. However, to my surprise, it remained motionless. A low growl echoed from where they stood in a standoff. Caleb obstructed my view of the wolf’s head, preventing me from seeing it fully.

Convinced I’d hit my head off the dashboard, I watched as the wolf suddenly hopped backward as if struck, and then it looked as if it tried to dodge past him. Caleb took a step to the left, and again I heard the growl, and fear tingled down my spine from the menacing sound.

Filled with desperation, I impulsively seized the handle,fully intending to sprint to Caleb’s aid, although I had no clear plan in mind of what to do once I got there. However, my impulse to throw myself between Caleb and a wolf ceased when I saw the wolf run away.

Itran away.

I didn’t understand what I was seeing. I shook my head, convinced that I must be dreaming. Shaky fingers pressed against my forehead, feeling the beads of sweat on my brow, convincing me I was awake. Caleb remained in the center of the road, facing away from me. His posture was strong, standing tall with a straight back, squared shoulders, and a held-high head, but I noticed his hands clenched into fists by his side.

I didn’t know why, but I could sense fury in the air, and a small voice in the back of my head told me it was coming from Caleb.

After a few swallows, some moisture returned to my mouth. Caleb had left the truck door open, and when I called his name, he slightly turned his head to show he heard me, but he didn’t fully turn around.

“Caleb?” My voice sounded stronger the second time I called for him. “Come back to the truck.”

I saw him rolling his head from side to side, and then he glanced to his left and right. My eyes frantically scanned the surroundings, finding nothing noteworthy, yet I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the man in front of me for too long.

Caleb eventually turned around, lowering his head in a way that obscured his features, and headed back towards the truck. I realized there was smoke, and some fragmented part ofmy brain told me it was from the tyres after Caleb had skidded to a halt.

At the truck door, he scanned the wooded areas again, and then with a grunt, he got back into the truck. He didn’t speak as he restarted the engine, nor did he look at me as he placed his arm across the back of the seat when he turned to look out the rear window as he reversed and straightened the truck.

I expected him to leave saying nothing, but instead, he parked the truck on the side of the road. Caleb massaged the back of his neck before finally facing me. “You okay?”

The casualness of his question pushed me over the edge.

“Am I okay?” I screeched at him. “What thefuckwas that?”

“Willow, calm down.”

“Calm down?” I felt as if my entire body was vibrating. It might have been with anger or adrenaline. Perhaps it was both. “I will notcalmdown. Are youout of your mind?” I needed out of this truck. As I attempted to exit, he forcefully grasped my arm, yanking me back into the seat. “Caleb!”

“Unless you missed it, there was just a wild wolf on the road. Be smart, stay inside the truck.”

My eyes were as wide as they could go. “Unless Imissed it,” I yelled at him. “I didn’t miss the big scary wolf on the road or thatyougot out of the truck and walked up to it andmade it run away!”

Caleb was watching me carefully, but he was calm. He looked perfectly at ease. “You’re hyperventilating.”

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