Page 70 of Wolf's Chance

“Where’s the fun in that?” I asked, failing to hide my amusement at her presumption that there would be a next time.

She didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, she went into the bathroom and locked the door. I heard the faucet turnon, and I felt a moment of regret, knowing she had locked me out while she tried to grapple with the last few minutes.

I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Packing up all our stuff, I checked the room for anything left behind, and when I knew it was clear, I rapped my knuckles softly against the bathroom door.

Willow jerked the door open, her eyes narrowed with distrust. “What?”

“We need to leave,” I told her. “This is our window of opportunity. We need to use it.”

“Window from who?”

“I’ll explain.”

“But you won’t,” she grumbled, reaching to take a hoodie off me. “You say and never do. It’s getting old, Caleb.”

I knew she was right. I held onto the hoodie as she tried to tug it out of my hold. Willow looked up at me, and I held her questioning stare. “Just a little longer, okay?” With a deep breath, she reluctantly nodded. “Good girl,” I praised, letting the hoodie go, and I didn’t miss the skip of her breath at the term.

Filing that little nugget away for future use, I hesitated at the door.

I hadn’t planned on staying here more than two nights. It was a place to lie low while Willow recovered. But now, knowing there was a shifter down the hall from us, fromher, I could almost taste the danger. I could feel it closing in on us.

I should have known better than to stay for so long.

“You got all you need?” I double-checked, keeping my voice low as I listened for movement outside.

The floorboards creaked as she moved acrossthe room, stepping up behind me. “I’m ready.” Her tone was controlled, but her scent was a mix of fear and adrenaline.

“I need you to be fast, okay?” I asked, meeting her gaze.

She nodded, slinging her bag over her shoulder, eyes wide and alert. “What’s the plan?”

“We’re going out the back,” I said. “There’s a fire escape at the other side of the hall when we go right, past the stairs, okay? Follow me. Keep close. The truck’s close. We don’t stop for anything.”

She swallowed hard but didn’t hesitate. I could see the tension in the set of her jaw, the way her knuckles turned white around the strap of her bag. No questions, no second-guessing. That was good. We didn’t have time for either.

I eased the door open, wincing at the faint squeak of the old hinges. The hallway was bright with morning sunlight but thankfully empty. We moved quickly, our steps muffled by the thick carpet, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that every creak and whisper was giving us away to the shifter resting just a few doors down.

The back staircase was narrow and steep, leading down into a kitchen that smelled of cleaning products and the remnants of this morning’s breakfast. My pulse quickened as we reached the bottom step, the anticipation of being seen riding high. I motioned for Willow to stay close, and she did, her breath warm against the back of my neck as we edged toward the back door.

I paused, listening. The silence of the lodge was too perfect, too heavy. It pressed in on my ears, a warning in and of itself. My wolf was close to the surface.

I heard a shuffle, soft and deliberate, justoutside.

Grabbing the doorknob, I turned to Willow, holding her gaze with a look that said we had no other choice. Her look was frightened, but she nodded, her hand hovering near mine.On three, I mouthed.

One.

Two.

Three.

Yanking the door open, we ran into the warm sunny morning, the heat slapping us in the face in comparison to the air-conditioned rooms. The truck was parked just beyond the old oak tree, less than twenty yards away as we sprinted across the backyard. My heart was pounding, the sound almost deafening in my ears. I could hear Willow breathing beside me, quick and shallow but steady.

We were almost there.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of movement—dark shapes hiding in the trees, watching us.

“Get in!” I barked, skidding to a stop beside the truck. I threw the door open and shoved her inside, slamming it shut behind her. I could see the figures now, two, maybe three, their faces hidden, their intent unmistakable.

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