Page 75 of Wolf's Chance

“I’ll do my best,” I promised quietly.

“I don’t doubt that.” His simple reassurance strengthened my resolve. “I’ll help you.”

I turned my attention to the darkness that we drove through. “What if they’re following us?”

“Then we’ll outrun them.” He ignored my look of disbelief. “It’s unlikely they’re following us so quickly,” he added, but I could hear the falseness of his assurance.

I nodded, though he knew I didn’t believe that thoseshiftersweren’t on our trail.

Shifters. Who would believe it?

The world I’d spent my whole life in no longer existed. The illusion ofnormalhad been shattered by a truth I never expected, and I knew I needed more time than I had to process everything.

Caleb reached over and patted my knee, knowing I was freaking out. “It’s okay, Willow. I’ll protect you.”

His words should have been comforting, but instead, they only deepened my unease. The fact that I needed protection only highlighted how bizarre my life had become, and I longed for the time when I’d never picked up a pencil and drawn Caleb Foster’s face.

I longed for the routine of simple days and nights—living my life and managing my ME, without monsters lurking in the shadows. That now felt like a distant memory, almost out of reach.

How did I even return to “normal”? I tried to ignore the voice in my head that warned me that I may never return, but I shoved it away. I’d experienced too much tonight to start thinking like that.

I had enough to deal withnow;whatever came later could wait.

TWENTY

Caleb

We had lapsedinto silence as the miles lengthened between us and the B&B. I’d told her as much as I could, but as we drove through the darkness, I could feel the tension mounting once more. Willow’s eyes were on me often, searching my face for answers that I didn’t have, or didn’t want to share.

She knew about shifters now, knew that they were real, that the wolves from before were not wild animals cowed by a mere man. No, now she knew there were worse things than a hungry wolf on the prowl. That the wolves behind her were hunting her.

She knew more than a human should. But still…there was one thing that she didn’t know.

And I had no idea how I was going to tell her.

My focus was on the road, on putting as much distance between us and the pack that had confronted us at Shelby’s. My grip tightened on the wheel as the silence stretched, and Ibit my tongue to stop myself from blurting the truth to her. I told myself it was for the best, that I was protecting her.

When I was only protecting myself.

I’d seen the horror on her face at the knowledge ofwerewolves. For her to look at me with that same disgust, I wasn’t ready to face it.

Willow moved in her seat, and I realized how long we’d both been in this truck. My own body would welcome the stretch if we stopped, and I had a sharp pang of regret, knowing the toll it would have taken on her. The adrenaline, the fear, the worry, her body would fold in on itself with exhaustion soon.

“We need to stop,” I told her, breaking the silence.

Willow looked at me with alarm. “Why? What’s wrong?”

Her panic was warranted, but I forced an eye roll, trying desperately to cling to some form of normalcy. “Nothing. I need a break, a chance to stretch my legs, and a comfort break.”

She relaxed slightly. “Oh, you need the bathroom.”

“I’m sure you do too.” Was it only this morning she got out of bed unaided for the first time in three days? “It’s been a long day.”

Glancing outside, the half-moon, the only light for miles, mocked me. Thedaywas long past.

“Maybe a chance to stretch would be nice,” she admitted. “Is it safe, you know, to go out there?”

Her concern was also warranted. “We look to be deep in mountain country,” I told her. “But there’s a town not far from us. It has a twenty-four-hour diner, just off the highway. Popular with truckers.”

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