Page 6 of Beckett's Fate

Swallowing hard, she backed away from the boulders and returned to the trail, her every sense tuned to the possibility of pursuit. This was only the beginning, and already the danger felt all too real.

3

BECK

The forest was quiet, the kind of stillness that set Beck’s senses on high alert. He moved through the trees with practiced ease, his steps soundless against the soft, mossy ground. The crisp mountain air filled his lungs, tinged with the faint and familiar scents.

And something else. Something unfamiliar.

A stranger—female—had arrived at the Bristlecone Bed & Breakfast the night before, and Ruby had wasted no time in mentioning her to her mate Knox, who in turn, had mentioned her to Beck.

“She’s new,” Knox had said with a shrug, but his eyes held a flicker of distrust, which was a normal state for Knox. He was a grizzly-shifter. He didn’t trust anyone he hadn’t known for years. “Ruby says she’s here to hike the trails. Seems harmless enough, but Ruby thinks there’s something different about her.”

Different. That word had stuck with Beck. It wasn’t Ruby’s style to be suspicious of anyone, so if the woman seemed a little off to her, the new guest might be worth taking a look at. He’d run her name through the local, state and federal databases and found nothing—nothing at all. That, in and of itself, was abit suspicious in this day and age. Besides, he’d found Ruby’s instincts about people to be spot on.

Now, as Beck tracked the woman through the forest, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to her than met the eye. Her scent lingered in the air—a strange combination of human and something faintly... wrong. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it didn’t line up with the clean, straightforward scent of an ordinary human hiker.

He followed the trail she’d taken from the B&B, keeping his distance as he watched her navigate the woods with surprising confidence. She didn’t move like a casual visitor; her steps were deliberate, her gaze sharp as she studied her surroundings.

When he spotted her in a clearing, Beck stopped, slipping into the cover of the trees. She was kneeling by a group of boulders, her fingers brushing over the weathered carvings etched into the stone. The sight sent a jolt through him. Those carvings weren’t common knowledge, known only to locals—or to those who knew what to look for.

What’s she doing?Beck’s eyes narrowed.

The sun broke through the canopy above, casting golden light over her red hair as it fell in loose waves from a high-set ponytail down her back. Her eyes were focused, her expression a mixture of determination and fascination. Something about her drew his gaze and refused to let go. The way she moved, the way her lips pressed together in concentration—it stirred something deep within him, a primal pull he had never felt before and had never expected to feel. But what he was feeling—mild disorientation and dizziness—were the same ones Knox had described when he'd met Ruby.

Beck shook his head, forcing himself to look away. Human. She was human. And as beautiful as she was, the strange pull he felt had to be a fluke, an anomaly he couldn’t afford to entertain.Not when he had a town full of shifters to protect and questions about who she was and what she was up to, to answer.

Still, he couldn’t stop himself from watching. There was an energy about her, a confidence that didn’t align with her supposed reason for being here. She wasn’t just hiking—she was searching for something.

The realization sent a flicker of unease through him.

This is going to be trouble, he thought grimly, but the wolf in him growled in disagreement, urging him closer to the mysterious woman. In fact, the wolf inside him stirred, restless and intrigued. His instincts told him she didn’t belong here, but something about her—the way she moved, the way her hair caught the dappled sunlight—pulled at him in a way that had nothing to do with being sheriff.

He shouldn’t have followed her this far. She was human. A visitor. Nothing more. But the way her scent felt... muted, like she was hiding something, set him on edge.

She hadn’t just stumbled onto those carvings, Beck thought. She had to have been searching for them.

He shifted his weight, the forest floor soft beneath his boots. She was too calm, too deliberate for a casual hiker. If she was lying about why she was in Silver Falls, he needed to know why—and what danger she might bring to those for whom he was responsible.

A growl rumbled low in his throat, unbidden but deliberate. The sound was deep, guttural, and unmistakably more wolf than human. He wanted to see her reaction, to test her nerves.

The effect was immediate. She froze, her fingers pausing mid-trace on the stone. Slowly, she rose to her full height, her head tilting slightly as she scanned the trees. As he stepped closer, the snap of a twig beneath his boot broke the silence. Her head snapped up, her eyes scanning the trees with an expression of wariness and alarm. Beck froze, holding his breath as she roseto her feet, turned from the boulders, her hand slipping into her jacket.

His sharp gaze caught the glint of metal—a knife—as she withdrew it. His wolf stirred, growling softly in approval at her readiness. And the pull he felt toward her—that strange, undeniable magnetism—only grew stronger.

“I’m not here to hurt anyone,” she said, her voice steady and calm despite the tension in her posture. “Just passing through.”

Beck blinked, caught off guard. That wasn’t the kind of thing a human would say to a purebred wolf. Most people would panic, scream, or try to run. But she didn’t flinch. She didn’t plead. She spoke like someone who knew what they were dealing with.

His wolf bristled with curiosity, pushing against his control.How does she know?

The seconds stretched as he studied her, his mind racing. Her body language wasn’t defensive or overtly fearful—it was measured. Controlled. If she was human, she had no reason to choose those words. And if she wasn’t...

The thought sent a jolt through him. He wanted to believe she was nothing more than an odd tourist with an unsettling scent and a bad sense of direction. But her calm response, her steady voice—they painted a very different picture.

She took a cautious step back, her eyes scanning the tree line with a sharpness that belied her seemingly casual demeanor.

The wolf growled again, but this time Beck silenced it with sheer force of will. She was armed. Smart, considering the woods. He couldn’t decide if he was impressed or frustrated by how well-prepared she seemed for someone who had supposedly come to hike.

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