Page 11 of Fated Wolf's Destiny

“How do you know my name?”

“I make it my business to know the names of outsiders in Shadow Hollow.”

“Then you’re one up on me. And your name?”

“Ryder Stone, and as I said, you need to leave. You don’t belong here.”

“Well, I have a clinic and mill house that list me as owner, so regardless of what you or anyone else thinks, I’m here for the foreseeable future.”

“You need to leave,” he reiterates.

“We’ll just need to agree to disagree on that point,” I say, planting my feet. “I found something—a journal Arthur left—something he was looking into. I’m not leaving until I figure out what it is.”

His jaw tightens, and he just stares at me, his eyes burning with something I can’t name. Then he’s in my space, close enough that I can feel the heat radiating off him, the faint scent of the forest and something wilder clinging to his skin.

“You’re out of your depth. You’d never understand,” he says, his voice a low rumble that sends a shiver down my spine.

“Then explain it to me,” I respond, refusing to back down even as my body hums with the energy between us.

His gaze flickers, something like frustration warring with whatever else is burning behind his eyes. “You wouldn’t believe me if I did.”

“Try me.”

The only sound I hear is my breathing, ragged and uneven, and the faint rustle of the trees around us. Then he steps back, his jaw clenched and his hands flexing at his sides as he curls them in and out of fists.

“Go home, Bella,” he says, his voice sharp and cutting. “And stay out of the woods.”

He starts to turn away, and I quickly tell him, “Arthur made a note about some unusual tracks he saw out here.”

“I don’t care. Arthur and I never discussed what he was working on.” His eyes flash again, and for a heartbeat, I think he’s going to argue. But then he turns, disappearing into the shadows as quickly as he appeared, leaving me alone in the clearing with the tracks and the silence.

My legs feel shaky, the air around me thick with unanswered questions. Ryder knows something—something he doesn’t want me to find out. And if he thinks I’m just going to walk away, he’s dead wrong.

The forest seems to close in tighter as I start back for my Jeep, I get about halfway there and stop, berating myself for allowing Ryder Stone—a man I just met—tell me what to do. Changing my mind, I head back toward the trail Arthur had marked, Ryder’s words clinging to me like a second skin.

Whatever Arthur was looking into, it’s not just dangerous, it might be deadly.

I clutch the flashlight tighter as I continue on, reminding myself what I’m doing out here. I need to figure out if whatever Arthur was looking into got him killed. I owe him that. A breeze whispers through the leaves, brushing against my skin like a warning.

I’m past where I encountered Ryder, and I wonder if I shouldn’t turn back as the sunlight is beginning to fade. Being out in the woods alone is probably not the best idea. I am thinking about turning around when I hear it. A twig snaps, loud and deliberate.

I whirl around, my heart pounding as the flashlight beam cuts through the shadows. Nothing. Just trees and the faint, restless rustle of branches. Ryder steps out from the shadows once again, blocking my path, his expression hard, his presence filling the space between us—raw, primal.

“Jesus, Ryder!” I snap, pressing a hand to my chest. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

He doesn’t answer, just stares at me with those piercing eyes that seem to see too much. There’s something almost predatory about the way he moves toward me, slow and deliberate, his gaze never leaving mine.

“I told you to leave,” he says, his voice low, rough, and utterly uncompromising.

“I heard you; I’m just not inclined to take unsolicited advice from a stranger.” My heart is still racing, but not because I’m frightened. For some reason I feel completely safe with him. His closeness makes my pulse quicken in a way that’s as infuriating as it is undeniable.

His jaw tightens, and he steps closer, the heat radiating off him like a furnace. “This isn’t a joke, Bella. You don’t know what’s out here.”

“Then why don’t you enlighten me?” I say, folding my arms, refusing to back down even as his presence threatens to overwhelm me. “Because all I’ve gotten so far are cryptic warnings and threatening stares. Maybe it’s time you explain.”

“It’s not that simple.”

I roll my eyes, the tightness in my chest sharpening into frustration. “Of course it’s not. Nothing ever is, is it? What is it with the people in this town? You were supposed to be Arthur’s friends, and yet you don’t question how he died or what he was looking into? Hot news flash, I’m not going anywhere until I have the answers I want.”

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