Page 11 of A Wolf's Heart

Weylin stepped forward, invading my space and taking a deep inhale through his nose. “On the contrary. I believe we have already solved it. Just a few things left to…finalize.” Weylin nodded towards Rodney. “Chief Nix.”

Chief gave him a nod back.

Weylin walked towards the doorway, causing me to fall back against it, so I could avoid touching him. “We’ll be seeing you soon,” he practically growled under his breath as he walked out.

I leaned out of the doorway, watching his back as he strode confidently out of the precinct. Members of his team, all wearing black suits, moved out of his way as he left.

“I mean, it’s not that I don’t like the sprinkles, but the way she does the walnuts. Do you think she rolls the donuts in the nuts?” Roddy asked.

I rolled my eyes, then took off after Weylin. I ran outside and still didn’t see him. All five SUVs remained where they were. I walked to the back of the parking lot, where it was lined with trees. Had he shifted? He was a wolf, I was sure of it. I trusted my gut.

That afternoon, I stayed at the precinct for as long as I could, watching the new federal task force tear apart my files, taking pictures and packaging things back up again. One of our local officers stopped and handed me a coffee, and it was at that moment I realized how pathetic I looked watching them with broken-hearted eyes.

I had lost one of my cases. I was kicked off it, and through zero fault of my own, but perhaps it was my fault. Weylin said he practically had the case solved. They knew who the victims were. How? Why?

I rehashed every moment from the crime scenes, from the bodies to the locations. I recalled all the results from forensics and still couldn’t see it.

I was still up in my head when I left the precinct, the sun just starting to set. I was ready for a cup of coffee and to snuggle in my bed with Max. I really needed Max right now; he always cheered me up.

The snap of a branch from the woods brought me out of my head. The air felt different outside, thick and heavy. A tinglingspread down my back, and my heart began thumping rapidly in my chest. I was being followed.

I rushed to my car while simultaneously trying to act calm about it, despite jumping in and slamming the door shut quickly, afraid something might grab my leg. Maybe I should've looked under the car, but maybe not. In the movies, that was always a mistake.

I didn't relax until I checked the back seats and locked all the doors. Still, the feeling never left me. Even as I drove around the block a few times, taking different side roads and backtracking, I knew in my gut I was being followed. However, I saw nothing, no one.

I was left with two options: drive to a public area and hope that kept me safe until whoever was causing this feeling leaves me or go home.

Bystanders were in public, and the chance of them getting caught in the crossfire churned my stomach. But Max was at home, and, well…

I turned down the main road toward the local bar.

4

LILA

Isat in my car, parked across the road from the local bar. I had lost track of how long I sat in the driver’s seat, trying to decide if this tingling feeling was all in my head or if I was, in fact, being followed. Surely, they’d get tired of me sitting here and eventually approach me or leave.

The bar was quiet, but as the evening drew on, more and more patrons began entering. The group of officers from Weylin’s team that had been at my desk all afternoon piqued my interest as they pulled up in a black SUV and entered the bar. I wondered if they were staying at the motel down the road.

Finally, I left the car, quickly walking across the street, not slowing down until I’d entered the bar and placed my order. Before I could tap the machine to pay for my beer, a card came down, and I held my breath as Rodney paid for my drink.

“On me today, sweets,” he boasted.

I gave him a tight smile. “Thanks.”

“Oh, don’t worry ’bout it. I seen how you had such a hard day today. It’s not right how they came in like that, but I did warn you. I think we could’ve gotten along fine without them coming in.”

No, he didn’t. He thought the case was unsolvable. I took my beer and gave him a nod. “Thanks again for the drink,” I said, leaving before he could stop me. I found a booth at the far corner of the bar and relaxed, sipping on the cool alcohol.

I couldn’t stay away from home forever; I would have to be prepared in case they attacked. I’d never had a wolf shifter come into my territory before.

One whiff of my scent, and they usually avoided my place. Whether out of respect or that I just wasn’t worth a fight, I wasn’t sure, but I had never come face-to-face with anyone like Weylin.

I began sorting through all my options in my head. What if he was a friendly wolf? Maybe it would be a good thing to talk with him. But thinking back to our encounter, it had been anything but friendly. I’d been afraid of him, and my gut told me my fear was very much valid.

Though I gazed at the table where Weylin’s officers sat, they seemed to ignore my presence as much as they did the other locals. I was just getting comfortable, halfway through my beer, when the door opened.

It wasn’t the door opening that really caught my attention. It was the now familiar scent.

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