Page 59 of Destined Mate

A few squirrels ran past me, a sign that spring was approaching, but other than that, it sounded as if I were alone.

I went to work.

I lost track of time, chopping wood and taking it back to the truck. I’d been out here for around two hours, and my hands were blistering. But I was going to get this truck loaded today because the rain was supposed to be worse tomorrow. I didn’t want to be back out here.

The sound of padding paws whispered behind me.

I froze, my heart pounding. Maybe this was why Charles had sent me out here—to teach me a lesson.

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

Leaningagainst the axe as if I were resting, I listened to the wolves approach. I didn’t want to turn around and reveal I was aware of them. That would surely cause them to attack. I had no clue how many there were, just that there was more than one.

They stilled. If I didn’t continue working, or if I hightailed it back to the office, they’d know something was amiss.

Every cell urged me to scream and run, but I raised my axe and continued to chop the Douglas fir I’d cut down earlier. Instead of focusing on my task, I listened intently.

As soon as I swung the axe, the paw steps came slightly closer, but nothing to indicate an attack was imminent.

I tried to be as quiet as possible, but between fear and exertion, my breathing turned ragged and made listening more challenging.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose.

They were watching me.

My heart leaped. Could it be Bodey? A deep yearning strangled my heart.

My brain took control. Bodey’s presence here didn’t make sense. The advisers were meeting somewhere south of Grangeville, Idaho, to discuss Samuel’s coronation and the security surrounding that, so it couldn’t be him.

My pack wouldn’t be watching me, either, unless Zeke thought I might be in contact with Bodey. But why wait hours after I’d gotten out here to come watch me? If I were going to reach out to Bodey, I would’ve done it as soon as I’d freed myself from Charles.

There was no plausible explanation…unless they were scouts from the Southwest territory, here on orders from Queen Kel. But why would they be watchingme?

A chill ran down my spine, and I continued to work. When they made no move, I took a break. I removed my cell phone from my back pocket and sent Stevie and Theo a text.

Me: I’m being watched in the woods behind Trevor’s real estate office.

I sighed, leaning on the axe and wiping the sweat from my brow. I breathed through my mouth, waiting to see if they made a move. I hated having my back toward them, but if I spun around, I was afraid of what might happen. I was alone in the woods, and I thought about calling the real estate office, but all that would do was alert the human, and she wouldn’t rush to help me, anyway.

My phone stayed silent. No doubt Stevie was busy at the coffee shop and Theo was handling pack matters in his father’s absence. I squatted and picked up an armload of logs, eager to get away. I wouldn’t be able to fill the truck today like I’d hoped, but my survival was more important. I’d have to deal with gathering the wood later…hopefully somewhere other than here.

My hands shook, making gathering the logs a challenge. The urge to flee damn near overwhelmed me, but the more scared or out of sorts I seemed, the more they’d see me as prey. They’d be tempted to attack me, even if they hadn’t planned on it.

Forcing my lungs to fill and empty slowly, I loaded my arms and grabbed the butt of the axe. This time, I had a better weapon than a knife.

With my grip tight on the axe, I strolled back toward the house. Though a quarter mile would have me back there in minutes, in that particular moment, it felt like a marathon.

My feet sped up without my permission…and the wolves took off after me.

I huffed, annoyed that my fear was taking control as the wolves kept pace behind me. I had to retain control, despite the way my chest constricted.

My arms shook, and a log tumbled and hit my toe, splashing in the muddy path. The benefit of being out here in the cold rain for hours in dress boots was that my feet were icebergs, so I didn’t feel much discomfort.

A wolf growled behind me.

I didn’t move, not wanting to react to the noise, but they didn’t stop moving. In fact, they weren’t even trying to be quiet. They were running toward me.

I wasn’t close enough to the house.

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