Page 16 of Wolf Mate

She had me there. I shrugged. “Food is a whole different thing. If it can moo or cluck, you might need to rethink your stance on things. Maybe even possibly life.”

“I could say the same thing about you.” She plopped onto the couch, making no move to slink back into her room.

Strange.

My chest expanded, and I tried to rein it in. I didn’t need to get my hopes up that we could get along. She’d tried to get a new roommate earlier. If someone left university housing, I had no doubt she’d try again. “You’d be wrong.”

“You know what? I’m glad he wasn’t able to change our arrangement.” Her eyes twinkled. “Because you aresorefreshing.”

Sweat pooled in my armpits. She was acting nice and sounded sincere. But I didn’t know how to respond. This was new territory, and what if she changed her mind later? I needed to keep my distance. I twirled my key ring on my finger. “Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

She shook her head. “I’m just sorry for not talking to you first. When I realized you might have overheard the conversation, I felt like a huge bitch. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not a big deal.” I caught the key in my hand and sighed. “On that note, I’m going to head into my room and rest. It was kind of a big day.”

“Sounds good.” She stood and rubbed her hands on her arms. “I’m going to meet my cousin and friends for dinner, so I’ll see you later.”

She was leaving, and I’d have the place to myself for a while. That sounded amazing.

When the front door shut, I let out a shaky breath and went to my room. I tossed my keys onto my dresser and sat on my bed, taking deep, calming breaths. That conversation had gonebetter than I’d expected, and as icing on the cake, I no longer felt compelled to sleep in my car.

Now that the weight of that had lifted, I was restless, and my body began to fizz again.

Shit. I had to move.

After spending so much on gas today, I could think of only one option.

The woods.

But I wouldn’t go in deep. I’d stay near the tree line. Just deep enough to breathe with no one watching.

I grabbed my phone and headed back outside.

The cool evening air brushed my face, refreshing me.

Only a few people were around now, and they were in deep conversation, not noticing me as I stepped out.

I hung a right, going in the opposite direction, and walked toward the woods. Knowing that I’d soon be immersed in nature had me quickening my pace.

When I stepped past two towering Douglas firs, I inhaled the crisp, clean air, the kind that only nature could provide, away from pollution and smog.

I walked in about a quarter of a mile, deep enough that no one could see me from the university lawn.

The fizzing floated through me, but I wasn’t petrified. No one was here to witness anything weird. I stopped and listened, ready to completely relax.

A whimper sounded close by, and a knot formed deep in my stomach.

Then I heard a suckling noise that sounded like a rabid animal feasting on a fresh carcass.

“Please,” a shaky female voice murmured.

Acid burned my throat.

Someone was in trouble.

CHAPTER SIX

Ifollowed the whimpers, the noise growing louder with each step. The closer I got, the more human the animalistic sounds became, like someone slurping and gulping.

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