Page 41 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

The next weekand a half passed in a blur. Each day, I grew jumpier, between my missing pack and, disturbingly, not seeing Griffin. What bothered me most was that missing the sexy douchebag kept him constantly on my mind and on alert for him.

I hadn't seen him since the night of our almost kiss. I tried not to look for him, but I couldn’t help myself. His face, his smell, his presence…being without him had left a hole inside me, making me desperate to see him again.

He didn't appear to be staying at his house, and Killian had muttered that he hadn't heard from his best friend either. The last he’d heard, Griffin was going to Shadow City to spend time with his mom and try to determine who was behind the attacks on wolves, but every time Killian called, Griffin didn't answer.

The most concerning part was that Luna had been missing in action too. I didn’t want to consider what those two were up to. It made me want to puke.

"Dove?" Carter called.

I was getting used to the name. I never would’ve expected that, but it had become mildly comforting. Probably because Killian had given it to me.

The coffee shop was dead. I'd been working longer days, and it was now nearly two in the afternoon, and we were closing up.

"Do you mind taking the trash out?" He pointed at the garbage can.

Carter acted like I wouldn't do it without him reminding me. "I’ve taken it out for the past five days." I finished counting out the cash drawer, headed over to the trash, and tied up the bag. "I'll be right back."

He nodded and continued wiping down the counters. "Holler if you need anything."

I walked through the kitchen, where the two kitchen girls were cleaning up the food mess from the day, and straight out the back to the garbage bin. The rancid smell of decaying food slammed into me. Since I was new, I got to be the one to deal with this. Something about seniority, and after the first time, I understood why. No one, not even a human, would want to come out here and smell this.

Holding my breath, I hurried to the large, blue dumpster outside the back door and threw the bag inside. I spun around…and silver paint on the brick caught my eye.

No.

This couldn't be.

Why would Rosemary do this to me? My breathing quickened. I was so upset that the awful garbage smell didn't even register any longer.

I rushed over and traced the drawing on the wall. It was of a wolf in silver paint, the combination telling. It couldn't be a coincidence. That would be too convenient at this point.

My vision grew hazy. I had to get something to clean this off or paint to spray over it. No one could see this.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Time was ticking,and I needed to get back inside. But I couldn't risk leaving this drawing out here where someone else might see it. This was a hidden message for me; it had to be. Most people probably wouldn't think much about it, but I didn't want to chance any sort of talk starting about a silver wolf painted on this building. The people hunting me could hear about it and come by to check it out.

I shuddered, remembering that whomever they worked for wanted me to have his babies.

Abreeder.

The thought of what that would entail made a shiver run down my spine.

Every night, I dreamed that they found me, and I'd wake up in a cold sweat and not be able to go back to sleep. A run would make things better, but I couldn’t risk it after last week in the woods.

To make matters worse, Rosemary had been feeling me out each day when she grabbed her morning coffee. Maybe this painting was how she was forcing my hand. She'd been growing frustrated with my evasiveness, so she wanted me to react and confirm it was me. She must be dedicated to getting to me topaint the wolf out here while enduring the smell, even if her nose wasn’t as sensitive.

I hated to admit that her plan was effective. But I'd deal with that bitch later. I had to focus on the most immediate problem so I didn't get overwhelmed.

The trouble was I had no clue how to remove or cover up the wolf. I searched the area, trying to find something—anything—to help me fix this situation. I relaxed my arms and shoulders, trying to remove the panic from my mind. If I let the fear take hold, I wouldn't be able to figure out a solution... if there even was one.

Ignoring the putrid smell, I walked around the edge of the cement, staring into the distance, but there wasn't a damn thing that could help. All that was back here was the large blue dumpster, trash, and cement. There were a few trees not far away, but that wouldn't help me any.

Dammit.

Maybe the person had tossed the spray paint in the dumpster.

Holding my breath, I lifted the lid and stuck my head into the opening, but nothing but plastic bags of spoiled food and coffee grounds could be seen. I dropped back down to my feet and squatted, looking under the small crack of space between the bottom of the dumpster and the ground.

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