Page 30 of After Darkness Falls

Definitely not. Her mouth opened and said, “Yes.”

“Good. Go.”

14

A Little Detour

Heart beating at a thousand miles an hour, she ran. She had no clue where to go, so she followed the handful of people ahead of her who seemed to know the way.

She’d had a hard time with her morning run, but now it wasn't just about getting to the intro on time; it was about running against people, trying to beat them or at least outsmart them. It didn't matter that she didn't know these lands; cross-country was her thing. She'd always known where to step, how to avoid roots and use her surroundings to her advantage.

In the distance, she saw a girl push one of the guys to the ground. He cursed her out loud, then got to his feet and set off after her. They were both laughing.

Right. No rules. Chloe heard someone catch up with her and decided to veer off the set path. She could still see and hear the other runners, so she knew what direction to take, but at least she wouldn't be tripped over.

Hopefully she wasn't heading toward a ditch.

“What the hell do you think you're doing here?”

Chloe stopped. She had come face to face with a rather tall and exquisite woman with dark blonde hair. She had scars all along her arms and was just wearing shorts with a tank top. Obviously, she was immune to the cold. A werewolf, no doubt.

“Avoiding the others? They're tripping each other and…”

“You know what you should avoid? Getting eaten, that's what. Stay away from the pack. Trust me on this.”

Chloe wasn't very intimidated. “I have a lot of werewolf friends.”

“Not here, you don't,” said the stranger. She looked behind her, watching the distance. With a sigh, the she-wolf said, “Come on. I'll show you out of here. Hopefully in one piece.”

The woman truly seemed rattled by something. Chloe hesitated for a second but decided to follow her.

“These damn arrogant hunter dudes,” the wolf grumbled. “They're taunting the pack with their runs around our land, always close to the full moon. Someday, they'll get what's coming to them.”

“I meant no disrespect,” Chloe said carefully.

“Yeah, right. This way.”

They'd arrived at a hamlet, smaller than Adairford, with red brick homes that seemed newer than the buildings in town. The she-wolf put her finger to her lips in a shushing motion and walked quickly along the outer edge, behind the rows of houses.

In the distance, Chloe could hear a voice say, “I smell something.”

“That's those guys again,” another added. “I tell you, they're trying to prove a point. We should show them.”

“Show Jack Hunter?” a woman said doubtfully. “Even if it would be easy to take him, what if his family—”

They left the voices behind, jogging as silently as possible on the pebbled ground. Soon, they arrived on the other side, back to the woods. Chloe could see Lakehill through the trees.

So, the she-wolf hadn't exaggerated. There was bad blood between huntsmen and weres around here.

“I'm sorry. I didn't know I shouldn't have been there…”

“Well, now you do. Stay away from these parts.”

She nodded, and the she-wolf walked away.

“Wait,” she called. “I'm Chloe.”

The shifter watched her, clueless.

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