Page 4 of Howling Night

This wasn’t possible. Wolves this size didn’t exist. And even if they did, they wouldn’t just calmly walk into a clearing with two arguing men.

I needed to leave. Or maybe I was still on the couch, dreaming.

As I shifted my weight to back away, my foot caught on an exposed root. I stumbled backward, crashing through a cluster of dried branches. The sound was deafening in the quiet forest.

I could see enough between the trees to notice the wolves were melting back into the shadows. The dark-haired man stopped his strange convulsions. He looked hard in my direction, then turned and strode away toward the lake, his movements stiff and awkward.

My breaths came quickly as Ryder kept his eyes on me. His face was filled with rage as he moved toward me with impossible speed, crossing the distance between us in seconds.

“What the hell are you doing out here?” he growled, his nose wrinkling as his breath washed over my skin.

I scrambled to my feet, holding up my hands as I backed away. “I… I live here.”

“You don’t live here,” he said, his bright blue eyes almost glowing.

“No, I mean, I live in that house,” I said, pointing back over my shoulder. “I moved in today. The path from my house leads here.”

He stopped, and his eyes narrowed as he studied me. “Old Man Harrison’s place? That sold?”

“Yes,” I said, my heart hammering. I forced a smile and stuck out my hand. “I’m Everly Montana, the new homeowner.”

What the hell was I doing giving this beast my name? And my location. I wasn’t thinking clearly… in fact, the only thing I was thinking about was how I was going to get back to the house and lock my door before he caught me. The big man was fast.

“Where are you from?” he asked with a grunt as he looked down at my nice jeans and what had been a clean t-shirt.

“Chicago.”

“What did you see?” Ryder demanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

I shrugged. “Nothing. I didn’t see anything.”

“Lies,” he said, his eyes flashing with something primal.

“Okay,” I said, swallowing hard. “A little spat between two grown men, but if I learned anything living in Chicago, it’s that you don’t see anything. But to be fair, I have no idea what the fight was even about.”

It was the honest truth.

He sniffed the air as he studied me. “You shouldn’t be wandering the woods at night.”

“Well, it wasn’t night when I came out here,” I said, taking a careful step backward. “Not to mention, I thought I was moving somewhere that it would be safe to be out at night.”

I could tell by his expression that he didn’t find me even a little amusing.

“Please, sir, I’m sorry,” I said, taking another step back. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I heard voices, and I was just exploring my new property.”

“You’re too nosy for your own good,” he said, grabbing my arm and turning me back toward my house.

“Please remove your hand from my arm,” I said, keeping my voice firm.

He let go, rolling his eyes. “Whatever you think you saw tonight, forget it. All of it. Mention it to no one, or we’re going to have problems. Is that understood?”

“I know how to not make someone else’s problems my problems,” I said, meeting his eyes. “And to be totally honest, I don’t care.”

In the city, there were many times I had to look the other way — drug deals, gang violence… suspicious people and activity. It was just insane that I was still going to deal with all that, even in a small town.

“See that you do,” Ryder said, following me. “I’d hate to have to make it your problem.”

“Right,” I said, pushing my shoulders back. “Neither of us wants that.”

---