Page 54 of Red

The cool, evening air rushes past me while Alex sprints through the dense woods. I can feel the power beneath me, the muscles of his werewolf form propelling us forward with a strength that no human could ever possess. The warmth of his body, together with his soft fur, is enough to keep me nice and toasty while we move toward much colder weather of the Midwest. My heart races as his speed breaks the boundaries of the ordinary, and involuntary laughter escapes my lips—mix of thrill and joy.

We keep chatting on our way, and I’m not even sure which state we’re passing, when we get ambushed by three werewolves. I only stare at them in disbelief as seeing others for the first time still somehow shocks me.

They all have dark coats, similar to Alex’s, but it’s hard to tell exactly in the fading light.

“Hello, Julia! Pleasure to finally meet you! I’m Edwin,” the biggest one introduces himself. “And my sons, Tristan and Maddox.”

The other two wave to me, grinning. I wave back, still fully wrapped around my wolf.

“I called for the reinforcement. Just in case,” Alex explains and I figure it’s the wolf telepathy thing he’s mentioned before.

“Penny is here, too,” Edwin says. “Her and Katia are feeding now. We should go, they can meet us at Julia’s parents.”

“Thank you,” I whisper to Alex as we move forward. It makes me feel better to know he will not be alone if things go terribly wrong.

We arrive in a flash; it can’t be more than an hour and a half since we left West Virginia. My ears feel kinda funny from all the wind, and I’d maybe be worried about getting an infection or something. However, as Alex has informed me, I apparently don’t get sick anymore since me and him are now bonded mates. The best part is that I also stopped aging.

He places me on the ground, uphill, right on the edge of the forest, overlooking the clearing below where my parents’ house stands by the lake beach. I haven’t been here in ages—not since before the pandemic hit. Now that I think about it, I should’ve been visiting more often.

I notice that some lights inside are on, andso in our closest neighbor’s house several yards away. Nothing suspicious is happening.

Except that two more figures approach us from the darkness.

“Oh, she’s stunning!” one woman cheers to Alex as she shamelessly looks me up and down with her crimson eyes. “Hi, Julia! I’m Penelope, but you can call me Penny!”

I smile to her before shifting my eyes onto her partner. “You must be Katia then.”

She confirms before bestowing a freezing cold glare at my wolf-man. “Alexander.”

I swear he rolls his eyes at her, and the other wolves just laugh in the background.

“Don’t even worry about them. You’ll get used to their moods.” Penelope brushes it off.

Ignoring everyone, Alex looks at me. “Let’s just head over there.”

“Um, Alex, maybe it’s best if I go alone? I’m not convinced my Mom seeing you is the best for anyone’s sake.” I might be angry with her for hiding the truth, but at the same time, I realize the trauma she’s been through.

“But what if it’s a trap?”

“We’ve already checked,” Penelope cuts in. “It’s only Michelle inside, and no other humans nearby, besides the neighbors.”

“She’s alone? My stepdad should be there, also.”

Katia shakes her head, and I immediately begin to get nervous yet again. It’s too late for him be out running errands. I swear, if anything happens to him because of me…

“Go.” Alex sympathizes, studying my facial expression.

I give him a squeeze before I rush down the hill, which seems smaller than I remember from my childhood. Sledding out here with Greg was always my favorite part of winter.

“You’re late,” she accuses, barely finishing opening the door for me once I’m in front. “I was expecting you yesterday.”

“Wow, I’ve missed you too, Mom!”

She moves to the side, allowing me to enter, as she tells me, “It’s been stressful.”

“You couldn’t pick up the phone?” I pass her in the hallway, inspecting the entire floor for myself. “Where’s Greg?”

She burst into tears, hiding her face inside her hands. “They have him.”

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