Page 5 of A Wolf's Wound
The uneasiness comes on so suddenly I don’t even realize it’s taken control.It begins in the pit of my stomach—a low burning.Something that could be mistaken for drinking on an empty stomach.That has to be it.
I smile at her, gripping my knife and fork tightly.Then, I remember the glass and loosen my grip on the utensils.No bending steel in public.
The uneasiness builds and swells until it’s all I can process in my mind.The tightness in my chest, and the constriction around my heart is all-consuming.
What the hell are we even talking about?Did our topic somehow trigger my wolf?
I give her a close-lipped smile, and she smiles brightly back.The disquiet spreads from my torso to every other part of my body.
Every muscle in my body tightens, flexing.My blood burns, and equal parts anxiety and irrational anger unfurl in my throat.
Inside me, the wolf snarls and paws at its mental prison.
The sun is close to setting, and I haven’t even started on my meal, but I feel the urge to get out of the bar.Now.
Suddenly the cracked glass of Scotch shatters.My date shrieks and so do several of the people at nearby tables.
A waitress rushes over to clean up the mess.“Are you okay, sir?We’ll bring you another drink right away.”
I barely see her.Instead, my vision has become cloudy again.This time, it is because inside me, the wolf has sensed danger—imminent danger.To me?To my date?I’m unsure…
And I am halfway to shifting.In public.
Control.You’re surrounded by clueless humans.Control, dammit.
But my adrenaline rushes forward, the wolf responding to the threat and pulling my human half along.I am breathless, leaning over and coughing slightly as I struggle against the animal I’ve shared a body with for over thirty years.
“Are you okay?Did you swallow some glass?”My date, Amber/Ashley, is standing over me, her hand coming to my back.The other patrons of the pub are looking at me with expressions of confusion, concern, and disgust.
Fuck ’em all.
The wolf and adrenaline have become one, a twisting, dark thing inside me that won’t go unanswered.I can do nothing more now but give in.My wolf has sensed that something is wrong.Something—someone—important to me is in danger.
I don’t know what it is or who it is.But I have to leave the bar before it’s too late.
I stand and tug my wallet out of my back pocket.I pull out a wad of bills and throw them onto the table, not bothering to count the cash.
“Sorry.”I spare a glance for Amber/Ashley.“I’ve gotta go.Something has come up and…” I just shake my head because I can’t speak without flashing fangs.Then I’m dashing out of the pub and down the street within seconds.
Wolves are natural trackers, and shifters have instincts second to none.Now that I’m moving, I let those instincts guide me.I lift my nose to the air, and the wolf inside sniffs, no longer forcing me to shift now that it has control of the human form and we’re doing what it desires.
A shimmering scent rises above all others—one Ihaveto track—one that will lead me to the source of whatever pulled me unceremoniously from my date.
Poor Amber/Ashley.You’ll have to call her and apologize.My wolf spares a thought for the woman, but I’m not sure I care.Not when the owner of that aroma I’ve foundneedsme.
The scent my wolf has picked up is sweet, ripe, and plush with undertones of citrus.A growl bristles inside my chest as I round a corner and sprint down the street, my feet pounding the asphalt.
I am only a few blocks away from the pub when I stop in front of a block of apartments.It’s an older part of the city, and the buildings are impressively built with beautiful architecture.
But none of that matters.
Move.You have to move.Danger.
My thoughts are no longer my own, overcome by my wolf’s instincts.
Danger.Danger.Danger.
Move.
