one
ABBY
I untucked my tangled,auburn hair from behind my shoulders before stepping through the grocery store’s sliding doors. The store had just opened a few minutes earlier, and there were enough cars in the parking lot that I hoped I could find what I was looking for.
A werewolf.
I knew it was insane to even be looking, but curiosity had finally gotten the best of me.
Werewolves were kind of an urban legend at the university where I taught English. Students, professors, and other people living in town all joked about the werewolves in Moon Ridge, the next town over. The drive wasn’t long—forty-five minutes to an hour, depending on your comfort with dirt roads.
It had taken me the full hour.
Not that I had anything against the forest. It was beautiful to look at.
Fall had hit full-force a few weeks ago, so there were orange and red leaves everywhere, making everything absolutely stunning.
I just wasn’t a huge fan of dirt.
Anyway, I’d made a truly questionable decision to stay up all night reading an extremely spicy werewolf book on my Kindle. After a full hour of sleep to recharge, I’d gotten in my car and taken the dirt roads all the way to Moon Ridge.
At twenty-eight years old, I really should’ve known better. I was a full-on grownup. I had the degrees. The career. The niceish apartment. The reliable little car. The friend group. The massive library both on my shelves and on my Kindle.
Life was good.
There was no reason for me to be searching for werewolves in a grocery store instead of sleeping in and meeting my friends for brunch at the pancake place we liked in town.
But I was there anyway.
Making questionable decisions.
I’d blame the smutty romance books, but I loved them too much.
My eyes swept the inside of the grocery store. My baggy sweats and loose tank top weren’t completely socially acceptable, but I was too tired to care. Mornings and I weren’t friends.
And hey, I put a bra on and ran my fingers through my hair before leaving my apartment. That was plenty of effort.
The store was emptier than I’d expected.
There was one cashier leaning against the edge of her checkout booth while scrolling on her phone. She didn’tlooklike a werewolf. Not that I knew what a werewolf looked like.
Otherwise, I only saw a few people spread out between the aisles I could see.
I pulled out my phone and glanced at the time.
9:09 AM.
Where was everyone?
The cashier glanced up from her phone. I quickly stepped toward the carts and pulled one out, so she wouldn’t be suspicious.
I started walking toward the produce section, my phone tucked awkwardly between my thumb and the forefinger I had wrapped around the cart’s handle. When I peeked over my shoulder, she was on her phone again.
Crisis averted.
Phew.
I only made it a few feet into the produce section before a couple rounded the corner of an aisle. They were holding hands while he pushed their cart, and looked adorable together. He was tan and had messy, golden hair cropped close to his head. She was a pale, pretty blonde.
