Page 19 of Knot Falling in Love
Fuck, Maisie is right.What would my sister think of me if she knew I went behind her back and slept with her best friend? The only friend she’s been able to hold on to all these years—their bond is stronger than ours.
One blink, and the pack is gone. I’m so far behind that I no longer hear their howls charting our path through the forest. All the surrounding trees look the same, and the shifting winds throw off the pack’s scent and make me feel more and more lost as the moments tick on.
Dammit.I used to know these woods like the back of my hand, but now I’m not even sure where I should go.
My wolf growls as I push away every instinct that has kept me tethered to her. Instead, focusing on the sounds of the forest,twigs and leaves crackling under my heavy paws, and the feeling of low branches snapping against my back. The riotous screams of the birds, warning the other creatures of the oncoming storm.
I sensed it before we left, and now I can feel the shift in the air, it’s already on its way.
Everything reminds me of her, as much as I try to ignore it. The scent of the stream is summers walking along the river, watching her pick out the shiny rocks. It’s the reason we call her Magpie. She could always spot them from a mile away.
Maybe I was drawn to her even back then. I had dismissed those protective instincts as a way to keep Hannah safe by proxy. I wonder if Maisie knows how everything changed that day, how we were both completely altered by her presence. How easy it was for the entire family to embrace her, even without her being a wolf.
Rain falls on my back, soaking through my outer coat until the chilly autumn air finally reaches my bones. The image of her wearing my leather jacket plays through my mind, being wrapped in my scent. Theway my house smells like her and even my car, it’s inescapable at this point.
I wonder how long it will linger when she leaves tomorrow.
It feels like I have been running for hours, chasing the stream upriver trying to distinguish my thoughts from my instinct. My wolf snaps at the air out of frustration, running faster until my joints ache, tearing away from my indecisiveness and out of my control.
He leads me to the fading scent of cinnamon. The gravel edge of the road bites into the bottom of my paws with every step, mud squelching under my feet. Even the rain can’t rid me of her ghost or the deep tire marks from where Mike had to wrench her car up onto the tow truck.
All those miles between us and I am back where it all started, where I finally saw her again. Where my wolf recognized her.
Fuck it. I’m telling her tonight.
The night sky lights up, startling me as thunder sounds in the distance. It’s coming down a lot harder now, and I’m feeling very exposed this far north, especially without my pack.
Another crash and the ground shakes under my paws, pulsing along with the thunderstorm. No, that’s not the storm. I slowly turn to see a giant shambling out of the Dreadwither Forest, the storm must have startled him awake, and now he’s looking for a little something to take the edge off.
He reaches towards the sky, stretching, the makeshift clothing pulling across his muscled chest as he turns and brushes off the back of his thighs. Giants are massive, this one has to be well over 15 feet tall, and with his gait, all bets are off.
I dip my head low to the ground, preparing to stalk away but keeping my eye on the giant. It doesn’t look like he’s noticed me yet, but I’m completely out here in the open without any tree or brush to cover me.
“Wolf.”
The single phrase roots me to the ground as I turn to see the second giant, larger than the other, watching me from the other side of the road with a big smile across his face.
“Here, wolf.” He draws out, his deep voice rivaling the sound of the storm, “Stay.”
Great, first I got separated from mypack and now I’m going to end up as an edible for a giant.
Not a chance.I think as I sprint down the road, struggling to keep the first giant in my peripheral vision while the other races towards me, arms outstretched. I can feel them gaining from the vibrations stinging the bottom of my paws whenever they hit the ground.
The larger giant grunts, and his fingertips graze the back of my coat, his loud footfalls coming in quick succession before I hear a curse behind me. I glance back in time to see him slam down onto the gravel, the other giant skidding as he stops to help his friend.
My wolf huffs out a laugh. I’d probably be more sympathetic if they weren’t trying to lick me 10 seconds ago.
Cold air burns my lungs, the adrenaline from the chase fizzling out fast as I snap at the air, snarling and cursing myself for straying so far from the edge of the forest. I’ve risked so much tonight, what is a little more for my mate?
I follow the river down south, a path I’ve charted a hundred times before, thousands if you count the times I’ve walked it in mydreams, watching Maisie wade out into the water looking for rocks.
All I know is I love her, perhaps I have always loved her. Years of memories building towards this feeling, or maybe it was there all along and I was too blind to see it.
The wind changes, and I smell it again, cinnamon, but this time it’s stronger. This time it’s leading me home.
The bright lights of the cabin off in the distance are a beacon as I slow down, conserving my energy for the last few yards. There she is, sitting under the patio light, her knees pulled up to her chest, her brown eyes staring into the forest, searching.
Hopefully, for me.
