Page 37 of Dead Wolf Walking (Bad Moon Academy 1)
“She’s terrified. You should have seen her when I found her the day she went exploring.”
“I was there, and it’s not the spirits she’s afraid of.” He gives me a pointed look.
“I know you were, but she doesn’t know that.” I grind my jaw. “She is a bit scared of me, though. You’ve got that right.”
A vicious grin splits his lips. “Of course she is.” Then he frowns. “We need her.”
I know this. “Patience. She’ll be ready soon enough.”
“She better be, or we’re all doomed.”
Shoving off the wall, I tuck my hands into my pockets and nod at him. “I’ll work on it.”
Hopefully Raven won’t need too much time because we don’t have that option.
* * *
Raven
I wake from another vivid nightmare, gasping for air after having fallen out of the bed again. The room is unbearably cold and the clock reads three in the morning.
Too early for a run.
Clutching the blanket around me as I climb back on the bed, I try to erase the image of my father’s slacken face from my mind. The wind howls outside with the threat of a storm riding on its currents. With a small huff, I roll onto my side and snuggle down, hoping my next sleep will be void of dreams. The worst part of sleeping for me is not knowing if they’ll be there. Sometimes I can rest easy. Other times I can’t catch a good night’s sleep for a week. This week is shaping up to be an exhausting one.
What happened?my wolf asks on a yawn.
Nothing important. Go back to sleep.
Someone should take advantage of sleep.
A floorboard in my room creaks. I stop breathing and strain my ears, trying to listen for any indication of where the sound came from. The chair is still in place, so no one has snuck in.
Unless they were in here beforehand. Hiding somewhere.
Maybe under the bed?
There’s someone here.
Oh she’ssuperhelpful.
I curl my fingers into fists and get ready to fight.
The floor groans again, and the bed dips.
Thrashing from my prone position, I swing my fist in the direction of the threat, widening my eyes when I see there’s no one there.
The bed shifts near my feet, and I scoot back, clutching the blanket to my chest.
What the fucking fuck?
I do not understand this thing.She growls, and I don’t feel bad when the sound rumbles out of my mouth.
Knowing I have a vicious wolf inside of me helps me feel less afraid.
I’m not sure it’s here to hurt us.
It?she asks, clearly not understanding one bit.
