Page 42 of Wolf's Midlife Bite

It was supposed to be fifty-fifty when they’d first opened The Wagon Wheel. It had always been Chuck’s dream, but he’d never had the money. Lori had just been given a small inheritance from a great-uncle, but the fact that the man she’d loved wanted her to be involved in his business had been sweet and flattering. They’d bought the cheapest old building in Chinook and transformed it from a sad little wreck on the outskirts of town to a hopping saloon everyone clambered to on the weekends. Even the weekdays weren’t too dull once Lori had talked Chuck into doing theme nights and serving better food. People were bored in their little town, so they loved the chance to see their friends over a beer while playing darts. They loved it even more when there were holiday parties, charity events, and pool tournaments.

But as hard as she’d worked, nothing was quite good enough for Chuck. Lori thought she’d made him happy, but she knew she was wrong when he ran off with the hostess.

Lori had let her mind completely wander, and with a jolt, she realized she’d gone way further than she’d ever thought she would. She glanced at the tracker on her wrist, wondering if she really had gone over a mile. That would explain why her lungs burned. Lori slowed to a brisk walk. She could feel her heart thumping, but it wasn’t setting her device off, so it couldn’t have been too bad.

Lori grinned. This really was a whole new start for her. This wasn’t the kind of thing she would’ve done if she’d stayed back in Chinook, listening to all the locals whisper behind their hands about how Chuck had run off, thinking she didn’t hear them. She’d never been happier about moving away because the last thing she wanted was for anyone to think she was doing this just to get back at Chuck. It didn’t have a damn thing to do with him, nor did anything else in her life. She was finallyfree.

A black shape fluttered in front of her. Lori turned to follow it, spotting the raven just as it landed in the grass on the other side of the path. It cocked its head to the side, studying her.

“Well, hello.” She paused, knowing she couldn’t stay still for too long and lose her momentum, but it had so much personality. “You look like you’re trying to tell me something.”

It opened its thick black beak and let out a jittering call before moving a few steps away from her.

“Oh, it’s okay. I’m not trying to hurt you. I’ve always liked animals. I mean, it’s not like I have any pets right now. I just moved here, and my landlord doesn’t allow them.”

Another cry issued from the raven’s throat just before it flew into the air, swooped between a few trees, and settled into a low branch.

“I wish I knew what you were saying.” But something inside her knew the bird wanted her to follow it. Lori had always felt animals knew far more than people, and she’d been looking for signs to let her know she was heading in the right direction by moving out to Eugene. Perhaps the raven was telling her just that.

When she reached the base of the tree, the raven swept off for another one.

The trail was getting narrower. Lori realized she hadn’t seen any joggers or cyclists for a while, and the trees were thicker there. Fear began to bloom in her chest, thinking perhaps she’d wandered too far, but she dismissed it. What’s the worst thing that could happen by getting in touch with nature a little?

“Caw!” the raven insisted.

“All right, all right! What’s so important?” Lori laughed. She left the trail behind as she followed the raven up the hill, wondering what Conner would say when she told him the story. He’d probably shake his head and ask her not to repeat it in front of his football buddies. The raven led her all the way up the hill, insistent as ever until they reached the top.

Then it was silent.

“You finally ran out of things to say?” she asked.

But the bird wasn’t looking at her anymore. It peered down the other side of the hill, its head twitching a little to one side.

Lori looked, wondering if the raven had spotted its next snack. When she turned, she realized the two of them weren’t alone. A group of people had gathered near the base of the hill on the other side. There had to be at least twenty of them. They sat around and spoke in hushed tones so Lori didn’t hear anything they were saying. Given where she was in the country, Lori figured it was a hippie gathering or something. She wasn’t going to bother them, but something caught her eye just as she started to turn away.

Looking back, Lori realized a dog was moving toward the group. No, not a dog. Awolf.It trotted up from the thicker part of the woods beyond the hill, its eyes yellow and determined. Her heart lurched in her chest. It was beautiful, the kind of thing she’d love to see up close, but it was coming right at them. Lori sucked in a breath to yell at the group, to tell them to get out of there.

But one of the men turned toward the wolf, then became one himself.

Lori blinked. That wasn’t right. She hadn’t just seen that. She glanced down at her fitness tracker, wondering if she’d overdone it and was now hallucinating. Leaning against the nearest tree for balance, Lori looked back down the hill. The man who’d been there a moment ago was gone, just as she thought, and now there were two wolves. They weren’t sneaking up on the people, though. They were right there in the midst of them.

It couldn’t be right, but the rest began to transform. Their faces stretched into long muzzles as their heads writhed on their shoulders. They fell forward onto all fours as thick gray fur sprouted on their bodies. Her gut twisted, but she couldn’t look away. She caught glimpses of them between various forms of human and beast.

A scream ripped through the air. When the wolves all looked in her direction, she knew it was coming from her.

Lori froze, watching in horror as the pack of wolves raced up the hill. Their claws dug into the soft earth as they bounded for her, a stream of fur that moved and ran around each other without the least bit of trouble. They were gaining on her, and quickly.

“Holy shit!” Sucking in a breath, Lori scrambled back down the hill. It was steeper than she remembered it being on the way up. Her shins screamed at her to slow down. She wasn’t used to all this exercise. But her brain sent an extra flood of adrenaline through her system, and she would deal with the aches and pains later.

Lori flung herself down the hill, then hit flatter land and barreled back toward the trail. She only had to get there, then someone would come along. Someone would’ve heard her screams and was probably on their way. Right?

She could hear the wolves, their panting breaths becoming louder by the second. She knew they had to be gaining on her, and her spine tingled in terrible anticipation. But she had to keep going. She wasn’t going to give up.

Her toe caught on a root, and she pitched forward. The raven called once more as the world went black.

Lori slowly opened her eyes.She felt as though she’d been swimming in a deep black void for hours, and it hurt to let even the slightest bit of light in. Squinting against the painful light, Lori tried to turn her head to the side, but it hurt too much.

“Hey, there. Are you with us?” a deep voice asked. It was rough but kind, and it sounded like it was coming from the other end of a tunnel.

She moved her mouth, trying to answer, but she didn’t know how. Her mind groped around for thoughts and found none. “What… what happened?” she croaked.

“You hit your head, but you’re all right now. Just take it easy.” It was that same voice again, but this time it was closer.

She opened her eyes and looked up to see a rugged, handsome face. Piercing blue eyes stared down into hers, his brows wrinkled in concern. She didn’t recognize him, but something within her told her she knew him.

“There you are,” he said gently as she started to come to a little more. “You’ll be fine.”

Lori wasn’t entirely sure she agreed with him.

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