“Is that all?” I asked once we were seated. “You don’t remember anything else?”
“No,” she said. “Just that they didn’t come around anymore after that. Maybe the historical society can help you out. They’ll have records of all that, details, those sorts of things. That’s what they’re good for.”
I nodded slowly. “Yes, you’re probably right. Thank you.”
The mayor took the stage to a chorus of shouted questions and raised voices from all sides. He ignored each and every one of them. Instead, he raised his hand and waved at the various people, greeting many of them by name.
Somewhere between middle-aged and elderly, he wore a sleek-cut charcoal-black suit that reflected very little of the stage lighting. His hair was thinning but styled well, not bothering to hide the flaw. A confident man, he walked across the stage without worry. I couldn’t tell if it was the truth of him or just a projection he was putting on to keep everyone else calm after the events.
An elderly male with a walker shuffled his way up the aisles, looking for a seat. I bid the lovely bridge-player a fond farewelland relinquished my seat, taking up a position against the side wall and immediately feeling better. Something about sitting among the long-time townsfolk hadn’t felt quite right.
Perhaps it was something to do with the suspicion I’d been greeted with for asking so many questions, a suspicion only dismissed upon realizing I was the granddaughter of someone they knew.
Small-town prejudices.
I hated being considered an outsider. New Lockwood was my hometown.
I should never have left.
Apparently, according to twenty-six-year-old me, my ten-year-old self had a choice in the matter.
“Before anyone else asks, no, the 5k Beast-Run wasnot on the schedule for today. Someone got it mixed up. It was supposed to be next weekend!”
A mixture of laughter and muted nervous titters echoed through the auditorium as the mayor finally spoke up. Apparently, the place was full enough for him. Later-comers could hear it from those already assembled.
“I already have assurances that the next one will be cleared with my office before they proceed. Don’t worry.”
There was less laughter and more muted nerves this time. Which the mayor immediately picked up on.
“I have already assigned some people to begin looking into what happened today,” he continued in a more sober, serious tone, letting his eyes sweep the packed auditorium. The air conditioning was forced to work overtime to keep up. “Something scared those animals today. It was probably some idiots somewhere who started up logging operations again.”
The nervousness filling the room evaporated, replaced by an audible rumble of anger. That was a protectiveness over the forest from the people. I knew because it wasn’t the first time logging operations had caused issues. Only the last time, it had forced my family out of town, not the animals.
“It’s the curse of the woods, coming true. That’s what it was!” someone shouted.
Far more agreement than I would have expected from a room full of sane people followed the cry.
“Now calm down,” the mayor said sharply, pointing in the direction of whoever had shouted. “That is not true, and you’re not helping anyone by spouting that sort of thing. There is no curse of the woods. Nothing to fear, noevil. Leave that sort of talk to ghost stories around the campfire. Okay? There is a logical reason to all this, and my office will get to the bottom of it, and-“
The mayor’s voice became a non-distinct blur as fingernails of glass scraped down my spine. Eyes wide at the mental warning siren, I started surveilling the crowd, looking for whoever was watching me.
It didn’t take long.
He was standing at the back of the room, flanked by a pair of open doors, the natural daylight streaming in through them lighting him up like a spotlight.
Black boots, black pants that still hugged his legs with far too much perfection, and a different red and green flannel shirt, but still the same man. With his long wavy hair, stubbled chin and mismatched eyes staring out at me from under the brim of his hat. The intensity in his gaze was striking, both eyes boring into me, like he was trying to get a point across.
I just couldn’t figure out what. It didn’t help that my body was warming under his attention.
Stop that. You are more than a piece of meat to be stared down by some sort of hunter.
Part of me wanted to behis piece of meat. To feel those thick hands on me, learning just how much power they contained.
Before I could figure out why he was there, the man stepped forward, standing tall.
“The forest is not cursed,” he said. The rich, deep timbre of his voice cut through the mayor’s comforting speech with casual disregard, as if it weren’t even there.
“If there is evil afoot, it does not come from the woods. It comes from one of you.”
The crowd was dead silent. I was dead silent. Everyone was stunned by his words.
Someone exhaled loudly, and the crowd erupted into sheer pandemonium. Accusations and threats were hurled in all directions, cries of calm were stampeded over with shouts of fear. It was a madhouse of people accosting the mayor and one another.
In the midst of it all, the mystery forest-man turned and walked out.
Why the hell would he say that?
I had to know. Leaving my spot against the wall, I waded through the crowd in the standing room only at the back, hurrying after him.
“It comes from one of you.”
An odd choice of phrasing. Whoever he was, he knew more than he was saying.
Irritatingly good looks or not, I intended to get him to reveal it. Behind me, the crowd pressed forward toward the mayor, demanding answers. It was unnerving how easily and with just afew words the forest-man had unraveled them all, exposing their fears. Tensions must have already been high for that to be the case.
“You!” I shouted as I burst out through the doors. “Stop!”
Something was going on in New Lockwood, and he was going to give me some answers.
Lincoln
The hunter had become the hunted. I was stalked across the parking lot of town hall, to the grass and bush-covered park directly across the street. The eerie sensation of knowing I was being tracked and reeled in should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn’t. Perhaps it was the knowledge of who was hunting me.
Or perhaps I want to be caught.
“Hey. Hey, you! Forest-man!”
Her voice reached out and grabbed at me, the trap tightening its noose as the hunter struck. Wispy tendrils of imaginary power sank their greedy fingers into me, burrowing deeply until they reached where my wolf strained against the bonds of my mind. The beast was desperate with desire to stop and turn around. To be caught by this woman.
Setting my jaw, I plowed onward, sheer willpower overcoming desire and keeping me going step after step. My resolve was fueled by the anger of what I had done in the town hall, the words I had spoken to antagonize the population of
New Lockwood. I didn’t enjoy it. In fact, I had wanted nothing to do with it.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply