Heartsong (Green Creek 3)

As I hit the tree line, howls rose up behind me. And I swore there were Omegas running through the woods around me, eyes violet and hungry.

The chase was on.

green creek/on sundays

I thought about shifting, about putting my paws into the earth.

I didn’t.

I was in a strange pack’s territory, so far from home. I didn’t know what would happen if I shifted. Even though I wanted nothing more than to feel the pull of the wolf, I couldn’t take the chance of running into someone who didn’t know about wolves.

Tree limbs slashed against me, the wind whipping through my hair. I could hear voices of humans and wolves from behind me as they chased me, and I made a split-second decision to move toward the sound of cars ahead. It sounded like there was a town somewhere in front of me, and if I could make it to it, they’d have to stop. The wolves wouldn’t take the chance of exposing themselves to a group of unsuspecting humans.

It didn’t take long to reach pavement. An old truck almost struck me as I stepped out onto the road. The tires screeched, and I raised my hands in front of me, the sharp smell of oil and exhaust assaulting my senses. The grill of the truck was less than a foot away as it came to a stop.

A woman leaned her head out the window. Her eyes were wide.

“Robbie?” she gasped. “What the hell are you—”

She cursed as I ran past the truck. The engine squealed as she threw it in reverse. I glanced over my shoulder to see her spinning the steering wheel expertly, the old truck wheezing and groaning as it whipped around, the smell of burning rubber filling the air.

Ahead, I could see the outline of buildings.

A town, just as I’d thought.

I saw an old sign set back in the trees, almost overgrown by bushes.

GREEN CREEK

The words were faded.

But underneath seemed to be a more recent addition, carved into the wood.

A wolf, head tilted

back in a silent song.

It struck me as I crossed the town line that I was wearing shorts and nothing else.

I didn’t have time to worry about it. If anything, I hoped people would see it and believe I was being chased. That I’d been kidnapped and attacked. There was still blood on my head, though the wound had closed. I’d find a cop, tell him about the weird people in the house at the end of the dirt road, and then I’d figure out what to do next.

The problem with that is the first human I came across said, “Robbie? Holy shit, when did you get back? When did they find you?”

I had no idea who he was. He was standing in front of a hardware store, a broom in his hands. His eyes were wide.

“You have to help me,” I told him. “I’ve—there are people after me. I don’t know who they are. They took me—”

He nodded, taking a step toward me. He looked around as if to make sure we weren’t being overheard. He lowered his voice and said, “Is it a… wolf thing? Like, bad wolves or hunters again?”

I gaped at him. He wasn’t a wolf. He wasn’t in a pack. How the fuck did he know about any of this?

“Let me call Ox,” he said, reaching into his pocket. “He’s your Alpha. He’ll know what to—”

I took off down the road, leaving him staring after me.

There was a diner ahead, warm and inviting. I could see an inflatable palm tree near the door. OASIS, the sign in the window said.

A few people sat at the counter, cups of coffee in front of them. They all turned as I pushed through the door, a bell ringing overhead.