Heart of a Wolf

Because the next time we crossed paths, Fallen’s secrecy wouldn’t be so lucky.

Chapter Fourteen

By the time night fell, my wolf’s anger was mirrored by my own. It was foolish to think I’d find love all the way out here. It didn’t matter how much I enjoyed the feel of the wind through my fur, it wasn’t home. It wasn’t even close.

There were no plush couches, no warm fire to sit beside, and it lacked the safe homey feel from my childhood. Sooner or later, Val would have to return to the city. Once she did, it’d be close to impossible for me not to go wit her.

Val was my lifeline and my constant in a world full of change. Having a new heart would never change that.

And that’s when I realized the loyalty Fallen felt toward Ash was much of the same. While our hearts said one thing, our minds said something else entirely. Val and I had a life back in the city, one of which I hoped to go back to once I was well enough to do so. Granted, I’d have to report my transformation to the board, but surely they’d keep me around.

If not for the humans, then for the wolves that happened to walk through our doors.

It wasn’t like I’d planned to stay out here anyway. I’d never made that promise, and yet something continued to hold me back. If I was restless, all I had to do was walk outside, shift, and run until I couldn’t do it anymore. Back in the city, I’d be limited to my human form, running at a much slower pace while caging my wolf in the back of my mind. I already knew how much she hated that, and I honestly couldn’t blame her.

Wolves may have lived side-by-side with humans for as long as I could remember, but seeing a wolf walking the streets in their pelt was still incredibly rare. It just wasn’t done, and until it became the norm, my place would remain here, with the pack.

Restless, I changed forms, taking comfort from my wolf as I lay in the shed. In the short time since our return, my wolf’s agitation whenever I took on my human form had calmed. I

could easily walk around with my sister if I wanted to without fearing my wolf’s aggression toward her.

Perhaps it was because we weren’t in the city anymore.

Maybe it was because there were no loud cars and no exhaust to cloud my senses. Whatever the reason, I was thankful when my wolf hummed in the back of my mind, calming my nerves long enough for me to get to sleep.

It was strange to think she and I were one and the same.

Even in my pelt, I could feel her standing guard in the back of my mind, her confidence far outweighing my own. The fact I’d been a wolf for under a month didn’t bother her. Neither did my being human in the first place.

She didn’t judge me, and as time passed, I knew I’d do the same. What brought me here didn’t matter. What I decided to do with my new life, however, did.

Fallen and Val. Stay or go. In that moment, they both weighed heavily on my mind. Sooner or later, I’d have to make a choice.

Do I go back to my old life or do I stick with the one I was given?

It’s hard to say when I finally drifted off to sleep, but when my wolf nudged me awake, it wasn’t because she wanted to run. It was because she sensed someone standing outside. I didn’t hear them so much as smell them, their scent cautious but familiar.

Panic coiled around the base of my spine, quickly replaced by the same calm I felt whenever Fallen was around. Her scent, however, wasn’t one I recognized. The bitterness from before along with the honeysuckles were completely absent when I sniffed her way. But it was her. I was almost sure of it.

As to what brought her out here in the first place was yet to be determined. She should’ve been inside the manor with Ash.

She should’ve been looking after the Alpha, but for whatever reason, she was out here with me, guarding me instead.

Not knowing what brought her out in the dead of night, I got to my paws and made my way to the door, hesitating a moment more before finally joining her outside.

Above us, the sky was clear, an almost-full moon hanging overhead. Stepping under its light, my nerves tingled, my need to run growing stronger than ever before.

“Fallen?” I hedged, slipping

behind the shed where we couldn’t be seen. “What’re you doing out here?”

She looked at me with a start, the golden glow of her eyes flashing with fire before going dormant again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It was my wolf,” I lied, knowing Fallen was the reason my wolf pushed me awake in the first place. “Shouldn’t you be with Ash?”

The only other time Fallen had left Ash’s side so late at night was during my first run and again when Ash had just gone through surgery.

So if she was out here…