Lying with Wolves. Cynthia Cooke

the moon rose high in the sky above them, Celia wanted out of the truck. She wanted to run, to process what Malcolm had just said to her. Could it be true? Was his obsession with leading the Pack finally over? She hoped so, for both their sakes, but couldn’t allow herself to care. Not then. Right then she just wanted to run free. Her body was practically humming with anticipation to be back in high woods again with the soaring trees and a blanket of ferns covering the forest floor.

      She rolled down the window and took a deep breath of the cool pine-scented air. Home. It smelled like home; bittersweet longing blossomed in her chest. Malcolm pulled over off the side of the road onto what looked like an abandoned logging road. As soon as he parked and turned off the ignition, she was stripping out of her clothes, no longer caring that he might see her. She wanted to feel the mountain beneath her paws, to stretch her legs and fly.

      Without waiting for him, she was out of the truck and running, first on two legs, then on four as the wolf within her fought to be free. She tore off through the woods, not even bothering to look back for Malcolm. She ran forward, her nose high in the air smelling the sweet scent of cedar and pine and the headiness of animals surrounding her—deer, rabbits, raccoons and possums. Water from a nearby river roared in the distance, and wherever there was water there would be wildlife.

      Expectation burst within her. She tore off at an even greater clip and soon felt Malcolm flying up behind her at lightning speed. She could hear his heart thundering in his chest, hear his breathing accelerating as excitement pushed him ahead of her.

      She wouldn’t let that happen. He’d always been the bigger one, the stronger one, but she was faster. She chased after him, giving him a small nip as she passed, just to make sure he felt her beating him as she flew over small bushes, bounding through the water, the moisture tickling her nose. Squirrels and rabbits burst out of their hiding places, scampering out of sight, fear almost stopping their thudding hearts.

      And then she smelled the gamey scent of deer nearby. Deer were her favorite. There were always more than one and they knew how to give her a good chase. She took off after the scent, leaving Malcolm behind her as she bolted in another direction. Sensing her pursuit, the deer ran, breaking through the brush. There had to be six of them, maybe even seven. They were fast and knew the terrain. She followed them, racing even harder, her legs pumping steadily as she focused on her prize. It had been so long.

      Listening to their blood thundering in their bodies, following the thick, heady scent of their fear, she ran deeper and deeper into the darkness. And then one was in her sight.

      It was smaller than the rest, younger...slower. She was gaining on it. Faster and faster she ran, so close she could almost feel the animal’s hindquarters in her mouth, could almost taste its sweet flesh as they shot through the trees. She lunged forward, extending her neck, her jaws opening wide and snapping down on...nothing.

      Blazes! She burst up a small path and hit pavement with a bone-jarring thud. The bright lights of an oncoming car caught her in its glare. She froze, blinded. Rubber squealed against asphalt, the high-pitched sound stopping her heart. She tried to move but couldn’t see which way to go. The light was everywhere. The blare of a horn split the night air, echoing in her ears. Brakes screeched raucously. The car fishtailed across the highway, coming straight toward her before pitching into a ditch.

      She crouched down, whimpering. Before she could move, a man burst out the door, cursing, banging his fists on the car’s roof. Hidden behind the bright lights, Celia could only make out his hulking outline. He hesitated as he saw her, then reached beneath his jacket.

      Then Malcolm was next to her, growling, bumping her cheek, biting her scruff and pulling her out of the hypnotic stupor she’d fallen into. She turned, following him off the road, running fast. A shot rang out, ricocheting off a nearby tree. Then another.

      Fear slammed into her chest.

      “Come back here!” the man yelled. “I know what you are! I know!”

      Adrenaline pulsed through her blood, pushing her away from the road after Malcolm, deeper into the woods and out of the sight of the man and his gun. Would he come after them? Into the dark? Alone?

      She couldn’t guess, but their fun was over. They had to get to the truck and away from this lunatic as soon as possible. They never should have stopped. They must get to the safety of the Colony as soon as they could.