Chapter 3: My, What Giant Teeth You Have

The taxi driver unceremoniously dumped me in the middle of nowhere, close to a creepy dirt road with no signage anywhere, and spun the car out like his tail was on fire.

His last words were, "Ain’t no one goes here, lady. Not if they know what’s good for them. $20 bucks. Don’t even worry about the tip. You’ll be dead soon, and I ain’t taking money from a dead woman."

Ol’ Harry the cab driver sure knew how to lift a girl’s spirits, didn’t he?

"Well," I said, brushing my hands down my best jeans in a nervous gesture. "Sh*t." A hysterical giggle bubbled from my throat as I looked around. This couldn’t be the right place. Were they running a shelter for abandoned puppies out here? I looked around only to find trees, bushes, mud, and more trees.

Had Cassie played a terrible practical joke on me? She didn’t seem the sort, and it wasn’t like I could do anything if she had. My powers were neither offensive nor defensive. They just…were. And she had way bigger teeth than I did.

"I am totally screwed." Blowing out a frustrated breath, I hitched my purse higher on my shoulder and turned down the creepy dirt road to nowhere.

Five minutes into the walk, the hair stood up on my arms and the back of my neck. There was something out there. The woods fell into stillness, the silence of totality. The only sound was my ragged breath and the crunch of my shoes speeding up my walk. The road had to lead somewhere, right? That’s kind of the point of them.

A branch snapped to my left. My head jerked to follow the sound, but only brush and trees faced me, swaying gently in the slight wind. Another branch snapped to the right. I exhaled, closed my eyes, and counted to five, slowing down my thoughts.

I started having panic attacks a few years before I left the coven once I figured out their plans for me. They abated somewhat when I ran, but the dreams never left me.

Breathing helped. Meditation was even better. Exercise when I had the time. Avoiding stressful situations was usually the key, and here I was, traipsing through foreign woods to meet some wolf shifters, trying to get approval to babysit their puppies.

I stumbled in sudden realization.

"Pups," I muttered. "Freaking Cassie. Not puppies."

"Wolf pups," came a voice from behind me.

I shrieked and spun, frantically digging in my purse for my half-empty can of pepper spray.

An enormous man stood in front of me. His posture was loose, hands down at his sides. He wore a blue and grey flannel shirt, faded jeans, and a pair of work boots. His eyes were a strange silver, the color of molten metal, but his hair was a bright, golden blond. Sharp jaw, proud nose, generous lips curled just a touch in amusement.

"I’m Evan. You must be Aspen."

My hands curled over the cylinder. I eyed him warily. "Do you often scare young girls walking in the woods?"

Evan chuckled, the sound good-natured and not at all terrifying. "Only when they’re trespassing on Pack property and considering attacking me."

My mouth fell open. "I am not trespassing!" I said hotly. "I was invited. To…to…babysit," I said lamely.

One of his eyebrows went up. "Puppies. Yes. I overheard your muttering."

An exasperated sigh came unbidden. "Your children." I shook my head. "Cassie was exactly as clear as she wanted to be about the details."

Evan grinned. "Yes. She’s quite a handful." He gestured ahead. "I’ll escort you in. No guest comes in or goes out without an escort."

He came up beside me. I swallowed hard as I craned my neck to look at him. "Is ridiculous height a pack thing?"

Evan laughed again. "You ever heard of genetics?"

A rueful laugh escaped me. "Funny," I drawled.

He gestured forward with a long, tanned, and scarred hand. "Come. I’ll walk you in and take you to the daycare."

***

A massive iron gate greeted us about ten minutes later. I stopped abruptly but pushed forward at Evan’s gentle hand on my back.

"Just up ahead," he said. "You have identification?"

Would the wolves realize my credentials were fake? Was it true they would know if I lied to them? Crap. I learned a long time ago to guard my words when speaking to the High Priestesses in the coven. You could say a lot without saying anything if you were careful enough. "I do."

He gave me a long, appraising look. I’d waited too long to answer. Fishing it out of my purse, I handed it over to him. The work was close to perfect. I couldn’t tell any difference, but maybe the police could if I gave them cause for suspicion. Keeping my nose out of other people’s business and my head down kept me off their radar, just like I liked it.

Evan handed it over to a steely-faced guard who looked at it, then me, his golden-flecked eyes taking in all of my features and finding them lacking, then handed it back to Evan.

"Alpha’s here," he said. "Waiting for you right inside the gates." He flicked his gaze back to me. "Speak only when you’re spoken to." A creepy smile curved his lips. "Otherwise, you’ll be the main course for dinner tonight."

"Malachai," Evan said sharply. "Mind your words. She’s a guest here."

The guard took one step back and bowed his head, though his eyes glinted with malice. "Open the gates," he barked.

With barely a squeak, they opened, revealing a massive but modern compound complete with a courtyard and numerous cabins. A playground stood to my left with several children shrieking in delight as they rough-housed. To the right stood a separate building with picnic tables lined up in rows of six.

In front of me stood a massive, ridiculously handsome man.

Evan stepped forward and bowed his head, one hand over his heart. "Alpha," he said. "The girl has arrived."

The naked man from my couch stepped forward, his strange eyes glinting with heat. "Hello, Aspen. My name is Cane. Welcome to the Pack."