Land of Wolves

Chapter 21

Every muscle of mine is tense, my body prepared to run at a moment's notice.

If I don't look, it won't be true. I'm imagining things.

My eyes remain glued to the pump, and I suck in a shaky breath as I readjust my hold and try to unjam it again. What's wrong with this fucking thing? The metal probably hasn't been greased in years, and I bet the cold isn't helping.

A throat clears, the noise loud as it cuts through my panicked thoughts.

Don't look, and it won't be true.

"You can ignore me all you want, but I'm not going anywhere."

It's just a ghost. My knees threaten to give out, and I curl my fingers around the pump before turning toward the voice.

Caleb leans against the front of my car, the man very much alive and very much not a ghost.

How did he get here? I didn't see him approach, and I've kept my eyes peeled for any signs of trouble.

He's naked, signaling he shifted and ran here, and his blood still coats his neck and chest. Caleb crosses his arms over his chest, his expression unreadable as he watches me. I'm speechless, and I hardly notice as the pump falls from my hands and crushes my big toe.

"Are you surprised to see me alive?" Caleb asks.

I don't respond, not having the words.

His muscles flex as he straightens up and steps forward. I take two steps back. My eyes flash to the car door, but I know I won't be able to make it there without him catching me. He's too fast, and I'm too far away.

Caleb sighs and glances at my arms before focusing on my shaking legs. I wish I could say it's a product of the cold that's causing them to shiver, and while that's partially true, it's mainly caused by seeing him.

I look around, but there are no other wolves to be seen.

I know they're here, though.

Caleb rounds the car. I scramble away from the pump, refusing to let him get too close until I understand his motives. I tried to kill him, and I almost succeeded. I'd be stupid not to realize how dangerous this current situation is for me.

Blood rushes through my ears, making it nearly impossible to concentrate.

What's his plan?

I know he likely intends to kill me, but I don't understand why he's dragging it out. Caleb finally looks away as he bends to grab the pump, and I struggle to regulate my breathing as he shoves down on it and easily fixes the jam.

He's able to draw the gas up faster than me, and I have less than two minutes to try and make sense of what's happening before he pulls the hose out of the car and closes the cap.

"Get in," he orders, jerking his head toward the car.

I don't move, and my eyes dart to the forest surrounding the station. I still don't see anybody, but I know running isn't going to get me anywhere. If it's not the hypothermia that kills me, it will be the wolves.

Caleb opens the passenger door and gestures for me to get inside.

Grinding my teeth, I refuse to let my fear show as I step forward and climb inside. Caleb's in the driver's seat a second later, and I stare straight ahead as he turns on the car and pulls away from the pump.

He kicks on the heat, too, pushing it to full blast before parking the car and spinning in my direction.

"HPAW was thoughtless to give you a meeting point you couldn't get to on one tank of gas," he says.