Love me till the end

Chapter 1

Charlie pulled herself back to her immediate problem. It was already late afternoon and she'd have to find some kind of shelter before dark. The thought crossed her mind that if she turned around and headed back to the plane she'd be safe for another night. And in the morning she could try a different direction.

She searched the sky again for any signs of smoke that would reveal the possibility of a cabin nearby. She knew she was in a remote area, which the empty skyline emphasized with stark clarity. With a heavy sigh she turned to start walking again, and came face to face with a large, white dog.

Correction, wolf!

Her heart fell as fast as the blood freezing in her veins. She halted so swiftly that she lost her balance. One foot slipped down the muddy embankment into the icy water, but Charlie hardly acknowledged the freezing temperature. For a timeless moment she and the wolf squared off like two adversaries sizing each other up before a fight.

A feeling of doom settled in the pit of her stomach when she realized that if the wolf charged she'd have no alternative but to jump into the icy river, facing one death to escape another. Freezing or drowning would be a welcome alternative to being torn apart and eaten by a wolf. A chill ran down the length of her spine that had nothing to do with the frigid weather, as their gazes remained locked.

What is it waiting for?

As if reading her mind, the large beast crooked its head to look at something in the opposite direction. Was there a pack lurking somewhere beyond the trees? Fear galvanized Charlie into action. She turned to run, knowing that if the wolf decided to come after her it would be over in a matter of seconds. There was no way, as numb with cold and as exhausted as she was that she could outrun a predator.

Especially a hungry one.

In her haste to get away she fell several times. She cursed with frustration. The snow, knee deep in places, slowed her down. But Charlie was determined not to let it keep her from putting as much distance between her and the wolf as fast as possible as her survival instincts kicked in. She could hear movement behind her but wasn't certain if it was the animal or the blood pounding in her ears.

"Wait!"

Charlie heard the command but didn't believe it. It had to be the wind playing tricks on her. She pushed herself harder, but all at once the wolf was upon her. A heavy force hit the back of her body with a strength that knocked her to the ground. She screamed, expecting to feel her flesh savaged by canine teeth at any second.

Something snagged the hood to her parka pulling it away from her head. Charlie was sure the animal was going for her jugular. She screamed again, not realizing her face was in the snow until it rapidly filled her open mouth.

She turned her head, and cried out desperately. "No!" Maybe the sound of her voice would frighten the animal away. "Get away from me!" she screamed, hearing the sound echo throughout the surrounding mountains.

The sheer weight and size of the animal was crushing, holding Charlie nearly immovable. She was helpless against its strength. Suddenly and without warning she was flipped onto her back. Her hands were pinned to the cold ground above her head. And she realized it was a man and not the wolf pinning her down. For a moment she could only lie there in stunned silence and gasp for air.

Charlie relaxed beneath him when she realized he wasn't a threat to her. Where had he come from, and where was the wolf? She tried to move her head to see, but the hair he'd released when snagging her hood was wrapped around his gloved fingers preventing her from moving. He was slightly winded, looking her over with mild interest as he held her against the frozen ground.