Chapter 148: Penny
letting me feel like
The nick
kid at Christmas schon I turn to Adher. I want to think. Men apsin for finding the horny, for pulli
are sharper, his im tight, the maches in his shoulders bunched up beneath bet
In the ground the bunches, the dadeso.
My smile Tales. “Asher, what’s winneTM
At the same moment, a goy up thead says. “Hey, dude, why ‘te you going off the trail
Another ga
already a few feet into the trees, calls back, “I saw something move. Probably a deer or something.”
Asher’s eyes shop to the ground near my boots. I follow his gaze, my breath catching-
Food. Sattered in the snow. Recall crusts. A piece of chrete. Some greasy, shredded paper.
And next to it, hesh paw prints. Two sets. One small, delicate, almost cute. The other not
He grabs my forearm, his fingers like a vice around my arm. My heart Traps into my throat.
Then Rebecca’s voice, high and excited, cuts through the air
“Omg, look!” she squeals. “It’s the tiniest baby wolf ever!”
She’s pointing to a small, shivering hall of fur, not five feet off the trail, crouched beside a bush. Its fur is gray, mottled with patches of white and black, is eyes bright and curious. Its tiny car flick back at the sound of Rebecca’s voice, its head jerking around.
Axber shifts. I watch his entire body tense, his fingers flex on my arm, his eyes going from the rub to the food on the ground, to the tree line, to the wide chaotic cluster of people around us.
This is not the Asher I know. This is not the guy who teases me, who smirks at me, who brushes flour off my nose and calla me princess in that low, teasing voice. This is something else.
A soldies.
A weapon
moves me behind him, his hand going to my waist, pressing me into his back as he takes a step forward.
“Rebecca,” his voice is low, deadly, sharp like the crack of a rifle. “Step back. Now”
She blinks, her head tilting, her manicured hand reaching out towards the cub. “But it’s so cu-
“Step. Black” It’s not a suggestion. It’s an order.
‘s eyes go wide. She pulls her hand back, stumbling a little as she steps away, her boat sinking into a patch of soft snow. People around us pause, their confused murmurs dying out as they take in Asher’s stance, his tone.
Someone, maybe Max, says, “What’s going on, man”
Asher doesn’t answer. His eyes flick to me, and his jaw tightens. He grab my arm again, pulls me toward Max, his grip firm but not painful. He shrugs me into Max’s chest, his arm coming around my back
“Keep her behind you,” Asher mutters to
to him, his voice like gravel. “Don’t let her move.”
“What–I start, but Max’s arm Lightens around me, holding me close,
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Chapter 148: Penny
Asher turns, his gate sweeping the pond again. The paw prints. The food. The baby wolf, frichting sol whining in the show
“Oh my God,” I whisper, the pieces clicking together in my brad, cold and sharp and horrible
I meet Max’s wide eyes, and he sees the realization in mine
“Oh fuck,” he breathes,
The rub whines again, a high–r
Hful sound, and Auber’s eyes song to it, his entice body going will
1 feel the panic building, my pulse thaumming in my ears, every hair on my body standing n
“Oh someone whispers,
The food. The cub. The paw prints,
Mama woll
in end.
Asher’s head whips to the side as someone stumbles back onto the path, his face pale, his eyes wide.
“Bio, come back,” his friend shouts, “What’d you see?”
The guy’s eyes lock on Asher, terror written in every line of his face.
“Dude,” he gasps, tripping over his own feet as he scrambles back onto the path, his eyes wild, “Big ass wolf. Huge, Just–just staring at me. I thought i
le shower.
As if summoned by his woods, the trees behind him part, branches cracking, snow falling in a soft, ghostly
The wolf steps out.
She’s massive. At least 100 pounds, her for a dark, smoky gray, her eyes the color of wet stones. Her lips are pulled back in a snarl, her teeth bared, ula dripping from her black gums. She’s crouched low, muscles bunched, her sharp, yellowed claws digging into the
She’s furious
I hear someone behind me whimper. My heart is hammering so hard I can feel it in my throat
“Step back.” Asher says, his voice a law, calm command. He takes a single, deliberate step forward, his body angled, his eyes locked on the wolf“. “Slowly. No sudden movements.”
Most people listen, their boots crunching in the snow as they back away, their breaths coming out in frantic, misty bursts. But then-
Someone screams.
And a girl near the back of the group, I don’t even know who, maybe one of Zoe’s friends, grabs a branch off the ground and throws it at the wolf, a high, tenified stream ripping from her throat
The branch hits the snow with a thud, and that’s all it takes
The wolf lunges,
It’s a blur of gray fur and flashing teeth, a deep, guttural star ripping through the air
Asher’s there before I can even blink. He stops’in front of the wolf, one arm shooting out, his hand wrapping around its throat. The wolf’s jaw snap, her claws raking down his horp, ripping through his jacket, but he doesn’t flinch.
He slams her into the ground, snow spraying up around them. I hear the crack of ribs, a high–pitched whimper from the wall, and a pained grunt hom Asher.
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Chapter 148: Penny
The wolf struggles, her claws slashing at his arms, but he pins her, his weight pressing her into the snow, his other arm raised, fist clenched
Time freeze
He hesitates.
Then he lets go.
The wolf scrambles up, her eyes wide, her breath coming in harsh pants. She stumbles back, tours, and disappears into the trees, her cub a tiny shadow following in her wake.
The world seems to breathe again.
People start cheering, clapping, someone even
whistles.
Asher stands, his shoulders heaving, his arm dripping blood onto the snow, staining it red. He turns to us, his eyes sharp, his jaw
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