her life had served as reminders of what she’d been missing – what she’d really wanted. So she’d never gotten serious, never allowed another man to fill the role of her partner and Mandy’s father.
She didn’t regret it. She couldn’t , especially not now that she knew she’d been right, that Michael had been alive all along. Alive and wanting her, just like she’d been wanting him.
Did he still feel the same way now that he’d found her?
After all, he was out being a wolf, and she’d never felt more thoroughly human than now, as she packed her bags, preparing to head back to her lonely apartment in Nashville.
The cabin door opened with a soft creak of hinges, and she turned, looking over her shoulder and through the open bedroom door, into the living and kitchen area.
It had to be Michael – the door had been locked.
“Kimberly?” His voice drifted across the cabin, faintly rough and still familiar, even after so many years.
“I’m here.” She finally let go of the sweater sleeve and let her hands hang uselessly at her sides, tingling with the memory of being pressed against his body.
He strode into the bedroom, blue eyes trained on her like he was, well … a wolf. The intensity in his gaze sent a shiver of mingled delight and surprise down her spine.
“How was your mission – find out anything new about those monster hunters?”
He nodded, raising a hand to the back of his neck and rubbing. “Yeah. We followed ‘em into the woods, where that hiker fell, and then to a campground. They’ve got it into their heads that wolves are attacking tourists here in the mountains.”
“Wolves?” Her nose wrinkled involuntarily at the memory of the odor of recent death, and she recalled the bite marks left on the hiker’s body, the paw prints in the dirt. “Surely not. There are no wolves in Tennessee.” She tipped her head. “Other than, you know…”
“There were some reintroduction efforts made in the early nineties. I read about ‘em after I figured out that Mandy was here – wanted to know everything I could find out about the place. They weren’t successful, but that Gus Oliver moron is trying to play it off like they’ve survived and flourished in secret and are attacking tourists left and right. Between you and me, it’s possible that a wolf could wander up here – there are a few in North Carolina, not too far from here.”
“So you think wolves really were responsible for those marks on Braden Spencer’s body?”
Michael shook his head. “Those marks and those prints… There were some big animals up there. A lot bigger than the average red wolf, which is the type they tried to reintroduce here. They’re smaller than grey wolves, kinda like a grey wolf / coyote hybrid, as far as size goes. I don’t think it’s very likely that there are trophy-sized red wolves in these mountains, and even if there were, they’d just be animals. Not monsters.”
Kimberly nodded. “I guess it’s not strange that animals were attracted to the body – if it had taken any longer for us to find him, he might have been…” She grimaced. “Well, nature might have taken its course. To animals, food is food.”
“Exactly. Jack’s real upset over the monster hunters poking around in the mountains, though – right now they’re breaking for lunch, then they’re going to get ready for a nighttime investigation in the woods out yonder.” He tipped his head in the direction he and Kimberly had hiked the night before, where they’d discovered the remains of Braden Spencer. “They’re gonna take their cameras and everything, try to stir up some wolves to capture on film.”
Kimberly sighed. “Well, at least they’ll be gone tomorrow.” And so would she. A pang of regret sailed through her as she eyed Michael, all lean muscle in his jeans and t-shirt. “Does Jack plan to tail them tonight while they’re investigating?”
Michael nodded. “He wants me to go along. I could decline
She didn’t regret it. She couldn’t , especially not now that she knew she’d been right, that Michael had been alive all along. Alive and wanting her, just like she’d been wanting him.
Did he still feel the same way now that he’d found her?
After all, he was out being a wolf, and she’d never felt more thoroughly human than now, as she packed her bags, preparing to head back to her lonely apartment in Nashville.
The cabin door opened with a soft creak of hinges, and she turned, looking over her shoulder and through the open bedroom door, into the living and kitchen area.
It had to be Michael – the door had been locked.
“Kimberly?” His voice drifted across the cabin, faintly rough and still familiar, even after so many years.
“I’m here.” She finally let go of the sweater sleeve and let her hands hang uselessly at her sides, tingling with the memory of being pressed against his body.
He strode into the bedroom, blue eyes trained on her like he was, well … a wolf. The intensity in his gaze sent a shiver of mingled delight and surprise down her spine.
“How was your mission – find out anything new about those monster hunters?”
He nodded, raising a hand to the back of his neck and rubbing. “Yeah. We followed ‘em into the woods, where that hiker fell, and then to a campground. They’ve got it into their heads that wolves are attacking tourists here in the mountains.”
“Wolves?” Her nose wrinkled involuntarily at the memory of the odor of recent death, and she recalled the bite marks left on the hiker’s body, the paw prints in the dirt. “Surely not. There are no wolves in Tennessee.” She tipped her head. “Other than, you know…”
“There were some reintroduction efforts made in the early nineties. I read about ‘em after I figured out that Mandy was here – wanted to know everything I could find out about the place. They weren’t successful, but that Gus Oliver moron is trying to play it off like they’ve survived and flourished in secret and are attacking tourists left and right. Between you and me, it’s possible that a wolf could wander up here – there are a few in North Carolina, not too far from here.”
“So you think wolves really were responsible for those marks on Braden Spencer’s body?”
Michael shook his head. “Those marks and those prints… There were some big animals up there. A lot bigger than the average red wolf, which is the type they tried to reintroduce here. They’re smaller than grey wolves, kinda like a grey wolf / coyote hybrid, as far as size goes. I don’t think it’s very likely that there are trophy-sized red wolves in these mountains, and even if there were, they’d just be animals. Not monsters.”
Kimberly nodded. “I guess it’s not strange that animals were attracted to the body – if it had taken any longer for us to find him, he might have been…” She grimaced. “Well, nature might have taken its course. To animals, food is food.”
“Exactly. Jack’s real upset over the monster hunters poking around in the mountains, though – right now they’re breaking for lunch, then they’re going to get ready for a nighttime investigation in the woods out yonder.” He tipped his head in the direction he and Kimberly had hiked the night before, where they’d discovered the remains of Braden Spencer. “They’re gonna take their cameras and everything, try to stir up some wolves to capture on film.”
Kimberly sighed. “Well, at least they’ll be gone tomorrow.” And so would she. A pang of regret sailed through her as she eyed Michael, all lean muscle in his jeans and t-shirt. “Does Jack plan to tail them tonight while they’re investigating?”
Michael nodded. “He wants me to go along. I could decline
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