oe

2 Woodland Hills. The darkness of the night surrounds me, and I feel a sense of calm wash over

echoes off the front porch as he rushes towards me. I run to meet him, and he engulf

y out here," I reply, looking around

. I love it out here. You can stay with me until you get back on your feet. I

exhausted and starving. Do you have anything good to eat?

r for me, and we enter into a cozy living room adorned with rugged, manly decor. This is all Cane - even though we were rais

ing in the familiar touches that remind

Papa's Lodge. I always loved going there when we

abs a beer from the fridge, handing o

rden firm is the biggest employer in the area. The owner wanted a small town to set up shop, and he's a great gu

Leftovers, but it's delicious. Don't be embarrassed about n

arrassing that I let it go

ntly. "If I ever see that bastard who hu

ed for me, savoring each bite. "This is

r work. The job isn't stressful, but sometimes o

I be doing at the

branching out to other offices if you want. But for now, you'll be start

u for helping me out, Cane," I

that happened, but I can't bring myself to talk about it just yet. The memories are still too fresh and ra

?" I ask, placing my empt

e. My room is upstairs if you need anything. Tomorrow I'll give you a tour of Shadow Creek and set you up in our system. You'l

wolf. I take a deep breath, carefully choosi

ome if you knew, and I wante

being around wolves is d

move past what happened all those years ago. Not all packs are like the one we grew up in. Give it a

wards the bedroom. "I'm sorry

e just trying to help me. But wolves scare me. It doesn't matter that we're pa

ut welcoming and helpful to me. When I went to Mr. Arden about you, he offered his assistance witho

u and your judgment. I'll

. After setting my things on the desk, I realize how exhausted I

Too tired to even put on pajamas, I quickly remove my pants and bra before climbing into bed