by Maia Starr
The wolf shifters disbanded, the noise level rising as they chattered amongst themselves.
Ash sighed. “I guess I should go to the Silver Inn now, see what May needs help with.”
Flint turned to his brother, smiling. “Nah, I’ll go. I want to speak to May, anyway.”
Shrugging, Ash peered at his brother. “I’m sure you do… most visitors who come to the island stay at her inn, like that new woman.”
Flint punched Ash in the shoulder and left, his curiosity brewing as his wolf nature smoldered underneath.
Chapter Three
Silverwood Island
“Are you kidding me, Addie?” Lindsay shrieked so loudly Addison had to pull the phone away from her ear.
Three days. Addison had been on the move for three whole days. Well, more accurately, she found a motel a few hours outside Seattle and holed up there for two of the three days while she looked for a new place to live. She spent hours upon hours scouring the internet for a place to lie low. With the curtains pulled closed and the door locked at all times, she barely even glimpsed the sun during that time. Stressful didn’t even come close to describing how she felt, sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring endlessly at her computer screen, and flinching at every voice that passed by her motel door.
But those two exhausting days and sleepless nights finally ended when Addison discovered the perfect place for her to move to: Silverwood Island. Silverwood Island was just off the coast four hours north of Seattle. It wasn’t as far away as Addison wanted, but it was good enough. Quiet, remote, and with a sleepy little town few people knew about, Silverwood Island sounded like the perfect place to lie low, maybe even to start over.
“I know. I’m sorry, Lin,” Addison said into her phone. “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.”
“A spur-of-the-moment decision? Seriously? That isn’t like you, Addie… you didn’t even call in to resign!”
Addison leaned against the railing of the ferry, letting the wind whip her hair and jacket, the gentle spray of ocean water refreshing against her skin. She squinted into the distance, gazing at the looming, wooded island ahead.
Lindsay’s voice quivered. “How could you leave without even saying goodbye?”
The pain in Lindsay’s voice felt like a sharp blow to the chest, and Addison clenched her free fist. She stared down into the water, watching a school of fish pass by as flashes of Maric Devoy entered her mind, of his inhuman strength as he nearly strangled her to death, of the destruction of her apartment he left in his wake. If Addison had come home just an hour earlier…
“I… I’m sorry, Lin.”
A sigh on the other side signaled the end of Lindsay’s shrieking, at least for the moment. “So, why did you even leave? I called you, so I’m not hanging up without answers.”
Waiting for a couple to pass by on the deck behind her, Addison tried to think of how to answer. Should she tell Lindsay about her problem? Was that a good idea? No, Addison decided firmly. She wouldn’t drag her best friend into this mess. What if Maric tried to hurt Lindsay, too? The less Lindsay knew, the safer she’d be. The risks were too great… just like Lindsay had lectured her about a dozen times.
Addison took a deep breath, knowing full well Lindsay could tell the difference between Addison’s real voice and her journalist voice. Over the course of her two years in the field, Addison had perfected a distinct tone she used when she was out and about gathering information for her articles. A sudden wave of sadness hit her as she considered this, realizing she didn’t have a need for her cultivated persona anymore except for deceiving her friends and family.
“I just felt like I needed a fresh start,” she said. “Like I needed to get away from city life. I guess you could say I had an epiphany.”
“An epiphany.”
“Yeah.”
“Addie, come on.”
“I’m telling you the truth!”
Addison could practically see Lindsay smacking her forehead in disbelief while she leaned back in her office chair at the Seattle Times. “Does this have something to do with that kidnapper from a few days ago?”
Addison stayed silent just long enough to confirm Lindsay’s guess, and her friend sighed once more. “Lin, please…”
“Are you using the money you got from your parents?”
“Yes…”
“Then say no more.”
A blast from the ferry’s horn signaled the large boat’s approach to the Silverwood docks, and Addison straightened up as people filed past her with luggage in hand. “Look, Lin, I need to go. Call you later?”
“Only if you promise to keep me updated… and hey, maybe you’ll find a boyfriend wherever you’ve gone.”
Addison smiled to herself. “Lin, there’s not a whole lot of people where I’m going. I think I’ll be lucky to find even a few people my age hanging around.”
Lindsay chuckled. “Uh-huh. Sure. Either way, I expect calls at least every other day. Promise me.”
“I promise… and I’m sorry, Lin.”
“I know.”
With that, Addison hit the end call button on her smartphone and picked up her bag, glancing up at the tall trees that populated Silverwood Island. Bracing herself for whatever her new home had to offer, she followed the rest of her fellow travelers off the ferry.
Stepping off the ferry felt strange to Addison, like she was stepping into a new world. The docks were busy, busier than she expected, and as she walked along, she noticed a few shops off to the side, selling seashells and amenities to tourists and fisherman. She took a deep breath of the salty air, but the sight of Silverwood’s woodland landscape up close made the breath catch in her throat. Despite the flurry of people on the docks, the surrounding trees were serene, lush and green and even prettier than any forest back in Seattle.
Thinking of Seattle made her stomach clench, and so Addison lowered her head and trudged forward.
A short woman stood at the end of the docks. She had pulled her gray hair up into a neat bun and had wrapped a beautiful, multi-colored shawl around herself that stretched from her neck to her waist. Her sharp, yellow-tinted eyes caused Addison to falter, but her wrinkled features curled into a smile upon meeting Addison’s gaze.
“Addison, right?” the woman said, sticking out her hand in greeting. “I’m May Silver. We talked on the phone last night.”
Forcing herself to smile, Addison approached May and shook her hand. “Yeah, that’s me. I didn’t realize you would come to meet me when I got off the ferry. I figured I’d have to take a cab to the inn.”
Shaking her head as she laughed, May gave Addison a wide smile. “We look after our own here on Silverwood, and you’re one of us now. Of course I’d come meet you myself!” May leaned in as if she were about to part with a tight-lipped secret. “We have an abundance of wolves on the island, so we all tend to travel in packs.”
On cue, a few howls arose from beyond the pines across the road. Addison jerked back at the intensity of the howls, a frown appearing on her face.
A fit of laughter overtook May. “You’ll get used to them soon enough,” she said, still chuckling. “They walk alongside us, but they never attack unless provoked. As long as you leave ’em be, you’ll be fine.”
Coming face to face with a wild wolf didn’t sound particularly pleasing to Addison. She pictured a massive beast with sharp eyes and sharper teeth, panting as it stood between the trees, ready to tear into her body. Addison shivered at the thought.
“I’ll pick you up a shawl, too,” May said, motioning for Addison to follow as she turned and walked away. “But don’t let the weather fool ya. It might be a little nippy right now, but it’ll get warmer. There are tons of warm spots around the island; there’s one right in the middle of our main village.”
Addison hurried along, keeping pace with the surprisingly fast old woman. “Warm spots?”
“The breaks in the treetops where the sunlight pours in like giant beams of light.”
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p; May led her to the side of the road and stepped onto it without hesitation. Addison eyed the road where it twisted away into the trees and looked in either direction before taking a tentative step onto the road to follow May.
“Aw, don’t worry about cars or the like, either. The island is big but small enough for everyone to walk everywhere. If you’re looking to exercise, this is the place to live!” May looked Addison up and down, stroking her chin. “Though I don’t suppose you need the exercise with a figure like yours, sweetie.”
Addison blushed and smiled shyly. “I walk a lot for my job… uh, used to, anyway.”
May raised an eyebrow at her. “Really? What did you do?”
“I was an investigative journalist for the Seattle Times.”
Letting out a breath, May nodded. “Sounds tough. So, you came from the city, then?”
A truck approached and slowed down next to them. A group of men sat in the bed of the truck, shirtless, their muscular bodies streaked with dirt, and all of them gaped at Addison and May as they walked. It was a sight, for sure, one that made Addison’s heart skip a beat.
Once they passed, May reassured her once again. “Don’t mind them, either,” she scoffed. “I swear, all the men on this island are idiots. We don’t get many new faces on Silverwood Island, so whenever someone new does arrive, people treat them like spectacles. It’s—”
“Another thing to get used to?” Addison finished with a sly smile.
May beamed at her. “Exactly! I think you’ll fit in nicely around here.”
Within ten minutes, the pair reached the main town on the eastern side of Silverwood Island. They were so deep in conversation that Addison didn’t even notice how far they had walked until she almost collided with a stop sign.
The town was just as cozy and pleasant as Addison had imagined it would be. It was tranquil, almost magically so. Townsfolk ambled through the streets and into and out of stores and restaurants. Watching them all go about their business as she and May approached soothed her soul—though that soothing feeling went away as more distant howls reached her ears.
May crossed the road, and Addison swiftly followed, her eyes darting back and forth as she looked for wolves between the trees. May led her toward a thin trail that snaked off into the woods.
“Where are we going?” Addison asked.
“To see the site of your new house. Figured you’d want to know where your money was going before I got my boys to build it.”
Nodding, Addison glanced around at the forest, realizing how quiet it had gotten away from the main thoroughfare.
May eyed her. “So, where does a young girl like you get the money to build a completely new house?”
Startled by the question, Addison pulled a lock of hair from behind her ear and twisted it around her finger. “Huh? Oh, it’s a boring story.”
“Try me.”
Memories of her previous life swirled around in her mind, and Addison tried to ignore the longing ache they provoked. She supposed it wouldn’t be so easy just to turn her mind off or to get away from the homesickness. “My parents were wealthy—are wealthy—and promised me that upon my graduation from college, they’d give me a portion of their money. I refused to take it, but my parents are just as stubborn as me, so they forced me to take it. To avoid a long argument, I took the money and let it sit the bank while I earned my own income, and I told myself I’d only use it for emergencies.”
May raised an eyebrow. “Emergencies? Did some sort of emergency make ya come out here?”
Laughing nervously, Addison shook her head, remembering the words she practiced. “No, I just needed a change. I needed to do something else, live somewhere other than the place I grew up. There wasn’t an actual emergency.”
“If you say so,” May scoffed.
Soon enough, they arrived in a clearing littered with recently made stumps. Leaves crackled and crunched beneath her feet as Addison strolled into the clearing, spinning in circles to get a good look at her surroundings.
“Is this where my house will be?”
“Yup!” May said. “As long as you like the location, I can give the go-ahead to my boys and get your new home started. In the meantime, you’ll stay at the Silver Inn; I’m the manager, so I’ll throw your room-and-board in for free.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Addison protested.
“No, but I want to. To help you feel more welcome.”
Addison smiled at May, hoping to convey how grateful she was. “Thank you, May. Really. I like the location, too. When can your crew start building?”
May grinned and puffed out her chest. “As soon as I tell ’em you’ve given the go-ahead. Come on; they might be back at the inn already.”
Addison and May followed the trail back to town, crossing streets and cutting between buildings.
“You came alone, right? Not waiting for anybody else?” May asked as they walked. “I want to make sure my boys build the right number of bedrooms.”
Addison laughed. “Yeah, just me, unfortunately.”
“So, you’re single right now?”
Startled by May’s question, Addison flinched and turned toward May. “I’m sorry?”
May gave her a meaningful look. “Just curious. We’ve got a couple of single men on our island. A little older than you, but young enough to still be hunks.” The older woman waggled her eyebrows.
Addison cleared her throat and chuckled weakly. “Oh, really?”
She couldn’t believe this topic followed her all the way to Silverwood Island. Didn’t anybody she knew care about privacy? Why was everyone so interested in her love life?
“Ah! Speak of the devil!” May exclaimed as they climbed a slight slope to a huge wooden lodge with an arched roof and tall windows, a building Addison could only assume was the Silver Inn. It blended into the trees, making it easy to miss.
Although the inn was beautiful, the group of men standing in front of it was what really caught her eye. One stood taller than the rest, his body lean and muscular, a dark blue hoodie and jeans leaving the skin underneath up to Addison’s imagination. When he turned to look their way, her heart nearly stopped beating. Powerful green eyes stared back at her, complemented by wild, light brown hair and a face as well carved as any heroic statue. The men with him almost appeared like they were cowering behind him.
Something about his green eyes demanded her attention. The way he looked at her was almost… feral, animalistic. His aura was so intense, her knees wobbled as she followed May up a few wooden steps nailed into the hard-packed ground.
“Flint!” May greeted the man as they approached. Addison gulped as he continued to stare at her. He only broke his gaze when May snapped her fingers in front of her eyes. “Don’t scare the poor girl, Flint. Look at me.”
Flint grunted but did as she instructed, his gaze flickering between them. “I need to speak to you, May.”
May waved her hand away. “Later. Can’t you see I’m busy at the moment? Just because you’re the—”
Flint leveled a glare at May, causing her to snap her mouth shut and causing Addison to take a quick step back. Realizing his mistake, he turned to Addison. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” His voice was gravelly but solid and confident, and it wormed its way into her mind. She wanted him to keep talking to her, but he turned away. “Be careful what you say, May. I’ll come back later.”
He nodded to the two other men, and all three descended the slope the way Addison and May had come. Addison watched, her heart racing, as the beautiful man stalked away.
May grunted. “That man never changes. That’s Flint, by the way. I’m sure you’ll see more of him around.”
Addison, straining to get her mind out of the gutter, turned to May as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “I’m sure he’s popular with the women around here…”
Chuckling, May shook her head, beckoning her inside. “You have no idea!”
Addison took a moment to peer down into
the town below. She could still see Flint marching through the streets with his men on either side. As if he sensed her gaze, he looked up at her, meeting her eyes with pinpoint accuracy from so far away. Startled—and intrigued—Addison forced herself to turn and follow May inside her new temporary home.
Chapter Four
The Wolf
Flint forced himself to stop once the inn was out of sight, leaning against the brick wall of the tailor’s shop, motioning for his fellow men to go on without him.
“What’s the matter?” one asked. “You feeling okay?”
“I’m fine,” Flint growled. “Just go. I don’t need to babysit you two.”
The two shifters lingered for a moment but quickly left once Flint glared at them. He watched as they faded into the town’s foot traffic, sneaking glances over their shoulders at him as they went. Gripping at his chest, Flint tried to steady his breathing.
The truth was, he was not fine. In fact, he was shaken to his core, and Flint’s inner wolf was fighting to take control. If Flint gave even an inch, his wolf would run wild.
But how could Flint have known? How could he have known how intoxicating that woman was? He didn’t get to ask her name, but he didn’t need it. Just the sight of her—the scent of her—as she climbed the steps to the Silver Inn with May was enough. Her scent had sent Flint’s wolf into a frenzy, and, while he had managed to keep it contained so far, he couldn’t deny his wolf’s nature forever. It ached to be free, to bask in that woman’s presence.
What was her name? He had been too busy keeping his wolf calm and obedient to think of asking. Whoever she was, she was drop-dead gorgeous: long, wavy brunette hair that fell to the middle of her back, pretty eyes, and a perky body to boot. The possibility that she was unmated thrilled him, and his mind wandered to the way she’d look naked, sprawled across his bed, the way she’d—