by Ava Walsh
They were all like that. She stopped opening them. She closed the application and silenced her phone. It continued to buzz in her pocket. Whoever had sent them wasn’t done. She looked around fearfully. She wondered if she should get into a cab. Was it safe to walk down the street? What if the person sending her these messages was watching her right now?
Selina spun around, examining all the faces around her. Was anyone watching her, following her? But she couldn’t tell. The street was busy, filled with people going about their day. No one seemed to be watching her or staring at her, but who could tell?
Her phone rang. Again it was from a blocked number. She didn’t answer it. Whoever it was left a voicemail. She listened to it. It was heavy breathing, and then the sound of a woman screaming in pain. Shuddering, she hung up the phone. She needed to get out of here. She needed to find Michael and tell him what was happening. He would protect her. He would handle all of this.
She walked to the curb and raised her hand for a cab, but as she did so a black van with tinted windows rolled slowly past her and Selina backed away. What was she supposed to do? Should she call the police? And tell them what? That she was getting weird phone calls and texts? What could the police do other than shrug their shoulders and tell her to turn her phone off and get a new number?
It was a bright and sunny day, but she suddenly felt cold and afraid. She tugged her coat around her and again raised her hand for a cab. She just needed to get to work. Once she was there everything would be fine.
A cab stopped right in front of her and she hopped into the back, giving him the address of her work. She reached into her bag and turned off her phone. That was the right way to handle this. She sat back and felt better. She just needed to change her number and ignore the harassment until it went away. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was probably the only one.
From the safe interior of the cab, she allowed herself to relax. The world was flashing by outside. Maybe she had left her stalker behind. It was all she could hope for. Maybe she wouldn’t even tell Michael. It would only make him more nervous. This was the last thing he needed to hear. Besides, she didn’t want to go running to him every time she had a problem. She could take care of herself and she was going to prove it. She would change her number, and it would be like none of this had ever happened.
The cab driver pulled into the garage of her building. Selina paid him and jumped out of the car. The parking garage was dark and desolate and silent. Her heels clicked loudly on the pavement as she walked towards the elevator. Soon she would be back in the bright lights of her office. She could go and find Michael, sit on his lap and make out with him for as long as he wanted. That always calmed her down.
Happily, she remembered that Lois wouldn’t even be there. Michael was supposed to give her the news of her transfer first thing in the morning. He wasn’t a procrastinator. She was sure he had done it by now. Selina couldn’t help but be happy. She would be so glad once she no longer had to deal with Lois and her snarky comments. Plus, she didn’t even have to feel bad about Lois getting fired. Technically she was getting a promotion. Everybody was winning.
She was only a few steps from the elevator when she heard a car come revving into the garage. Selina spun around and saw it was a black van. Was it the same one from the street a few minutes ago?
It was going way too fast. It was racing through the garage, careening between the cement pillars. She followed its progress with her eyes until she realized it was heading right for her. With a scream, she backed away and then realized her mistake. The van screeched to a stop, positioning itself between her and the elevator.
Selina scrambled for her phone, realizing with horror that she had turned it off. She spun around to run as the van doors opened up and two men in all black with matching face masks came for her. She ran, but they were on her before she could get very far. One of them grabbed her hair and then another her arms.
She struggled, fighting and scratching, but it was no use. There was a gloved hand crammed over her mouth and her screams were muffled.
“No! No! Help!” she screamed, but no one could hear her. Her arms were wrenched behind her back and roughly tied up. She was lifted off her feet and thrown into the back of the van. She heard the door slam and then they were driving. To where, she had no idea.
Chapter Nine
Selina’s office was dark. The lights weren’t turned on. She wasn’t back yet. Michael looked up and down the hallway, as if expecting to see her come walking around the corner with that stunning smile on her face, but the hallway remained empty. She wasn't here. Her phone was going straight to voicemail, which meant it was turned off. Selina never turned off her phone.
Something wasn’t right. He could feel it. A nervousness travelled up and down his spine. Something was wrong. He needed to do something, but what? He had no idea where to even begin. He walked back to his office and sat down behind the desk.
He pulled up the “find my phone” app and entered Selina’s information. She was notorious for losing her phone and more than once Michael had found it left in a restaurant or in the bottom of a purse somewhere. But the app didn’t work if the phone was turned off. The last place it had been used was a bookstore on Nineteenth Street, next to the doctor’s office.
He was also able to access her emails and texts. He knew it was wrong, but he also knew she would understand. She hadn’t been heard from in hours, her phone was off. This was an extenuating circumstance.
His mouth fell open as he saw the texts. They had started around ten in the morning and they hadn’t stopped since. There were vile, disgusting emails and text messages filled with threats. His eyes scanned them all. Who would do this? Who would harass Selina like this? It wasn’t possible. She was so sweet, so caring. Everyone liked her. Who could hate her enough to send such horrible things?
He couldn't just sit here and wait. He needed to go and look for Selina. He had to find her now. She was in danger. He left her several messages to call him as soon as she could. He told her he was worried and he loved her. He closed the office, instructing his staff to have Selina call him the moment she arrived, and drove to the bookstore.
But Selina was nowhere to be found. The bookstore was filled with people, but none of them were her. He showed her pictures to the cashier, who remembered someone like that being there a few hours ago, but he hadn’t seen her since.
A few hours ago. The words rung in his ears. She could be anywhere. He stood in the middle of the sidewalk, wondering where he should go next, what he should do. There was one option. There was one way for him to find Selina. The wolf could do it. He knew her scent; he could find her anywhere.
The only problem was a wolf couldn’t run around downtown Seattle, and that was the last place anyone had seen Selina. He got back into his car and drove home. He drove fast, weaving around other cars, racing down the highway, going well over the limit. He parked his car haphazardly and jumped out.
The transformation was already starting. The stress and terror of Selina being missing was forcing the transition. He felt as if he couldn't hold it back any longer. He walked through the house, ripping off his clothes as he went. He pulled off his sweater, his shoes and his pants, leaving a trail of clothes to the back door.
Once he was on the patio he fell to all fours, and an instant later he was the wolf. The world came into startling clarity in front of him. There was suddenly a brand new sensation: smell. A human’s nose was nothing compared to a wolf’s. He couldn’t just smell the earth and freshly cut grass, he could smell the other animals around.
There was a squirrel racing up a tree. Another dog had been in the woods and left his scent everywhere. The wolf raised his hackles at that. Michael felt the instinctual drive to go and mark what was his. He took two steps and then stopped himself. This wasn’t why he was here. He needed to find Selina.
He knew her scent. He didn’t need to smell her clothes. He lifted his nose to the air and smelled. Yes, he
could smell her. Her scent was all around. On the chairs in the patio, on the floor where her bare feet had trod. But his wolf nose was able to tell that these were old smells. She hadn’t been here for a while.
He lifted his head to the wind. He could smell a thousand different things, but none of them were Selina. He took off at a run into the forest. The last place anyone had seen Selina had been in town, so he headed that way. The human knew the way to get there. The wolf ran along the highway, staying far back in the trees, going on sound alone.
He sniffed the air constantly, filtering through the thousands of smells. He ignored the scent of deer, voles, mice and other wolves, and kept focusing on moving forward. He ran towards the city, running and running. His long tongue lolled out of his mouth. His breath came out in ragged gasps.
There was no sign of Selina, but there was a rabbit not far off. He couldn’t hold himself back. His nose snuffled in the brush and then his jaws snapped down on the rabbit, snapping its neck quickly. He feasted upon it, ripping the fur off and eating the flesh. It only took a moment, but it energized the wolf.
He ran for hours. He crossed streets, hugged the shadows and stuck to the woods as best he could. Even the wolf was tired, a near impossible thing. There were still no clues as to where Selina might be. He needed to think. If someone had grabbed her, where would they take her? There was a large lake not far off with a lot of hunting cabins that were left empty most of the year. It was the perfect place to hide someone.
It was only a guess, but he had to start somewhere. He moved in between the houses, sniffing the doorsteps and driveways, searching for any hint of Selina’s scent. He ran along the roads, avoiding the headlights of the cars. Night had fallen. He had been out for hours with nothing to show for his efforts, but he couldn't stop. He had to find her. The police would demand that she be missing for 72 hours before they would even launch an investigation. He couldn’t wait that long. He wouldn't allow Selina to be a prisoner for that long.
His head twitched. Was it possible? He smelled her. Just the hint and then it was gone. He raised his nose to the air and smelled again, moving in the direction of the wind. There it was again, her sweet floral perfume. He followed it, letting his nose guide him. The smell was faint, she was still far away, but he was getting closer.
He could smell her more clearly now. Her scent and her perfume, but also something more. The smell of her fear. Sweat and panic were pouring from her. He raced towards her, staying close to the ground. They were far from the other hunting cabins now. They were far back in the woods. There weren’t any houses around. Wherever Selina was, she was isolated and alone.
He went faster, listening for any sounds, but other than the animals of the forest there wasn’t any noise. Her smell was getting stronger. He was getting closer. Then he started to hear voices. The low voices of grumbling men. He couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. He wasn’t listening to them. There was something else. The sound of a woman crying quietly.
Selina. He bared his fangs as the cabin came into view. It was nothing more than a rundown shack. There was no electricity, only candles and hurricane lamps. Slowly, Michael approached the house. His wolf paws made no noise on the forest floor. He approached the door. He could smell three different scents, Selina and two men. He peered through the windows and saw two men sitting at a table playing cards.
He moved around to the back of the shack and peered through another window. His heart jumped in his wolf body. There she was. The room was bare. There was just a thin carpet on the floor. Selina was on her side, her hands tied behind her back, her head covered in a black bag.
He was going to kill them. He was going to rip their heads right off their bodies. They had touched his woman and now the wolf was going to make them pay. He was going to crash through the window and devour them one by one. He fell back on his haunches and prepared to jump.
Just as he was about to jump he heard a car turn down the long drive. He pulled himself back into the brush and crouched down. The car drove past him, unaware of the giant predator lurking in the bushes. He waited for the car to park and then watched the driver step out and head towards the door. His heart stopped when he saw who it was.
Chapter Ten
Selina struggled to listen to the men on the other side of the door. Someone had just walked in, but who? She still had no idea who had grabbed her, where she was or what was going to happen to her. How had she let this happen? She shouldn’t have ignored the texts or emails; she should have called Michael right away.
Now she was tied up on the floor somewhere far back in the woods. Her body was screaming in pain. Her hands were tied behind her back. Her shoulders ached from being stuck in one position for so long. Her wrists were bloody and chafing from the bindings, and she was struggling to breathe through the bag over her head.
Was the baby ok? She didn’t feel anything strange in her stomach. Everything down there felt normal. She was trying to stay calm, trying to keep her heart rate down, but it wasn’t easy. She struggled again with her bonds, but it was no use. There was no way for her to break free from them.
She heard a noise from the other side of the wall. She could hear a new voice. She knew there were two men out there, but now she heard a different voice. A lighter one. Was it a woman? Could that be possible? She heard the clicking of high heels on the floor as whoever it was approached the door.
It swung open, and Selina struggled to see through the mask. Who was it? Who had her? The footsteps came closer and then the bag was ripped from her head.
Selina gasped as she looked up into the stunning face of Lois.
“Hey bitch,” Lois said with a smirk.
“What are you doing? Let me go!” Selina screamed, but Lois didn’t answer. She just took the bag and shoved it into Selina’s mouth.
“Did you really think I was going to let you steal Michael from me?” Lois demanded. She put her hands on her hips and continued, “I mean, look at me and look at you. Why would anyone pick you? I don’t think so. You’re not right for Michael. You're not the right kind of person. He needs someone with class and standing. Not the daughter of a plumber. You were raised in literal shit and you think you can marry into the Fort family? The very thought of a fat thing like you wearing the Fort family diamond ring makes me want to throw up.”
She shook her head and started pacing the room. Selina followed her with her eyes, still struggling against the bonds that held her wrists together.
“Why do you think his mom demanded I be hired? She knows that I’m the best choice for Michael. I only took the job so he would see me and fall in love with me.”
But he didn’t, Selina thought. The realization gave her strength. Lois had been thrown right at Michael, but he had never ever wanted her. He only wanted Selina. It was a small comfort to know that even if she died, she at least she had been the one to actually have Michael’s love.
“Now, don’t worry. This will be painless, but trust that no one will ever find your body. And don’t worry. I’m his personal assistant, Michael trusts me. He leans on me. I’ll be there to comfort him and dry his tears. And when enough time has passed, say two weeks, I’ll comfort him in other ways.”
She leaned down and Selina struggled against her bonds. Her life wasn’t supposed to end this way. It couldn't end this way. She had a baby inside of her. She had so much she still wanted to do. And what about Michael? He would never survive losing Selina and the baby. It would kill him.
Lois was leaning over her when there was a loud crash from the other room. There was the sound of glass breaking, and then the men outside were shouting. A gun went off and Selina winced against the noise.
“What the hell is going on?” Lois yelled. She stood up and marched out of the room and then she screamed and fell back against the wall. Slowly, inch by inch, a wolf moved into the room. He was lithe and silent, a giant monster that had come in from the woods to consume them.
He growled at Lois, baring h
is teeth at her.
“Go away! Get out of here!” Lois screamed, as she scrambled to her feet. She was pressed against the wall. For the first time ever, Lois looked ugly. Her face was screwed up in terror, her eyes were wide and white, and she was scrabbling at the wall as if she could scratch her way out.
Selina felt tears of relief come into her eyes. She knew it was Michael. She would have recognized him anywhere. He growled over at Lois and then moved over to Selina. With a gentleness that was surprising for such a strong animal, he bit at the bag jammed in her mouth and pulled it free.
Selina took a coughing, gasping breath and managed to sit up. The wolf nosed her back to help her, and licked her hands, which were still tied together.
“Untie me,” she ordered to Lois.
“What?” Lois demanded. She was still staring at the wolf and slowly inching towards the door.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Selina said. “He’s a lot faster than you. You won’t get two steps.” The wolf got down on his haunches and growled at Lois, and she shrank back against the wall.
“Don’t make me ask you again,” Selina said.
Tearfully, shaking on her high heels, Lois came over and quickly cut the bonds that tied Selina’s wrists. With a grateful sob, she allowed her shoulders to relax. Her arms ached even more somehow. But Michael was there. He nuzzled her face, and she leaned against his warm side, allowing herself to relax against him.
His fur was soft and warm and the beating of his heart was a solid thing. She allowed herself to let the rhythm calm her down.
Finally, she was able to breathe normal. She stood shakily to her feet and glared at Lois.
“You were wrong,” she said. “Everything you said about me is wrong. You’re not better than me, I’m better than you. Michael chose me. I’m the one he wants to be with, and now I’m going to have you arrested for kidnapping. You should have taken the promotion, you flat-chested moron.”