chapter 4

Of course I saw Tyler everywhere. In the halls, at the store, even walking down the fucking street. As asked, I faded into the background, hiding behind other people and even once ducking behind a tree. It wasn’t like I was being stealthy, he saw me, but to his credit, he did his part to look away. And unless I was imagining things, he even distracted his friends a few times to keep them from seeing me.

None of it made sense. Years of being slammed into lockers in the hallway or being elbowed in the stomach for no reason left a mark. The broken noses, black eyes, and cracked ribs left behind were strong enough memories for me to take his warning seriously. Every time I hid, I felt like a failure. I’d made it this far on little more than mother-fucking-moxie and fleeing from a literal big bad wolf was shit on my self-esteem.

But it was almost over.

The only thing keeping me going was that nobody knew I planned to attend a human college. I was on my way out of here and going to make something of myself. Sure, my measly savings wasn’t going to go far, but I’d figure it out. I was smart. Even if my teachers were too afraid to ever show kindness to me, they’d still taught me. Wolf Creek might be a magically hidden town, but the high school still printed off transcripts for me.

Surprisingly, I was a little sad when I left the school on Friday. I’d planned on leaving for as long as I could remember. Actually walking off the campus I’d attended school at for my entire memory was different. My chest tightened as the reality of leaving this behind struck me. It was a lot to process even if everything about Wolf Creek had been miserable.

Fighting against the unwelcome anxiety of starting over, I walked the familiar route toward the store. Another place I was leaving after tonight. No more stocking shelves or ringing up customers who glared at me and never said a word. Though, I supposed those who pretended I didn’t exist were better than the ones who treated me like trash.

I could see a small crowd outside the store as I approached and decided the less time with others, the better. Turning, I walked toward the back of the store where the dumpsters and back door were. Balling my hands into fists I fought back against the images flooding into my head from my encounter with Tyler.

Thankfully, the alley was empty and I was able to get into the store without issue. Backpack stashed, apron on, I clocked in for the last time. This time, flutters of anticipation and a feeling of glee surged through me. There it was. The exact emotion I was hoping for. I was going to be free of this place tomorrow. Thank the gods.

I finished breaking down boxes while it was still light and after a quick peek in the alley, I dragged the boxes out, then rushed back inside. No lingering for me tonight.

There was no way I was going out the back door in the dark. Not just because of what happened with Tyler, but because tomorrow was the full moon. Everyone past puberty would be restless tonight, feeling the call of the moon. While the wolves didn’t shift until nineteen, the wolf began to stir more as they aged. I wouldn’t know. I’ve never felt the wolf because I’m broken. The curse on my family prevented me from ever reaching my inner wolf. While I had a really great sense of smell, I was basically human. Fucking curses. What I wouldn’t give for the power to put Tyler in his place.

They say our ability to shift was also a curse. We were human once. The ability to shift was the result of very complicated magic. Lots of human stories talked about werewolves being used to protect vampires, but that was a myth. We didn’t get along with vampires enough to ever work for them. As far as I knew, we stuck to ourselves in our packs, and left the vampires to their own devices. Witches, on the other hand, were tightly connected to our history.

Hundreds of years ago, we were created by witches who needed protection on the nights they performed their most complicated spells. Thus, the reason our shifts aligned with the full moon. A large coven of witches cursed an entire human village to turn into wolves every full moon. The wolves would roam the woods, keeping witch hunters occupied while they did whatever black magic they wanted. Nice, huh?

Eventually, the shifters rebelled and started fighting back. They abandoned their homes and fled, hiding around other humans and making sure they were in the woods on the night of the full moon. That original curse turned out to be spread over generations, and more shifters were born as the original shifters bred with humans.

Over several generations, we’d evolved beyond the initial curse and could shift at will once we gained control. Though, the first shift always aligned with the full moon closest to your nineteenth birthday. How it managed to coincide with nineteen, I had no idea. All I knew was that witches were assholes and you shouldn’t cross them. At least we’d been able to break their control over us eventually.

Before I knew it, all the stocking was finished and my last shift was coming to a close. It seemed to fly by tonight. I walked into the back of the store and took off my apron, then tossed it in the bin. It felt pretty amazing to stick my timecard in the machine for the last time. Not that Jud needed the stamp for today. He knew this was my last shift and I’d asked for my final check to be ready today. There was something symbolic about finishing the shift in the same way I’d started here. Clock in, clock out. Nearly every day for the last six years.

I took a deep breath, feeling satisfied with the work I’d done. When my mom couldn’t provide, I’d stepped up and taken care of myself. It was reassuring that I could do that considering I was about to start over somewhere new.

I walked into the empty, dim store. Jud was closing down the register for the night.

“You have my last check, Jud?” I asked. “My apron is in the back along with my name tag.”

Jud grunted. “You really going through with it?”

“You say it as if you’re surprised,” I said. “I told you when you hired me I was out the day before the full moon.”

“Yeah, but nobody ever leaves. Even your ma came back,” he pointed out.

“I’m not my mom,” I reminded him.

“That’s true, you’re not.” He pulled an envelope out of his pocket. “Figured it might help if your last check was in cash. There’s some extra to help you get started but don’t you dare tell anyone I helped you.”

“I’d never dream of it,” I said. “Everyone knows you’re an uncaring asshole.”

He grinned. “That’s exactly what I am.”

I accepted the envelope from him. Jud really was an asshole, but in the same way most single wolf shifters were. He was gruff and unfriendly, but he wasn’t hurtful or mean. He didn’t sugar-coat anything and he had zero empathy. On the flip side, he was the only one willing to hire me when I started looking for jobs at thirteen. I’d started a few hours a week sweeping then moved up to stocking and register. Thanks to Jud, I had a good chunk saved for my escape from this hellhole.

“Thanks for everything, Jud,” I said.

He nodded. “Can I give you one piece of advice?”

“Sure.”