Her Wolf

Chapter 8

“Dear Diary,

It’s been three weeks and two days since Ryan told me he was a werewolf and it’s been three weeks and two days since I’ve felt him inside of me. I never thought I would be the type of person that craved someone more than what I craved myself, but I was wrong. Every night we’ve spent together, I wanted it to consist of something more than business or our plan.

I know this is for the greater good, but a part of me can’t help but wonder if Ryan’s affections for me were merely a way to soften me for his great reveal.

I hope I’m wrong.

The days have been long. When I’m not in the office working, I’m working with Ryan and going over every last detail of the plan to keep from getting hurt. I’ve spent countless hours on the never ending paths at Snow Drift Park during the day, making sure I took into consideration every possible escape route and I’ve stayed clear at night. Ryan has kept me up to speed on all things werewolf related and even had me read a few fiction books, I don’t think they did anything to assuage my nerves.

Ryan told me the real reason behind Alan working so hard to make the resort and casino happen. It wasn’t because he wanted to see more money come into the area, it wasn’t even because he wanted to see the park destroyed. It was because he wanted to prey on humans. The wildlife that lived in the park had become boring and predictable to him. He thrived off of the fear that resonated in the eyes of humans and the way the life filtered from their eyes as they took their last breath.

He was hungry for blood and that made me nervous. It also made me think back to the animals that attacked my parents. I didn’t want to believe it was Alan or even Ryan that caused such damage in my life, but when I approached the subject with Ryan, he simply shrugged.

Maybe he didn’t know the answer. Maybe he did.

A part of me feels guilty for writing all of this down. I know that if something happens to me, if anyone were to find it and read it, all of Ryan’s secrets would be out. This was something he really trusted me with but if I can’t talk to anyone, what else am I supposed to do?

This is how I clear my thoughts.

Ryan has assured me that nothing will come back at me for taking out Alan. That the plan is merely a means to an end and will get us where we need to be if it works. He’s told me not to worry, but ever since he fessed up and said that he would have to take Alan on himself; worry is all I’ve done.

I’m not sure I’m ready to lose him from my life when I’ve gotten so used to hearing the thoughts of someone other than myself.”

Catherine exhaled a deep breath of air as she sat nervously and on the edge of her seat. The sun was beginning to set which only meant one thing: the full moon would be rising. All of the time Catherine had taken to prepare herself for tonight no longer seemed like enough and she found herself wishing it was another month away.

“Am I ready to put myself in danger for all of this? Even if it’s for the greater good and even if it will save lives?” She asked herself, a solemn expression crossing her features.

When Catherine’s parents were alive, they always instilled the greatest values in her. She learned that doing good for others would get her larger pieces of the karma pie and she hoped she had done enough to bake an entire pie.

If her parents were proud of her, it would all be worth it in the end.

“Even if something bad happens, I would rather know I left this earth doing something valuable and saving the lives of other people,” she mused. “They would be safe. I just hope our fight isn’t for nothing.”

The sound of Ryan knocking once on Catherine’s door pulled her out of her thoughts. The time had come for her to do everything she promised she would do and her stomach twisted with nerves.

“Come in,” she said, her fingers twisting in between one another in a nervous habit. “The door is open.”

The door creaked slightly as Ryan pushed it open to offer Catherine an enthusiastic smile. His skin was pallid and there was visible sweat lining his brow.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m good,” Ryan replied, remaining planted at the door. “I need to leave very quickly. Like you know, this is a full moon. I need to get to the park with plenty of time to spare and the sun is setting quickly. I’ll be leaving my Range Rover parked downstairs. I want you to take it with you tonight. Don’t use your car.”

“But what if Alan sees it? Won’t he know that it isn’t—“

“Catherine, please,” Ryan replied, dragging his hand across his face. “Don’t drag this out anymore than it needs to be. Just trust me tonight because we can’t afford to waste the time it would take for me to explain everything to you all over again. You either get it, or you don’t.”

As awkwardness flooded the air, Catherine turned her sights away from the door and clenched her jaw. It wasn’t as if she was asking illogical questions. Any question that had anything to do with how things panned out could be the difference between life and death. Her life or her death.

“Right,” Catherine replied shortly, irritation lacing her tone.

“Listen to me,” Ryan said sharply, stepping into Catherine’s Penthouse just enough to close the door behind him. “I’m going to go over it quickly one more time, just to make sure we are on the same page, okay?”

Catherine nodded her head in response.

“Okay, you’re going to go to the park and you’re going to act as bait,” Ryan spoke, wincing as he used that word. “You’re going to make it seem like you’re checking something out. Maybe you can make some marks on some trees with a white marker, like you’re making surveying measurements.”

Catherine nodded her head once again to show she understood.