Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19
D eb stepped into the kitchen, leaving the lights off. The faint glow from the stove clock was enough. 3:03 AM. She exhaled slowly, her body aching with exhaustion. She hadn’t slept at all.
The storms rolling through had been loud enough to keep anyone awake, but it wasn’t the weather that had her pacing the halls and staring at the ceiling. It was everything else—the past, the regret, the hard conversations, and the memories she’d spent years burying.
Crossing to the fridge, she pulled out a cold bottle of water, cracked the cap, and took a long drink. The kitchen was quiet, too quiet. It was the kind of quiet that crept under your skin and made you think about things you didn’t want to.
She moved to the window over the sink and stared out into the backyard. Lightning split the sky in the distance, briefly lighting the trees and the edge of the property like a strobe light. Thunder followed, low and rumbling, but further away now. Maybe the storm was moving on. Or it was just circling back for another round. It was hard to say.
Her thoughts wandered uninvited and persistent back to earlier that day. Talking to Janna had been… strange. Good, in some ways. Hard, in all the others. She’d said what she needed to say. Finally, but even with forgiveness offered, something still didn’t sit right.
It wasn’t just the drinking that had driven her to say something so cruel back then. Sure, that had been part of it, but it hadn’t been the root. Linda and the poisonous little seeds she’d planted in Deb’s ear had played on her worst insecurities at the worst time and had also fueled Deb’s hatred of anyone happy.
But in truth, the fault of that day and every evil thing she said about others was all hers. Deb owned it.
And Garrett… Deb leaned on the counter, her eyes still fixed outside.
There had been a time, long ago, when she thought maybe there could’ve been something there. Before Janna...before everything. But her heart had already started drifting toward someone else entirely. Someone no one here knew about.
Not even Linda. Deb had once thought she could trust her. But not with him . That relationship had been her own quiet secret. Something special. Or so she thought.
She scoffed under her breath, took another drink of water, and shook her head. How incredibly stupid she’d been.
She’d believed in him. She believed in the promises, the plans, and how he looked at her like she was his whole world. And then she found out she was just a chapter in a very long, ugly book of lies. She didn’t cry over him anymore, but she second-guessed herself because of him, which could very well be her downfall. It pissed her off that he still had a certain hold over her.
“Bastard.” She growled, taking another drink.
A bright flash of lightning lit up the backyard in stark white light—and something moved. Small, white, and definitely furry.
“Oh, dammit,” Deb muttered, setting her water bottle on the counter with a sharp clack before heading for the back door. She yanked it open and stepped beneath the overhang, cool rain misting her face. “Pepper! Get your ass back home! How did you get out again ?”
Standing just beyond the porch, soaked and unbothered, was Mr. Grayson’s rebellious little poodle, tail wagging like this was some grand adventure. Deb groaned. She could’ve sworn she patched the spot where the dog had been slipping through the fence.
“Please don’t tell me the old man’s out in this mess looking for you,” she grumbled. Spinning on her heel, she dashed back inside to grab her tennis shoes, slipping them on with practiced speed—no time for a coat.
“You’re going to make me come out there and get you, aren’t you?” she called as she trudged into the wet grass. The rain had shifted from a mist to a steady drizzle, soaking her hair, white t-shirt, and shorts within seconds. “You’re lucky I love dogs, and you’re sweet.”
Pepper wagged her tail harder as Deb approached—then suddenly went stiff. Her tiny frame quivered, and her ears perked toward the woods behind the house.
“What is it?” Deb asked softly, eyes narrowing. She didn’t see anything, just shadows, and trees but the dog’s sudden growl sent a chill crawling down her spine.
Before Deb could grab her, Pepper bolted.
“Shit!” she snapped, and without hesitation, took off after her. “Pepper! Get your hairy little ass back here!”
The wet branches slapped against her arms as she chased the dog through the tree line. Thunder cracked again, louder now, and lightning flashed through the woods, giving her brief, eerie glimpses of trees and thick underbrush.
She caught sight of Pepper’s white fur just ahead, darting through the brush like a ghost. “Pepper, stop! ”
Deb’s foot caught on something half-buried beneath the wet leaves, sending her stumbling forward. She barely caught herself before hitting the mud, but one of her shoes didn’t survive the save.
“Dammit!” she hissed, wobbling to regain balance as the wet squish of the forest floor soaked through her sock.
She glanced around, realizing she had no clue where she was. The trees all looked the same in the dark, and the steady curtain of rain distorted everything. She’d gotten turned around, disoriented in the chase. Great. Just great.
Another bolt of lightning cracked across the sky, bathing the woods in eerie white light—and that’s when Deb saw it. She froze, every muscle in her body going still.
Ten yards ahead, half-concealed in the shadows, was something massive. Something that definitely wasn’t a poodle.
It was low to the ground, broad and still as stone. And in the next flicker of lightning, she caught a glimpse of eyes—pale and glowing, locked onto her like a predator sizing up its prey.
Her breath hitched. Her heart thundered in her chest. That wasn’t a coyote. That wasn’t a stray. That was a wolf.
A very large, very mean-looking wolf stared at her. No, not stared, but glared.
Brock’s words from earlier echoed in her brain. Taz found some tracks around this area.
“Please be a shifter,” she whispered, voice barely audible over the rain. “One of our shifters. Or, like… a very friendly, lost forest wolf with a calm demeanor and good intentions.”
She rambled when she was terrified. Apparently, that hadn’t changed.
A flash of white fur darted toward her—Pepper. The little brat cowered behind Deb’s legs, whining.
“Oh, now you come back?” Deb whispered harshly, not taking her eyes off the looming wolf. “You little turd.”
With slow, careful movements, she bent and scooped the trembling dog up, tucking her under one arm like a football.
“I’m just gonna take the poodle and go,” she said softly, inching back a step.
Pain flared as she stepped on something sharp with her bare foot. She winced, nearly dropping Pepper, but kept her balance.
The wolf didn’t move.
Then, it did by taking a step forward, muscles shifting beneath its thick, dark coat. Its head lowered, ears flattened, and a low, guttural growl rumbled from its chest, vibrating through the air.
Deb swallowed hard. This was bad. This was really bad.
She wondered if she screamed, would one of the shifters hear her? She wasn’t sure how far she’d strayed from the perimeter. Or the house. Or reality, for that matter.
She glanced up just in time to see the wolf shift its stance again, lower this time, and coiled tighter.
It was preparing to strike. She knew she could never outrun a wolf. Hell, she couldn’t outrun Pepper. Glancing around by only moving her eyes, searching for a weapon, but saw nothing. As if the wolf knew what she was doing, it growled again, louder and more aggressive.
“Okay,” she whispered, adjusting her grip on Pepper. “Screaming and running might be a now thing.”
The wolf’s growl deepened, and Deb’s breath hitched. It took another slow, deliberate step toward her, eyes never leaving hers. It was freaking stalking her. Playing with its prey and she was its prey.
Panic surged.
Her grip tightened on Pepper. Her heart was a stampede in her chest. This is it. This is how I go—saving a damn poodle in a thunderstorm.
Knowing time was running out, she turned on her heel and ran. She screamed loud, desperate, and raw as she tore through the trees. Branches whipped at her face. Rain blurred her vision. She couldn’t tell if the sound behind her was thunder or the beast chasing her.
Running with a poodle tucked under one arm was a nightmare, but sheer adrenaline powered her legs. She zigzagged between trees, trying to throw off the wolf, praying it would confuse it—even if only for a second.
Don’t look back. Don’t look back.
A low snarl erupted behind her, closer now.
She looked back. She couldn’t help it. Big mistake.
Her foot caught a root buried in the mud, and she went down hard. The world tilted, and then everything was pain and cold as her cheek hit the mud beneath her. Pepper yelped as she tumbled but didn’t leave her arms.
Deb tried to scramble up, but her shoeless foot slipped. Her knee buckled beneath her.
The wolf was coming.
She could hear its heavy, fast steps thudding against the ground. She turned over, crab-crawling backward through the muck as the massive shape came into view.
It was close. Too close. Its eyes gleamed, feral in the lightning that streaked across the sky. It crouched low again, ready to pounce.
Deb screamed again, the sound echoing in her own ears.
Then—out of the shadows—a blur of motion collided with the wolf mid-leap.
A deep growl tore through the storm as a second, larger wolf tackled the first one, sending both tumbling into the brush with a violent crash of snarls and snapping jaws.
Deb blinked, stunned. Heart in her throat. Another flash of lightning revealed the second wolf—dark, powerful, furious, as well as...familiar.
Brock.
Even in wolf form, she knew it was him.
He fought with savage precision, teeth clashing with the wolf, his body moving with brutal grace. The rogue wolf yelped as Brock slammed it to the ground and pinned it there, snarling a warning that rumbled through the night like thunder.
Deb sat frozen, clutching Pepper, her breath hitching as the adrenaline crashed and the pain of her fall caught up with her.
Brock’s wolf turned toward her—those eyes fierce and golden. She’d know those eyes anywhere.
He slowly and carefully stepped forward as if to check on her. She met his gaze and gave a shaky nod, still clutching the squirming poodle to her chest.
Then, with one last growl, Brock turned and chased after the fleeing rogue wolf, disappearing back into the woods like a shadow on the hunt.
Deb exhaled a trembling breath and collapsed back into the mud, tears mixing with the rain.
“Holy hell,” she whispered to Pepper, who licked her chin in response. “I definitely owe that man a dinner now. Or my soul. Probably both.”
Deb lay flat on her back, staring up at the black, stormy sky. Rain pelted her face, cool and sharp, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. Everything hurt—her foot throbbed like it had been stabbed, and her ribs ached from the fall.
“Pepper,” she whispered hoarsely, clutching the trembling poodle tighter to her chest, “you might have to drag me back. I’m officially useless.”
The woods around her were dark and alive with sound—branches creaking, water dripping, distant thunder rolling overhead. Then, something rustled to her right.
Deb’s breath caught in her throat.
“Okay,” she whispered, voice shaking, “please let that be a rabbit. Or a raccoon. Hell, I’ll even take a skunk. Just not—please, not another wolf.”
She turned her head slowly and blinked through the rain. A shadow moved through the trees—tall, steady, and human. Thank God.
She squinted, heart pounding, and exhaled sharply when she recognized the man.
“Asher,” she breathed, still not relaxing.
He stepped closer, keeping a respectful distance. “Brock sent me,” he said calmly, voice steady. “He’s not far. I came ahead to make sure you were safe. Are you hurt?”
Deb struggled to sit up, biting back a groan. “Define ‘hurt.’ I’m covered in mud, missing a shoe, pretty sure I’ll have a bruise the size of Georgia on my butt, and I twisted my foot chasing a dog that doesn’t even belong to me.” She gave a weak laugh. “Sorry, I ramble when I’m terrified.”
Asher nodded as he knelt, making Pepper growl.
“Oh, now you play hero,” Deb snorted, glaring at the poodle. “Where was the badass poodle energy a few minutes ago?”
“She likes you,” Asher said, looking from Pepper to her.
“I guess she does since I saved her from being a wolf treat.” She snorted, then frowned. “You know what she’s thinking?”
Before he could answer, a loud howl filled the woods. Ignoring the pain in her foot, Deb scrambled to her knees, ready to crawl if she needed to. She gasped as her foot throbbed but she ignored the pain.
“Don’t be afraid,” Asher said calmly as if they were discussing the weather, which was turning wicked again. “That was a victory howl.”
“A what?” Deb asked, still watching the woods.
“That was a wolf who is victorious after killing the enemy who threatened their Mate,” Asher said as he stood and turned his head to look behind him.
She stared at him like he was speaking another language. “And… that was Brock?”
“Who else would it be?” he replied, looking at her with his own confused expression. Asher shrugged off his jacket and gently draped it over Deb’s shoulders, shielding her from the worsening downpour. The fabric was warm, dry, and smelled faintly of cedar and rain, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside her.
Deb was still trying to register that Brock had a Mate. Once again, she had been duped by a man, and the disappointment hit her hard. Had she been so desperate that she read him wrong?
“Let me see if I can get you back to your place,” he said softly, crouching beside her with a steady hand bracing her arm.
Deb nodded, trying to pull herself together. Her foot throbbed, her clothes were soaked, and her heart was still trying to claw its way out of her chest.
Then—just as Asher began to help her stand—a low growl rumbled from the woods behind him. They both froze slowly looking over their shoulders.
Brock stepped into the clearing, bare-chested, his skin slick with rain and streaked with blood. Deep scratches lined his chest and ribs, still bleeding but already beginning to close. His black sweatpants clung to his legs, soaked through, and his wild, dark hair was plastered to his forehead. He looked wild and untamed making Deb’s heart pound in her chest, but for a whole different reason than being terrified.
Deb’s breath caught as their eyes met. Oh, God, she couldn’t go through this again. Looking at Asher, her eyes pleaded with him, “Please get me home.” She whispered, but Brock’s approach stopped them both from moving.
“I’ve got her.” His voice was deep and rumbled like the thunder in the distance.