My breathing grows steadier, and some of my panic mutes at the possibility that this guy might not be a second away fromtexting my ex my location. Time to figure out if I truly am fucked or not.
“You left Bear Valley? Why?” Speaking the words aloud helps me remember the shapes I need to make with my hands.
“The pack wasn’t a good fit.” His face dims. “They were uncomfortable around me.”
“Because they didn’t know ASL?”
That seems ridiculous to me, seeing as how this guy goes through the trouble of speaking along with signing. He’s the one who would have to attempt to lip-read what everyone else is saying.
He shrugs. “That. And I’m into guys. Bear Valley wasn’t holding Pride parades in June, you know?”
Cory was second-in-command in the Bear Valley pack, and he was constantly inviting members over to our house. Made the place noisy and crowded, and I always wanted to hide up in our bedroom until everyone left. But that was against one of Cory’s many rules. So, I interacted a lot with the wolves he had over. At least, I saw a lot of them.
Thinking back, I don’t believe this wolf ever crossed our threshold. I only know his face from other pack gatherings that humans were invited to.
One more reason to hate my ex. Apparently, he was ableist and homophobic.
Seems like the whole pack might have been.
“Here, Pine Falls, is better?” I ask with my voice and with my hands.
He nods emphatically, and a tension that’s been hanging in my chest for months eases.
I didn’t randomly choose to move to Pine Falls, Colorado. I selected this small mountain town on purpose. Most people would assume moving to a place with a well-established wolf pack would be my last choice when fleeing a supernatural ex.
But that’s what I’m counting on. Fingers crossed Cory thinks I want to get as far away from wolves as possible.
After the way the Bear Valley pack treated me, I do. If I could go my entire life without seeing another wolf, I’d be ecstatic. However, while living with one, I picked up some valuable information.
First off, werewolves have defined territories whose boundaries they can’t cross without the local pack leader knowing. To do so without permission is asking to have your throat removed from your neck.
The other piece of info I learned was that Cory hated the Pine Falls pack. He called them soft. Said they might as well be a bunch of humans. He and the other Bear Valley wolves want nothing to do with them.
So, Pine Falls, Colorado, sounded like the perfect escape.
After choosing so wrong with my ex, I’ve had trouble trusting my instincts. But something—a small voice in my heart—tells me I can trust this wolf who left the same pack I ran from. And I brace myself, taking a chance.
“I’m hiding. I’m not Abby.”Only signing the words gives me the courage I need to admit the truth. Still, my simple grasp of his language has me struggling how to explain. Mostly, I try to convey my meaning with my expressions.
Understanding lights in his warm brown eyes.
He nods again, once with feeling, and responds with his hands, each sign slow enough for me to understand and believe.“Past … you and me … none … forget.”
When he swipes his palm across his forehead with the last sign, I want to sob in relief.
I’m still safe here.
The wolf steps in closer, and I don’t get the urge to shrink from him.
“Hello. My name is Thad Flannery.” He fingerspells each letter in his name, though I’m guessing there’s a shortened version.
What I remember from my ASL classes is that someone else in the Deaf community usually comes up with whatever gestures make your sign name. You don’t create your sign name yourself, especially not if you’re hearing. To receive a sign name is an honor.
Still, even with the full version,Thad Flannerydoesn’t spark any memory for me. Cory never even introduced me to the wolf.
“Hello. My name is …”I take my time, used to fingerspelling my birth name, not the new one.“J-U-L-I-E-T A-D-A-I-R.”
Thad nods deeply, and we give each other silly grins.
