Page 25 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Wolf

His life depended on it.

***

“Wow,” Miranda said, once Bryon was done talking. “I mean... wow.”

“Keep moving,” was all the response she got.

She hadn’t even realized she’d stopped moving again. More than once, as Bryon narrated his past ordeal, she’d paused in her tracks as he spoke, struggling to make sense of his experience. It had to be fiction. Except... Bryon didn’t seem like the type of guy who made up stories.

“Miranda.” His voice broke through her thoughts once again.

She blinked at him, realizing she still hadn’t moved from the spot. With a quick nod of her head, she continued, walking behind Bryon as he hobbled along the narrow path. She stared at his broad back, the details of his story still fresh in her mind.

“I...” She searched for the right words. “I just can’t believe all that happened to you. Not that I think you’re lying to me, but... man. This is a lot to take in.”

It was also a lot for one person to experience. Getting outed, having an entire town turn on him... Miranda wouldn’t wish that on her worst enemy. Earlier, when Bryon mentioned having less patience and trust for humans, she’d figured something bad had happened to him. She just hadn’t realized it was at this magnitude.

“Take your time,” Bryon replied without looking over his shoulder. He reached up to brush aside a tree branch.

“What happened to you was terrible. I honestly can’t imagine what it must have been like, having your best friend turn on you in the blink of an eye and even try to kill you.”

She saw his shoulders tremble a little, and it dawned on her that he was chuckling. When he responded, however, there was no humor in his tone.

“No, you definitely can’t, Miranda,” he said. “It’s not really an experience humans can relate to. Especially since you kind are usually the ones harming supernaturals and animals.”

His words hit her like a low blow to the gut, but Miranda decided it would be unwise to respond to them. They continued walking in near silence, her gaze still mostly trained on Bryon. Her mind worked rapidly, trying to come up with the right words to say to him. But what exactly could she tell him?

She couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that, as terrible as his story was, it had been watered down for her convenience. This man was dealing with a lot more than he’d let on so far. No doubt, he’d experienced other terrible things simply because he was a supernatural. How many others out there like him were suffering the same, or worse?

And all because of humans.

Miranda bit her lip. She wasn’t much different, was she? If she was being honest with herself, she’d wondered a little whether to tell people about the creature she’d seen in the woods. But wasn’t that what Bryon’s old friend Harold had done?

Ahead of her, Bryon stumbled a little, and she heard a grunt of pain. Her chest tightened with concern. He’d injured himself trying to save a random animal in the woods. He didn’t deserve to have almost lost his life because of who he was, because he’d been seen.

And she’d had the effrontery to think her life was hard. Miranda almost scoffed at herself. Her problems with Jerry were nothing compared to what she’d just heard. At least she still had the option of reporting her ex-boyfriend to the authorities.

They seemed to have walked for several long minutes by the time she spoke up again.

“Have you heard from Harold since it happened?” The words tumbled out of her mouth faster than she could clamp a hand over it.

Bryon still didn’t turn around, but she saw his shoulders stiffen as he walked. “No, of course not. If I had, I’d probably be dead by now. Or worse.”

Miranda didn’t want to think about what fate might be worse for him than dying at the hands of a crowd of terrified, enraged humans. Another question bubbled up in her mind. “Do you think about him?”

He gave no response, and she didn’t bother asking again. Instead, she doubled her pace to match his, sidling up to him and touching his arm. Bryon stiffened for a moment but soon relaxed. She curled her fingers over his bicep, feeling a slight pulse against her fingertips.

“I’m really sorry for all that happened to you,” she told him. “It’s... it’s horrible, and you didn’t deserve to experience it. Not one bit.”

He slowed in his tracks, turning his brown-eyed gaze toward her, and she felt her heart skip a few beats. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised to hear that from a human.”

It wasn’t too difficult to figure out why. Miranda gave a half shrug. “Well, I’m not exactly like other humans.”

The second the words were out of her mouth, she realized just how silly they sounded. The look Bryon shot her didn’t help matters.

“I doubt that,” Bryon said with a raised eyebrow. “I remember the fear in your eyes when you saw me shift.”

Touché.