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It was barely a second before my eyes were on the road in front of me and I seized the opportunity of an empty lane to escape. Just as I whipped into the street, a wolf bolted in front of me. My foot pressed the pedal to the floor, refusing to stop. If I did, I was as good as dead. The wolf hit harder than I expected, slamming right into my front end before disappearing from sight. His only saving grace was that I didn’t thump over him, so he’d likely heal. Or at least I hoped he would. I heard the crunch of metal but had no clue how bad the damage could be to my truck, and at that moment, I couldn’t care. If I didn’t get my ass out of town, the rest of his pack would find me… and they’d want revenge.
Once I reached the highway, I didn’t stop or slow down. It likely wasn’t good for the old girl, but I wasn’t about to have a conversation with this angry pack. Not only was I alone, they’d also be livid. They’d take me, whether I consented or not, for hurting one of their own, and that was not a life I’d ever allow myself to live. Knowing my mouth, they’d punish and kill me by the end of the first night. Wolves were submissive to their alphas and female wolves were submissive to their chosen or arranged mates. There was a reason I didn’t date within my pack. That and there weren’t any good prospects.
The wolves continued to follow me until I was back on the highway. I could see their glowing eyes peeking from behind the trees as they waited for a chance to strike. It was way too close for comfort, and I didn’t take a full breath until the highway stretched out in front of me and that small town was far behind. I may have won this round, but that didn’t mean I’d win the next. Maybe being a lone wolf had its downfalls after all, and not just the slow descent into insanity. Trading one hell for another was never my plan, but it seemed I had no choice.
ChapterFour
Vanya
It had been two days since the motel incident, two days with stolen naps in truck stops and more caffeine in my veins than any sane person should allow. But I was still alive and on my own, and that was a win for me.
Each mile I put between me and the wolves that wanted to capture me, was a huge relief. Not to mention the farther I was from home, the less it hurt. Out here on the open road for days on end I could pretend I was someone else, that I was just a wanderer with no ties to the world and no grief clinging tightly to my chest. Maybe I was using a bit too much avoidance, but it was all I had now.
A loud pop echoed from the dashboard before steam and smoke started billowing from my hood in waves. Gasping, I veered toward the shoulder and pulled halfway in the grass. I hastily shut it off, hoping to stop flames from bursting out at any second. Mechanics weren’t exactly my area of expertise, but my best guess was that this wasn’t going to be an easy fix.
I hit the hood release and jumped out, lifting the hood and stepping back so the steam could clear. But I might as well have been looking at an ancient text. None of it made sense to me. A flat tire or fluid top-off? Sure, I could handle that. But random smoke billowing out of an unknown part of my engine waswayout of my realm. The truck had run a lot shakier since my escape from the motel, but it hadn’t given me a single warning sign of a full fucking breakdown.
“Fuck,” I groaned, slamming a fist into the frame of my old truck. This girl had been with me since I learned to drive and was my dad’s before me. It wasn’t just a truck and if this was it for her… I don’t think I could take it. Not right now.
The crunch of tires on the gravel had me glancing up to see an SUV pulling up behind me. The moment the man stepped out, I tensed. He was a fairly big guy with a bushy white beard and shrewd eyes. His gait was stunted, like he had a bad knee, but he walked up until he was standing near my driver side door.
“You all right, miss?” he asked, his voice deep but friendly. I relaxed a bit but shrugged.
“I guess not? I’m not even sure if there’s a town nearby, but I’d say she needs a mechanic before I go anywhere,” I explained. “You from around here?”
He nodded slowly, stepping up to glance inside my hood and wincing at whatever he saw.
“I’m from Dixon, it’s a small town but we’ve got a great mechanic and he has a tow truck. There’s a motel and a diner so at least you’ll have a warm bed and some food. Want me to give old Dave a call?”
“Assuming Dave is the mechanic, that would be amazing,” I said, hoping I wasn’t about to be kidnapped, though he seemed human so at least I had that on my side.
He didn’t answer, instead pulling a phone out and clicking around until he held it to his ear.
“Dave, it’s Randy. I’ve got a job for ya out on Highway 87. Looks bad, smoke billowing, you’ll need the tow truck,” he summarized. There were a few hums of agreement before he hung up. “He will be here in fifteen. Your car shouldn’t catch fire now that it’s off so you can wait inside if you want. I’ll stick behind you until Dave arrives.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it,” I called. He’d already started hobbling away so he threw a hand up in acknowledgment as he continued on to his SUV. Not wanting to just stand on the side of a busy highway, I climbed back inside. The smoke had seeped inside so I rolled the window down, grateful the weather was nice today.
True to his word, fifteen minutes later a tow truck withDave’s Garagestamped on the side pulled up, backing in toward my truck. I hopped out as soon as he parked, expecting another old man to greet me. This one was younger, his dark-brown hair long and hanging over his shoulders, which were covered in tattoos. He waved to Randy who eased back onto the highway before focusing on me.
“I’m Dave, I hear you need me.” He grinned, glancing under the hood. He reached in and let out a low whistle. “This just happened? What’d you hit?” He plucked a tuft of hair out to show me.
“A wolf ran into the road two nights ago. She’s been running rougher the last two days, but this came out of nowhere,” I admitted. He frowned at that, crouching down in front of the truck before leaning up and gazing inside.
“This looks bad, I’m shocked you got two days out of it,” he stated. “You’re lucky, this could have been a lot worse. But I need to get it back to the shop to really see the extent of it. But you’re going to need a new radiator at best.”
“Best?” I groaned. “Okay,” I said, handing over my keys. He gestured to the truck behind him.
“Grab what you need then hop on in, I’ll drive us back to Dixon once I’ve got you all hooked up.”
Grabbing my bag, phone charger, and the beef jerky I hadn’t finished, I left Dave to his work and went to his truck. It was surprisingly clean inside, especially given how bad the hinges squeaked when I opened the door.
Dave worked quickly, climbing in fifteen minutes later. “Have you been to Dixon before?”
“No, I’ve never even left Colorado before,” I said. It felt so surreal that I’d made my way just inside the Washington border already. I spent more time in my truck than outside of it but at least I had distance, which was my main goal.
“It’s no Denver, but we do all right,” he said as he pulled onto the highway. I glanced back, almost relieved to see my truck secured. It wasn’t that I didn’t think he could do his job properly, it was just me worrying about everything at this point. “I know that look.”
Turning his way, I raised a brow in question as he grinned straight ahead. “What look?”
