Chapter 23

Natalie’s breath frosted in the chilly air as she jogged along the forest trail, gravel crunching pleasantly underfoot. The spicy smell of pines and freshly turned dirt filled her senses. Her favorite trail by far, there was so much life to this forest, unlike the cold concrete of the town. There was no sense of belonging there, of fitting into the world. But here, the world breathed around her. The skittering of tiny claws as squirrels darted up the rough bark of the trees and the gentle flap of wings high above as crows surveyed the area all blended into the music of life.

Best of all, no people. No one complaining about their jobs or the weather, no cars honking, no mechanical vibrations of engines. Just peace.

Her ponytail glinted in the golden light of the setting sun. The light coat kept the wind at bay, but the frosty air made her skin tingle, a pleasant ache in her legs as she passed another mossy mile marker.

An acrid smell wafted to her nose at the next marker, the unpleasant scent of a lingering campfire. While most folks left the sleepy college town during winter break, others used the chance to occupy the more remote camping spots, away from prying eyes. Typical of the frat crowd, the dude bros liked to enjoy their freedom with copious amounts of cheap booze.

Fires blazed at the edge of her vision as she neared the hidden campground, raucous laughter nearly overpowering the portable speakers blasting music. The four sitting around the fire somehow generated more noise than a dinning hall full of kids.

Grumbling to herself, Natalie decided to just ignore it. Hopefully she could just slip past them, avoiding their attention in the fading light.

As much as she tried to tune it out, the familiar scent of Trent and his right-hand monkey Noah wiggled its way into her nose.

A growl bubbled up from her depths, the vein in her forehead pulsing as she ground her teeth.

While Melissa might have forgiven him for his drunken accident, it still didn’t sit well with Natalie, least of all because of Trent’s blasé attitude about it. Like it hadn’t been his fault in the first place. Even from here she could smell the beer on his breath, the same that he’d been drinking that night. It had become a big joke to him and his buddies, and Melissa was still too enthralled by him to know better than to give him another chance.

Kal knew though. Kal never forgot ... or forgave. Trent had nearly pissed himself the last time he’d visited, the only thing keeping Kal from tearing his throat out being her and Kaylie manhandling him back upstairs before Melissa laid into him.

With the distance between her and the campsite shrinking, she increased her pace.

At times, it was an unfortunate curse to have well developed hearing. Between the belching competition and dumb bouts of laughter, she could make out Noah’s annoying voice as he mumbled to Trent.

“Speaking of little sluts, check out the little number on the trail.”

“Isn’t that Natalie? Melissa’s brother must not be stretching her out enough if she’s burning off energy here. Bet she’d take a load from just about anyone.”

“Can’t wait to nut down her throat,” Noah laughed. “Bet she moans like a bitch in heat.”

Natalie’s eye twitched and the veins in her throat began to throb. Her darker thoughts reared their ugly heads as she imagined cracking his skull open. Or shoving it up his own ass.

Banishing those thoughts, as enticing as it was to feed him his own testicles, she ran on. Sure, it would be satisfying to show him why people didn’t fuck with wolves, even in human form, but that would just cause all kinds of problems for her in the long run.

... although, who’d believe a story where the hundred-pound girl kicked the shit out of a football player? And would they even report her, or just avoid her like the plague after she tossed them across the campgrounds like sacks of rice?