C9 Trust No Wolf Boy

Lyra awoke with a startled start. A dull, pounding headache throbbed at the corner of her skull. She winced, pressing her fingers to her face.

Her dark eyes scanned her surroundings. She was on a big double bed, the sheets and pillows white and clean. The room was spacious, orderly, with a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the streets and distant hills. A night table and two chairs completed the scene.

Still dazed, she tried to piece together how she got there. Then the memories hit like a freight train. Drex! Darken and his wolves! The ones she had shot at but hadn’t died! And the one she had killed with her hands!

Her body stiffened. Her jaw clenched. Her eyes turned cold and hard as ice. She wished, fiercely, that she could go back and finish what she had started.

Then she heard someone snoring beside her. Her head snapped toward the sound.

Conrad.

He sat on the chair next to her bed, catnapping, keeping watch through the night. A rare smile tugged at her lips.

“Conrad! Wake up!”

He jumped awake, startled, then grinned broadly.

“Miss Ashwinter! You’re awake!” His relief was palpable. “Thank goodness! I was so worried about you. I thought… I thought…” He trailed off, flustered.

Lyra nodded knowingly.

“Yeah, I know what you thought. You’re always worrying. But I’m fine. Just a slight headache—nothing aspirin can’t handle.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Now tell me, Conrad. Where are we, and how did I get here?”

He leaned forward. “This is a Holiday Inn. One of the best around here. Did you remember anything at all about last night, Miss Ashwinter?”

Her face tightened. “Yeah. I found the man I was looking for. Met the two Alphas of the wolf pack in town. Had some hostile conversations. Shot at some wolves that refused to die. Killed one with my hands. That’s as far as I can tell. Anything beyond that…” She shook her head.

Conrad inclined his head. “Alright, Miss Ashwinter. That’s fine. Here’s what happened. After I got to the bar last night, I texted you like you instructed. Waited a couple of hours. No response.”

He shifted uneasily. “I got terrified. Those wolves out there… I couldn’t sit easy, especially with someone as young as you out there. I thought maybe you’d lost your way or one of those wolves got you.”

He paused, then continued. “I couldn’t take it anymore. I took my gun, drove back to the bar, and that’s how I found you… in his arms.”

Lyra blinked. “Wait—what do you mean, ‘in his arms’?”

“I saw this young guy outside the bar. Big for his age. At first, I thought he was a man, but his face gave him away. He was holding you, blood everywhere on the snow. It covered him, soaked your clothes. And you weren’t moving.” His voice trembled.

“I thought he had killed you. Pulled my gun, almost shot him. But he told me to relax—said you’d passed out after killing a wolf. The blood was the wolf’s, not yours. You were just drained. Something in his voice… kind, genuine… made me believe him. Then he showed me the wolf, and I knew he was telling the truth.”

He shifted comfortably. “He told me you’d be fine. Carried you to the pickup, rode with us here, stayed until you were settled… then he left.”

Lyra drew a slow breath. Drex… an Alpha of wolves, feared by the town, wasn’t heartless after all.

She scoffed. Kind or not, he’s a wolf—a wolf to be eliminated.

And yet, for reasons she didn’t understand, she felt a tug at her heart just thinking of him. Thinking of Drex.

What’s happening to you, Lyra? she asked herself. Don’t tell me the thought of that wolf boy is… exciting you. Don’t even think it. Don’t!

She turned to Conrad, spitefully.

“Well, I think it’s important you know… that kind, genuine guy you spoke of so well? He’s a wolf.”

Conrad’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“Yes, Conrad. Not an ordinary wolf. He’s an Alpha. He has his pack. That means he’s ten times more dangerous than even a common wolf-man.”

“But he doesn’t look… look like…” Conrad stammered.

“He doesn’t look like he’s got wolf blood in him, right?” Lyra finished for him.

Conrad nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, he doesn’t at all. I don’t believe this. I sat with a wolf-man in a car from that bar to here! Jesus! This is wild! This town… it’s crazy. I hate it here, Miss Ashwinter. I hate it.”

Lyra’s voice was cold. “You’d better get used to it, Conrad. We’re staying here for good. There are a lot of wolves to take down—lots of them. So get used to it.”

She waved a warning finger at him.

“Understand this, Conrad. Those wolf boys… they come in all sizes. You’ve got to stay sharp, alert, just like me. Sniff them out when they’re near. Don’t let them use their seductive powers on you and get you weak, forgetting who you are, and what you’re set to do. Don’t lose your senses for any wolf boy.”