Scarred Wolf by Charlene Hartnady

6

The next day…

Jaxon

I emergefrom my hotel room early after a sleepless night. I’m still having that damned nightmare. It’s driving me crazy!

I push out a hard breath and run my hand through my hair. I’m feeling edgy. I should have continued my surveillance of the pre-wolf. What was she up to last night? I spent days parked outside the subject’s apartment building, monitoring her comings and goings. But last night, after my botched attempt at delivering the antidote, I needed to gather my thoughts. I holed up in my hotel room to regroup.

The pre-wolf is nothing like I expected.

For a starters, it’s a ‘she’ – I’d just assumed my target would be male. Of course, that doesn’t make a difference. Nor is the fact that she’s…well, she’s beautiful. It’s a good thing that beauty means fuck all. That particular fact will only make me keep my guard up even more. Especially since I know it’s all an act…a ruse…a lie.

The good news is that I’m not attracted to this woman. That would be ridiculous. She’s a danger to the world as I know it. I hate her! Beneath the blonde hair and lean limbs, and golden exterior, lies a killer. A threat to my pack. A threat that is my duty to neutralize.

Yet there was something there when our eyes met. Something I felt when her skin met mine. Something inside me howled out for…for something other than her demise.

Hell’s teeth, what am I thinking?

Am I crazy? Have I lost my ever-loving mind? Then again, my wolf can be a total asshole sometimes. He’s base. Doesn’t think about the consequences. It’s all instinct and living in the moment for him. Must be nice to have that luxury. I’m here to do a job, and I’m going to do it successfully. I pat my jacket pocket. I’ve got another syringe prepped; hopefully I’ll have better luck today. This is turning out to be tougher than I expected. I get into the silver-gray BMW. I swapped the model of my rental to stay under the radar. It’s nothing like the sporty red number I’ve seen Everleigh Moone driving. Seems like my target has a taste for the good life.

The thought satisfies something in me that she’s superficial and frivolous. It will make my job easier. I can’t wait to bring her down a few rungs. What am I saying? I’m bringing her all the way down…into the mud…into the dirt where she belongs. I’m sure she’s excited for her first shift into her wolf form. I’m sure she can’t fucking wait. Pity it’ll never happen. Not on my watch!

I pull to the side a block down from her apartment building and keep an eye on the entrance, settling in for a long wait. The place is high-end – looks like our little “pup” has done well for herself. I tell myself that it’s probably happened off the back of someone she’s scammed. Maybe she’s running some scheme out of that nursing home. Maybe she dupes those old souls into parting with their pension funds for her to subsidize her extravagant lifestyle.

Yup, that must be it,I decide, feeling my eyes narrow as the entrance opens up and the pre-wolf bounces to her car. She hops in and is pulling out a few seconds later.

I raise an eyebrow. It’s barely 7 a.m. Pretty early on a Saturday, considering I’m still trying to convince myself she’s some sort of bimbo party girl who’d needed to sleep in after a wild evening out. Shit…I knew I should’ve been keeping an eye on her. My father would have my nuts if he found out. I needed some space. Screw my father! I’ll get the job done…today.

I turn the key in the ignition and follow her. The flash of red stays two cars ahead of me as we make our way through the light Saturday morning traffic. Pretty soon, she’s pulling into a parking lot at the gym she’s visited a few times during the days I’ve been watching her. I’ll admit, her hours are pretty erratic, but she’s fairly predictable. Most of her time seems to be at the nursing home, the park, or over here, working out. I watch as she gets out of her car and bounds across the parking lot, using those smooth, effortless strides I’m becoming familiar with. Of course, she drops her gym bag on the floor on the way. It blows my mind to see how she can be so graceful and such a klutz at the same time. Then again, we all get a little less coordinated as we near the change. As we get closer to our twenty-fifth birthday…D-day. Maybe she knows I’m watching. She might just have me on radar. I need to keep my guard up.

I tap my thumb against the steering wheel, keeping one eye on the doorway as I dip my head in the direction of my phone screen. Surveillance has become a breeze since the world decided it was acceptable for a man to sit in his car for hours playing with his cellphone. An hour later, she’s out again, this time in the pink uniform I’ve begun to recognize as her work clothes.

I guess she works on Saturdays. I watch as she hesitates at the doorway, then moves to a large bulletin board outside the entrance. She’s pinning a sheet of paper to the board. I need to get a closer look at that page; I can’t quite make out the words, even with superhuman eyesight. A moment later, she’s skipping back to her car. I pull my baseball cap a little further down onto my forehead and hunch slightly, eyes still seemingly glued to my screen. It’s unlikely she’ll see me, but after bumping into her at the park, part of me is worried she might recognize me and suspect something. There’s a low rumble as the red coupe eases out of the lot, and then I’m up and jogging over to the bulletin board. My eyes widen as I read what’s pinned up there.

She’s looking for a roomie? Why would she be doing that? Things just aren’t adding up. It ultimately doesn’t matter. I need to finish this one way or the other.

I make my way into the reception area and see a guy waiting at the counter, poised to swipe member cards through the access control. He looks up at me and gives a practiced smile.

“Hey there! Ready to work up a sweat?” he asks. The line seems well-rehearsed too. He runs an eye over my jeans and black polo. I’m not carrying a tote bag. I’m clearly not here to workout, and I know it’s only moments before he figures I’m not a regular.

“Hi. I’m looking at getting a membership,” I respond, flashing a smile of my own. His expression changes immediately, morphing from friendly welcome to the smooth salesman.

“Ah,” he says, stepping out from behind the counter and extending a hand. “Great to have you here, I’m Justin; I’m the weekend manager.” He can’t be more than twenty-two; “weekend manager” seems like a fancy term for junior desk-jockey, but I try to look as if I’m impressed.

“Skau,” I reply, shaking his hand. “Jaxon Skau.” I look around curiously, as if I’m examining the surroundings.

“Let me take you on a tour of our facilities,” he says quickly, buzzing me through the turnstile. I nod and follow him, making suitable sounds as he points out the various training zones. “Our locker rooms are fitted with a sauna and steam bath, and is maintained hourly for hygiene,” he’s going on and I keep nodding as I look around. This is taking too long, but I can’t let my impatience show. There’s another bulletin board at the other side of the gym, and I pause as we walk past it. I see a similar sheet of paper up with the ad for Everleigh’s apartment, along with other sundry notes and flyers. He sees me looking at the board and smiles.

“We have an active community here,” he goes on. “Our members are a big, happy social circle. Great way to meet…friends and broaden your network.” His smile is slick, and I quirk my lips. He’s guiding me into a small, glass-enclosed office space and is reaching into a drawer for a sheaf of papers. I fight back my frustration. I don’t have time to go through all of this. Before he breaks into what I’m certain will be a well-practiced sales pitch, I interrupt him.

“Look, I’m only in town for a month…on business,” I say quickly. “I need a place to train, but I’m not going to be able to take out a long-term contract. Do you have monthly options?”

I see him deliberating, guess he works on commission and a fat contract would suit his bottom line. I reach into my back pocket for my wallet. “Here’s my ID and business card. I’ll pay cash upfront. Plus…a small ‘facilitation bonus’.” His eyes narrow as he catches sight of the cash in my hand. I peel off a few notes and slide them across the desk. I can see his fingers almost twitching to take it. I add a few more, and his mind is made up.

“I’m sure that…could be arranged, Mr. Skau,” he says, finally reaching for the money. Our eyes meet. We understand each other. “I’ll get the paperwork through and arrange a temporary card for you. If you need anything, just make sure you ask for me personally.”

I nod. “Thanks, bud,” I wink, and he pockets the cash. “And if anyone has any questions, I’ll just refer them to you too.”

“Of course,” he replies. I can see him already spending the money in his imagination.

Minutes later, I’m striding out of the office towards the board where I saw Everleigh’s ad. Without hesitating, I yank it free from its pins, fold it, and tuck it in my back pocket. As I head out, I see a perky redhead standing in front of the board outside. I step in front of her and remove the page from there, too.

“Hey!” she retorts. I can feel her bristling behind me.

“Place is taken,” I say bluntly and prowl away without bothering to look back. By the time I get to my car, I’ve already got the outline of a plan formed. I’m going to move in with the pre-wolf and take her out within the safe confines of her apartment. There’ll be no prying eyes. No humans who can get hurt in the crossfire. When the moment is right, I’ll strip away those powers of hers and make sure she’s never a threat to anyone else.

I pick up my phone and dial the number on the ad. My excitement is mounting. I think this is going to be a breeze. Everleigh Miller just fell into my lap.