Page 1 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Wolf

Prologue

Three Hours Ago

Stumbling through the dense woods at 6:30 a.m. was bad enough.

The occasional mouthful of greenery didn’t help.

Not for the first time that morning, Miranda McHarris spat out a few leaves and glanced over her shoulder as she moved through the woods. There was no sign of him. It’s only a matter of time. He was stronger and faster than she was. It wouldn’t be long before he caught up with her.

Her insides spun like a potter’s wheel, and she doubled her pace, stepping over roots and rocks. The woods were mostly silent, but for a few leaves rustling and the sound of twigs crunching under her bunny slippers. The sun had barely risen, a faint orange glow, peeking through the treetops. Every now and then, she thought she spotted a squirrel scampering across her path. Hopefully, it was just a squirrel.

What am I even doing here?

Good question. It had been over half an hour since she jumped out of bed and raced out of her house in pajamas and a bathrobe, and she still couldn’t believe what was happening. She leaned against a tree, panting, and searched her memory. Yes, she’d been jerked awake by the sound of her ex-boyfriend Jerry, banging hard on her front door and screaming threats at her. How she’d managed to make it out of the house and into her car without running into him, she wasn’t entirely sure, but he’d given pursuit, following her through Everland before the sun had even begun to rise.

It hadn’t taken Miranda long to realize that he wasn’t going to give up, so she’d decided to make an even bigger break for it, which meant leaving Everland for one of the two other towns in Downing: Sylva or Minos.

She’d driven to Sylva with Jerry hot on her tail. Then, when she realized she couldn’t shake him off, she’d decided to escape on foot, dashing into the nearest woods in a bid to lose him.

In retrospect, that had been a dumb move.

“Miranda!” Jerry’s booming voice cut through her thoughts. “You’re not getting away from me!”

A whimper rose in her throat. She shot back into motion, darting between the trees. Just how close was he? If she had to guess, he was maybe fifty or sixty feet away. Not far enough. She needed to put more distance between them. If he managed to lay his hands on her...

She swallowed, trying not to dwell on that possibility. It was bad enough that she was already running for her life from a cheating ex-boyfriend who refused to leave her alone. There didn’t seem to be much he wouldn’t do to her if he caught her.

Miranda wasn’t interested in finding out for herself. She doubled her pace, moving deeper into the woods. Her thighs ached and her heart pounded almost audibly in her chest. Blonde and red curls bounced around in her face as she ran, her bathrobe fluttering behind her like a cape. Going back wasn’t an option, not with Jerry still on her tail. She needed to keep pushing. Hopefully, she’d make it to the other edge of the woods and be able to get help.

You idiot, said a voice in her head. Why didn’t you just call the cops in the first place?

She could even have driven to the police station in Everland, or cried for help and hoped someone would come to her aid. Then again, at barely six in the morning, it hadn’t really occurred to her to contact emergency services. And when a big, angry man was banging on your door and threatening to all but turn you into a piñata, you had to act—and fast.

So she’d followed her instincts.

Trust the process, Miranda. Trust your gut.

That was what her pottery instructor, Kenneth, often told her when she messed up a mold. Maybe it worked for pottery class. Out here in the dense woods, not so much. Trusting her gut had led her here, and the odds that she would pay for it were growing by the second.

“Miranda!” Jerry’s voice reached her ears again. “There’s no point running from me!”

Her pulse accelerated. Was he even closer?

Of course he was. How could she have been dumb enough to think she could escape him on foot? She was much slower, not to mention her navigation skills were nothing to write home about.

Just keep moving, Miranda, she told herself. You’ll be okay. Just keep moving.

The path ahead of her curved sharply to the left, and she followed it without hesitation. The trees towered over her, a few branches creeping into her path, and she swatted them out of her face with a brush of her hand. She darted through a small glade leading into another one, leaping over a few large roots stretching across the ground.

In her periphery, she saw a couple of animals scampering away. A new fear rose in her chest: What were the odds that she wouldn’t run into a bear, or worse? She’d never been in these woods before. There was no telling what lay ahead. All she could do was run.

She changed trajectory, veering off her path, figuring it was a surer way to get Jerry off her tail. More animals squeaked and chittered as she raced through the greenery. She powered faster, trying to ignore the ache in her limbs.

How much longer she ran, Miranda couldn’t say for sure, but by the time she paused to catch her breath, she was ready to drop. She sagged against a tree, closing her eyes for a moment, her chest heaving with each breath. The sun had risen higher now, her surroundings brighter. She brushed her hair out of her face. Just ahead was a glade.

Wait a minute. Haven’t I seen that tree before?

She straightened, looking around. Yes, she could’ve sworn she’d come this way already. Was Jerry close? She listened for a moment but couldn’t hear him.