Howl (Winter Pass Wolves Book 1) by Vivian Wood, Amelie Hunt Read Free Book Online Page B

fire, wiggling out of the pile of sleeping bags she’d used for her nest.
    She was all too aware of every sound in the lodge, every sensation in her body, every panicky thought in her head. She did a little deep breathing and managed to get herself to relax…
    That’s when she heard a sound. A bang, something like a screen door slamming or a shutter hitting the side of a house. She’d been jumping at every little creak and groan for hours now, but this one was unmistakable. Penny jumped to her feet, uncertain what to do.
    She put her shoes on first, then grabbed a huge flashlight she’d brought over from Harlan’s cabin. As an impulse, she picked up one of the handguns she’d convinced herself to load with silver bullets, tucking it in the back of her jeans.
    Sucking in a big breath, Penny unlocked the door and snuck out into the long second-floor hallway. Darkness and silence reigned as Penny tiptoed toward the grand staircase that led into the grand entryway downstairs. The heavy beat of her own heart was all she heard as she progressed, and she started to feel silly and paranoid.
    Okay, this might be the third time she’d crept down the hallway, sure that a hunter was about to break in and murder her in cold blood.
    A faint scratch scratch caught her attention, stopped her in her tracks. Penny flicked on the flashlight, surprised at how the beam jittered all over the place. Oh, that was because her hands were shaking.
    Without warning, a dark shape came bounding up the staircase. Its distinctive snarl scared her and she dropped the flashlight, which rolled to the side. For the blink of an eye, a massive gray wolf was outlined in the light, cruel white fangs bared as it shot toward Penny.
    She gave a shriek and pulled the gun free from her waistband, focusing on the approaching shadow. She fired two shots before she even realized what she was doing. One went way wide, the other resulted in a satisfying yelp.
    Then everything was still once more.
    Penny held her breath for several long seconds. She was pretty sure she’d hit the wolf. Well, it sounded that way anyway. The chances that she’d taken it down with one shot were slim, but maybe the silver bullets really made a difference.
    Heart in her throat, Penny crept over to pick up the flashlight. She shone the light around, catching a massive furry shape in the beam. The oversized wolf lay on its side, unmoving.
    A horrible thought bubbled up in Penny’s overloaded brain. What if that wolf was Harlan? He might not have even meant her harm, for all she knew.
    Unable to help herself, Penny inched closer and closer until she was only an arm’s length from the wolf. Under the flashlight, she saw the slight rise and fall of its big chest, and she was relieved that she hadn’t shot it dead on sight.
    “Harlan?” she whispered. “Is that you?”
    Setting down the gun, Penny nibbled her lower lip and reached out a hand, wondering if she should roll the wolf over, see the injury. It seemed so still, maybe it wouldn’t attack…
    Fast as lightning, the wolf rolled to its feet, teeth snapping closed a scant inch from Penny’s fingers.
    “Agh!” Penny cried, scuttling backward.
    The wolf advanced on her, dripping with menace. She saw a dark, glinting patch on the floor, so she had wounded it, but the thing was far from paralyzed. This close, she could see the wolf’s glowing, ice-blue eyes. Not Harlan’s eyes, not even close.
    Fear wrapped icy tendrils around her spine. This wolf wasn’t the least bit friendly, and it looked way too interested in Penny.
    “No no no,” Penny wheezed, her back slamming into a wall.
    It might be her imagination, but she could swear that the wolf had an evil-looking smirk on its lips. Like it wanted to bite her, infect her. Make her like him. She swung the flashlight at him, trying to scare him away, but it didn’t have much effect.
    When the wolf was only a couple feet away, it paused and looked toward the staircase. Penny sucked