Winter Wolf (A New Dawn Novel Book 1) by Rachel M Raithby Read Free Book Online Page A

bristling, his feet tapping with impatience.
    “Look, son, this is important. There’s a girl gone missing. Her parents are dead, and there was a report of someone carrying an injured girl a few blocks over from where she lived. These people saw the girl being driven away in the back of a truck. They got a partial number plate and their description with the partial, matches up with one of Jackson Song’s trucks. Know anything about that, son?”
    “No, sorry, no girl here, just me.”
    Arne started to scratch and whine at the door.
    “Arne, come here,” Katalina whispered.
    “What’s that?”
    “Oh, erm…Jackson’s dog. I’m dog sitting while he’s away.”
    “Can I get a look at that dog? This girl had a dog, too. Seems it’s gone missing with her.”
    “No, sorry, he’s not too friendly with strangers.”
    Katalina tried to drag Arne away from the door but slipped and knocked into a table. The lamp wobbled; but she caught it just before it fell.
    “Let me in, son. I won’t be long, just need to do a quick search, make sure she’s not here.”
    “Do you have a warrant?” Toby said, sounding much older than his twelve years.
    “Well, no, but what harm is there if it’s just you and a dog here?”
    “Sorry, sir, but if there is no warrant, I can’t let you in. It’s not my house.”
    “Right, well, when will Mr. Song be home?”
    “In a week.”
    “I’ll be back, kid.”
    The door closed and Toby walked into the front room seconds later. “Seriously, Arne,” he growled at the dog.
    To Katalina’s surprise, Arne whined, going down on his belly in submission.
    “Hey!” Katalina patted her leg, “Come here, boy. You don’t have to submit to him!”
    Arne glanced at Toby and then scurried to Katalina.
    She glared at Toby. “That wasn’t nice, scaring him.”
    “I wasn’t scaring him, Kat. I was telling him off for nearly getting us caught. I can’t believe the cops are looking for you.”
    “Well, he never cowers on the floor when I tell him off and what did Jackson expect? You can’t just kidnap someone and expect there not to be consequences.”
    “He cowered ‘cause I’m a wolf, Kat, or have you forgotten? And we didn’t kidnap you. You are Jackson’s daughter. You would have died if we’d hadn’t found you,” he snapped.
    Katalina looked at Toby and for the first time, she could see it; he wasn’t just a kid with a carefree smile. Underneath it all, he was a wolf, a wild creature.
    “No, I didn’t forget, Toby. I’d just thought you were different, my mistake; one I won’t be making again.”
    She grabbed hold of the drip and hobbled from the room. “Heel, boy,” she said to Arne.
    “Kat…Kat, at least let me help you.”
    “No! I don’t need any more help, from any of you. As soon as I’m better, I’ll be leaving and there is nothing Jackson can do about it. Just because you are a shifter, Toby, doesn’t mean different rules apply.”
    She heard shouting that night. Jackson was banging and swearing as Karen and whomever else was down there, tried to calm him down. She stood at the window watching darkness take over the sky when she saw the glimpse of a wolf dash away from the house. Toby, she thought, and then moments later a larger grey wolf followed.
    Cage…
    She couldn’t know for sure as she’d never seen his wolf, but if that had been Toby, then it would be Cage following him. She wondered if this was what it was like all the time here, or whether Jackson was acting like an ass because of her. She hoped he wasn’t always like this. What a horrible life it would be always tiptoeing around him, trying not to upset him.
    “Are you all right?”
    Katalina jumped, not hearing Karen open the door.
    “Sorry, dear, didn’t mean to startle you.”
    “It’s all right. I just didn’t hear you come in.”
    “Don’t worry. You’ll be able to hear everything we can after the full moon.”
    “Why is it you all presume I want to be a shifter? I’d love