A Bit of Wolf in Her

12. Werewolf families near you

Winnie slipped inside the school, the usually crowded halls deserted so early in the morning. Not filled to the brim with students, it looked bigger.

After Stella pulled up the school's activity schedule, it was easy to determine the time when there would be the least traffic in that part of the school.

Dead quiet followed Winnie as she unlocked the dark wooden door, every sound amplified by the surrounding silence. Persian carpets littered the floor, the walls lined with built-in bookcases of dark oak. The ceiling, painted white and decorated with the engravings one found in 19th-century architecture, made a stark contrast to the dark wood beneath.

Winnie got to work, her eyes scanning the leather-bound books.

Most were older, and the titles suggested that most of the books were history, politics, dictionaries, encyclopaedias...

Winnie bent down and almost missed the door on the other side of the room. Relief washed through her when the door opened without hesitation, and stacks of boxes neatly lined a long row of metal racks. She scanned the rows and rows of boxes, trying to figure out what system they had in place. A box marked archives caught her attention.

Besides a lot of old school committee photographs and documents with too many numbers on it, nothing stood out. After a few more boxes, she doubted there was anything more other than that one article written in 100 years ago. A sound from somewhere made Winnie stop dead, her heart beating so loud she wondered if it could be heard from outside the library. It was her phone vibrating with a message from Stella, saying the meeting was running late and that she needed to hurry. When no one burst in, guns blazing, she continued digging. At the back of the row of files she was busy with, something promising stuck its head out. It was a box marked confidential and Winnie rifled through, deciding to stick the files in her backpack and get out of there. Replacing the box in its original place, she left the way she came and locked up behind her.

The least Winnie expected was a book or something marked 'Werewolf families near you'. Doubt crept into Winnie's mind whether it mattered what she found in the thick files stuffed into her bag if Oz-

Winnie almost walked smack-dab into Elijah as she rounded the corner. She backpedaled and caught herself before falling. It was like witnessing a magic trick in slow motion as his expression turned from concern into anger in less than a second. Winnie grabbed her bag tighter instinctively. His eyes caught the slight movement, and he glanced behind her, probably trying to see why she was running so fast.

"Sorry."

Pushing past him, she stumbled when he grabbed a hold of her wrist, pulling her back. Without thinking, she pushed him back, trying to put distance between them as much as possible. He stumbled back, much to her surprise, taken aback, and she started walking in the opposite direction.

"Winnie!"

She motored out of there like the building was on fucking fire. Outside, she darted across the parking lot and cursed under her breath when she saw what Elijah must have seen. Manilla folders sticking out the side of her bag. She couldn't tell if he was still behind her, but didn't need the ass-kicking to find out.

"Winnie?" Miles's voice sounded from somewhere and she turned, spotting him putting his bags in his car. Risking a glance behind her, there he was, scanning the parking lot for her, and Winnie ducked into the passenger seat of Miles' car.

The car next to them was unoccupied, providing perfect cover.

Miles found Elijah Delaney and put two and two together.

"Miles, don't!" Winnie half-whispered and half-shouted at him. He looked between her and Elijah, and she shot him her best pleading look. A fight with Elijah Delaney would solve none of her problems. After a while, he slid into the car and reversed out of the parking lot without a word. Winnie clutched her bag to her chest as Elijah disappeared back inside the building and she could let out a breath.