When Night Comes (Unedited)

Chapter Ten

Angela Percy

   "Hey? You okay?" Mesa threw his arm over my shoulders as we walked into the office. I nodded.

    "Just tired." I replied, we stepped into the lobby and made our way down to our offices. I slowly shrugged off his arm as we made it to our doors.

I didn't ask Mesa to come to my office. I also dropped Charm off at Tina's this morning, she had offered to take care of him for me when I needed a break.

I was feeling overwhelmed, stressed even. My head was throbbing and I felt like I couldn't think.

I sat in the silence of my office, hoping that maybe the pain would go away if I didn't move.

Everything was swarming my brain, Lane and his strange words, the threatening note left in the pages of a book in my office, the strange wolf I saw outside of my house that wasn't the black wolf.

I couldn't stop thinking. My thoughts a were quickly interrupted though by Dr.Jules bursting through the door, Lobo by her side.

"We're visiting the reserve today to pick wolves!" She announced and smiled at me. I could tell she was very excited.

I managed a grimacing smile. She seemed satisfied as she left with Lobo by her side.

I stood up and grabbed my parka and purse.

I stepped out of my office the same time Mesa had stepped out of his. He was watching me closely as we walked out to the parking lot with Dr. Jules.

As usual, large flurries of snow were falling from the sky and the landscape looked dark.

"Hey, do you wanna ride with me?" Mesa asked just like the first time we'd made the trip to the reserve to visit the injured pup that was now part of the program.

"It's okay, I'm going to drive." I didn't look up at him. It had been a two days since Lane's departure and I had been wary of Mesa. It's not that I wanted to be but that some part deep inside felt the need to listen to Lane's order.

"Angela," Mesa grabbed my hands and I immediately pulled out of his grip.

I looked at my hand and I couldn't explain why I had pulled away with such animosity.

"What's going on?" He asked, crossing his muscular arms across his broad chest.

I sighed and bit my lip, kicking at a pile of snow.

"It's nothing. I just need to be alone." I told him before hurriedly getting in my truck.

I followed Dr.Jules along the lonely highway. No one seemed to be out today, I'd heard around town that there was a snow storm coming in tonight.

Dr.Jules was going to let us and the rest of the lab staff go home after we picked the pups.

I slammed the door to my truck and locked it, walking. To the front of the familiar building where Mesa and Dr.Jules were waiting for me.

"C'mon, Rick's waiting for us." Dr.Jules led the way into the building. A young man sat behind the desk.

    "We're here to see Rick." Dr.Jules told him and he nodded, gesturing to the door leading to the back.

We walked down the familiar hallway and met Ranger Rick in the back kennels.

"Hello, Sal." Rick nodded at Dr.Jules and squeezed her shoulders in a one-armed hug.

"Long time no see." He said as we began walking past wild animals.

"Only a few weeks." She raised an eyebrow as we turned a corner to the wolf kennels.