Lone Wolf (First in Lone Wolf Series)

Chapter Two

Grange’s mind was not on the men around him. They were carrying on about monsters that murdered innocent girls. Grange was used to the blame. They would never believe that the creature that had done that to the girl had been a man just like them. A holy man. A preacher man. It was easier for them to believe that a dark creature of the night had done this than to come to terms with the fact that men were the biggest monsters of all.

This was why he wasn’t focused on the trail they were following on the muddy, leaf strewn forest floor. Instead he was thinking of that woman in town. Dawn.

Grange was a lone wolf and a lone man. Never had he had any interest in a wife or a mate. But clearly his wolf had other ideas. His wolf had already decided that he wanted the feisty golden haired woman. It recognized something within her, something about her scent, that excited the wolf and drew him to her.

Grange himself wasn’t quite so convinced. He liked being alone. The only time he took a woman was when his body needed release and that was only at the brothel in a town two hours away. He liked darker women. Tall with dark hair, dark eyes and with a mysterious air. Dawn was short, barely over five feet, her body was fuller and softer than what he liked and she was pale, light and innocent in appearance. Too soft and weak for being mated to a man like him. A lone wolf who had to fight and scrap just to stay alive.

Grange was pulled from his thoughts when a yell broke out.

“Another body!”

Grange’s nostrils flared as the scent of the dead man filled his nose. He felt that rage coming back as he remembered coming up on this man slaughtering that poor innocent girl.

“The tracks are all around him, sheriff.” A man called out. Grange stayed away from the body, pacing the perimeter and working hard to hold the wolf down.

“This is that preacher man.”

“The monster killed him!”

“Calm down, men.” The sheriff’s voice called out. “We need to figure out where this wolf went.” Grange knew they wouldn’t. The rage he had been feeling had made him careless while chasing the dead man but he had been more careful after killing him. He hadn’t left a trail.

“What do you make of all of this, Grange?” Henry asked as he walked up to him. Grange shrugged one broad shoulder as he stopped pacing and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’m thinking that people need to be smarter and not wander in the woods at night.”

“Do you think there’s a monster?” Henry asked, with a just a bit of nervousness in his old voice. Grange snorted and shook his head.

“Of course not. It’s just a big wolf.”

“Wolves run in packs. Where’s the rest of the tracks?” Henry asked skeptically. Grange scratched as his thick black hair and shrugged.

“Not all wolves run in packs.”

“You mean a lone wolf? Aren’t they usually weak and sick?” Henry asked with a frown. A younger man from town, whom Grange knew was named Peter, walked over, nodding.

“Yeah they are. My dad had to shoot one once. It was skin and bones, its pack had abandoned it and it was desperate for food and trying to eat our chickens. One quick bullet to the head took care of the problem. That man up there lying dead is a big man and his throat has been ripped clean out but it didn’t eat him. That wasn’t no sick, starving wolf that done that. That was a big wolf. A strong wolf. Dangerous and deadly. One that just wanted to kill for sport.”

Grange couldn’t help but grin as he rolled his shoulders. It was all he could do to refrain from saying thank-you for the compliments.

“The tracks end here, sheriff.” A middle aged man said with defeat and sheriff Bishop nodded.