The Wolf

The Wolf Copyright © May 2023 Dahlia Rose Cover Art by EDH Graphics All rights are reserved. No part of this e-book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Table of Contents Copyright Page Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven The End Also By Dahlia Rose Chapter One The road was long and wound like a snake though the Appalachian Mountains. The asphalt was slick from the rain, so she drove slowly with the windshield wipers on high to keep the downpour from blurring the road anymore. “I should’ve stopped for the night,” she said looking at the dark shadow outlines of the mountains to the right of her. She stayed in the lane farthest away from the guardrails. Beyond that was just darkness, and it terrified her. If she went over the edge, no one would know until daylight, and God knows how much of a drop there was. The thought made her chest hurt with anxiety. Yeah, I should’ve stopped, she thought, but getting to the new town and her job as a teacher made her so excited, she had gone for it. There was no other choice but to keep going, so she turned up the music to keep her mind from the treacherous roads. Finally, she saw the turn. The sign—Welcome to Thrudheim—was lit up by one solar light. God knows she had almost missed the turn through the rain and was grateful to not be on the highway anymore. It was only nine at night, but the main road into town was empty. It was just as she thought when she got the acceptance letter for the job. The storefronts and lampposts reminded her of a classic 1950s portrait of small-town America. The Soda Shop was literally the name of the diner, and it looked super retro. Here’s to hoping I can sit at the counter, she teased herself. In a way she was deadass serious because some of the small towns in the South weren’t known for progressiveness. She literally had passed through one where there were Confederate flags hanging outside on the flagpole. She almost turned around to go back the way she came, but driving back to Florida was not an option she could take. She had wanted out of that state for years, and this was the first opportunity for her to do so. Besides, anyone trying to find her here would have a hell of a time. ZenzaLee Ellis was counting on this job to work out. The mayor who’d hired her was supposed to be at the courthouse, but by the time she got there, everything was locked and dark. In her car, she called his number, but it rang and went to a cheeky, friendly message. “Hey, this is ZenzaLee, the newly hired teacher you were supposed to meet to get the keys to where I’m staying,” she said hesitantly. “Call me back, please.” Five more tries and twenty minutes later, she was still waiting. In a town that seemed to roll up the sidewalk when the sun went down, she was out of luck. Zenza had no other option but to drive around. Maybe she would see a hotel, motel, or Holiday Inn where she could stay. In her head she sang the lyrics to the song that went with the words and smiled. If push came to shove, she could pull a blanket from the back of her hatchback and find somewhere to sleep for the night. It seemed that would be the case when even the hotel vacancy sign was not lit up and the front desk looked dark. “What the hell kind of town is this?” she muttered, trying to decide what to do or where she could park. There was one light on, and muted classic rock filled the air. The Wolf Den Bar and Clubhouse featured a blue neon sign that switched from a wolf standing to the shape of the animal’s face lifted to the moon in a howl. It was the only place that was open, and maybe the mayor was in there having dinner or something. Zenza maneuvered her pale blue Mazda3 into a parking spot, grabbed her purse, and walked to the door. She pushed it open and stepped inside expecting to see maybe a square dance going on in the middle of a sawdust-covered wood floor. Instead, people milled around as if waiting for something, eating peanuts, and drinking beer. All eyes turned to her when she stepped inside, and Zenza didn’t feel a friendly vibe coming off any of them. Even the men and women who were African American seemed to glare at her in hostility. Suddenly, large arms pulled her, and she was pressed by the side of man who felt like he was made of marble. “Woman, why are you in here?” His voice was a harsh whisper. “You could be fucking eaten alive or worse. Damn it, never mind, I lay claim to you.” She heard low growls combining in a symphony of guttural sounds filled with unspoken danger. It reminded her of being trapped when she was a child by the neighbor’s Dobermans when they escaped his yard into hers. Zenza was agile enough to climb the tree in her backyard before they attacked, and her screams had brought her parents and the neighbor out. Of course, her father was a military man, and he came out with gun drawn to protect his baby. After the neighbor secured his animals, he tore into the man, and the next day he was adding a chain-link fence in front of the wood one on his side of the yard. Just the sound of the growls brought back the terrifying memories, and she wondered what the hell she’d stepped into. Two