Chapter 6

All was quiet in the guesthouse as I returned. I wondered if any other guests had checked in since my arrival. There wasn’t any sign of Chloe and the children. They must have gone into their living quarters to relax. I returned to my room, noticing the maids had made the bed, and left clean towels on the comforter.

They hadn’t touched my recording equipment. It was stacked in the corner of the room where Peter said it was. A large brown envelope caught my eye. Someone had propped it up on my pillow. It looked important. I emptied the contents onto the crisp white sheets, finding the keys to the car, Peter’s email address on a piece of folded notepaper, and the log-in information I needed. As if the universe thought I needed a break, my phone rang. It was my mother.

I swiped my finger across the touchscreen to answer the call. “Hi, Mum. How are things at home?”

“Great,” Mum replied. “I’m just checking in with you to see how you’re settling in.”

“Everything’s fine. I went into Lakewell town today and picked up a couple of bits and pieces. You know me, I love to shop.”

Dad muttered something about me being a spend-a-holic, poking fun at me. “What was that?” I asked, grinning.

“Oh, ignore him. You can indulge as much as you like. You’ve earned it,” she defended me in a soft humored tone.

We chatted for another few minutes before saying goodnight.

I was missing them tremendously, and I hadn’t been gone for long. I was such an overthinker, second-guessing everything and panicking over trivial things. That resulted in a headache. I took some pain meds to sleep it off. Then I woke around 10 p.m., drenched with sweat, so I took a shower to freshen up. My mind flitted from one thought to the next, overthinking everything as the soap sluiced down my legs and then down the drain hole. I decided that if the wolves were to howl again tonight, I would sneak outside to take a few photos.

After I dried off and changed into a simple nightdress, I checked that my camera had sufficient charge. The humid night air was too hot and muggy. I could barely stand it as I used my hairdryer, so I opened the window, thinking that would help. My room is filled with the scent of fresh forest pine. I found it calming. I loved the smell of the outdoors, providing it didn’t smell of cow shit. As I glanced at my phone, I saw it was almost midnight. My eyes were dropping, but suddenly I heard the sound that I’d been hoping for.

I pressed the remote to turn off the television, plunging the room into a darkened silence. Then I grabbed my camera and crept towards the window, hoping that if I peered out of it, I would see wolves roaming around the grounds. It would be amazing if I caught evidence on my second night here. I struggled to see a thing in the pale moonlight. The trees cast eerie shadows on the lawn, making the scene below seem almost ghostly. Just as I was about to give up the search, another ear-splitting howl came from the edge of the forest. It sounded closer this time.

My keen eyes scanned the tree line, searching for any sign of life. Wolves tended to hunt at night rather than in daylight. The thought of spotting one so soon made me buzz with excitement. I had to be careful when encroaching on their territory, not wanting to disturb the natural order of things. This was amazing.

I just wanted to see a wolf . . . just one, and I could sleep comfortably tonight. Last night exhausted me, but tonight it pumped me full of adrenaline. I couldn’t tell if it was a trick of the light, but I could make out eight glowing orbs among the foliage. I blinked for a second letting my eyes adjust to the dark, then I leaned out of the window to get a better look. Just as I suspected, wolves were prowling around down there. One of them stepped onto the lawn, then bowed his head low. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. It was a huge black wolf – bigger than any wolf I had ever seen before. I watched with intrigue as it cautiously sniffed the air, then looked up at my window.

There was no way I could miss this. I pulled my backpack from the hook on the door and snatched my sneakers from beneath the bed. It wasn’t like wolves to encroach onto human territory, and it was my job to find out why they were here. Maybe they were being forced from their natural habitat or maybe their food source was depleting. Whatever the circumstances, the university would want to hear about it. I darted downstairs in a hurry, only stopping to pull on my footwear. It wouldn’t do me any good to go traipsing through the garden in my bare feet. I flung the camera strap over my head, then tiptoed to the back door. The back door had one of those safety locks that didn’t need a key to unlock it from the inside, so I was able to open it and slip away as quietly as I possibly could. I pulled the lens cap off the camera and altered the settings to night-vision mode.

This had nothing to do with the stupid urban legend. No idiotic kids were streaking across the green with their dicks flopping about. No naked men waiting in the wings to drag me into the forest. Just me and the wolves, who probably came here searching for food.

The black wolf seemed a lot bigger than he looked from my bedroom window. I could hardly believe it was a wolf at all, but I could tell it was a ‘he’ by the size of his bollocks. Everything about him was big. He stood as tall as a horse and as wide as a bear. I clicked away with my camera as I walked around the edge of the garden, careful to maintain a safe distance between me and the enormous wolf.

“That’s it, I’m not going to hurt you,” I murmured, getting some great close-up shots.

The wind rustled through the trees, whirling my nightdress around my thighs. It was enough to raise the hairs on the back of my neck, making me shudder. I zoomed in, focusing all my attention on the wolf through the lens, and that’s when I saw it too little too late – in the reflection of the silvery wolf’s eyes, I saw a guy sneaking up on me. But before I could react, he fucking grabbed me and clamped his hand over my mouth.