Page 11 of Hunted By the Wolves
She shook it off and returned to her tasks, scrubbing the counter harder than necessary.This wasn’t the time to get distracted.Not now.Not when every instinct she had screamed at her to stay invisible until she could run.
The bell chimed again.
Another man entered.
She knew immediately he was like the first.
Same presence.Same dangerous calm.Different edges.
This one moved with a looser grace, his gaze warmer, sharper around the corners.He stopped in front of the small display near the register—flowers wilted from neglect, boxed chocolates collecting dust—and picked them up with faint amusement.
“Are these impressive?”he asked.
Riley snorted before she could stop herself.“No.”
His brows rose.“Straight answer, I like that.”
“Flowers die.Chocolate’s nice, but it’s temporary,” she said, surprising herself again.“If you’re trying to do something right, you get something useful.”
“Like?”
“Food that lasts.Warm socks.A decent blanket.”
He stared at her for a beat, then laughed softly.
“Practical,” he said.“I like that.Thanks, sweetness.”
He bought exactly what she suggested.
And left.
Riley leaned back against the counter, confusion washing over her in waves.Two men.Similar.Different.Neither threatening.
And both had made her feel ...seen.
Which was terrifying in its own way.
The rest of her shift blurred.Another worker arrived, yawning and complaining about the cold.Riley clocked out on autopilot, surprised when she realized the sky outside was lightening.
She hadn’t thought about running since the two men came in.
That scared her more than anything else.
She left the store and headed home, pace quickening when her skin began to prickle.The sense of being followed rose fast and sharp, every nerve screaming.
Was the warning a lie?Were they coming for her now?
She turned corners abruptly, doubled back once, heart pounding.Footsteps echoed ...or maybe they didn’t.She couldn’t tell anymore.
By the time she reached her building, she was breathing hard.Even once she was inside with her locks engaged and the chair under the knob, she still did not feel safe.
A knock came less than five minutes later and Riley froze.
“Riley,” a voice called quietly.“We’re not here to hurt you.”
She recognized it.
Her stomach dropped.
