Page 33 of A Wolfe in the Woods

And for one moment, I forgot the outside world entirely.

Maybe this trip hadn’t just brought me here to catch my breath after the marathon sprint of Graymore.

Maybe it had brought me here to begin again. To be reminded of what life was like beyond the city.

“They’re…” I trailed off, unable to find the right word. “Unreal.”

“They’re real,” he said. “Just barely.”

“I thought they were extinct.”

“Not yet…endangered. Doesn’t surprise me folks think so though—their numbers are dwindling. I hardly see them anymore. They were everywhere when I was younger. Then afew decades ago, they started spraying new pesticides in the next county. It took a toll…on everything.”

At that moment, as if on cue, my little gladelace shifted, lifted its delicate wings, and took flight, joining the others.

I watched it go, breath caught in my throat, feeling…like my heart would explode with joy.

I stood there, watching it disappear into the light. Jonathan stayed beside me, saying nothing.

It felt like a secret he was sharing.

With only me.

CHAPTER 10

BLANCHETTE

“You said this was a short hike,” I muttered under my breath.

Jonathan had shown up just before dusk, backpack slung over one shoulder, offering little more than a nod to signal it was time. I wore leggings, tennis shoes, and a light hoodie, with my hair pulled back, and had packed thoroughly.

The light was just starting to shift, and I could already see it painting the tops of the trees ahead. It looked magical, like something out of a fairytale. If we timed it right, we’d make it to the ridge just before the sky caught fire.

We hadn’t spoken much as we walked. Just the occasional warning from him about loose footing here, a low branch there. The woods around us had started off gentle, the path wide and welcoming, soft earth beneath our boots, tall grasses brushing my legs, the faint sound of the rippling lake behind us, and the view of the trees ahead that were beginning to press inward.

I stepped over a fallen log and caught my breath as the trail shifted, steeper now, with underbrush clawing at my legs.

“Well, if you hadn’t packed like you’re mapping temples,” Jonathan teased, “it might feel shorter.”

“I was being practical,” I defended.

“The emergency kit was a bit much.”

“You said it was overgrown. What if we get lost?” I asked in worry.

“On a trail I’ve taken hundreds of times? That would be interesting,” he shot back, all casual arrogance. I huffed.

He was right there, calm and unbothered, like the climb hadn’t taken a toll on him at all. He wasn’t even winded.

I was. But I refused to show it.

Instead, I looked back at the path, brushing a branch aside as I asked, “How much farther up is it?”

“You’re not very patient, are you?” he asked, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“No, I am,” I said before sucking in a winded breath, keeping my tone even. “Just…curious.”

He called back, “Want me to carry your pack?”