Dark Heart Wolf - Haley Weir Page 0,31

"You a witch too or somethin' like that?" he grumbled as he pushed off the wall.

"No."

"Your power feels old. Ancient even. Does Jesse know you're like this, Ruth?"

"Ruth? Oh, yes. That is the girl's name," the girl chuckled. "She is quite strong despite her many flaws. I like her."

"But...you aren't her? You're just possessin' her or somethin' like that?" Sam rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck to relieve the coiled tension in his body.

"Yes. She does not know I am with her. Ruth will awaken and think that she merely had a wonderful night of sleep."

"And you?" he questioned. "What exactly are you, and why are you in her body?"

"We all have a role to play in this war. Do not tell the others of my presence or else I'll kill the girl." Ruth or...not Ruth turned to walk away. "You may call me Saala if we meet again. And if you wish to be rid of your guilt, climb to the mountain and speak with your family. Get their blessing and return to Mary."

"Why are you helping me?"

"I have my reasons."

Chapter Twelve

Two weeks later…

Wolf Valley,

Colorado

Mary Ann placed a hand over the slight curve of her belly as she hung linens on the line out back behind her house. Folks continued to go missing from town, which meant the sales at the bakery had dropped so low that she had to sell her shop to the bank just to keep the house. She still sold a few goods out of her kitchen and delivered sweets to the ranch from time to time, but Mary Ann looked forward to the day she would be a mother.

Though darkness surrounded them every step of the day, Mary Ann had never felt so much light. She hummed a simple tune and finished up the laundry. With news of her pregnancy spreading through town, it had been no surprise when Jesse informed her that Sam and Boone had come to blows over it. She didn’t want people to view her or the baby as a burden, so she stayed away mostly. Abigail’s pregnancy was further along than her own, and Mary Ann didn’t want to add to the panic that settled on the ranch.

Beth, Jesse, and Ruth visited her the most, but Mary Ann kept an eye on Sam whenever he came into town. She continued to smile and wave at him whenever they crossed paths. Mary Ann even made sure to leave him his favorite sweets outside his door whenever she visited the ranch. She missed Sam. She missed his friendship just as much as she missed being held in his arms. The scent of his skin no longer lingered in her house, and it no longer felt like home.

Mary Ann carried the basket of dried linens into the house and dropped them onto the floor. Beth and Sam stood side by side in her kitchen. Mary Ann pressed a hand to her chest and then scurried to pick up the laundry. Beth beat her to it and set the basket on the table. “W-what are you doin’ here? I wasn’t expectin’ guests.”

Sam stared wide-eyed at her belly.

Mary Ann felt herself blush and attempted to cover herself. Beth punched him in the arm and finally answered Mary Ann’s questions. “We’re here to take you back to the ranch. Forget what’s going on with Boone and Sam. Forget about everything. You need to come with us. It is not safe here anymore, not with more wendigo turning. The new sheriff is aware of what’s happening, but we can’t afford to—”

“What does Sam think?” Mary Ann asked, interrupting Beth’s plea. “I’m not goin’ anywhere if it makes Sam uncomfortable. I won’t be like everyone else; I won’t put my needs before his. I’m perfectly fine livin’ on my own. There’s no need to make his life more difficult.”

Beth laughed obnoxiously, and a...weasel popped its head out of her coat. The eccentric woman took a moment to pull herself together. To Mary Ann’s surprise, Beth didn’t explain her weasel at all. "Sam doesn't know what he wants. He's stuck in the past and he needs your help to get out of there."

"What are you talkin' about?"

"You and him are going on a journey up the mountain," Beth explained. "Itsá and Gabriel are taking you with. I have to stay here and deal with the fact that I'm a fox shifter."

"You're what?"

"I was taken by some Comanche skinwalkers that broke away from their tribe. They wounded Itsá