Free Wolf on the Hunt by N. J. Walters

police said it was probably a drunk driver, although no one was ever caught or charged.”
    Gray could still remember the fear she’d felt when the police had shown up at her school. She’d been expecting her mother. Instead, her entire world had collapsed. She’d spent several bewildering days in foster care until her grandmother had been located and contacted.
    “I’m so sorry, chère .”
    She dug her fingers into Shadow’s neck and held on. What she really wanted to do was collapse onto her knees and bury her face in the dog’s fur. There was genuine sympathy in his voice.
    “Yeah. Me too.” She needed a break from this conversation. “I want coffee. Do you want some?”
    “That would be great.” He hesitated, but only for a second. “You have anything to eat? Healing my injuries and shifting takes a lot of energy.”
    She could have kicked herself. The man had been shot and bled heavily. His body had actually rejected three bullets. He should be on his way to the emergency room and surgery, not sitting and talking with her as though nothing had happened. Dried blood and dirt stained his chest and one of his arms. Of course he was tired and hungry.
    Gray motioned to the bathroom. “Why don’t you get a shower? I’ll put on coffee and whip up something to eat.”
    “Thank you.” He stood and she backed toward the door. He might not mean her any harm, but she was still wary.
    “No problem. Towels and facecloths are on the shelf.” It was cowardly, but she turned and fled, needing a few minutes to compose herself.
    She went straight for the coffee pot and got a clean mug down from the cupboard. She couldn’t remember where she’d left hers earlier. The brew was slightly bitter, but she gulped it down. Her hand trembled and she gripped the mug with both hands.
    She should call someone and let them know what was going on just in case something happened to her. Only she didn’t have any really close friends and none of her acquaintances would believe her. No, she’d more likely end up in an emergency room being treated for a mental breakdown if she told anyone she had a werewolf in her house.
    The shower came on and she was forced to set the mug down before the contents spilled over everything. She moaned and dropped her forehead onto the cool countertop, barely resisting the urge to bang her head several times.
    No, no, no. Don’t think about Louis in the shower, wet and naked. All that prime flesh glistening under the spray. Definitely don’t think about the slick soap gliding across his skin.
    It was official. She’d lost her mind. She laughed. At herself and her situation.
    Shadow poked his nose beneath her arm and she lifted her head. “I’m all right,” she assured him. She wasn’t, but she’d fake it until she got there.
    “He’s hungry,” she reminded herself. Louis, not the dog, although Shadow could probably use a snack too. “Let’s see what I can whip up.”
    Eggs and toast were the quickest meal she could make. She didn’t have bacon, but she did have some sliced deli ham. She assembled everything she needed on the counter and began to crack eggs into a bowl. She remembered Louis’s size and decided to use the entire dozen eggs. She was going to need to do more shopping once he left.
    She stopped in mid-crack. Once he left. Louis was just passing through her life. He wasn’t a part of it. Her chest ached and it got hard to breathe. It felt as though something was squeezing her heart and lungs. It wasn’t sorrow. She wouldn’t let it be such a deep emotion.
    Egg white slid down her fingers and she swore under her breath and tossed the broken shell back into the cardboard egg tray. She went back to work cracking eggs until they were all in the bowl.
    “I’m fine,” she assured Shadow when he kept looking at her with dark, worried eyes. The dog gave a small whine of disagreement. “I have to be.” Meeting Louis was nothing more than an accident of circumstance, but it had