Free Wandering Off the Path by Willa Edwards Page A

she was.
    Hunter pulled back in surprise. He looked between her and Wolf as if watching for something, though she had no idea what he was looking for.
    Abigail shifted, the weight of their silence pressing down on her. She turned back to look at Wolf’s blank face. What wouldn’t she give to know what he was thinking now? “Hunter, I think it’s best if you leave.”
    Hunter shook his head, stepping towards the exit. His shoulders were slumped in defeat. “I think you’re right, Abigail. It was a mistake for me to come.”
    Abigail nodded, watching Hunter back away. She didn’t feel scared or nervous, concerned for what the future held, as she should have. With Wolf standing behind her, his scent still dappled on her skin, she felt brave, strong and powerful. Her body was satisfied in a way she’d never been before. Would it always be that way? Or would he abandon her, taking all her strength with him?
    Wolf would leave eventually, just as her parents and grandmother had, and when he did, would she still be proud of her choices? Or would she be begging Hunter to forgive her? Would she regret the harsh words she’d spoken tonight, or the impropriety Hunter had witnessed them enraptured in? Would she be left alone to wallow in misery, having hurt the only man who’d cared enough to stay by her side?
    As Hunter walked towards the door, he passed the upturned vase her grandmother used for flowers, pushed aside for the winter season. Through all the anger and hurt, she’d almost forgotten why she’d allowed him entrance into her home. The reason she still needed Hunter.
    “Hunter,” she called across the icy silence between them. She tried to infuse warmth and friendship into her tone, but feared after all she’d said her effort fell flat.
    Hunter gripped the door handle tightly. His knuckles white around the wood. His body poised to flee. He didn’t turn to face her. But despite his silence she continued. She had to. She needed to know.
    “Have you heard anything of my grandmother? I don’t know where she is.”
    He turned back, his gaze still stiff. For a moment it looked as if he would say something hurtful, or nothing at all. But after a minute the angry glee dropped from his face, and the real Hunter—hurt—stood before her.
    “No,” he spat out between clenched teeth. Hunter grabbed the latch, releasing the mechanism and walking out of her home, and her life, for good.
    Abigail didn’t know if she should be relieved or more anxious that Hunter had not seen her. While she believed that he’d know if any ill had befallen her, the lack of any word of her was disheartening. Where was her grandmother? Was she safe?
    While she loved her grandmother, and wanted her home safe soon, her possible return filled her with a whole different set of worries. When her grandmother got home, Wolf would be gone, along with all her prospects for the future. She’d have to watch him walk out of the door, leaving her to a grimmer future than she’d had before. A future where she knew what she wanted, had experienced everything that she desired, and would never have it again.
    A future where she was only half living. Only half the person she was now.
    A future without Wolf.

Chapter Six

    Wolf watched the man leave, the door slamming behind him. His heart still pounded from Abigail’s avowal. His fists still clenched tight at his sides, ready to defend her from any attack.
    He’d seen the longing in Hunter’s eyes as he’d looked at Abigail. The same bone-deep need pulled at his own heart when he stared down at those amber eyes, though his emotion was requited. The sunset-haired beauty, with her soft heart and fiery nature, could attract any man’s devotion. It had only taken Wolf moments to decide he wanted this woman, her curiosity tempting him to such a drastic response.
    That same longing that had filled Hunter’s eyes had turned to anger in a moment. If he hadn’t been there, who knew what might have happened.