We left Amaya freaking out on her front porch while Seth went to get the spare key.
"Hey, Anne locked her keys in the house." "The spare is hanging up. Just bring 'em back." "Seth, don't stay out too late. I still want to catch up." "Alright Mom, thanks Charlie."
Seth grabbed the keys and loped back over to where he'd left Anne. She was gone.
Wide open space with nowhere to hide and she'd up and vanished.
Fan-freaking-tastic.
x
Amaya hadn't been able to control the sudden panic that had set in. Her breaths were coming in short, icy bursts that hurt her lungs. Her hands tightened into fists and her eyes searched wildly for a way out.
She was in the woods, running through the trees without having made any conscious decision to do so. Her mind was at war. The terrified girl who couldn't stand the thought of him finding her again vs. the rational woman who was cautious and wary and took self-defense lessons and rented the house next to the Chief of Police. So far, terror was winning.
She didn't know where she was or how far from the house she'd come. When she tripped and fell in the dark the pain helped to clear her mind and she slowly calmed down.
He wasn't here. He had no idea where to find her. She was safe.
Well, not safe. Amaya was lost. Very lost. And her ankle hurt. A lot.
She tried to stand and put pressure on it and fell to the earth with tears in her eyes.
x
Seth unlocked the door and checked to see if she'd found a way in.
No sign of her.
He searched the area and found a black tube of pepper spray on the ground. It must have fallen out of her pocket.
He was worried now. There was really only one place she could have gone but the woods could be dangerous at night and she didn't know her way around. It could take him days to find her as a man.
She might be watching close by. If she saw him turn into a giant wolf she'd really be afraid of him. If she was lost or hurt his wolf could find her.
It was an easy choice in the end. He exploded out of his clothes and landed in his sandy-colored wolf-skin. He sniffed the air and found her scent. The jasmine and honey had something sour woven through it. She was scared.
The wolf raged. How could he have left his imprint out here alone? Anything could have happened and now she's lost in the woods somewhere, petrified.
Seth took off after her, following her scent. She'd gone quite a ways. She was a strong runner, fast and light on her feet judging by how light her spoor was.
It would be hard to track her down but everything about Seth was focused on her and her scent slowly got stronger. He knew he had to be right on top of her so he slowed down, afraid to startle her. His nose led the way.
She had managed to hide herself in a dip beneath thick, leafy ferns with a fallen tree for extra cover. Her eyes were closed and her arms were wrapped tightly around her legs.
God it's freezing. I've got to get out of sight, out of the wind.
She managed to hobble into a hollow cloaked by ferns and shielded by a fallen tree. Huddled on the ground, she shivered. A wolf howled in the distance. Hopefully it wasn't hungry and would stay away from her.
Why hadn't she purchased a jacket while she'd been in town? Her light sweater had been almost too much for October in Oklahoma. But her long drive north had left her in a much less forgiving climate.
She would have to do something. Maybe she could find a trail.
It had been so stupid. When would she finally get a grip? How far would she have to run before she found some small semblance of safety?
Amaya closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This pity-party wasn't going to help her find her way or keep her from getting hypothermia.
*CRACK*
x
Her eyes shot open and zeroed in on the wolf. Anne's entire body tensed but there was no scent of fear. If Seth's wolf form didn't scare her, what had happened at the house to drive her out here?
That is a very big wolf. Very big. Shouldn't it be growling...or biting?
He's gorgeous.
x
Anne sat there watching him. He was caught by those silver eyes.
She's beautiful.
Seth considered shifting and quickly discarded the idea. Even though he was allowed to show her, because it is impossible for wolves to keep anything from their imprint for too long, that would definitely freak her out. She didn't trust him. There was no reason to add fear to that.
She shivered and Seth suddenly realized that she must be freezing. Anne was only wearing jeans and a thin gray sweater. Obviously wherever she'd just come from was warmer this time of year. She would freeze if she didn't get inside.
Seth took a step towards her and whined.
x
The animal took one careful step in Amaya's direction and whined. Was it trying not to scare her?
"If you're going to eat me, I can't stop you so you may as well get it over with. If you're not going to eat me then, here" she stuck one hand out, palm flat.
It was probably stupid. What wolf will come up and sniff a human? Don't they know better? Oh, but he was huge. Some people raise wolves and breed them. There was a big possibility this gorgeous creature was a wolf-cross. Great Dane or maybe Bear.
x
She spoke more to what appears to be a wild animal than she did to any human all night, showed more trust. There she was, hand stuck out between them, waiting for him to sniff it or bite it.
Seth stepped closer and sniffed the proffered limb. She definitely wasn't scared anymore. He tucked his wet nose into her freezing palm.