Ergan: Winter Valley Wolves #5 by V. Vaughn, Mating Season Collection Page B
Authors: V. Vaughn, Mating Season Collection
Ads: Link
the moon as I walk to the building. It’s full, and I smile, thinking I should go down to the water when I get back. It’s a beautiful sight and conducive for fantasies about Ergan.
The plastic strips designed to keep the cold in the refrigerated display bin are slick in my fingers as I move them out of the way and grab a container of lasagna. I notice cherry pie, and it reminds me of the night Ergan and I went to the diner after our class reunion. We were with my friends Raven and Berch, who recently got engaged. Berch teaches in our town, too, and while he and Ergan couldn’t have been more opposite in high school, they’re friends now. According to Raven, Ergan Wakefield had turned out to be a respected citizen of Winter Valley. The kind of guy girls like me can be with.
I pick up the dessert, too, and make my way to the wine section to grab a bottle of red to go with my dinner.
When I get to the register, lights in the back of the store go out. I say to Leah, the cashier, “Wow, I didn’t realize you close so early now.”
Beeps sound as she taps buttons. “Yup. But we are open year round. Are you staying on the lake all winter?”
“I am. Even though everyone thinks I’m going to get eaten by wolves.”
A plastic bag rustles as the girl puts my things in it. “I haven’t heard of it ever happening, and I’ve lived here all my life.”
I swipe my card in the reader. “Oh, good. It’s nice to meet someone who doesn’t believe the rumors, either. I can’t imagine the wolves around here are dangerous, you know? They probably just want to keep to themselves as much as we do.”
“I think you’re right.” She stuffs my receipt into the bag and hands it to me. “Have a good night.”
When I get to my car, a flash in the woods behind the store catches my eye. A shiver runs down my spine as I imagine it’s a wolf wanting to let me know I’m being stupid. I chuckle when I don’t see anything and get behind the wheel to drive home.
My road is pitch black as I drive down it. Except for me and Warren, the rest of the houses near me are now empty, and I imagine it’s going to get lonely here. Warren isn’t much of a talker, and I don’t think he’s about to become my source of social interaction. The thought reminds me to text Raven. While we got together quite a bit over the summer, the past few weeks have had me too busy for socializing. She lives with Berch on the other side of the lake, and I’m glad to know I’ve got a friend close by.
Once my lasagna is heated up, I sit down to my table with a stack of essays, a glass of wine, and my hot food. My teaching schedule is as close to perfect as I could get. I continued on after my bachelor’s to get a master’s, and it gave me enough status to get a few honors classes.
I asked my creative writing students to write about their dream job, and it doesn’t surprise me to discover one boy wants to be a werewolf. I chuckle as I read about how he’d win over the girl of his dreams with his superhuman strength and charm. When he goes on to describe the way he saves her from the evil pack that has begun to infiltrate Silver Lake, he gets extra points. This kid could write romance.
I finish his essay about the same time I do dinner and decide to take a break. Since wolves have been on my mind tonight, I venture down to the dock with my dessert to listen to the wolves howl. I sit on my lounge chair, and the seat is cool under my bottom. The temperature has dropped, and I kick off my flip-flops to lift up my knees and tuck my oversized sweatshirt under my feet. With my pie set out before me and my refilled glass of wine in the cup holder, I scan the shoreline.
Multiple lights from houses across the lake shine out over the water, and it occurs to me people on the other side can see mine. The warm yellow glow reminds me that I’m not alone. I place a forkful of pie in my mouth, and the cherry flavor is tart on my tongue. Heaviness settles over me.
The plastic strips designed to keep the cold in the refrigerated display bin are slick in my fingers as I move them out of the way and grab a container of lasagna. I notice cherry pie, and it reminds me of the night Ergan and I went to the diner after our class reunion. We were with my friends Raven and Berch, who recently got engaged. Berch teaches in our town, too, and while he and Ergan couldn’t have been more opposite in high school, they’re friends now. According to Raven, Ergan Wakefield had turned out to be a respected citizen of Winter Valley. The kind of guy girls like me can be with.
I pick up the dessert, too, and make my way to the wine section to grab a bottle of red to go with my dinner.
When I get to the register, lights in the back of the store go out. I say to Leah, the cashier, “Wow, I didn’t realize you close so early now.”
Beeps sound as she taps buttons. “Yup. But we are open year round. Are you staying on the lake all winter?”
“I am. Even though everyone thinks I’m going to get eaten by wolves.”
A plastic bag rustles as the girl puts my things in it. “I haven’t heard of it ever happening, and I’ve lived here all my life.”
I swipe my card in the reader. “Oh, good. It’s nice to meet someone who doesn’t believe the rumors, either. I can’t imagine the wolves around here are dangerous, you know? They probably just want to keep to themselves as much as we do.”
“I think you’re right.” She stuffs my receipt into the bag and hands it to me. “Have a good night.”
When I get to my car, a flash in the woods behind the store catches my eye. A shiver runs down my spine as I imagine it’s a wolf wanting to let me know I’m being stupid. I chuckle when I don’t see anything and get behind the wheel to drive home.
My road is pitch black as I drive down it. Except for me and Warren, the rest of the houses near me are now empty, and I imagine it’s going to get lonely here. Warren isn’t much of a talker, and I don’t think he’s about to become my source of social interaction. The thought reminds me to text Raven. While we got together quite a bit over the summer, the past few weeks have had me too busy for socializing. She lives with Berch on the other side of the lake, and I’m glad to know I’ve got a friend close by.
Once my lasagna is heated up, I sit down to my table with a stack of essays, a glass of wine, and my hot food. My teaching schedule is as close to perfect as I could get. I continued on after my bachelor’s to get a master’s, and it gave me enough status to get a few honors classes.
I asked my creative writing students to write about their dream job, and it doesn’t surprise me to discover one boy wants to be a werewolf. I chuckle as I read about how he’d win over the girl of his dreams with his superhuman strength and charm. When he goes on to describe the way he saves her from the evil pack that has begun to infiltrate Silver Lake, he gets extra points. This kid could write romance.
I finish his essay about the same time I do dinner and decide to take a break. Since wolves have been on my mind tonight, I venture down to the dock with my dessert to listen to the wolves howl. I sit on my lounge chair, and the seat is cool under my bottom. The temperature has dropped, and I kick off my flip-flops to lift up my knees and tuck my oversized sweatshirt under my feet. With my pie set out before me and my refilled glass of wine in the cup holder, I scan the shoreline.
Multiple lights from houses across the lake shine out over the water, and it occurs to me people on the other side can see mine. The warm yellow glow reminds me that I’m not alone. I place a forkful of pie in my mouth, and the cherry flavor is tart on my tongue. Heaviness settles over me.
Similar Books
