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was nearly silent except for my harsh breathing. It sounded so loud in my ears. My body shook

in fear and I pressed my back against the sofa as if I was trying to weld myself to it.

Riley approached me, and my hands balled into fists as I attacked him. I made contact

with his body at least twice, and he put his hands out defensively.

"Paige, calm down! I'm not going to hurt you!"

I know my eyes were round, wild, and crazy. "Don't you fucking touch me!"

His eyes mirrored his sister's, filled with concern and worry. He lowered his voice. "Paige,

listen to me." He moved closer and I swung at him, which forced him to jump back. "I know

you're afraid. I understand. But I need you to calm down."

"Calm down? I know what I saw!" My gaze focused on Quinn. "Your sister is some kind

of animal!" I shifted my frightened gaze back on Riley. "And so are you!"

"I'll tell you everything you want to know."

Quinn whipped her head toward him. "No! You can't!"

"It's too late, you've
forced
me to! I don't have a choice now! She needs to know." He took a step toward me, his voice lowered. "If there's any chance of her staying here, she
has
to know."

I pointed a stern finger at him. "Don't lie to me and don't play games with me! I'm not

stupid!" He reached toward me and I punched his arm. "Don't touch me!"

He sighed softly. "Paige,
please
."

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T H E H O W L I N G H E A R T

A p r i l B o s t i c P a g e |
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"Look, this is what's going to happen...you're going to get me a car and my purse so I can

get the hell out of here!"

Riley’s voice dropped above a whisper. "But I don't want you to leave. I care about you."

To my surprise, his last sentence extinguished my fury. The tension in my body instantly

relaxed and I slumped lazily into the cushion. I lowered my fists and my breathing evened out. I

stared into his eyes and wondered why they were a glassy green. That's when I noticed the tears

behind them.

He proceeded with caution as he took a seat next to me. "Paige, just let me talk to you. I'll

explain
everything
. Please, I'm begging you." The strength in his voice wavered and sadness etched into his face. "Love, I'm not going to hurt you. I would never."

I let him come closer. He turned his body toward me and reached out slowly. I didn't pull

away when he grasped my hands gently.

"You wanted me to be honest with you, so I will." His gaze never left mine as he took a

deep breath and said, "Everything is my fault. I'm the one who frightened you and made you

want to leave Black River. I came into your cabin at night. At first, I was just curious about you

because I hadn't seen you in so long. As I looked at you, I had the urge to lay with you, so I

climbed on your bed. Then I realized I couldn't lie with you because if you woke up and saw me,

you would be terrified. I'm the one who made you have your accident. I saw this huge bull elk in

the woods and I
had
to hunt him. I couldn't resist because the instinct was too strong. I chased him and he ran across the road just as you were coming. I was in the room with you when you

first woke up after your accident. I was watching over you and I fell asleep. I heard your scream

and knew I frightened you, so I left the room. I'm the one who made your mum want to leave the

cabin years ago. I heard her yell at you about the dead animals on your bed. I left them for you

because I fancied you."

My face scrunched up in confusion. It was only natural after hearing his strange and

ridiculous confession. "What are you talking about?"

Riley inched closer to me and stared into my eyes. His voice was low and serious. "I am

the white wolf."

I laughed loudly but it was void of humor. "
You're
the wolf? That's impossible." I shook my head. "Didn't I tell you not to play games with me?" My eyes narrowed and I pulled my

hands out of his grasp. "Werewolves don't exist, only in fiction."

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Riley had the nerve to smirk. "Most things in fiction have a bit of truth to them."

Quinn sat on my other side. I guess she thought it was safe. "Riley isn't playing games

with you." I lifted a skeptical brow and looked at her. "We really
are
wolves."

I laughed again, but it was a nervous one. "If you're really wolves..." I turned and looked

Riley dead in the eye. "Then prove it."

He didn't hesitate to accept my challenge. He stood quickly and kicked off his black

boots. Then he leaned down and removed his socks. His fingers moved quickly as he unsnapped

his jeans. They fell to the carpet and he kicked them away wearing nothing else. His jaw was set

hard and he didn't take his eyes off me.

I sat perfectly still, but my heart threatened to burst through my rib cage. My entire face

flushed with heat and my stomach felt tied in knots. The suspense of the moment was torturing

me. Luckily, Riley didn't make me wait too long.

"Don't scream," he said. Then he transformed his body into the white wolf I saw beside

me a few nights ago. He was big enough to strike fear in a person and no one would mistake him

for a dog. His transformation wasn't grotesque like in the movies. There were no strange blurry

waves or mist and no odd sounds. An instantaneous flash was the only way I could describe how

he did it.

I looked over at Quinn still sitting on the sofa. Her inhuman yellow eyes blinked and

watched me. She had shifted into a smaller tawny wolf while my attention was on Riley. Her

transformation ripped her uniform, but some parts of it hung off her body. She looked comical,

but I was too shocked to laugh. As I looked back and forth between them, I would've passed out,

but this wasn't a movie. Werewolves only existed in movies, so the twins had some explaining to

do.

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T H E H O W L I N G H E A R T

A p r i l B o s t i c P a g e |
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Riley was a beautiful wolf. It made sense considering he was a beautiful human. The

sunlight streaming through the windows in the living room touched parts of his body and

revealed his fur to be the color of ivory snow. A soft glow emanated from his amber eyes and

they were almost hypnotic. In the light of day, they didn't glow as brightly as they did at night.

Riley and I were both still, our gazes locked on each other. I had lost the capacity to

speak because I couldn't believe what I had witnessed. Two humans had transformed into wolves,

one right in front of me.
How was this possible
?

He stepped forward, slowly and cautiously, and my muscles tensed. He took another step

until he was close enough to touch. My breathing increased and I pressed my back against the

sofa. I wouldn't dare touch him because I wasn't sure if he could control his animal form. He

whimpered as he sat on his hind legs and put his head on my knee. There was a message behind

his eyes that I didn’t understand.

"He's not going to hurt you, Paige."

I turned my head to see Quinn had transformed back into her human form. Her breasts

were exposed, but she didn't seem embarrassed. It became obvious to me the twins were

comfortable being naked around me. She looked down at her brother and then settled her blue

eyes on me.

"It's still Riley," she said quietly. "He's fully aware of what's going on. He knows it's you."

Quinn must’ve noticed my hesitation. I'll admit her words made me feel more

comfortable.

I felt something wet on my hand and looked over at Riley. His eyes had turned into slits

and his attention was on laving the top of my hand. His tongue felt like warm, wet sandpaper. It

delved between my fingers and up to my wrist. His cold nose bumped against my knee a few

times. A smile broke free on my face as I watched him. I was amused a dangerous wild animal

showed me affection. Then I remembered...it was Riley, and he's been affectionate with me since

I met him in the woods thirteen years ago.

After he finished washing my hand, he looked up at me again. I started to recall his

confession and the pieces of the white wolf puzzle had finally come together. I should've felt

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T H E H O W L I N G H E A R T

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anger he invaded my home and stood on my bed while I slept, but all I could think about was I

reunited with a friend. Riley was my friend when I knew him as a pup, and I considered him my

friend now.

My muscles relaxed and I reached out timidly. I heard Quinn's voice next to me, soft and

encouraging. "Go ahead. Touch him. He wants you to."

Riley's silent message was clear this time: '
Please touch me
'.

My fingertips brushed his cheek and I let my hand glide through his sleek, soft fur. He

closed his eyes, and I moved my hand to rub behind his left ear. He leaned into my touch and let

out a harsh breath through his nose, almost like a sigh. Another whimper emitted from his throat

as my other hand stroked the fur on his neck and shoulder. The texture was different, extremely

thick and soft like a shag rug. I was curious about his wolf body and wondered how much he'd

let me touch. My fingers explored different parts of his head. I stroked under his chin, careful not

to venture too close to his mouth. When I glided my hand over his back, he rubbed his head

against my thigh and I felt his hot breath through my sweatpants. He seemed content now.

The twins' revelation overwhelmed me. I had questions, but my mouth and brain wouldn't

cooperate to form words.

When Riley opened his eyes, there was another flash, and I stared up into his green

human eyes. He grabbed his jeans off the floor and put them on. Then he knelt between my open

legs, took my hands in his grasp and kissed them.

"Thank you." A lovely smile graced his handsome face. "Paige, listen to me. Humans

aren't supposed to know about us. Pack law is to never reveal our true nature or speak of what we

really are, so you can't tell my father you know the truth."

"She doesn't
have
to tell me."

Riley's head whipped around at the same time I saw the sheriff come through the front

door. Celia followed behind him, both of them wearing their police uniforms.

Anger laced the sheriff’s words. "Her scream was all I needed to hear to know my

children had done something stupid." He glared at Riley and growled. "
Again
."

Sheriff Gray advanced on all three of us. Before I could blink, Riley got to his feet and

flashed into a wolf. His jeans ripped like paper and fell off his huge body. He growled

menacingly, and his father stopped short for a second before he continued forward.

Quinn yelled, "No Riley!" She was on her feet too, her arm reaching toward her brother.

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A p r i l B o s t i c P a g e |
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At the same time, Celia shouted, "Don't challenge him, Riley!" Her hands flew out in

front of her in a 'STOP' gesture.

Riley was determined to keep his father at a distance because he charged and leapt on

him.

This time Quinn screamed.

With my eyes wide, I gasped in fear as I watched the sheriff catch him in a bear hug and

then grab him by the tuft on his neck. Riley snapped at his face, and the sheriff tossed him like a

rag doll. He crashed into a shelf and it crumbled like a house of popsicle sticks. His massive

body hit the wall behind the shelf and left a huge gaping hole. He fell to the floor in a boneless

heap with various objects from the shelf falling on top of him.

The sheriff turned toward him and advanced aggressively. He yelled, "You dare

challenge me, boy?"

To my surprise, Riley got to his feet quickly and faced his father once more. With his

head low, his lips peeled back revealing sharp teeth. His ears flattened, and the hair on his back

rose as he growled in warning. He moved swiftly to put himself in front of me. A vicious snarl

ripped from his throat, spittle flying and landing on the carpet.

His father stood less than five feet away and stared him down. I thought he would shift

into a wolf too and they would fight in the living room.

Celia seemed unable to move. Her hands covered her mouth, and her eyes darted back

and forth between her husband and stepson.

The sheriff's confident stance told me he didn't fear his son...but he didn't come any

closer. Riley growled low in his throat. I couldn't see his face, but I could feel myself trembling.

I didn't want him to fight his father over me. I should've intervened, but fear consumed me and

rendered me motionless.

"Relax, Riley, I'm not going to kill her." The sheriff looked down at the floor and sighed