Pawing at the ground, he whined again, but seemed to come to the conclusion that he had to do this.
Frankly, I wasn’t sure the wolf understood a damn thing I was saying, but he was my only friend right now, and I was fucking hungry.
I strode into the diner with the wolf on my tail, acting like it was completely normal to have a giant, carnivorous animal at my heels. The waitress nearly dropped her coffeepot when she caught sight of him, and scrambled around the counter, rushing into the back to no doubt call her boss.
I took the first seat available, sliding into the booth. But the wolf didn’t sit at my feet like I thought he would. Instead, he climbed up into the seat across from me and sat on his hind like this was all perfectly normal.
Smirking, I just shook my head as the waitress approached. “Um, sir, you can’t have animals in the diner.”
“He’s a service animal,” I said, not breaking eye contact with her once.
She glanced at Storm, then back to me. “He’s a wolf.”
I cocked my head at her. “He’s a service animal.”
Again, she looked at Storm. “He doesn’t have any markings.”
“Right, well, we lost them, but he’s here to support me. Aren’t you, Storm?”
He barked right on schedule, letting his tongue slip free from his mouth as he panted like the good animal he was, drooling all over the place.
“I would like a burger, fries, and Coke, and my friend would like a big steak.”
“Your friend?” she asked, her eyes still trained on the wolf.
“Yes, Storm.”
Her eyes pulled in confusion as she stared at the animal. Her nerves were apparent as she shifted from one foot to the other, but she stood her ground. “Um…we don’t have steak.”
“Alright, then give me ten beef patties.”
“Ten?”
“He’s a growing boy. Aren’t you, Storm?”
Again, he barked.
“Oh, and a bowl of water, please.”
She made a squeaking sound as she backed up, rushing in the other direction. Was it odd to have a wolf with me in the diner? Absolutely, but since he was following me wherever I went, I might as well feed him. That squirrel couldn’t have been that fulfilling.
I grabbed the local paper and read through it as we waited for our food to arrive. Storm rested on the seat, letting his eyes droop shut, nearly falling asleep, but when the food arrived, he was wide awake and attacking the food with gusto.
Every once in a while, someone in the diner would glance my way, giving me odd looks, but I never once felt that tingling at the back of my neck. We were safe here.
That’s what I told myself as I walked back to the motel and let myself in. But the moment the door opened, that unease returned full force. I let out a low whistle, and Storm immediately followed me inside. A low growl emanated from the wolf as he trotted forward, sniffing around the room.
Gently, I shut the door, grabbing the lamp from the desk as I made my way to the bathroom at the back of the room. The door was slightly ajar, but no noise came from beyond it. Looking down at Storm, I nodded once before shoving the door open. He charged forward, tearing through the shower curtain to get to whoever was hiding inside.
The door to the closet flung open behind me, and a man leapt out with a knife in hand, swinging wildly at my face. Surprised, I stumbled back a step, tripping over the loose carpeting between the bathroom and the main room. I grabbed hold of the doorframe as I raised my foot and slammed it into my attacker.
He hit the wall hard, giving me just a second to get my bearings. Behind me, I heard the desperate screams of a man, but I didn’t have time to see who it was.
The man attacked again, swinging hard for my face. I leaned back, narrowly avoiding the swipe of the sharp blade, then grabbed his wrist and slammed it into the doorframe. The knife clattered to the ground, but the man was already moving. His other fist caught me in the kidneys, landing several punches as I tried to maneuver to a new position while still holding his other wrist.
But before I could go on the offensive, I was plowed into from behind as the man from the bathroom desperately tried to escape Storm’s sharp teeth.
I tumbled to the ground, landing on my attacker just as he swung hard, catching me in the jaw. My body shifted to the side, giving him the momentum he needed to roll me over. His fingers snatched the knife seconds before I reached for it, and then it was pressed to my throat.