3: The Midnight Guard

Juniper stands in the middle of her kitchen, clutching a heavy iron fireplace poker.

The sun has been down for hours, and the silence of the Iron-Wood forest is usually a comfort. Tonight, it feels like a threat. She can’t stop thinking about the man with the amber eyes—Alaric.

"Get a grip, June," she whispers to herself. "He’s just a customer. A very intense, very rich customer."

But her body doesn't believe her. Her skin still tingles where their fingers brushed. It’s a strange, electric feeling that won't go away.

Crack.

The sound comes from the garden. It’s loud—the sound of a heavy branch snapping under a heavy weight.

Juniper freezes. Her heart starts to drum against her ribs. She creeps to the window and peeks through the curtain.

At first, she sees nothing but the silver moonlight on her lavender bushes. Then, a shadow moves.

A wolf steps into the clearing.

But it isn't the beautiful, sleek black wolf from the day before. This thing is horrifying. Its fur is matted and falling out in clumps. Its eyes aren't amber; they are a dull, sickly red. It looks hungry. It looks mad.

The creature tilts its head and sniffs the air. It focuses on the back door.

"Oh no," Juniper breathes.

She thinks of the back door latch. Alaric had called it "flimsy." Why had he said that? How did he know?

The beast outside lets out a low, wet growl. It’s a sound of pure hate.

Juniper backs away from the window, her hands shaking so hard the iron poker rattles. Someone help me, she thinks.

For a split second, Alaric’s face flashes in her mind. She finds herself wishing he would burst through the door. Why him? she wonders, even as she panics. I don’t even know him. Why is he the first person I’m wishing for?

It’s crazy. He’s just a man in a suit. What could he do against a monster like that?

CRASH!

The sound of shattering glass screams through the house. The beast didn't go for the door—it jumped straight through the greenhouse window.

Juniper runs to the top of the stairs. "Get out!" she yells, her voice cracking. "I've called the police!" 

It’s a lie. Her phone is on the kitchen counter, downstairs, near the broken glass. And what would police do with a wolf anyway? 

The red-eyed wolf appears at the bottom of the stairs. It snarls, showing yellow teeth dripping with foam. It begins to climb, its claws clicking on the wood.

Juniper’s life flashes before her eyes. She raises the iron poker, ready to swing, even though she knows she’s too small to stop a beast like this.

“Please,” she whispers to the empty air. “Anyone.”

Suddenly, the house shakes.

A massive, black blur slams into the side of her house. The back door doesn't just open—it is ripped off its hinges.

A second wolf, black as the midnight sky, bursts into the hallway.

Juniper screams and ducks. The black wolf doesn't even look at her. It lunges at the red-eyed monster, catching it mid-air. The two animals crash into the wall, the force of the impact making the floorboards groan.

It isn't a fight. It’s a slaughter.

The black wolf is twice the size of the other one. It moves with a terrifying, graceful power. There is a sound of snapping bone and a final, sharp yelp.

Then, there is only the sound of heavy breathing.

Juniper peeks over the banister. The red-eyed beast is gone—dragged out into the yard. The black wolf stands in her kitchen, his fur stained with dark blood.

He turns his head and looks up at her.

Juniper should be terrified. This animal just killed another creature in front of her. But when she looks into his eyes, she doesn't see madness. She sees that same, familiar amber.

The wolf huffs a warm breath. He walks to the broken back door and sits down. He doesn't come upstairs. He just sits there, facing the woods, his ears twitching at every sound.

He is guarding her.

Juniper’s legs give out. She slides down until she’s sitting on the top step. She watches the wolf for a long time.

"You're the one from the garden," she whispers.

The wolf’s tail gives a single, heavy thump against the floor.

Juniper slowly walks down the stairs. She stays a few feet away, but she can feel the heat radiating off his body. He smells like rain and cedarwood.

Just like Alaric, a small voice in her head says. She shakes the thought away. That’s impossible.

"I don't know why you're helping me," Juniper says softly. "But thank you."

The wolf turns and looks at her. He lets out a low, soft whine. He moves closer and rests his massive head on her knees.

Juniper hesitates, then she buries her fingers in his thick fur. He is so soft. She feels a wave of calm wash over her, a strange peace she hasn't felt in years.

"I guess I have a big, furry buddy now," she mumbles, her eyes getting heavy.

She leans her head against the wall and falls into a deep, dreamless sleep.

When she wakes up at dawn, the sun is shining through the broken greenhouse glass. The kitchen is cold.

She looks down at her feet.

The wolf is gone.

There is no blood on the floor. The body of the red-eyed beast is nowhere to be seen. If it wasn't for her broken door and the massive paw prints in the dirt, she would think it was all a dream.

"Wolf?" she calls out.

The only answer is the chirping of birds in the Iron-Wood.

Juniper stands up, rubbing her sore arms. She feels lonely. It’s a ridiculous feeling—to miss a wild animal—but the house feels too empty without him.

She starts to clean up the glass, but a few minutes later, the sound of a car engine pulls her to the window.

The black SUV is back.

Alaric gets out of the car. He looks furious. He marches up to her porch, his eyes scanning the broken door and the plywood she tried to nail up.

"Juniper," he says, his voice like thunder. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay," she says, her voice trembling. "But Alaric... something happened last night. A dog... a wolf... it tried to get in."

Alaric reaches out and grabs her shoulders. His touch is firm but not painful. He looks into her eyes, and for a second, Juniper sees a flash of that same amber fire she saw in the wolf.

"I know," he says. "And that is why you aren't staying here another minute."