Grace and Dave sat in the cheap motel eating greasy, cold burgers and fries. Today was a wash. Everyone they approached about the missing people shut them down before they could get any information. She wasn’t even at the stage that she had anything she could verify.This was a horrible nightmare for Grace. If she didn’t get this story, it numbered her days at this job.Her boss hated women and if he could, he’d never work with any. Since he took his post, women were being replaced. One would retire early, another would have a baby and not return. Grace wasn’t a fool. She could see the writing on the wall.His tone and lack of respect convinced her of this. She only got the pathetic and waste of time assignments. Nothing she could highlight on a resume, and she couldn’t explain to a new employer why she wanted to leave her current position. “Charlie’s going to call soon.” Dave said as Grace tossed down her cold burger with its wilted lettuce and congealed fat. She c

Grace was driving back when she saw the Wolf’s Den was open for business. That was interesting, with the owner nowhere in sight. How could they open without him? She thought the business ran because he was always there. With her curiosity peaked, she found a parking space a few streets over and walked the rest of the way. At least, it was a nice evening. This was the difference between the city and the small town. People walked the streets alone and in groups here without fear of being attacked or robbed. She would have been afraid to do this in the city where she lived. The second thing she noticed was the sky. Here you could see the stars. There were so many more stars in the sky than she was used to seeing. It looked alive up there and not something some accidentally poked holes in. It had a depth and a feeling of time. Before she knew it, Grace stood outside the Wolf’s Den. An enormous man who glowered at her stopped at the door before her. “You going to

Becky stood in the bathroom again. Why did she always hide in the bathroom? Was this the only place she felt safe? What did that say about her to other people? Did others see her as a coward?The more Rob tried to explain what he believed was happening in town, the more she believed him. Some extra detail would crop up that would make something more plausible. The biggest detail she believed he couldn’t confirm, he did. He’d stripped out of his clothes with only one statement. “Hope the floor is strong enough, and don’t tell anyone. This breaks the rules we teach our pups not to do.” He later explained that everyone was taught not to shift indoors to save the floors and furniture from their claws. It was all so logical and mundane, but there was nothing mundane about the wolf that looked back at her with Rob’s eyes. She gave him the excuse that she needed to use the bathroom and give him time to return to… That wasn’t her crowning moment when she… back to hi

Grace finally found the ranger’s station just inside the gates of the provincial park. Lots of signs all pointed to the building requesting that everyone register there first. At the front door, a sign hung saying that camp sites were not available until further notice. There also was another sign with the faces of the missing people. They numbered eight in as many months. Eight months was also when the pharmaceutical companies arrived here. They brought their staff and housed them. There was little to no interaction between the staff and the locals. Grace couldn’t find out anything about what they were working on, and much of it was secret governmental research. The odd thing about that is they didn’t specifically state. Which government they were working for?Grace found her instincts tingling with all the information she found that created more questions than answers.She had to step back as the door popped open like a great weight came into contact with it. Sure enou

Becky was finally being lulled into relaxing in the same room as these two large men. She needed to remember that they were more than men. Did she risk believing them fully? Could she dare believe what they said? What did she have as proof of what they said? She hated the broken little voice in the back of her head. She never knew if it was a real warning or fear from a trauma response. Through school and the divorce trail, her lawyer pushed her to use the services the school provided for mental health, and she’d learned so much about how she’d been groomed for the abuse she received. It wasn’t fair or right. Now she saw the signs everywhere and responded to it. Most of the time it was all in her head, but the fear was there, warning her she was treading on thin ice. “Alex is about to call last call. Why don’t we go down and have a drink there, while I deal with tonight’s sales and begin cleanup?” Rob said as the movie ended, they watched after