TURNING POINT

by hennwick

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SYNOPSIS

When hunter-gatherer Adele Shepherd comes across an injured werewolf in the woods, it's up to her to take him in and save his life: in a remote town dedicated to killing the creatures, she's the only one left who wants to help no matter the cost.

All she means to do is help him back onto his feet and send him on his way, but he doesn't plan to leave.

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EXCERPT

The light of the stars and the moon disappeared when the trees crowded overhead, pulling Adele into the woods like a siren's song. She slowed right down, rattling over the terrain she knew so well. Part of her was tempted to even out the ground; a bigger part didn't want to make it any easier for people to reach her.

A hazy fog began to settle, hovering amongst the trees until she could only see as far as a few feet in front of her. Her headlights struggled to pierce the mist, less than half a mile from home. Squinting, she drove at a snail's pace until the lights caught a flash and she jammed on her breaks, her pulse suddenly racing. The tree had eyes. That's what it had looked like, the glimpse of an iris, until her vision settled and she realised what she was staring at.

The body of a wolf slumped against the tree, half covered by the bracken. Its eyes were barely open, its back hardly rising with each laboured breath. White fur was matted with blood and dirt, limbs limp, and it struggled to lift its head. It was big, a thick scruff around its neck and a broad jaw.

Adele flew out of the truck, scratching her hands on a thorny bush that she tore through to reach the wolf.

"Shit," she muttered. "Shit, shit, shit."

The wolf looked up at her with dark and soulful eyes, and he let out a whine.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she said, crouching down next to him. "I'm not a hunter. Not like that, anyway. I won't hurt you." She gingerly touched the bloodied fur, her own hand beginning to trickle from a gash the thorns had ripped in her skin. "You're going to be ok."

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Read the rest of Turning Point here!

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