Frostbitten Read Online Free Page A

wolf.
    Seriously, Anastasia,
get a grip, she scolded herself.
    Anastasia was about to
step away from the window when something suddenly caught her attention. A
shadowy figure was racing in between the trees at such a speed that she wasn’t
sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her. Then, as quickly as it had
appeared, it was gone. With a pounding heart, she scanned the area, waiting to
see if the figure would re-appear – it didn’t. She shivered while thinking
about what she’d just seen. Although it was difficult to be certain, the figure
had looked somewhat human-like.
    Confused and a little
scared, Anastasia wanted to tell her grandparents what had happened, but she
knew that wasn’t a good idea. What if they thought she was making up stories?
In fact, maybe she was. Combined, the moon, solar lights and trees could create
odd shadows, so perhaps there really was no one outside. She began to relax,
even though she was only slightly convinced by her reasoning.
    As Anastasia climbed
into bed for the second time that night, the events of the day replayed in her
mind. She’d expected Cedar Falls to be the same small town she remembered from
her childhood. In many ways, that’s what she found. However, not everything was
familiar. She could’ve never predicted the odd change in her grandfather’s
behavior, meeting a mesmerizing boy who lingered in her thoughts and finally,
discovering a potential mystery right outside her bedroom window. It didn’t
take Anastasia long to realize that Cedar Falls was anything but a sleepy town.
     
    * * *

Part
Two: Leader of the Pack
     
    The air inside
Anastasia’s bedroom was frigid, causing her to subconsciously retreat further
under the duvet in an attempt to keep warm. Wind whipped at her hair and
exposed skin, chilling her to the bone, and as her eyes slowly fluttered open,
she realized that something was wrong. Sitting up, she wrapped the duvet
tightly around herself. That’s when she heard an odd noise, like a succession
of small clinks every time she moved. Carefully, she swept her hand over the
duvet, cringing as several shards of glass scraped her skin.
    A gust of wind blew
through the bedroom, directing Anastasia’s attention toward the window. Wildly,
the curtains blew back and forth, revealing the shattered pane. It looked like
something large had smashed through the window, and as the moon’s glow
intensified and streamed into her bedroom, she saw dark red blood dripping from
the broken glass, pitter-pattering as it fell upon the ledge.
    Suddenly, the
floorboards creaked and then she heard a low, angry growl. Anastasia’s heart
raced as she spun around to see a wolf standing at the foot of her bed. She
wanted to yell for help but quickly realized that any loud noise may provoke an
attack. Instead, she tried to stop herself from shaking as she stared at the
wolf. He was large and black, with piercing yellow eyes that seemed to burn
into her soul. Her stare aggravated the wolf as he let out another growl and
hunched his back.
    Knowing that she had to
get out of the bedroom, Anastasia slowly began to step out of bed. In response,
the wolf snarled, revealing razor-sharp fangs that were covered in saliva. With
her first plan unsuccessful, she decided to find a large or, better yet, sharp
object. If she acted fast enough, maybe she could protect herself. She looked
around, examining everything in her bedroom, but unfortunately, she found
nothing that would be even slightly helpful. A cold realization swept over her;
she was trapped, and the wolf was anything but friendly.
    Aggressively, the wolf
pounced onto Anastasia’s bed and then crept forward, forcing her backwards
until she hit the headboard. As the wolf brought his face close to hers, his
breath momentarily lingering like a cloud, she caught a whiff of raw meat.
Immediately, she felt like being sick.
    “Easy, boy,” Anastasia
said in a soft, shaky tone.
    In a bloodthirsty rage,
the wolf leapt on top of