Noemi felt her stomach drop. This wasn’t a wandering dog. It was a wild wolf, an apex hunter capable of sprinting faster than she could scream. She had never imagined encountering one here, on the quiet stretch of coastline where she’d come seeking peace. Now, with the animal steadily approaching, the beach no longer felt like a refuge.
Its gaze remained fixed on her, and every frightening fact she’d ever read about wolves came rushing back. Their jaws could crush bone, and their endurance allowed them to pursue fleeing prey for miles. Noemi glanced toward the distant cottages. They suddenly seemed impossibly far away. She tried to convince herself the wolf might simply be curious, but it showed no sign of turning back.