Oh, what a wonderful silence. I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind whirling with millions of thoughts yet I couldn’t seem to grasp a single one. My body felt fine today... Not only that, I felt stronger, more alive. Only a memory was left from yesterday’s agony. I sat up and looked at the clock. It was noon... Well, there was no point in going to work since I was supposed to be there at six am. I went to the kitchen, practically jumping down the stairs. I opened the fridge and found it half empty... Well, I didn’t exactly have time for shopping these past days nor have I had the appetite.

I sighed and decided to eat out today. Why not? After all, I didn't kill anyone yesterday and that deserved a celebration, right? I laughed at that, even though I felt sick at the memory of the poor deer. I hurriedly took a shower, got dressed, and went out. The cold air leaned into me making me shiver. If that wasn’t enough the dark clouds in the sky threatened with heavy rain. I hid my hands in my pockets and welcomed the rustle of the wind that seemed louder than usual, drowning out the other sounds of the city.

There weren't many people on the street, most of them probably still at work. A man was walking towards me, he was taller than me, well built with a hateful look in his black eyes. I frowned at him. The man immediately turned pale and crossed the road to the other side of the street. I froze in place, surprised by it. I stared at the big man practically running away from me… Did he know there was something evil inside of me? I shook my head not wanting to think about that and continued walking to the Waffle House.

It occurred to me that I should probably call my boss... Maybe he wouldn’t fire me. After all, I was almost killed by a wolf! And now I myself ran wild and hungry in the dark night-covered forest. I just hoped it wouldn't happen every night, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to go to work ever again.

The Waffle House was a nice little restaurant among many others. Checkered floors, red seats, and smiling waitresses in yellow uniforms welcomed you when you walked in. The inside smelled of chocolate and delicious foods. I planted myself in the corner by the window and watched the deserted streets. The inside was more or less empty too, a few tables away there was a woman talking on the phone arguing about some flower arrangements, and a little farther in the other corner sat a man with a grim expression and a pain in his eyes staring at a photo in his hands. He looked kind of familiar…

"Mr. Cross, what can I offer you?" When I heard my name, I froze. A smiling waitress stood beside me, black hair and blue eyes. I didn’t remember seeing her before. "Sorry, I recognized you from TV." She tapped her pen nervously on the pad in her hand, her cheeks going red. "You are quite famous now… with all of this…" she ran her hand awkwardly across the side of her face, probably pointing to my scar. I could expect that…

"Ah… Well, I'll have pancakes with syrup and whipped cream, please," I ordered. The waitress nodded, but before she could leave, I asked: "Excuse me, do you know who the guy over there is?" I nodded at the man with the photo.

"Oh, you probably recognized him from TV, too." The waitress smiled, though it faded quickly. "He's Mr. Kaska, the husband of the woman you tried to save," she said sadly and walked away when I thanked her. Her husband… I just sat and watched the man for a while. I couldn't save his wife… I couldn't help her and this man was suffering because of it now. One part of me wanted to get out of here as soon as possible before the man recognized me, but the other, the police part, saw an opportunity to discover new information. If the woman wasn’t just an accidental victim, maybe I could figure out who the white wolf was…

I got up, my heart pounding wildly, and headed for his table. The man didn’t look up at me, even when I stopped at his table. So I cleared my throat to draw attention to myself. The man looked up, his sad eyes widening in surprise immediately.

"It's you - the cop who tried to save Amelia," he said in a grim voice.

"Yes, I am." I nodded and looked at the photo he was holding. He was on it with the woman, Amelia, and a little cocker spaniel dog. "I was hoping we could talk," I suggested politely, pretending I wasn’t sweating bullets here.

"Yeah, yes… Of course…" He smiled absently and pointed to a chair across from him. I sat down and put on the policeman mask to hide the jumble of emotions I was feeling right now. "I assume you want to talk about my wife?" He placed the photo in the center of the table and rubbed his face. He looked exhausted and a bit lost.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save her," I told him the truth to at least relieve the suffocating weight on my chest.

"You reap what you sow..." he whispered softly and took a big gulp of his black coffee.

"Excuse me?" I blinked at him in confusion, my mask gone.

"I loved her…" He sighed, sounding defeated, and leaned close to me. "But in the end, everyone will tell you that she played a risky game and her luck had run out." He smiled bitterly, his eyes gleaming with unshed tears. "She was known for running away with a different man every week… Before she…" He froze, unable to say it. "That day she called Caleb, our mutual friend, to come pick her up. The guy she was drinking with at the bar that night left her alone at the edge of the woods. To be honest that wasn’t too unusual for her… Well, this time when Caleb got there… it was too late.” Now the man couldn't help the tears and his face in his hands, sobbing quietly.

He loved her… he really loved her, even though he knew she was cheating on him… I was terribly sorry for the man, but now was not the time to think about emotions. I met Amelia at the bar… Was she there with anyone? A blurry face flashed in my mind but disappeared as soon as it appeared. She was there alone… She was definitely alone… The memories of the bar seemed foggy to me. Was I really that drunk? Why couldn't I remember?

"Did Caleb say anything about the man she was with?” I asked cautiously. The man wiped away his last tears and shook his head slowly. "I'll find the wolf. I promise,” I said firmly and walked back to my table, determined to keep my promise. I would find him... and I would make him pay for what he has done...