Chapter 7

“That bastard accused me of being a fraud. He put his fucking name on my work then threatened to sue me.” Ethan continued as if there had never been a break in the conversation. He paced from one side of the store to the other, weaving through tables and chairs as he went. He stopped in front of a wood carving hanging on the manager’s office door.

“We’d just agreed on a price for two lone wolf carvings and a side table when that lady walked up to my booth. ‘Darin, isn’t this your work?’ she said to the bastard.”

Ethan gently traced the head of the wolf on the carving. His index finger caressed the oversized moon that shimmered behind the wolf’s head. Every strand of the wolf’s sleek fur was visible. Every crater of the moon hypnotized the viewer, compelling them to stare at the orb that shifted with each blink of the eye. The carving vibrated with life. Ethan’s life. He’d spent years perfecting his work.

This was Ethan’s symbol. A lone wolf alone at night. Someone who existed during the day, but was only clearly seen when the midnight moon cloaked everything else in shadows.

Ethan’s voice softened. “He stood there and claimed I’d stolen his work. Told her he was trying to convince me to return stolen property. I’d been working that booth for over a year. I’d finally started making a name for myself. I had returning customers, and there he...