There was something about taking time away from civilization, going deep enough into the woods until she lost a cellphone signal, that Marguerite Ward loved. Usually, she was more into the luxuries of life. Soft mattresses, fluffy pillows. Once in a while, though, it was good to just disconnect and exist in the moment.

This moment, however, wasn't so pleasant. Darkness crowded through the trees, making the smoldering embers of their fire look all the smaller. The problem was that although Marguerite was finding it difficult to stay awake, she had to. Her daughter, Elena, didn't seem to be in any sort of rush to settle down. She danced around the fire pit, waving her arms over her head.

"The moon is so beautiful, Mommy!" the five-year-old exclaimed, spinning in a circle. "It's so big and bright. Look at it! It's pretty."

Marguerite repressed a yawn. She had promised Elena that she could stay up as late as she wanted, but midnight had come and gone. "Don't you think it's time to get in the tent? We can read a story."

"But I can't see the moon in the tent. Mommy, can we go swimming? I can hear the river rushing and there are frogs over there. I want to catch a frog!"

"We're not going to catch frogs."

If she weren't afraid that her daughter would bolt into the trees and disappear into the night, Marguerite would have been tempted to rest her eyes for a minute. She sneaked a look at her cellphone. Almost three. This hadn't been what she had expected, coming out here. Her father used to take her camping all the time growing up, but when it got dark, she had become scared and they'd stayed in the tent. Elena had been restless, acting out a lot more than usual these past few weeks, and Marguerite thought that getting away from the constant stimulation would help.

She hadn't expected to be still up at three in the morning while her daughter spun in circles, staring at the moon.

"I want to catch a frog," Elena repeated, a little softer this time. "I want to run and run and run."

Wolves started to howl in the distance. Marguerite tilted her head, trying to judge how far off they were. Worry knotted her stomach, but touching the canister of bear spray by her leg helped to ease her anxiety. The wolves seemed quite far away, anyway. At least Elena had stopped dancing around. Now she stood utterly still, staring into the forest.

Maybe this would mean that she'd get a little scared and then they could go to the tent and sleep.

Elena threw back her head and howled. It was so loud that Marguerite jumped to her feet. She rushed to her daughter and shook her head.

"No, don't do that. You'll make them come over here."

"But I want them to!" Elena cupped her hands around her mouth and howled again.

Before Marguerite could scold her once more, something changed. She wasn't sure what it was at first – certain that her eyes were playing tricks on her. Elena's form seemed to ripple, and her white skin took on a shadow-like quality. It all happened so quickly that when an animal stood where her daughter once had, Marguerite didn't know what to make of it.

The animal turned. It looked like a werewolf out of some sort of horror story – slightly taller than her daughter, with wider shoulders that stretched her pajamas out. A wolf-like face with sharp, erect ears and glowing yellow eyes. Arms that were slightly longer than the legs, hands that ended in claws. The beast howled again and jumped at her.

Marguerite screamed and pushed the werewolf away. It fell head over heels and landed against the log. For a moment, it just sat there with wide eyes and its jaw gaping open. Soft whimpers came from its throat and it turned its face away. Marguerite stood frozen, her mind going over every possible scenario. She was dreaming. She was hallucinating from lack of sleep. She had hit her head and was in a coma.

The whimpers grew louder and Marguerite shivered. Those sounds were coming from her daughter. This werewolf was her daughter. Elena. Whatever horrible hallucination she was going through right now, she couldn’t forget that. It made her skin crawl and went against her every instinct, but she inched forward until she was able to put her arms around the werewolf. The thick fur made her cringe.

"I'm sorry. I was just a little scared. I shouldn't have pushed you. I'm so sorry."

Elena buried her wolf-like face in Marguerite's shoulder and she had to force herself not to shiver and push her away again. The wolves were still howling.

"Honey, I think it's time to go to bed, okay? I'm not feeling very good." She didn't have a family history of mental illness. What could hallucinations like this be caused by? Schizophrenia, dementia, or delirium, at least. Marguerite was a psychologist, but she didn't have any experience with any really serious problems. Hallucinations might also be caused by medication, tumors . . . 

One thing was for certain. She was going to have to get herself checked out as soon as they got home. But for now, she urged Elena to the tent. Driving in her current condition was a bad, bad idea. Once in the tent, Elena curled up in her sleeping bag and fell asleep quickly. Marguerite stayed awake, staring at her, for a long time.

People thought that monsters had replaced their loved ones all the time. She understood that better now than she had ever before. Her heart started to beat faster as she considered the little beast that had become her daughter. If she hadn't realized that she was hallucinating, what might she have done? The thought made her feel sick.

Marguerite wasn't sure how long she sat there staring at her little girl before her form rippled again. The werewolf faded away, leaving her with her blonde-haired baby. The tension in her shoulders didn't ease, though. If this hallucination happened once, then it could happen again. She had to take steps to make sure that she never harmed her daughter.

The most worrisome thing about it all was that the hallucination had been so sudden. She wasn't under any undue stress, nor had she been having any sort of physical problems. And then this just . . . happened. So she was going to have to hospitalize herself, at least for a little while, to get her brain checked out.

And what would she do with Elena? Marguerite didn't have a lot of friends, and those she did have were scattered across the country. She could call them in, but they were all so busy with their own lives. And, quite frankly, as a psychologist, she already knew what sort of reactions they'd have to this. Either disbelief or fear. Her parents were completely out of the question, and she didn't have any other family . . . 

Her mind drifted to Elena's father. The memory of those dark eyes, proud and haunted, his crooked smile, and the way he held himself like he was the king of the world. She had just graduated with her masters and was accepted into a Ph.D. program. He was there, with all those muscles and his dark brown hair ruffled in that carefully disheveled way. Everett Roxton. The name had dripped off her tongue like honey in the hotel room they'd gotten, first his head and then his hips between her legs.

She hadn't thought anything of it when she woke the next morning to find that he wasn't there. It was a one-night stand – nothing special about that. She'd checked the trash to count up the condoms they had used and was satisfied that they'd used one for each time.

But nine months later, she had welcomed her tiny, fragile little girl into the world.

Could she seek him out now? Find him wherever he was out in the world and explain the situation, and have Elena live with him while Marguerite underwent her examinations?

No. No, she had been young and stupid when she had slept with Everett. Reckless with her safety. Now that she was older, she understood just how dangerous going off with a complete stranger was. How many women were murdered doing exactly what she had done? Quite frankly, she had been lucky that she hadn't picked one of the psychopaths out there.

Besides that, the man wouldn't want anything to do with a daughter that he'd fathered by some random chick six years ago. Especially if said random chick was now having a mental breakdown. For all she knew, he was married and settled down by now. Or he might be dead. Or a dangerous criminal. Maybe even in jail. Who knew?

But what if it was real?

Marguerite pushed the thought away. That kind of thinking would only make it worse. There was no possible way that her daughter had actually transformed into a werewolf. This wasn't a fairy tale. This wasn't a horror movie. This was real life, and she wasn't going to let herself harm the most important person in her life.

But what if it was real?

Marguerite shivered. If it was real – if her daughter really turned into a werewolf before her eyes . . . then she needed answers.

It wasn't real.

If she hospitalized herself and was found to have some horrible disease, what then? If she was no longer fit to take care of her little girl . . . Elena wasn't going into the foster system. No way. Marguerite knew what that was like, and she wasn't going to subject her beautiful, full-of-life daughter to the awfulness that she had gone through in her own teen years. So it was either call in one of her friends – none of which wanted kids – or track down Everett.

And then, if she ended up needing to be committed, at least Elena would be with her father. And if it was real . . . then he could have answers.

The sides of the tent were beginning to lighten, and Marguerite laid down in her sleeping bag at last. She hadn't realized how cold she was and started to shiver violently. Now that she had a plan, the tension eased in her body. She would find Everett Roxton and take it from there. One way or another, she was going to have this resolved.

As her eyes closed, she thought once more about the man that had swept her off her feet that night all those years ago. He'd been intense. Eyes locked on her all throughout their lovemaking, arms banded tight around her shoulders, both his hands digging into her hair. It had been unlike any one-night stand she had had before or since. Not that she had had many after she learned she was pregnant. A guy here and there, but ever since Elena was born, she had realized that she needed to be more careful.

She wasn't living for herself anymore. Life wasn't about having fun and running wild.

The tension started to creep back in as she considered losing her precious child. She pushed those thoughts back again and concentrated on breathing deeply. Sleep. She needed to sleep, so she could pack up and drive back home. Then she could start her search for Everett Roxton. One way or another, she would have answers.