I shoved my feet into my practically unworn sneakers, scooped up my duffel bag from where I’d left it in the hallway, and strode out of my parents’ lives without looking back.
I didn’t see a single soul on my way out of pack territory. Every member of the Azymus Pack was locked up safely in their house, away from the big, bad wolf in her t-shirt and yoga pants. Fucking terrifying, I was.
The scent of the centurions lingered in the air as they hid strategically along the route to the border, but I refused to look around or acknowledge their spying. I wasn’t afraid of them, and I had bigger priorities.
Namely, walking ten miles to the closest human bus stop, where I could take a bus to Fresno. I’d have more options from there to get myself further north.
✽✽✽
Humans were strange.
On a whim, I’d booked a ticket to Santa Cruz when I got to the bus depot, but the clerk insisted I didn’t need to pay. I half expected the bus driver to kick me off the bus, but he’d asked if he needed to move anyone so I could have the seat I wanted. I’d never taken a bus before, but I was sure this wasn’t how it worked. Maybe I didn’t know as much about humans from watching television as I thought I did. Seeing it on screen definitely didn’t prepare me for the smell. Navigating the human world was an assault to my senses. The perfume, the cosmetics, the cleaning products, the vehicle fumes… Nausea churned in my gut and my eyes watered as I willed my body to adjust.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t be so potent in Santa Cruz. It would take about six hours to get to, but it sounded nice, and I’d never seen the ocean. All I knew is I wanted to work in food service somehow, and there were always cafes and restaurants in the movies next to the beach. How hard could it be?
I got myself situated in a window seat halfway down the aisle on the blessedly quiet bus and bunched up my cardigan to make a pillow, leaning against the window. The warm sunshine on my face almost made up for the bus stench. I hadn’t felt a lot of sun on my skin in my life. Even if I’d been allowed outside, and the tall redwoods had kept a lot of the sun off my former pack’s territory, anyway.
Former pack. Fates, what I would give for some headphones and a phone right now. I’d even settle for a cassette player. Some angry rock songs would be the perfect balm for my shattered soul.
Wolves were pack animals, social by nature. My wolf was already desolate, having been kicked out of the pack. Eventually, she’d go feral.
Eventually.
But I definitely couldn’t think about being a lone wolf right now. I didn’t want to ugly cry on the bus. That was a problem for Future Wren to deal with.
Ugh, maybe I should have just gone to Ohio.
✽✽✽
The smell of the ocean hit me the second I stepped off the bus. I studied it, cataloguing the unfamiliar scent. It was… salty. My nose wrinkled a little. The sea smelled more potent than I imagined it would. Maybe I wouldn’t like it here after all.
After my nose had adjusted to the stench of salt, my stomach dropped and my wolf’s ears pricked up in alarm. There were wolves nearby. Way too nearby.
I shouldered my duffel bag, winding my way through disembarking passengers to get to the street. The sun was setting; the world caught between that moment when the sky was darkening, but the lights hadn’t come on yet.
Trusting my nose, I followed the sidewalk away from the scent of wolves. I definitely had a tail, but hopefully they’d see me off their territory and leave me be. It would be great to not get into a fight on my first day of freedom.
“What pack do you belong to?” A voice called from the shadows behind me. I stopped, exhaling an impatient breath before spinning on my heel to face them. Three brawny male wolves were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, arms crossed, scowling like it was their job. Centurions.
“No pack,” I replied confidently, even as my gut clenched uncomfortably and my wolf howled in despair.
“Lone wolves aren’t welcome here,” another one of them rumbled, pitching his voice low and menacing.
“I’m not planning on sticking around.” I shrugged a shoulder, keeping my body language disinterested. “If you’d kindly point me towards the quickest way off your territory, I’ll gladly be on my way.”
The middle one glared at me, brow furrowed. “You’re a highly dominant female.”
I cocked a brow at him expectantly.
“We don’t tolerate human gangs near our territory,” he warned. Um, alright? I was seriously out of my depth here.
“I have no interest in either gangs or your territory. Can we wrap this up? I’m starving,” I replied, shooting for bored.
“We give everyone one chance to pass through the territory quietly. Don’t come back. Cooperate, or the entire pack will be on you before you can blink,” the quiet one on the right answered.
What a friendly welcome to the outside world this had been. Maybe it wasn’t just the Azymus Pack that were assholes.
Maybe it was a shifter thing.
“Lead the way.” I gestured magnanimously at the three hulking shifters in front of me. The sooner I got onto neutral territory, the better.
✽✽✽
I slept like shit. I hated my old pack, but knowing they were right outside and I was safe on their territory had obviously brought me more comfort than I realized. I’d never felt so vulnerable before. I was entirely exposed.
The motel I was staying in just outside of Santa Cruz had an ancient computer for guests to use in the reception lobby. I hadn’t used a computer since I was a kid and had attended school in the little classroom on pack lands. Fortunately, this computer looked like it was straight out of the nineties. Surely, I’d be able to figure it out.
I found the power button, waiting patiently as it made noises like a dying animal while it started up, and toying with the piece of paper with my parents’ information on it between my fingers.
One chance. I’d send them one email, letting them know I was safe and living in Santa Cruz. If they didn’t reply, I wouldn’t contact them again.
Maybe some distance between us would be good for our relationship. As much as I resented them, there was a little girl inside me who still craved her parents’ approval.
“Need help?” the teenage girl at the reception desk asked, looking eagerly at me. She had a thick Mexican accent and spectacular blue hair. I could dye my hair. Shifting wasn’t conducive to things like hair dye, tattoos, and piercings — the shift stretched skin and stripped dye. Maybe there was a small silver lining to living like a human.
My wolf howled mournfully in my head.
“I need to send an email, but I don’t know how,” I replied truthfully, looking between the icons on the computer. I’d met the girl yesterday when she checked me in and only charged me half price for the room. So far, my interactions with humans had been absurdly easy.
“Oh, I can totally help you with that.” The girl dragged her chair along the floor and I winced at the screech it made as it scraped along the tiles.
“What’s your name?” I asked as she sat right next to me, arm pressed against mine. It was very… wolfy behavior. Yet she smelled entirely human.
“Me?” the girl confirmed, looking flustered. Like she was honored I’d even asked. Shit. I focused on toning down my natural dominance as much as possible. Maybe it affected humans too.
“I’m Selena.” She gave me moon eyes again before turning her attention to the screen in front of her.
“I’m Wren,” I volunteered, watching her movements to figure out what she was doing on the screen. “I just moved here.”
“Seriously? We should hang out sometime. I mean, you can hang out with me whenever you want. God, you’re so pretty.”
“Oh. Thank you. That sounds fun,” I told her sincerely, cringing a little when she looked at me like I’d made all of her dreams come true.
Selena walked me patiently through creating an email address while I carefully typed using my index fingers. This looked a lot easier on T
V.
To: Heather Marques
Hi Mom,
This is my email address. I’m in Santa Cruz.
Wren.
That’d do. I hit send and Selena returned to show me how to log out.
“Do you know of any jobs around here?” I asked casually, careful to keep the command out of my voice. “Waitressing or something?”
“You should come talk to my mom. Her and my aunt run a restaurant. They don’t pay family so I refuse to work for them, but their proper employees seem happy there. Do you want to meet them? My shift is finishing now. We could maybe get some dinner afterward, or go to a movie?” She gave me a hopeful look, eagerly awaiting my answer.
“Ah, sure.” Shit. Were all humans going to respond to me like this? My dominant aura might be a huge liability. I understood now why that centurion had been worried about gangs. It would be all too easy to build myself a human following.
“Great!” Selena replied, clapping her hand together. “Let’s go. New job, new start.”
New life.
Chapter 2
Wren
Two years later…
Six months. Like clockwork. Every six months I had this undeniable itch to get back on the road and go north. Six months in Santa Cruz. Six months in Eureka, California. Six months in Twin Falls, Idaho. I’d just made myself comfortable in Jackson, Wyoming and gotten settled at work where I was a proper barista instead of just waitressing, and boom. Sorry, boss. My wolf wants to get back on the road.
I hadn’t let my wolf out in two years, too scared that I’d go feral if I did since I’d been packless for so long. But she was no less part of me than she was back when I used to shift. I knew the restlessness was coming from her. She wanted to go north again. If I wasn’t going to let her run free, the least I could do was listen to her.
So that’s how I ended up on yet another Greyhound, this time headed for Carson, Montana. I’d packed my negligible amount of clothing into the same duffel bag I’d left my parents place with two years ago and gone to the bus depot, no specific destination in mind. As soon as I saw Carson on the board, something about it connected. Like it was calling to me.
After a quick search on my phone, I’d discovered that there was a university, Carson College, that had been expanding over the past few years and had drawn a lot of coffee shops and diners to the surrounding area. Lots of hospitality jobs was a plus. At least picking up another barista job wouldn’t be too difficult. Though I doubted my wolf was guiding me there for the employment opportunities.
I was grimy and irritable by the time I got off the bus in Carson. The campus was at the very edge of the small city, and I ended up using some of my precious funds to get a cab there. Half an hour of wandering from the campus outskirts brought me to a motel that was small but looked reasonably comfortable.
I checked in and headed to a small apricot-colored room with a double bed, TV unit, table for one and a kitchenette. I sighed at the microwave, toaster and mini-fridge. I wouldn’t be able to cook anything here. Hopefully, my stay would be very, very temporary.
I had just enough energy for a quick shower. I had scented no shifters close by, but I mixed another batch of my scent minimizing spray just in case. It was a combination of water, witch hazel and lavender oil that I doused myself with each morning and kept in my bag for top ups. It muddled my natural scent long enough for me to pick up a shifter’s scent before they got close enough to pick up mine and had saved me a lot of hassle over the years. The less I had to do with wolves, the better.
Happy now? I grumbled at my wolf as I climbed between the uncomfortable starchy sheets. I don’t know why you wanted to come here, but I really need you to make the most of it because I am hella sick of buses.
My wolf’s content rumbling lulled me into a dreamless sleep.
✽✽✽
First thing the next morning, I pulled on my most presentable dark blue skinny jeans, maroon shirt and white tennis shoes.
I grimaced at the threadbare coat folded up at the bottom of my duffel bag. It was probably the warmest thing I owned. Shifters ran hot but still, hopefully I’d get a job soon or I’d freeze to death up here come winter.
I headed straight for a coffee shop that had opened recently on the edge of the campus. I only had a few months of barista experience, but I’d been waitressing for the past two years and my goal was to get into the kitchen. Not that my experience particularly mattered, I could talk a human into doing anything. I just tried not to. I liked to think I had some ethics.
The young guy at the counter gave me a warm smile and directed me to a booth to wait for the manager.
It was pretty chic for a campus coffee shop. The counter and all the tables were glossy wood, which looked earthy next to the black metal bar stools and finishings. The pendant lights were a mixture of copper and glass, and the exposed brick back wall was layered in hanging greenery.
“Wren, is it? Mark said you were looking for a job?” A harried-looking woman slid into the booth opposite me, yanking her blonde hair up roughly into a messy bun. She looked to be about thirty, and despite seeming stressed, she had a kind smile. An eager smile. A smile that showed she’d picked up my Luna vibes already.
“Yes, that’s right. My name is Wren Marques, I recently moved here from Jackson. I’m a barista with lots of waitressing experience, though my goal is to cook. I can make any coffee, and almost anything in the kitchen.” I took a deep breath and looked expectantly at the manager for her response.
Probably should have asked her name.
Not that I needed to. She was giving me dreamy eyes despite my conscious efforts to tamp down my air of command. From what I gathered on my travels as a lone wolf, the power dominant wolves had over humans went to a lot of their heads. That’s why lone wolves were associated with human gangs. I was adamant I would never take someone’s free will away from them.
“I’m Indigo, the manager here. Nice to meet you, Wren.” She reached tentatively across the table to shake my hand, waiting for me to close the distance. I took it, smiling tightly at her before pulling my hand back quickly, not wanting her to get too enamored with me. Two years living amongst humans, and I was still terrible at dealing with them.
“One of our girls just quit, actually. She used to work the till and make coffee. Do you want to start now? Just making coffee and clearing tables for today, I can train you on the till later. You probably don’t need it, you seem really smart. Your hair is so pretty. We could use the help. The students who usually work here aren’t back from summer break yet, but the teaching staff are, and they’re all in need of caffeine,” she explained, exhaustion seeping into her tone. “Only if you want to, I mean.”
I cringed internally as she subconsciously tried to please me. “Sure, I’m free now. Is what I’m wearing okay?”
“Of course! We’re casual here, I’ll just get you an apron to wear over top of your clothes if that’s okay?” she replied eagerly. I nodded, following her behind the counter to ditch my bag and slip the charcoal apron over my clothes.
The semester wouldn’t start for another week, but there was a steady stream of staff visiting the coffee shop as they prepared for the new school year. Four hours passed in a blur. It didn’t really matter which town I lived in, clearing tables and making coffee was comfortable and familiar. It settled some of my anxiety about being in an unfamiliar territory.
“Wren!” Indigo rubbed against my arm, unconsciously scenting me. “Do you want to sit for a bit? We’re done for the day, I can close on my own.”
I nodded, heading over to two barstools by the front window with Indigo following close behind and sitting far closer than necessary. The physical contact felt so good. I’d worked at a horrendous truck stop diner in Jackson, and my roommate had reeked like a brewery most days. I’d been running a little short on physical contact these past six months I realized with a wince. That could become problematic soon.
No wonder I wanted to snuggle my new bo
ss.
“You did so great today, Wren! We’ve never had so many compliments on the coffee. Come back tomorrow morning? Are you a student? What kind of hours do you want?”
Fates, job hunting was easy. “I’m not a student, full-time hours would be great if you have them.”
“Of course! Seven am to four pm, Monday to Friday?”
“Perfect.” I gave her a warm smile and Indigo looked at me like I’d hung the moon. “See you tomorrow?” I stood, eager to get some fresh air. The scent of coffee and food didn’t bother me, but the underlying smell of cleaning products and cosmetics never failed to irritate my senses.
“See you tomorrow, Wren,” Indigo said with a dreamy smile.
✽✽✽
Another night in the loud motel was not great for my sanity, but I slept well, considering. My wolf felt calmer here than she had in a long time. Maybe ever. It made me nervous. To be safe, I doused myself in an extra coating of lavender spray. I’d need to find somewhere to stock up witch hazel soon, or I’d run out of the mixture.
I dressed comfortably in jeans, my trusty tennis shoes, and a dark green t-shirt, pulling my hair up into a ponytail and combing my bangs before walking to the coffee shop. Hopefully Indigo would be cool with me caffeinating at work.
Who was I kidding? She’d probably let me roll around naked in a pile of coffee grounds in the middle of the shop, then give me a promotion if I asked for it.
The coffee shop was already in full swing when I arrived, and I happily slipped the charcoal apron over my head and settled myself at the espresso machine. I enjoyed being busy, feeling like I was productive. Especially since my time outside of work was usually spent watching TV on my own.
“You’re so good at this, Wren,” Indigo panted, resting against the counter after two hours when we finally had a lull. “I’ve never seen someone make coffee so fast.”
I shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise. “Thanks. We all have our talents, I guess.”
Fire & Gasoline: A Shifter Romance (Audax Pack Book 1) Page 2
