Ashlynn

We pulled into the little gas station that was seemingly in the middle of nowhere. We were somewhere in Idaho. I thought I saw a sign that said Idaho Falls, but since I was half asleep, I couldn’t be sure.

Mom pulled in next to a gas pump, handed me the card, so she wouldn’t have to go inside. She didn’t want anyone seeing her face. It was still healing, and she didn’t want people staring. I opened the door, a little bell jingling as it opened. There was a guy behind the counter reading a magazine. He looked up, his eye catching mine. Instantly I knew, Werewolf. We must have crossed into another Pack’s territory. We better make this quick, and get moving.

I walked to the counter, acting like it was no big deal that we were here. I handed him the card, “Gonna fill up on pump 2 please.” He glanced out the window and saw Mom had pulled the pump handle and was standing there waiting to pump the gas, as she glanced around on high alert.

He snatched the card from my hand and swiped it and handed it back, without a word. “Thank you sir, can I use the restroom?” He grunted and pointed at a sign to his right that said restroom. I smiled a thank you and walked to the bathroom. I quickly handled my business and walked out. There was now another guy in the little mini mart. There was no other car outside, so I found this odd, but just kept walking.

“Hey girl,” the man from behind the counter said. I turned to look at him, one eyebrow cocked.

“What happened to her face?” He pointed out the window towards my Mom who was now staring at me through the glass door, all her injuries clearly visible.

“Ummm, she got in a fight.” I didn’t know what else to say. Our kind didn’t allow domestic violence, it was punishable my death. Speaking of, my father should be nearing his death sentence. Alpha said they would torture him a bit, wait for him to sober up and then deal his sentence.

The other guy in the store approached me. “You two ladies in some kind of trouble?” He was looking me up and down. I had on a pair of denim shorts, my now healing wound visible.

Shit, I thought in my head. I looked at the guy behind the counter and back to this other one who felt like he could undress me with his eyes. “Just passing through to Montana. We are fine.” I went to walk away and the guy grabbed my wrist.

“You don’t look fine.” His voice was soft. I took another look at him, now that he was close. He was handsome, with dark brown hair and two dimples in his chiseled face. He had a five o’clock shadow, which only added to his allure. He had on a pair of cowboy boots and tight wranglers. Any other time I might be inclined to talk more, but we needed to get out of there.

I abruptly pulled my hand back. “We don’t want any trouble. We just have to get back on the road. Thanks for your concern.” I walked as fast as I could to the door, the little bell jingling as I walked out. I looked at my Mom, mind linking her to get in the truck now. Her eyes grew big, as I heard the door open behind me and Mr. Handsome followed me out. He stopped about two feet out of the door and stood with his hands in his pockets, not taking his eyes off me. I jumped into the passenger seat and closed the door, looking back at him as we pulled out. He stood there staring at me as we drove away. I sighed and sunk into my seat, willing Mom to drive faster and get us the hell out of this town.

Mom looked around, pulled her phone out of her pocket, checking our location and her directions. “Yep, looks like we have maybe two more hours. I grabbed us a couple of breakfast burritos from inside. They actually look edible,”she half laughed. “I’m going to jump back in the truck, I don’t like people staring at me. I got plenty of weird looks in there.” She went to walk away. I touched her arm.

“Mom, you need to stop worrying about what other people think. It’s all going to be fine,” she nodded her head. I had to ask her, “Um, did you scent any other wolves in there?”

She looked back at me, a little smile on her lips. “Maybe a couple. For sure some cute cowboys in there,” she winked as she went to the cab of the truck. She knew my weakness.

Pacing Buck up and down the grass for a few minutes, I was talking to him, rubbing his thick dark mane of hair. He was a huge Buckskin. They weren’t usually as big as he is, but he was a gentle giant. He didn’t spook easily. So when he suddenly stopped short at the back end of the trailer and snorted, I knew something was up. I looked over to the tree line. Standing just barely out of sight was a huge chocolate brown wolf, his sparkling green eyes staring back at me. I wasn’t sure what he was doing, if he was trying to scare me, or was just observing. He didn’t try to come any closer, and it didn’t appear anyone else could see him there. My trailer was blocking the line of sight. When the wolf made no effort to move, I turned and walked Buck to the back of the trailer to load him. I had my eye on the wolf in my peripheral vision.

As I jumped back out of the trailer, and latched the gate shut, the wind shifted and I caught a scent. It was the most amazing scent, like a combination of musk and leather. I tilted my head toward the tree line, the wolf was still there watching me. Oddly, I didn’t feel threatened. I walked to the cab, and climbed in. As I closed the door and started up the truck, I took a peek back to the woods. The wolf was gone. Hmm, that was weird.