Moonrise | Paul Lahote

5

"Are you fucking serious?"

Jenna twisted the key in the ignition again. The truck remained dead silent, not even moving the slightest shiver. She tried again, yanking the key hard, but the truck didn't budge.

Sighing, Jenna let her hand fall, tipping her head back on her seat. Outside, the sky was a clear, crisp blue, stretching endlessly, untouched by a single cloud. The sun shone brightly, washing everything under it with its warmth.

It was like a mockery to Jenna. Like, you just had your entire life turned upside down? Okay, here's the best weather you'll get in months, and you can't enjoy it because you're too busy thinking about wolves and vampires ripping your throat out!

Maybe I should just stay home, Jenna thought to herself. God knew she deserved a day off. Making the decision, she pulled her key out of the ignition, stepped out of the truck, and slammed the door behind her.

Jenna's mood lifted considerably as she made her way across the lawn. She was already making a list of what she wanted to do in her mind:

Climb back under her covers and sleep until noon.

Cook and eat a massive lunch

Bring her blankets over to the couch and snuggle under them while watching movies.

Maybe I'll also make some popcorn, Jenna thought. Add some butter to it, drizzle some caramel on top–

SNAP!

Jenna whipped around, her body tensing up as the noise pierced the air. It came from the woods beside her house, sounding like some large animal had stepped on a branch. Right as she had that thought, two bright, glowing eyes appeared from behind the trees.

Jenna held in her gasp of surprise, narrowing her own eyes at the creature. If she looked harder, she could make out the outline of the wolf standing in the shadows, his fur almost blending in with the darkness around him.

The two of them eyed each other warily. Jenna recognized him immediately– that dark grey fur was etched in her mind. It was the wolf who had approached her yesterday afternoon, the one who had defended her against Sam. Paul Lahote.

Paul's ears were pricked upwards, his eyes wide and unblinking. He had one paw still in the air as if he'd been taking a step forward and then froze. He was hesitating, waiting for her to make the first move. After another moment of silence, she did.

"Um, hi?" she said, raising her hand in a little wave.

Paul jumped a little as if waking up. Giving her a quick glance, he turned and bounded away, disappearing into the trees.

"Oooookay?" Jenna raised her brows. Had he just run away from her? Bewildered, she stared in the direction he'd gone. A moment later there was the sound of footsteps and a tall, shirtless, muscular figure appeared between the trees, pushing a hand through his dark hair.

Jenna used the second Paul spent jogging towards her to look him up and down. She hadn't gotten a proper look at him last night since she'd either been distracted by Sam and Emily or he'd been a wolf. Now that she could, however, she felt a strange tightness in her chest, like it was closing up.

"Hi," Paul said as he stopped before her, smiling. And wow, that was a nice smile.

"Hi," Jenna replied, hoping her voice wasn't too breathy. "What are you doing around here?"'

"I was patrolling around the woods and I saw you. How are you doing? You got a pretty big shock yesterday."

"I'm okay," Jenna told him, smiling a little at his concern. "Thanks for asking. Also, thanks for defending me against Sam yesterday."