Curious Little Werewolf

Chapter 1

"That's it. It's all over." Giselle picked at a slice of pepperoni on her meat lover's pizza, wishing she could scarf down the greasy goodness, but depression had turned her stomach against her. She sighed like a woman on death row, knowing the end was near. Arguably, the more rational side of her mind knew better, but that voice of reason was so small it could hardly be heard over the packed restaurant. In the booth next to her sat a rowdy bunch what appeared to be freshmen. They had no clue what was in store for them. Tomorrow would change their lives entirely. But tonight that wouldn't suppress their wild hoots and hollers about how cool they were going to be. Bunch of kids, just like her, if she'd let go of the angst. Frustration had angry words teetering on the edge of her tongue. Giselle wanted to make a snide comment, but before she opened her mouth, reason won out, and she realized it was her own annoyance rather than the rowdy boys next to her that was more bothersome.

Sammy's was the most popular pizza joint in town, but this evening saw it packed tighter than her sister Taylor's shoe closet. By her count, half the population of her school and maybe some from neighboring ones were there, along with families and more small children than her poor ears could handle.

Kids were loud... too loud. The screeching and laughter had her wolf retreating to the farthest reaches of her mind for peace. Noise drowned out nearly all other sounds, making it hard for her to concentrate on her own table and hear the footsteps of her date as he returned.

Forty-five minutes Giselle and Damien had waited for a table to become available. Forty-five minutes of pure hell. And then to top that off, it had taken an additional thirty ear-splitting minutes of listening to others enjoying their pizza before her own had arrived.

Operating purely on hunger, Giselle had wolfed down half the pizza so quickly she'd barely even tasted it, and that's when the depression struck her. This was the last pizza she'd eat as a free woman. After tonight, it would be the institutionalized meals filled with taking turns talking about her day and minding proper manners. Not to mention the whole food, organic, homogenized, non-GMO, tasteless, soul-less cooking she'd be subjected to. Her wolf still salivated at the thought of more meat, but the human side of her warred with an anxious stomach. And now all that remained was a single slice.

"Oh, don't look so sad, Elle." Damien returned to their table bringing an invisible cloud of soap and a bit too much cologne with him. At least he didn't smell as bad as some boys her age, though he could cut back on the body spray. Human girls weren't as sensitive to the nasal burning that followed a fresh application of manly smell, but she was no human, and her eyes were beginning to water from the fumes. He took his seat and reached across the table, fingers dangerously close to that last slice of pizza.

She was sure he'd been trying to hold her hand, but the wolf in her was agitated, and possessive. Involuntarily, Giselle let out a little growl.

"I will never understand your mood swings," Damien sighed. He pulled back his hand and busied himself with the salt shaker instead.

"Sorry. I'm in a funk. Not ready for summer to be over." She glanced around, noting similar disillusioned looks on other faces belonging to upperclassmen like herself. Tomorrow would be the first day of another school year, and there was no getting out of it. The summer had been so much fun. She'd celebrated her official adoption and been welcomed into the pack with open arms. They'd spent every free moment swimming, shopping, and hiking, and the moonlight runs... pure heaven. Her wolf lived for those. Total freedom to wander the desert, chasing jackrabbits, and the invigorating feeling of the warm breeze rushing through her fur. Some days, the best part of being a wolf was the shedding of her human skin and letting the animal take the lead. As a wolf, her senses were stronger. She relied much more on instinct and feeling.