Curious Little Werewolf

Chapter 4

As school days went, her first hadn't been that bad; but still, as soon as the monotony of the day was over, all Giselle could think about was shedding her skin and letting her fur fly free in the breeze. She knew better than to go alone. It was Martina and Gavin's strictest rule, but the call of the night coaxed her wolf from the den of her mind, and would not let go without allowing her to surface. Rules be damned – she knew the open desert behind their neighborhood like the back of her hand, and after months of running with her new pack, she was secure in the fact that no harm would come to her.

A quick run under the moonlight would soothe her wolf, and if she didn't, there would be no sleep tonight. And there was no way she was returning to Harper's class without a good night of sleep. He was already out to get her.

She could have asked Di or Taylor to go with her – that would have been the smart and responsible thing to do – but bringing them along negated her desire to run free. They'd want to stay as a pack and run the same patterns Gavin and Martina took them. She'd get plenty of that next week, when the family ran as a pack under the full moon. Besides, no one would miss her if she snuck out and was back before the lights had been turned off.

Giselle slipped out the back door and headed for the gate. A cloudless sky greeted her, yet even with darkness all around, hardly a twinkle lit the night sky. City life stole some of the heaven's beauty. This wasn't the first time she missed her old home up north. There, life was less noisy, less crowded. Nothing like living in a big city with all the neon and colors that Vegas was famous for. Too much light pollution and a thin layer of smog blotted out the natural beauty of the stars above, and only the brightest ones shone through. Nothing like what she'd seen growing up. Giselle could recall nights where the starlight was enough to brighten her way and let her see the tracks of animals who'd walked through the forest before her. The north had been woodsy, with an earthy feel to it that suited her wolf well. The desert couldn't compare at all: dry and dusty, with hardly a tree in sight. The only benefit here was the vast open space to run. That too came with its problems, though, leaving no place to hide or take shelter if need be. But living up north, she'd had farther to sneak away if she wanted a run. The forest had not been as accessible to her when she lived there. Sneaking out to run had often been problematic, leading to her discovery as a wolf by her human foster parents.

Martina, on the other hand, crafty wolf as she was, had been judicious when she chose this neighborhood, the last development allowed to be built so close to the Sheep mountain range. There would always be open desert for her pack to use. And smog or no smog, freedom to run was as necessary as air to a wolf.

Giselle pulled the gate shut, ready to strip down and welcome her wolf, but stopped short when an earthy scent caught her attention. Not the musky aroma that accompanied one her own kind; this was perfume, synthetic in nature, something blended to smell natural but that had hints of chemical laced within its aroma. Almost as if someone wanted to smell like a wolf to mask their true scent. Curiosity got the better of her and overcame her wolf's need to run free. She had to know the source of the scent. Her wolf would have to wait.

Giselle allowed her nose to point her in the right direction. If the smell belonged to someone, she'd better find it. The last thing she wanted was to be seen by a neighbor out dumping their trash or taking a late night walk themselves.

The scent floated on the breeze as if it were being directed at her. She picked up traces of it on the gate, and it lingered there as if whomever it belonged to had stood right on that very spot, waiting. She followed its trail, walking slowly, taking her time to find the strongest notes, and allowed the aroma to lead her toward the edge of the service alleyway. She was too busy concentrating and sniffing at the air to notice she'd been spotted.