The White Wolf (2020)

Chapter Seventeen

SYDNEY

Everything was begging Sydney not to follow Jay into the woods towards a place Jay wanted to show her.

They had been sitting in his car outside of the ice cream parlor, when Jay asked if she was ready to know more about werewolves. Sydney was craving more information about this bizarre and seemingly mythical world she had been thrust into. It was that same hunger for knowledge that made her want to join journalism, as Rachael had embarrassingly told Jay at dinner earlier.

With her affirmation, Jay told her to buckle up and with that they taken off, away from the fading sunlight.

Sydney couldn't help being slightly perplexed by Jay's sudden silence, even though she was still struggling to get a handle on his personality as it was. Sydney was pleasantly surprised by his consideration of her feelings after the trama she had last night, following into this morning where he had been sweet and lighthearted trying to put her at ease. Then he was joking and being downright jockisch in her books by making suspicious half-lies to his friends about why him and her were talking. Not that Sydney wanted him to go around telling people that he was a werewolf and she had been attacked by one last night, and now they were supposed to be mates as per this Nature thing that Jay keeps talking about. Either way, in the short day where Sydney had actively been acknowledging Jay, she wasn't sure what to make of him. All she knew was that his silence was one of her least favorite things, next to the strange interaction with the clerk at the ice cream shop.

Nevertheless Sydney just sat in the passenger seat and watched as they drove in the opposite direction of the school and their homes, seeming to leave their town. A growing nervousness was beginning to blossom in the pit of her stomach.

When they finally pulled off to the side of the road, there were a few parking spots, which relieved some of Sydney's tension seeing an actual nature preserve signs for a trail, as opposed to aimlessly entering the woods which in Sydney's mind were darkly ominous in their dark silhouetted form as night took over the sky. .

Jay nodded for them to get out of the car and Sydney followed suit when he headed towards the beginning of the path. She paused right before setting foot on the paved trail. Her skin started to crawl out the memories of the forest night before and her attack. Her eyes found Jay's hand that left his side to bury itself in his pocket. Her fingers wanted to reach out and grab Jay's arm just for the reassurance that he was there.

She was mentally scowling herself for allowing such feeble desire to enter her mind. She then found herself questioning why she had let a guy she barely knew take her somewhere she didn't know, somewhere she grew a negative stigma to. She didn't need the ID channel as a reminder anymore, now she had a first hand account.

"Hey, do you mind telling me where we're going?" Sydney tried asking lightheartedly, her body refusing to budge.

Obviously hearing more than just a question and but the slight tension, Jaycen glanced back at her. He frowned and walked close to her.

"Don't worry Star, you're safe with me. I'm taking you to a place Terrence and I claimed when we were kids. I come here to think from time to time. Plus I thought you might want to see something."

Sydney was a little wary of what he thought she wanted to see, but Jay hadn't done anything serious to make her doubt him yet, so she would continue putting her faith in him like she said earlier. As long as he was open and honest with her, she would do what she could to make this weird discombobulated friendship work. With her admission somehow obvious to Jay, he gave her a small smile then hooked his pinky finger around her index, and pulled her along.

The trees were starting to bare their limbs on this trail, as the ground was littered with leaves making for a small crunching noise every time they stepped. The small chirping of insects, and the occasional scuttle of a small animal accompanied them, but Sydney couldn't stop herself from scanning the trees trying to be on the lookout.