Werewolves in the Big Apple

16

It was about eight in the afternoon when she finally finished stuffing all of her items into her truck. Some of the bigger items like her couch and her bed she had to leave behind, but they weren't necessary anyway.

However, her electronics, her clothes, most of her dishes and books and nearly everything else that she could fit, she did fit. Alpha took her deposit anyway. He'd probably just re-sell the furniture she left behind. 

She wasn't even tired for the day. The adrenaline was pumping excitement through her, charging her forward. Dressed down in her pajamas she hadn't properly worn in the past three weeks, her hair in a messy bun, her crocs in sports mode, she locked the front door with a finalty. Then she turned on her truck, the headlights illuminating the dark sky.

She flipped on her GPS. Eight hours prior she had no idea where in New York she wanted to go. Then she looked up the best hospitals in New York and pinpointed her top six in the adjacent cities. Her first stop? Queens, New York.

But for right then and there, she'd need snacks to stay awake during the night ride. She stopped by the only gas station in town: Speedmart. 

The cool air snuck in through the doors. The lights were bright and the medium-sized gas station only had about five people inside. One worker and four customers. Herself included. 

The only noise as the barcode scanner and the fridge humming in the background. Julie tapped her leg as she considered which redbulls and snacks she wanted. Her nose sorted through all the smells in the gas station. As she reached for the blueberry redbull, a certain distinct smell fell behind the background of smells. 

Something that made her nostrils flare and her chest tingle---just a little. Immediately, she looked around the aisles. 

Ryder wasn't there, so why could she smell the barest hint of him? Was he nearby? The thought made her heart beat faster. She hurried up with her snacks, throwing whatever looked good into her cart and quickly checking out.

When she took a step out of the Speedmart, she took a quick scan around the parking lot. The smell was still lingering, faintly in the background, still bothering her. It made her a little uneasy.

She sat in her truck, her head falling back against the seat. "Maybe I'm going crazy." She muttered. "Why the hell am I smelling him?"

She continued breathing in and out deeply, the smell slowly diminishing. She took one final deep breath before she started the car back on. She filled the truck with gas, turned her music playlist up and cracked open one of her redbulls.

The drive started off a little slow, with nothing but woods, farmfields, and the occasional neighborhoods to pass by. But then she made it to the pack checkpoint, and that's when she became a little more awake, her truck coming to a halt in front of the station.

She rolled down her squeaky window when the station guard tapped on the glass. "Where to and from miss?"

Julie held up her exiting pass the Alpha had emailed her. "Just heading to New York."

He took a quick glance at her phone. "For how long?"

"I don't know yet."

"What a shame." 

That sentence irked her. She gave him a tight smile. "Yeah, well, it is what it is."

"Yeah. You're free to move through, Ma'm."

"Thanks." She rolled back up her window, driving through. She drove through the country side for another hour before she merged onto the highway, the stress of her old pack drifting behind.