Werewolves in the Big Apple

15

When she first opened her eyes she felt nothing. Her white ceiling was above her, her sheets were twisted in her limbs. The golden sunlight was shining through, reflecting the bars of the window onto her bed. The birds were chirping. 

It was pretty unusual for her to be awake at the same time as the birds. Throughout the past two years she'd dedicated her life to the hospital, she could count on one hand how many times she woke up to the birds chirping. 

For that moment, it was nice. Until she remembered she no longer had her job and she needed to talk to the Alpha. Maybe she had a chance of getting her job back. Maybe she didn't. Either way, she was fairly certain she didn't want anything to do with the pack anymore.

But first, breakfast. She laid in bed for five more minutes before she peeled back the sheets, hugging herself when the chilly air prickled her bare skin. The carpet groaned under her bare feet. She clicked on the coffee pot in the kitchen, inhaling the aromatic fumes as the machine went rrrrrrrr.

She clicked the TV on. 

As she listened to the late-morning news, the nerves settled deep in the pit of her stomach. When she picked up her mug to take a sip, the coffee splashed a little over the edge from her shaking hands.

*****

The shaking continued throughout the day. From when she did her laundry, to when she finally turned the keys in the ignition of her broken down red truck. She only had to drive down the road but she didn't want to be the subject of traveling rogues with a pension for gossip.

Not that she could stop the inevitable spread of drama throughout the small town. Everybody probably knew by then. She didn't know for sure, though. She put her phone on silent and was too afraid to turn it back on.

The truck sputtered by the time she reached the Alpha's farmhouse. The keys fell to the ground when she tried to pull it from the ignition. Already embarrassed about the idea of someone watching her fumble about, she picked them up and hurried up Alpha's sidewalk, laying three knocks upon the door.

Almost immediately, it opened. The Alpha stood in the doorway in his stained blue jeans and plaid button up. His face gave away nothing, remaining neutral. 

"Julie."

"Alpha." Julie's voice was soft. She couldn't help the shifting of her feet. "May I come in?" There was a pause, but then he nodded, holding the door wide open. She stepped inside.

The house was homey, quaint. There were family photos hung on the wall, of him and his wife, Anna. And their son.

Autumn decorations had exploded everywhere. Pumpkins, oranges and browns, adorable fall-smelling candles and fake tiny scarecrows planted in the corner of the room.

The house itself was open-concept, making it feel bigger on the inside than the outside. She was standing in the living room, taking a second to look around. It looked so different from the last time she had been there two years ago.

"What are you here for?" Alpha brought her attention back to him. She bowed her head, making sure to avoid eye contact. 

"Respectfully, Alpha, I think you know why I'm here." Julie said. 

"You want your job back?"

Apparently she was wrong. "No, Alpha. I wanted to talk about the leasing to my apartment."

Alpha quirked his brow. "Did you need another extension?"

"No, Alpha. I wanted to talk about ending the lease early."

"You're moving? How early did you want to end the lease? When are you leaving?"

"Tonight, Alpha." Things were quiet for a moment. But only a moment.

"Is this because of John or his son?"

That was a question she really didn't know how to answer. It made her wonder on how she even knew about her and Ryder but...word travelled fast in the pack. And this was the Alpha.

"I'd say...it's a bit of both." She said.

His brow lifted, his face looked a little quizzical. "Why is Ryder a problem for you? You are mates, correct?"

"Technically yes, but...it's complicated." The last part of her sentence ended in a mumble. 

"Complicated how?" Alpha asked.

"It's personal."

"Very well. What would you do if I say no to your request?" To that hypothetical, her entire body stiffened. "Would you leave anyway?" 

It seemed like a trick question but she nodded anyway. "Yes Alpha."

"Very well. Since you plan on leaving in such a short notice, I'm keeping the deposit. But I'll email you all the paperwork you need."

"Thank you Alpha." She started to turn back to the door, but the Alpha called her name one last time.

"You are aware that this decision will affect both you and him?" He didn't have to clarify who he was talking about. They both knew. It annoyed her how many people were all up in her personal business. 

"Yes Alpha. Goodnight Alpha." She said for one final time before she walked out the door.

On the way home the feeling of excitement started to flitter about inside of her. This was really happening. She wouldn't be subject to that lease anymore. Hell, she wouldn't be subject to the pack anymore.

She was so ready to go. In the back of her mind she knew this was a dumb, rash decision, but that part of her brain didn't care. She squashed it down, skipping up the front steps of her apartment already thinking about what she was going to pack first.

She was going to leave everybody behind and for the most part, she didn't care. 

For a split second, as her keys jangled in her hand, Ryder's face came to mind. It surprised her. She wanted nothing to do with him, with whatever mate bullshit they had going on. All of that would be done and over with. He'd get over it, she'd build a new life and finally be happy.

"Let's hop to it, then." She told herself. The picture was clear as day: she'd explore the great big apple.

Motivated, she immediately got to work.

__________

Author's Note: 

I finally got access to a computer. I'm doing it in the MWR, which is embarrassing as shit because everybody can publicly see I'm writing on Wattpad---but whatever. I'm happy to finally be backlogging all of the chapters I wrote during Bootcamp. I'm going to get all of this shit posted and then have my main focus be finishing this draft before Christmas.

And then who knows, probably advertising about it on Tiktok while I'm writing my next story draft / next story. I just reaaaaally want an audience for this sort of thing so I don't feel alone / so I can get more motivation for this shit. Like sure, I'll write regardless of an audience because it's mainly for myself, but at the same time it's also more motivating if I have people externally validating what I'm doing LOL.