Moon Struck: Book 1 (When, Were, and Howl)

by Raleigh, Jeanette

  Watching him wake up was fun. First, his hair really sticks up. When my brother sleeps, his hair sometimes looks matted or messy, but nothing like Rob's. I must have had a silly smile on my face, because he quirked an eyebrow at me with his own cheeky grin. And then there's the bleary-eyed scrubbing of the hair, which sort of explains why it's all sticking up in the first place. Perhaps I've never mentioned how exquisitely fine Rob looks in a white t-shirt and boxers. I ended up drooling all over myself.

  “Mornin'” A bit of a mumble, but then Rob's not a morning person. I don't know a werewolf that is.

  “Arooo” I'm getting the vocals down at least.

  He read my message first. Unlocking the door and pulling it open, the first thing he did was sniff the air, frown, then sniff again. He stepped outside and stalked around the house, which is a strange word for a man alone, but the way he walked around the house reminded me of someone on the hunt, which he was. But whoever came for a midnight visit was long gone.

  “Please wake me up next time.”

  I nodded once. There probably wouldn't be a next time anyway.

  That satisfied Rob. Having checked all he could in the meantime, he switched gears, heading into the kitchen. Uh-oh. “I've got a surprise for you,” Rob said as he opened the refrigerator door. He stopped, jaw dropping just that tiniest millimeter and then he swiveled his head to look at me.

  And I have a surprise for you. No steak for breakfast. Sorry. My eyes might have reflected a slight bit of guilt, perhaps conveyed the message that steak was really too good of a thing for a wolf like me to pass up. He pulled the empty dinner plate out of the fridge. “I was going to make steak and eggs.”

  That was the moment when I was supposed to feel sorry. Did I? No. This was one of the few times I had the upper hand. Everyone knows, even human and vampires, that werewolves like to eat, always meat, preferably raw. I never asked if werewolves liked to chase their food first, mostly because I was small enough to fear being the appetizer.

  That was another topic of conversation that never came up in the family. The only time I asked my mom about being eaten, she started crying. I guess the concept had been weighing on her mind as well.

  All that aside, I was acting within my nature. And he had been asleep. What else was I supposed to have for dinner? Okay, so maybe I was feeling more than slightly guilty.

  Rummaging through the refrigerator, Rob pulled out eggs and a package of bacon. “We'll still have a good breakfast.”

  Watching Rob deal with problems from infinitesimal to gargantuan made me realize that my heart was a smart organ, as organs went. I didn't plan on falling in love with him. From a logical perspective, the whole idea was ridiculous. And totally wrong.

  But I liked spending time with him. I liked the way he teased me when I leaned against the window after a long drive from a house-showing. Long being relative. In my world, over ten minutes is reason enough to start using the window as a head-rest, especially now that I was in permanent animal mode. He always spoke with gentleness and kindness, and sometimes when he thought I wasn't paying attention, he'd watch me with this affectionate smile.

  I loved that smile. And here he was making breakfast for me, with hair sticking out on one side.

  I added one more positive trait to the list. Rob didn't yell at me for eating the steak. Men seem to have a thing for meat. It's inherent I guess. Never get between a man and his meat. But here Rob was pulling pans out of the cupboard and turning on the burners as if I hadn't committed the ultimate sacrilege. Maybe there was hope for me. I decided I'd have to go on the moon date with him, even if he broke my heart afterward.

  Chapter 20

  Just a regular day at the office. Head on my paws, I watched Rob type on the computer, talk on the phone. I never would have guessed that life as a wolf would be excruciatingly boring. Then again, I was a wolf cooped up in a tiny two room office. What did I expect?

  When I couldn't take it anymore, I growled. Not even a polite, here I am, please pay attention to me growl. No, it was more of an I'll rip your leg off if you don't listen to me growl. The way Rob glanced up meant that my growl didn't scare him, not a bit. Actually, at this moment, he was amused, and I have no idea why.

  He stretched and yawned, slowly pushing himself up from the chair and slowly walking to the door. I say walk. As slow as he was going, it could have been a creep or a crawl. He was definitely trying to annoy me.

  I bolted out the minute the door opened. Our office only had the tiniest little green lawn in front and the surrounding ambience was concrete, cars, and glass. I wanted out. In a big way. Even in the open air, I felt claustrophobic, larger than the inside. Bored. Bored. Bored.

  “Jen, are you okay?”

  I stood panting in the grass, then I shook my head.

  “We have a buyer coming in an hour.” Rob couldn't afford to call and reschedule.

  Nodding, I stood on the grass, wondering if Rob ever felt trapped. “So you're okay with us staying?”

  I nodded again and thumped my tail. Tails were rather important in the animal world. It's rather amazing that humans get by without them.

  Opening the door, Rob asked, “You ready to come back in?”

  First I shook my head, my signal for 'no'. Then I pushed my nose forward and back to tell him that he should go ahead. “Okay. If you need me, just call.”

  I smiled. It was a wolfish smile. I missed my human one. Although Ali tells me I'm cute, I've always looked at myself and thought 'bleh'. Not that I'm ugly, at least I wasn't. Attracting a man, even a werewolf, as a wolf was impossible. Even if we were both running as wolves, the man inside the wolf would have to like me.

  Ten minutes before the couple was scheduled to arrive, Rob opened the door. “Jen, it's time to come hide.

  Ugh.

  An hour behind the couch. And surely they could smell me. I mean I had fur and all. What kind of message was that sending. With a whine, I ran to the back of the building and hid in the bushes, then barked.

  “No, I can't see you. If you want to hide there, that's fine.” Rob called back.

  Which wasn't an exact translation, but close enough.

  After an eternity of looking at my wolf paws and digging in the cool dirt under the brush, they finally left. The man was tall and well-dressed. His hair was greying at the sides and he was just a bit overweight, though not enough to be a real issue. The woman wore her makeup the way women who have to look 'the part' do. She either went to a great plastic surgeon or was a dozen years younger than her husband.

  I waited until they were long gone to come out.

  “Jen, it's not uncommon to have extra energy as a wolf. I need to pick up some flyers at the printers. I can drop you off at Lost Ranger Park while I run errands, if you need some time to run.” Rob wore his leather jacket and looked ready to go, so I hurried to scrub my paws off in the grass.

  Strange how accustomed I was getting to hanging my head outside of car windows.

  The park was completely empty. Rob opened the door. “Be back in a few hours. This is the whistle I'll use.”

  Rob's whistle was shrill and pierced my ears. I whined and pawed at my ear. Rob grinned ruefully, “I'm sorry.”

  At long last. Speeding off toward the trees, I looked back once to see Rob watching me. He hadn't even started the car. With a wave of my paw, I turned, tearing up the grass with my leaping strides. How good it felt to be free.

  I ran off the tracks and deeper into the woods. The air smelled so fresh and the trees whispered their greeting to me. All was right with the world, and I was just where I needed to be. I felt a strange sense of euphoria and wondered if I truly wanted to be human again. But of course, it wasn't all playing in the woods. There were the long waits for the bathroom or for Ali or Rob to finish what they were doing. And the mind-numbing boredom. But at this moment, I was free!

  Woods aren't boring. I sniffed the trees. I jumped into a stream and splashed in the cold water, leaping out on the other side
when I was done. The bushes grew denser and I forged my way into the dense undergrowth like an explorer.

  Running under the bushes and dodging the limbs, I smiled and panted at the same time. This was what I needed. It never occurred to me that danger would lurk in the park, not until a trap sprang closed on my paw.

  It hurt, but the trap was humane, not one of those paw-breaking types. Still, I was running and tumbled over myself in a sudden halt, so my body ached and I think I pulled a muscle in my shoulder. A trap like this doesn't belong in a were-park. I sniffed the metal encasing my paw, looking for a way out. Spring loaded, there had to be a release switch somewhere.

  The trap wasn't baited, and it was hidden off trail in the undergrowth. Maybe the trapper wasn't looking for any wolf in particular. I'd run a long way and might technically not even be in the park anymore. Perhaps a private citizen had grown tired of the wolves, but were-people have the same rights as anyone else. Kidnapping is kidnapping.

  I howled and howled, barked and whined until my throat gave out. No one came to help. My throat hurt. I pushed and pulled, tugged and tore at the device, but nothing worked.

  My heart sank when I heard Rob's whistle. Such a faint sound that I knew the distance between us was great. He wouldn't find me easily.

  I howled or at least attempted with my exhausted vocal chords, and I don't know if he heard or not, only that after a series of whistling spread out over a rather long period of time, the whistling stopped.

  We'd arrived at the park in early afternoon. When the sun sank over the hills, I was still there, trapped and waiting for someone to come. Sometimes I heard the whistles or calls, and I howled my reply. My voice was strong enough that a few times, I think they heard me. But no one came.

  My paw, the one in the trap, lost feeling and was getting that tingly sleep feeling. I opened and closed my paw to get blood flowing, all the while hoping Rob would find me.

  Late into the night, I heard chittering and lifted my head to find Ali chattering at me. She wore a tiny backpack, a gift from me. It was specially fitted for her by a seamstress who specialized in were-clothes. For those of us who could change without the full moon, it was a chancy proposition changing back. Having a little backpack with clothing helped. And a tiny flashlight, which helped even more.

  I did some roo-roo type of barking, glad to see her. My throat still ached. She changed to her human state. From her backpack, Ali pulled out a pair of slinky pants so form-fitting that they were just one step up from nudity, but were easy to carry. She also carried a tank top and underwear.

  After dressing, Ali knelt with the flashlights shining on the metal searching for a way to release the trap. I felt a deep relief when my paw released from the cage. Then she tore it out of the ground.

  I limped in a circle, stretching my paw and the shoulder to which it was attached. With the blood flow coming back into my paw, I felt like a million teeny tiny pins and needles were being poked lightly into my paw. I shook it. Ouch.

  Pulling out her cell phone, Ali dialed Rob. “Hey Rob, I found her. Her foot was stuck in a trap.”

  My wolf ears picked up Rob's voice. He asked if I was okay and where we were.

  “She's fine. Ummm...somewhere in the middle of the woods? I have no idea, but we'll just walk back the way we came.”

  Rob said, “I need to see the area. This is werewolf territory. There shouldn't be traps anywhere at any time.” Boy did he sound angry, hopefully not at me. Technically it wasn't my fault, even if I did manage to find the only wolf trap in acres and acres of forest. And then it occurred to me...maybe there was more than one trap.

  Wolves ran these parts every full moon. The werewolves who lost their powers couldn't remember how or what happened, but surely a werewolf park would be a great hunting ground.

  Rob was still talking, “Just stay put. Do you have any landmarks?”

  Ali's problem with authority usually stopped short at friends, but Rob was being bossy just then. Ali cut him off. “We're freezing out here, and Jen's limping. I'll bring you back tomorrow. I'll be able to find it easily. I've got tonight and tomorrow off anyway.”

  Shoving the cell phone in her pocket, Ali muttered, “I hate my job.”

  She must have read my mind because she looked in my direction. It's not that easy just applying willy-nilly and hoping something sticks. I've got a mind to go raccoon permanently and live off the land.

  I wolf-sighed. One of the heavy kinds of exhalations that speaks of exhaustion and uncertainty. Ali threatened to live off the land once every month or so, but lately she sounded like she just might mean it.

  Digging through dumpsters for lunch just didn't appeal, and I doubt she'd get enough food any other way. But that was a discussion for another day, when I had vocal chords and the will to use them.

  Shoes were too heavy for Ali to carry in raccoon form, so in bare feet, she picked up the trap, unhooking it from the chain that held it in place. It's amazing what our bodies will do for us given the chance. Her feet were tough, not that the occasional rock or sticker didn't bother her, but she managed to walk many a mile without footgear and she and her feet survived to tell the tale.

  The last thing she pulled out of her pack was a cinnamon stick. She broke a piece off and dropped it on the ground near where the trap had been set. “Be just my luck if I can't find the thing tomorrow. We'll leave a trail, just in case.”

  She strode confidently back in the direction we had come while I loped beside her. I thought she knew where she was going. Sometimes people get that look, like they know exactly what they're doing. Except this time, she didn't.

  The trees all started to look the same after a while, and Ali dropping pieces of cinnamon here and there didn't do much to convince me, even if Ali did have a strange gift for finding her way.

  One of the park lights saved us. I was dragging tail by the time we reached the path.

  “See, we'll make it home safe and sound.”

  I didn't reply. We were used to long moments of silence. After all, we both changed form outside the full moon. She laughed. “What an adventure. You can come to my house when we're done. Rob looks pretty beat up. I think he needs a night of pure sleep.”

  My throat still hurt, but I gave a bark of agreement.

  Rob paced along the sidewalk near the cars. The parking lot was nearly empty with a few stragglers driving away.

  “Thank God!” Rob knelt beside me and wrapped his arms around my neck. “You have no idea how worried I've been.”

  Ali looked around, “Wow, your buddies sure cleared out fast.”

  “Most of them have to work in the morning. As soon as you called, I told them you found her. Well, Jen, let's head home. I could sleep for a week.” Rob yawned, his eyes watering.

  “Wait a minute. I have two days off and a new wolf bed. Jen is staying with me.” It's probably a good thing I didn't have a leash attached to my collar or Ali would have been tugging on me to pull me away.

  “She's been missing for hours. I'd feel better if she was safe at home.” It was hard to see in the twilight, but I was certain Rob was wearing his stubborn face.

  “My apartment is safe. And I've been searching for her the same number of hours you have. Plus, you've been hogging her. I haven't really gotten to spend any time with her in days.”

  With a sigh, Rob said, “Fine, she can stay with you tonight.”

  I felt ambivalent about the way it all turned out. On the one hand, Ali knew me better and we'd spend the evening watching chick flicks and eating popcorn. Even if my wolf-form couldn't tell her exactly what I was in the mood for, she had a good idea what I liked.

  On the other hand, I was frustrated that Rob didn't try so hard to fight for me. He seemed to like my company. Was he just being nice?

  Back to the first hand, Rob knew Ali well, understood how unreasonable she could be and probably decided it wasn't worth the fight. But no one asked me. And tonight I really wanted to stay with Rob. Not enough to make a fus
s, so I limped along with my aching paw.

  I decided not to be mad at Rob and hopped in Ali's car with a goodbye scratch on the ears. An ear scratch feels surprisingly good. Mice never get their ears scratched.

  Chapter 21

  Ali and I fell asleep watching Were-Dreams, a television show which is more soap opera than anything else. I didn't usually sleep with any electronic stuff running. I liked the computers off, the television off, the lights off...everything off. This night I was just exhausted enough not to care.

  I stayed with Ali for a couple of days. Nothing exciting happened on Thursday, unless you count getting your paw stuck in the couch cushion exciting. Rob left a message that he'd spoken with Tyler who would meet us in the park on Saturday. Ali worked Saturday evening, so she and Rob decided that I'd go to his house on Friday night.

  Friday morning was a different story. Grandma stopped at the office. When I wasn't there, she called on Ali. Did she use the telephone? No. Not Grandma. She had to see Ali and make sure I wasn't hiding in the bathroom or something.

  The smell gave her away. Grandma has a vanilla smell, very light and soothing, the kind of scent a werewolf could tolerate. When she rang the doorbell, I froze because even through the door, that scent trumpeted the announcement of her arrival.

  Before I had even decided whether to hide or not, Ali answered the door. She's not one to care what anyone else thinks. If it was up to her, she'd just as soon tell Grandma the whole truth and be done with it. Thank goodness Rob already helped set the precedent for hiding me.

  But then, there I was, grinning at my grandma with canine teeth and wondering if she recognized me.

  “Ali, where's Jen? Something's up and I want to know what it is.” Great! Now what do we do?

  Ali must have been thinking the same thing because she glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. I shook my head.

  “Wow, you're out early. Have you met my new dog? Her name is Spoof. She does a lot of cool tricks.” Ali was still wearing pajamas, the fuzzy, flannel kind with large pink and blue snowflakes. It was ten o'clock in the morning, which on a night shift schedule is far too early to be awake—which is probably why Ali looked so tired. Normally she would have gone to bed at 8:00 and slept until early evening. Her schedule was totally screwed up thanks to my problems.