St. Neuri, quiet and dull, the highest concentration of werewolves in North America resided here. Surely, someone would understand, someone would be able to stop the sudden changes inside him – he thought as he stepped into the foyer of his newly finished house.
Moonlight cutting across the tree line, his wild heart beating –
Janelle pitched forward, dizzy from the onslaught. Jake managed to catch her as she crumbled, a crowd forming once again. The influx of images was so intense and confusing that she felt as though the ground had shifted underneath her. Her heart pounded so hard that she thought it might stop completely from wearing itself out.
“Janelle?” Jake asked, concern lining his face. “Janelle, are you alright?”
She could only look at him, dazed, everything clicking into place with perfect clarity even though it sounded insane. As the crowd thickened, Janelle whispered one word.
Jake pushed her off him instantly, getting to his feet as someone called out, “Hey, asshole!”
It was Cheryl, hurrying over, pushing Jake to the side, glaring at him. She crouched down as Janelle sat up, embarrassed by the attention for the second time tonight.
“Are you okay? Do you need me to call an ambulance?”
“No!” She protested. “Please, don’t. I’m fine. I tripped. That’s all.”
Cheryl looked at her doubtfully and then back at Jake. “Did he do something to you?”
“No.” She got to her feet, noticing the crowd was thinning again. “Listen, I think I need to get home. Would you be upset if I left?”
Cheryl frowned. “Janelle, are you sure? I can drive you home if you want me to.”
“No!” She balked at the idea. “I got it, really. You’re not angry?”
“No. But…” She trailed off for a moment, glancing over her shoulder to stare at Jake, who hadn’t budged from where he stood. “Is there something going on that you haven’t told me about?”
Yes. There are werewolves in St. Neuri and Jake is one of them. “No. No, just the headaches have gotten really bad this week.” She lied again, feeling a stab of guilt.
“Alright.” Cheryl didn’t look convinced.
“You shouldn’t stay here. It’s a shithole.” Janelle said, directing the last word at Jake. “And it isn’t safe. At least change venues. Please.” She pleaded.
“Alright, alright. You aren’t wrong. This place is giving me the creeps. I wanted to find you and leave anyway.”
“Okay, good.” She crushed Cheryl in a hug, closing her eyes for a moment, letting herself bask in that concept of being able to sense her best friend, knowing that she was normal in every sense of the way, before letting go.
They said their good-byes and Janelle hurried off towards her car, glancing back at the Blue Moon only once. Shivering, she could feel the start of another headache. All Janelle wanted to do was get back home and crawl into bed. There was too much information at once; she simply didn’t know where to start with processing it.
“Janelle.”
She looked at her car to see Jake in front of it already, stopping her short. “Move, Jake. I want to get home.”
“We need to talk.”
“No, we really don’t.”
“What are you?” He asked, not moving from in front of her car.
Anger bloomed in her chest. “What am I? Are you seriously asking me that? What about you? What about all of you? What are any of you? You insult me and how my brain works when you are a…a monster!” She snapped.
Jake flinched but Janelle didn’t care. She kept going. “I have no idea how I never noticed this before. How I never ran into anyone I couldn’t sense. Maybe you guys keep to yourselves or something. But whatever the reason, I got lucky. But I knew as soon as you came into the office, angry about that stupid article, you were different. I even pretended I cared enough to go interview you at your house! And still I couldn’t figure it out. But now I understand.”
“Keep your voice down! If they hear –”
“Stay away from me.” She snapped.
Jake moved to the side, allowing Janelle to get in her car. She didn’t look at him, turning on the car and pulling out into the street, desperate to leave Blue Moon behind her.
Janelle was on her fourth cup of coffee with a headache that threatened to shatter her skull if she moved too quickly. In front of her, her laptop was too bright, even on the dimmest setting, and she had a pile of books next to her.
Researching werewolves. What a joke. It would have been more hilarious if it wasn’t true. She had barely budged from her spot at her dining room table after getting home from the library. This weekend, Janelle was determined to find out what she could about werewolves and their ties to St. Neuri.
There were some texts from Cheryl, wanting to know if she was alright, to come over and talk. But Janelle couldn’t deal with that right now. She needed to know more about Jake – about this mysterious, handsome man that she felt so drawn to, that was apparently a werewolf.
How could there be a whole group of werewolves in St. Neuri and she had no clue? Had she truly never run into one? Or was she constantly shielding herself to the point where she just missed them? Janelle didn’t know and she supposed that it didn’t really matter. All that mattered now was knowing they existed, and Jake was one of them.
She closed her eyes for a moment, rubbing her temples. All her research was at odds with each other. None of it seemed to agree on anything which made it difficult to sort out what was real and what wasn’t.
Although up until last night, all of this was considered fiction.
The truth was that Janelle knew she could go to Jake and demand answers but she was afraid. She wasn’t afraid that he would hurt her or anything. But she was afraid of everything changing again, of learning about something that didn’t seem possible.
For years, Janelle managed to keep her life going with the visions on a semi-normal path. She wouldn’t ever figure out what caused her to have them or what life would be like without them. But she could strive to keep things on a course where it all made sense. She would be the outsider but at least she would know her place in the world.
With the reality of werewolves thrust upon her, Janelle knew that looking into this further would turn her life upside down.
But as she drummed her fingertips against the table, her mind drew up images of Jake. His olive skin tone against his dress shirt, the way he looked at her with his serious green eyes, the twitch of his lips when he was amused, the way his face would shutter around her. They flickered quickly across her brain, leaving Janelle breathless.
There was no denying Jake was handsome and mysterious. But knowing he was a werewolf…well, it meant he was extremely dangerous.
It meant everyone at Blue Moon was dangerous to some extent.
Janelle closed her laptop and grabbed her keys. She was sick of waiting around. It was time to go to the source.
The drive to Jake’s mansion felt as though it took ages. Unable to relax, Janelle tried to figure out what she was going to say to him as she came around the bend to the gatehouse.
Shit, the gate. She came to a stop, knowing there was no way she would be allowed past. The guard poked his head out of the house, looking at her as she rolled down her window.
“Hi, I’m sorry. I know it is late. Is Jake home?”
“Can I see some ID?” It was a different guard from last time.
She fumbled for her ID, handing it to him before gently lowering her shield to see if she could sense him. Instantly, she could; his whole being filled her brain. He was human. Odd that Jake wouldn’t have another werewolf guarding him.
“You’re on the list. Go ahead.” The guard said, interrupting her thoughts.
She blinked in surprise. The guard handed her back the ID and sat down, ignoring her as the gate opened. On the list? How could that be possible? Maybe Jake had forgotten to remove her. In any case, she wasn’t about to question it.
Her car traveled do
wn the pathway which looked a lot creepier late at night. The trees seemed to hang low, bare of their leaves, the moon blocked by the clouds, offering only a little light. The headlights of her car cast an eerily bright glow on the road. Janelle was convinced something would leap out at her as she made her way towards Jake’s house.
But nothing happened and before long she pulled up in the wide circular driveway. The house was mostly dark, and no valet came out to park her car. Janelle got out of the car and went to the front door. Everything was so still. She felt acutely as though she didn’t belong here.
After knocking, Janelle waited, straining to hear if Jake was coming. No answer. No sound of movement. Could he be out? Why would the guard let her through if he knew Jake wasn’t here?
After trying again and still no answer, Janelle decided to walk around to the back of the house and see if maybe he was in the yard. She knew she should just turn around and leave but if she didn’t talk to him now, she would lose her courage and never come back to speak to him. It had to be now.
The gate to the backyard was swung open. Janelle walked down a gravel pathway, terribly aware of her own breathing, how cold it was and the beating of her heart. She tried to figure out what she was going to say to Jake but how did someone start a conversation like that?
The backyard suddenly opened in front of her and Janelle stopped walking. There was a large pool with steam rolling off it, clearly heated, with a light that changed the color of the water. A hot tub was nearby. No one was around.
Janelle took a moment to appreciate how beautiful the pool was. Even though it was freezing, she bet the water was warm and relaxing. Must be nice to be so rich, she mused before the sound of a large twig cracking startled her.
Turning sharply to the right, she could see the tree line of the woods moving. Something was coming towards the house. The right side of the mansion lined up directly with the woods, almost bleeding into them.
She crouched behind the fence line, practically hiding behind a shrub. The woods were alive with noise now, shaking the entire forest with sounds as if they all woke up at once. Fear prickled in her stomach and Janelle remained hidden, afraid of…what, she didn’t know exactly but the fear was real inside her.
Suddenly, the trees exploded in the sound of them parting, bending, some broke and something flew over her head. A dark shape crashed onto the ground on all fours, stopping right before toppling into the pool.
Janelle blinked, staring with eyes wide, at the shape in front of her. It was an insanely large…wolf? No, not exactly a wolf. Something else. Something that towered over everything else with talons for nails that moved against the stones near the pool and left indentations, scraping along it. Covered in fur, pure muscle underneath.
Janelle tried to wrap her head around what she was seeing when suddenly the figure began to shift. To her amazement, right in front of her, was Jake. The fur vanished, he became smaller, more human like, changing by the second.
The transformation couldn’t have taken more than five seconds but it felt like a lifetime. Janelle remained crouched, her mouth open in surprise, mind spinning as she took in the sight of Jake.
His back was to her and he was naked. His body was lean. No trace of fat on him, and his muscles clearly evident. His skin seemed to glow under the cloud covered moonlight. Jake looked good. Handsome. Breath taking. The most beautiful guy she had ever seen. Her eyes traveled downwards, eyes widening as she saw his ass –
“Are you going to remain crouched in the shrubbery the whole night?” Jake suddenly asked before diving into the pool.
Startled, Janelle lost her footing, hitting the stones with a surprised cry. Jake broke through the surface of the water, now facing her, looking at her without any expression on his face at all.
“You knew I was there?” She asked sheepishly, getting up and walking over to the pool’s edge.
“I could smell you.”
“Smell me? O-Oh. Werewolf scent.”
“You’ve been reading about us. Studying us.”
Janelle wasn’t sure what to do while Jake swam in the pool. The water rippled often so she couldn’t see anything that he didn’t want her to. He seemed to swim in leisurely laps, barely paying attention to her.
“You expected me. Didn’t you?”
“You’re a reporter on the local newspaper. Of course I did.”
She shook her head. “No, that isn’t the reason. You knew I would need to know more outside of the paper. This has nothing to do with the paper.”
He stopped then, looking at her, half his face covered in shadow. Janelle’s heart skipped a beat as she took in the sight of him. It was hard to understand how she was feeling. It was as though she wanted to reach for him, pull him towards her –
“Can you hand me a towel?” He asked, shattering wherever her mind was going.
Jake was pointing to the fresh towels on what appeared to be some sort of heating rack to keep them warm. She went over and grabbed one gingerly off the shelf, marveling at how toasty it was. She shouldn’t be surprised. A billionaire like Jake wouldn’t want towels like anyone else. She bet each one of these was super expensive, probably like two thousand dollars or something crazy.
She handed it to him and turned around quickly, afraid of seeing more of him than she could handle. Did he chuckle? Janelle swore that she heard Jake make some sort of noise. He came into view a few seconds later, the towel wrapped around his waist, stepping into the light.
Her breath caught although she hoped it wasn’t noticeable. With the light bathing him, Janelle found herself staring at Jake as if it was the first time she saw a man. He was perfectly in shape, with a six pack, his hair wet and dripping down the curve of his neck. His eyelashes were dark smears against his tanned skin, eyes shining even now. Janelle felt her chest constrict.
In that moment, it hit her just how irresistibly handsome Jake was. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t ever noticed. But now it felt as if the layers hiding him were stripped away and she was now seeing him for the very first time.
“Would you like coffee?”
“Sure.” She said instantly, feeling pulled towards him.
He turned around, heading into the house, Janelle trailing after him. She couldn’t believe how different this visit was compared to the last one. The blustery confident nature of Jake was gone, replaced with something that felt much more human.
She stopped in the kitchen as Jake told her to wait a second. She watched him leave, heading towards the stairs and hovered, soaking in the silence of the mansion. Such vast space to be all alone in. Does he ever get lonely?
Janelle wandered slowly around the kitchen. It was massive, easily the size of her own apartment, looking mostly untouched. She stopped at the window, seeing the view of the woods. It felt as if the woods were going to swallow the mansion up for being built in such a spot.
Now that Janelle was here, alone with Jake, she didn’t know how to begin talking to him. How did someone sort out what the truth was of the werewolves of St. Neuri?
“I find the woods calming.”
She jumped, turning around to see Jake walking back into the kitchen. He had changed and was now wearing a skin tight black long sleeved t-shirt and dark blue sweatpants. His hair was still wet, messy against his head, and he kept pushing it out of his eyes.
Janelle took in the sight of him, that growing feeling rolling across her. Had he always looked this good? Maybe she was just tired and not thinking clearly. She lowered her eyes, looking down at her feet, her throat tight.
“Let me make you that coffee.” Jake said, moving to the coffee machine, his back to her.
Janelle took this moment to collect herself, deciding to ask the questions she originally came here for. “The woods…they calm you because you’re a werewolf?”
“Straight to business.” He mumbled before saying louder, “We are tied to nature, yes.” Pressing the button on the coffee machine, Jake turned to face her. “What about you?�
��
“What about me?”
“You’re not a werewolf. But you’re different.” It wasn’t a question, just a simple statement.
Janelle thought about lying, saying there was nothing going on with her but lying would be pointless. She had figured out Jake was a werewolf. Now was the time for honesty on her part too.
“Yes. I’m…different.”
“How different?” He crossed his arms and his shirt rode up just a little, just enough for Janelle to see his bare skin there, causing goosebumps to break out across her skin.
“I can see things,” She said, feeling odd at finally saying the words aloud, “I can see things before they happen.”
Jake blinked, his eyes widening slightly before catching himself, causing his neutral expression to return. “You have visions?”
“Yes. I mean, sometimes they’re of nothing special, trust me. A friend stubbing their toe. A debt collector calling. Rain ruining the picnic. It isn’t anything interesting, really.”
“But sometimes you…what? See someone’s death?”
She flinched. “Sometimes. I try to warn them when I do. I’ve tried to alter the visions but I don’t know if that just files the event away for later. Twenty years from now, do they die the same way? I don’t know. It doesn’t happen often.”
“You saw my future? That’s how you knew I was a werewolf.”
She sighed. “Not exactly.”
Janelle launched into the story of how she couldn’t sense him and how it caught her interest. “Normally, I can sense people,” She tried to explain, “They have like an aura of sorts I can feel. Around people, I try to shut that aura out. Like a mental shield. It stops the visions which can trigger migraines and just make things awkward finding things about their future.”
She had no idea if any of this made sense. Having never needed to explain it before, Janelle wasn’t sure how it sounded. But Jake merely nodded as if it was the most reasonable thing in the world and motioned for her to continue.
The Billionaire Werewolf (Werewolves of St. Neuri Book 3) Page 5