My Solitary Place

A few days pass by in a blur, I spend most of my time in my room, thinking of everything that's happened, everything I've I have been told. I packed the things around my room that I would need to take with me to Paris, so far my bags mainly consisted of clothing that I felt I could live without until my arrival there, and some fresh sketchbooks and other supplies that I wanted to bring along.

My father was acting like his usual self, with no trace of the weariness he showed after our talk. There was one night we watched a scary movie together, but it freaked me out so bad I asked him to stay up late for one more, comedy to laugh the chills away. He smiled at me like he always did when I ask for this, and threw a blanket over us to snuggle in as he found a good one. It wasn't long before I was snoring beside him, and he carried me to my bed, just as easily as when I was a little wolf.

I wasn't even fazed when I woke the next morning curled up in my own blankets, and gave a big stretch when I heaved my body from the bed. Feeling the itch to run, I made up my mind to leave the house, wanting to stop at the store for a not-so-nutritious breakfast. I threw on a sports bra and black yoga pants on, and a gray hoodie with some running shoes before heading out the door.

I took a deep breath, selected a song on my phone, and popped my headphones into my ears before noticing Dad's truck was missing from the driveway, likely doing work for the Alpha. Taking off at a jog, I made my way through our town, ignoring the occasional snide glances from my pack mates. The bell on the convenience store door chimed as I trotted in, slightly panting from my pace.

I welcomed the cool air from the fans and I wandered to the back to find the flavored water and prepackaged pastries that I was craving before heading to the cash to pay for my items. The old woman who ran the store clicked her tongue when she saw me walking up to her counter, glaring at my hair as if it was unsightly, she rang me through, only speaking to tell me my total.

I let out a small sigh as I brushed off her blatant rudeness, and took my snacks from the store, I walked around the building to where they had a smoking corner and a garbage can to eat the little cupcakes, before throwing away the plastic it came it.

I drank some water before continuing on with my run until I was only passing trees as I traverse the asphalt. Turning off the road and going deep into the woods, I look around, listening with my now incredibly heightened hearing, but hear no sounds of other people or wolves. I pull the shopping bag from my pocket and begin stripping myself of my clothes before shoving them into it.

Standing fully nude in the woods was going to take some getting used to, I don't understand why the others seem so comfortable flaunting themselves. I took a deep breath in as I called my wolf form forth, and after a few deep breaths, I opened my eyes to look down at my fluffy black paws.

It seems that I would no longer be experiencing pain when I shift, well that's nice! I let out a happy howl and trapped the bag with my clothes in my teeth before bounding through the forest.

I ran as fast as I could until I reached the small clearing that I had come to love over the years. It was near the base of the mountain, and It usually took me a few hours of hiking to reach this place, but my wolf's speed helped to cut the journey to about forty minutes!

I padded my way through the soft grass in the meadow, only coming to a full stop when I came to the large rocks of the river's edge. I dropped my bag next to one of them, and concentrated on my human form, shocked by how quickly my body complies, we're taught that some wolves can struggle to shift between forms but that doesn't appear to be the case with me.

Smiling like a maniac I jumped from the rocks and into the water, swimming around in the cool water, imagining it melting and flowing all the stress I was feeling down the river. I let out a sigh when my muscles began to tire, telling me to remove myself from the pleasant waves.

I grabbed the bag containing my things and laid down in the grassy meadow, allowing the sun to dry the water beads from my skin as I looked through my phone, finding my Aunt Janet's number. My father had called her the night we opened my acceptance letter, but I'd made him promise that he'd let me ask her if I could stay with her myself. I was an adult now, so there were things I needed to learn for myself.

I hit the button to call her before I could bother chickening out, and laid back in the grass as the phone rang a few times before connecting.

"Allo?" My Aunt's voice came from the other end.

"Hey there, Aunt Janet, it's Janna calling." She squealed before responding.

"Your father called me to tell me the great news! So you are coming to Paris for school!" Excitement was clear in her voice.

"That's why I was calling, I'm hoping that I can stay with you and your mate while I'm there, but I can make other arrangements if It would be imposing on you at all." I nervously bit my nails as I awaited her response.

"Other arrangements, are you crazy?! Of course, you can stay with me, I'll be sure to have our guest room done up for when you arrive, just tell me when your flight arrives and I'll be there to fetch you! I'll contact our Alpha to inform him you'll be coming to our territory, he'll likely wish to welcome you to our city!"