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My relaxation lasted for all of five minutes before my stomach let out a loud growl. Not wanting to wear my dirty driving clothes out, I changed into clean clothes and tossed mine aside. I heard Clay mention laundry so I could at least wash what dirty clothes I had at some point.
The diner across the street was cute and small, a flashing neon sign telling the world that it was open. They tried to go for a retro vibe with gaudy silver accents on the side of the building and streaks of red and black.
The moment I walked inside Tammy’s Diner, the conversations came to a collective stop. Every set of eyes in the room was trained on me. I stood there awkwardly for a moment before everyone turned back to their conversations and a middle-aged lady walked up.
“Ignore them, they forget all manners when a pretty girl walks in,” she joked. “Counter, table, or booth, honey?”
“Counter is fine,” I offered since I was alone. It felt weird to sit at a table with just myself for company.
“Pick your poison.” She gestured at the counter before ducking behind it. As soon as I took one of the few empty stools, she dropped a menu in front of me. I glanced around the diner, the inside matching the vibe from outside, from the black and white checkered floor to the red vinyl booths. It was nice and clean though, so that was a definite win. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Dr. Pepper,” I said as I started scanning the menu.
“If you’re new, you have to try their loaded fries. They’re the shit angels sing about,” an older man next to me said. He gave me a toothless grin that I returned.
“That does sound pretty good,” I agreed. “Thanks for the tip.”
The waitress swept back by with my drink and took my order for a burger and loaded fries before she was gone again. An argument breaking out behind me had me glancing back, startling as they stared at me.
“Ask,” someone hissed. A normal human would have missed it, but I had wolf senses so I heard her loud and clear. Not wanting to entertain their ridiculous bickering, I turned around.
“They just want to ask if you came from the Bluffs,” the man next to me supplied.
“The Bluffs?” I asked, confused. “I came from Highway 87, my truck’s at Dave’s Garage getting fixed so I can be back on my way.”
“The Bluffs is this fancy gated community on the outskirts of town. No one usually goes in and there’s rumors it’s a cult,” he explained. Their eyes were lit up in a level of excited curiosity that only comes with juicy gossip like this. Something about the mystery had caught their eye, and if it was a wolf pack, they’d capitalize on that… hide in plain sight.
“Oh hush with those urban legends,” the waitress said, flicking a fry at the man who grinned over at her. From her nametag, her name was Tammy. I guess she was a jack-of-all-trades here. Including teasing her customers. “Don’t listen, honey. Those men that come out of there are normal people, they come in for supplies every so often. And they love my cooking so that’s an extra point for them.”
“I heard they sacrifice virgins,” someone called out from down the counter. “Witches, the lot of them. How do you think they stay so young?”
“No, witches aren’t real. But I heard they raise wolves out there, you can hear the howling on the full moon,” a little girl said from the table behind me.
Howling? Definitely a wolf pack. But why couldn’t I scent them? Do they stick to their pack lands only and it’s been a while? What wolf pack doesn’t mark their territory?!
The real question is… is that a good thing or a bad thing?
That was something that I’d have to lay low and figure out. For now I was going to focus on my food, my truck, and getting the fuck out of town.
Everyone quieted back down when she pushed my food in front of me and I pulled up a book on my phone, tuning out the local chatter and pretending I didn’t know wolves existed and hoping I wasn’t trapped here unknowingly with another pack.
ChapterFive
Vanya
The dive bar was like something out of an awful movie. Twanging notes of country songs blared over the speakers. Dim lights gave the bar a warm glow that was accented by the neon lights hanging over the bar and around the wood-paneled walls. It was the epitome of dive bar, signed dollar bills were stapled to the bar like that was a solid choice for decor.
The dance floor was one giant line dance, the miniskirts and cowboy boot combos making me chuckle. There were tables scattered around, but my eye caught on an empty stool at the very end of the bar, and I made a beeline for it.Seclusion from the crowds? Sign me the fuck up.
I nearly didn’t come, bars and alcohol didn’t hold the same allure they did before I lost Meira, but I needed a stiff drink too badly to ignore it. And one major thing wolves had in common was pride. I didn’t have it in me to let that awful night ruin something I used to enjoy. This was the new Vanya, a chapter that wasn’t written yet and I had to focus on that.
“What’s your pick?” the bartender asked. She didn’t bother with smiles or pleasantries, waiting for me to pick, not so patiently. It was busy here tonight so I defaulted to my favorite.
“Long Island, please,” I practically yelled over the music. She didn’t nod or say anything before she was turning around to make it. The moment it was in front of me and I’d paid up, I took a long pull, letting the warmth of it settle. It was stronger than I was used to and I was grateful for it.
“Thought I smelled a wolf.” The gruff voice was right next to me. The intermingling scent of booze, sweat, and perfume from the crowd had hidden him.
“Just passing through, buddy, move along,” I said evenly. Glancing over, I noted he was alone. The couple on his opposite side were young and infatuated with each other. Definitely not wolves in disguise.
