Lost Treasure: Into the City

Kim drops me off at Michelle’s house, it’s finally the weekend. I’ve been looking forward to this all week. I thought for sure Kim wouldn’t let me go after the fight yesterday, but she said she saw it coming.

We arrive at the meeting place at the head of the trail. We strap on our gear and pull the bikes off the tracks. A red sporty hatchback with two bikes pulls in.

A tall man gets out of the driver’s seat wearing canary yellow and black riding gear. He has dark blonde hair; I can’t see his eyes behind the dark sunglasses. He smells of old spice cologne.

The other guy is around my age, wearing all black gear. He has black hair and brown eyes. I find him attractive, which catches me off guard. His scent is something familiar, but I can’t put my finger on.

“Jewel, this is my uncle, Tim, and his son Ramon.” Mitchell introduces. I shake their hands. Ramon’s hand lingers before letting go.

We get on the bikes, Tim in front, then Michelle, me, Ramon, and Michelle’s dad. We ride hard for two hours. It felt so good racing through the woods. I can imagine running on four strong paws digging into the earth, the wind through my fur. Next year, I’ll be stronger and faster. Those rogues won’t know what hit them.

We stop at a scenic overlook on the trail. I get my water bottle as I drink, I wander farther down the trail away from Michelle and the others. Tennessee truly is beautiful with its lush green mountain terrain and the smell of the forest.

From behind me I hear someone coming, it’s Ramon. He’s sporting a goofy smile that makes me laugh. As he looks around, he stops right in front of me. I’m guessing he has to ask me something.

“Hey, I don’t know when we’ll get to be alone again so I’m just going to say it.” He whispers.

I nod.

“I know you’re a werewolf. I am too.” He says quickly.

I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t think I’d ever find another of my kind here in the city.

“How did I not smell you, and I don’t have my wolf yet, how do I produce a wolf scent?” I ask, crossing my arms.

“I use a scent blocker.” He pulls out of his shirt a little sack with herbs hanging on the end of his necklace. “And I thought you did have your wolf. You gotta be sixteen right, but the scent is not really strong so...maybe not.”

“No, I’m fifteen. I really look that much older?” I’m nervous, he’s really cute and now I realize he is getting closer to me. I start chewing my inner cheek.

“Oh yes, and your smell is good. You’re not my mate, but you still smell good.” He’s close now, but I put my back to him.

I feel him pick up the tip of my ponytail then I hear him breath in deep. I spin around quickly to see the surprise in his face. His riding gear leaves no room for imagination. I can tell it was not long ago he has had his first shift. His muscles are tone but still adolescent. His voice is still changing. It’s kind of cute.

“Is it wrong I want to kiss you, Jewel?” He asks, pulling me closer by my hips.

“I donno, as long as you know I’ve never been kissed, you shouldn’t have your expectations that high-” he cuts me off, pressing his lips to mine.

His lips are soft, I stiffen then relax letting him go, I don’t know what to do. My mind is going foggy. He moves his lips around on mine. It’s wet but tastes like cinnamon. He has backed me up to a tree. He cups my face as he deepens the kiss. I heard a sound come from his throat, a warble almost like a purr. My hands explore his body, he feels so strong. This feels nice.

Unfortunately, I hear a throat being cleared. Ramon pulls away breathless, I am too. We look to see Michelle tapping her foot.

She grabs me by my arm and pulls me away from him. “Ramon! Seriously, ever since you turned sixteen you have been nothing but a horn dog. I thought I told you my friends are off limits!”

Ramon just shrugs and walks past them. Catching my eye, he winks, I smile and feel my cheeks heat up. Michelle and I walk back together. We get on the bikes and head back to the car.

Two hours later we are loading the bikes up on the racks. We say goodbye, Ramon sticks a piece of paper in my back pocket. He winks as he gets in the car. I pull it out to look at it, it’s his phone number.

On the way back Michelle is quiet. Finally, after what seemed like years she speaks.

“Jewel, Ramon is no good for you. He’s a dog!” She exclaims.

How did she know? Reading my face of confusion, she elaborates.

“Jewel, he’s a player. There is not one girl in his school he hasn’t kissed, whether they had boyfriends or not! He doesn’t care about the girl. All he cares about is getting his kicks.” She folds her arms and glares out the window.

I am guessing in the human world what Ramon is doing is wrong. But in our world, once you have shifted, it’s time to find your mate. You can’t always depend on smell, so you have to kiss a lot of frogs, so they say.

The other thing is no one is ever celibate for their mates anymore. So, before they get tethered to a mate, males more than females, they enjoy others. I wouldn’t mind playing around some more with Ramon.