He’d always had trouble sleeping, even before the rival pack had destroyed his strongly rooted sense of security, leaving him with nightmares and worries. This time of night--or morning, more accurately--it was fairly common to find Glen out in the woods near the home he and Vivian shared. Not always in wolf form, no. Sometimes, he just liked to walk.
There were dozens of creatures out--smaller prey animals that fled immediately when the scented a big bad wolf. Glen wasn’t hunting tonight, he was just walking to clear his head. Breathing in the cool air, he smelled the other critters and moved on to avoid them. They’d be safe tonight.
As he neared the road that would lead to the house, he smelled something different--another kind of creature, a familiar creature. He halted in his steps, sniffing the air again.
Whiskey. It was undeniably her. But--why was she here?
Glen moved quickly, breaking through the brush. He saw her, disheveled and crying. The scent of fear and distress was strong. He didn’t question any more how she got there, but moved toward her. When he reached out to take her shoulders--but he stopped, hesitated, not sure if she would want or let him.
“Hey,” he said, his voice quiet, even, so much more calmer outwardly than inwardly. “It’s okay. You’re not lost.”