Page 20 of The Lone Wolf Café
I lay awake for the next hour, my body exhausted but my mind racing as I debated whether or not to shift. It was a risk – the lock on the door was broken, and if Rowena or another witch wandered in here during the night, I’d be caught.
Maybe I could barricade the door.But as my eyes flicked around, studying the grayscale hue of the cabin, I saw no furniture I could use. The cabinets, despite being half-rotten, were bolted to the wall, and I doubted I could carry a rusted bed frame down the stairs without cutting myself and risking tetanus.
My mind wandered, pondering idea after idea, until a long, deep howl swept in through the open windows and made my body freeze with fear.
That was when I realized even if I barricaded the door, I still couldn’t shift. Because I’d forgotten about the neighboring werewolf pack. I assumed they were out on their nightly patrols, and gods forbid the large red wolf Rowena mentioned break through the village barriers and sniff me out. It would be just as bad, if not worse, than being caught by the witches.
There was another howl – no, multiple – and my heart banged rhythmically against my rib cage. Every slight creak and bump in the cabin sent nervous twitches through my body. Now, not only was I cold and uncomfortable, I would have to listen to those unnerving howls all night.
My body jolted, for less than a second, with the sudden uncontrollable urge to shift. I sighed. By now, I knew what that meant.
My ears and tail were back.
But at least I was alone.
I rubbed my soft red ears and wrapped my fluffy tail around my torso. They’d go away eventually. Right now, all I could do was try my best to get some sleep.
I just prayed no one came into the cottage and saw me before that happened.
Chapter Six
Every muscle begged for sleep as I stumbled through the café doors the following morning.
I hadn’t been so exhausted inyears. I managed to get some rest, but only after hours of tossing and turning on the hard, dirty hardwood. And it was clearly early in the morning by then, because it felt like I’d been asleep for a whopping five minutes when Rowena knocked on my door.
“Good morning,” she greeted with a sly smile. Considering how dark it was outside, it sounded less like a friendly wake-up call and more like thinly veiled mockery.
I forced a grin, which felt more like my wolf form baring its teeth, and shuffled out the front door. I followed the witch to the café, lagging several steps behind for the ten-minute walk.
The fatigue was still hanging over me like a damp, heavy cloud once we finally made it through the back garden and into the café kitchen. Rowena hung her cloak on a nearby hanger, gesturing for me to do the same, and hid a chuckle behind her hand as I rubbed my bleary eyes.
“You really aren’t a morning person, are you?”
This time, I did bare my teeth at Rowena. Since I was in my human form, it was considerably less intimidating than I would’ve liked, and the witch simply crinkled her nose and strolled away toward the kitchen door.
“Let me know if you need anything,” she said with a wave as she disappeared into the café.
“Uh…”
Once again, I was left alone in the kitchen, with no guidance, no instructions, and no idea what to make. This time though, I wasn’t going to let my anxiety pile up until my ears and tail popped out. Instead, I strolled brazenly through the kitchendoor, letting it swing behind me, and peered around the dimly lit café.
A teapot was already boiling on the hot plate, which I assumed was the work of Mavro, and Rowena was crouched next to the fireplace with a box of matches.
“Sadly, Mavro is my only bonded fire elemental,” Rowena explained as I stepped closer. Her voice startled me. She hadn’t turned around since I entered the front part of the café, and I hadn’t realized she was aware of my presence. “Since he’s busy with the tea, I have to turn to old-fashioned means for this darn fireplace.”
I watched as she stuck the first match, which fizzled out before she could get the thick logs to light. She plucked newspapers from a pile and stuffed them into the fireplace, pressing the second match against the ink-stained paper. I caught a glimpse of the front-page headline –Werewolf Frenzy Threatens Halloween Night Festivities– before it was promptly consumed by the hungry flames.
With the fire now content to burn unassisted, Rowena stood up and turned around, brushing dust off the bottom of her black dress.
“Need anything?” she asked.
“Yes, uh…”Calm. Be calm. No ears and tail popping out today.“I was just wondering what you’d like me to make today. More scones? Cookies? A pie?”
Rowena raised a dark, slender eyebrow. “You had a recipe book back there, didn’t you?”
I froze. I had left my grandmother’s cookbook on the kitchen counter overnight. Not that it was an issue Rowena saw it, since it was just an ordinary cookbook that had nothing to do with my werewolf heritage. What made me curse myself was the fact I’d left it behind. It was one of my most treasured belongings, and I needed to be more careful so I didn’t lose it for good.
“Yes, I do.”
