Page 3 of The Lone Wolf Café
I gulped as my stomach rumbled – I wasreallyhungry.
“Oh, uh…” The lady stammered, rising from her stool behind the counter. She clearly had no idea why I was handing her a scone, and my face burned red with embarrassment. “Those look lovely, dear. Do you, uh, want to pay with cash or card?”
I turned away, bolting out of the shop with scorching cheeks and shattered confidence before I could even ask what “cash or card” meant.
Even once I made it outside and back on the main road, I kept running. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t care if anyone thought my behavior was suspicious. The sun was beginning to set, and the once warm, inviting town now seemed rigid and sinister. With the rapidly fading light, the bright buildings were losing their color, and the leering eyes of the Halloween decorations were now glowing a bright yellow.
During the day, the crisp chill of autumn air had been kept in check by the warmth of the sun. It was cold but tolerable. Now, with the sun gone, it was just cold.
I ducked between two buildings, rubbing my long-sleeve shirt with my palms to help warm my freezing arms and get rid of my goosebumps. A sharp breeze flew in from the water and swept through the alleyway, forcing me to crouch down and fold in on myself to keep warm.
In my wolf form, I’d be a lot less cold.
But I had to get out of this town first.
I gulped down a few long, deep breaths. It was almost cold enough for my exhales to trail through the air like rolling fog.
Normally, filling my lungs with air calmed me down. It grounded me. But now, even the deep chill of the night air couldn’t cool off the burning pressure building inside me. My insides felt like a tea kettle, screeching and whistling as it let off steam over a roaring fire.
I can’t do this… I can’t do this…
My stomach lurched and my limbs tingled with the familiar sensation of losing control. Of letting the wolf within me break through and embracing my wild nature. But it disappeared in less than a second, and when I dared to open my eyes, I was still in my human form.
Until my ear twitched.
My verynot-humanear.
I raised my shaking fingertips toward my head, my skin prickling in anticipation of what I would find.
It’s okay.
Everything is fine.
Everythi-
My fingers touched fur. Soft, velvety, red fur, coating the wolf ears that now popped out of my human head.
I buried my face in my knees and fought back a scream. I managed to not draw attention from the humans passing by, but a new problem quickly arose.
In addition to my ears, I now had a tail.
Bright-red, bristly fur poked out from my dress – without tearing it, thanks to the inherent magic in a werewolf’s shifting abilities – and trailed down my lower back, ending just above my knee. I gave a quick shake to make sure it was real. To confirm this was actually happening and not some anxiety-riddled dream.
In my twenty-one years of life, I’d never had issues controlling my shifts. Even as a little girl, I mastered the art of balancingchildhood and puppyhood long before my younger sisters. My wolf was part of me.
Normally, changing forms was as simple as breathing. But with my current anxiety, that bodily function was now out of control.
How can this be happening?
My neck craned toward the sky. It was a murky greyish-blue, shrouded by thick clouds, but I was certain there wasn’t a full moon; the only time werewolvesdidlose control of their abilities. Plus, if ithadbeen a full moon, I would’ve already fully shifted into wolf form – wild, frenzied, and ravenous with hunger.
This was different. I’d never heard of a werewolf getting stuck mid-transformation. And to escape this town, I had to find a way to shift back into a human.
I crawled further down the alleyway, so my body was almost entirely cloaked by shadows, and waited.
As the night grew darker, the air grew colder. Anxious shivering became chilly shivering, and blood pounded in my neck, trailing up my jawline until I could hear my pulse in my ears. At least twenty minutes passed, but my heartbeat never slowed, and my ears and tail were still visible.
I gathered my fluffy red tail into my lap and ran my fingers through my fur. The top layer was bristly and frosted with bits of brown and black, while my undercoat was a soft greyish cream that felt plush under my fingertips. It was incredibly warm – I wished I could shift completely and feel my fur coat snug against my skin like a blanket. Then I’d run out of this damn human town and seek safety in the pine forest.
