Page 125 of The Lone Wolf Café
But as my father walked away, with my mother following behind him, I caught a glimpse at the pumpkin patch through the trees. And on the other side of it, just tiny silhouettes against the town hall, were several witches.
I assumed they’d come outside to see the snowfall, but now they were watching us. I squinted. I definitely recognized Mariah, and the two figures on her left looked like Adrian and Diego.
They were watching us; a bunch of rowdy, joyful werewolves playing in the snow.
It made me smile. I wanted them to see us for what we really were, not the monsters that they always viewed us as.
But on Mariah’s right, the shorter, slimmer figure was unmistakable. She was the only witch I was aware of in Wisteria Grove who had short blonde hair.
Juniper. I couldn’t read her facial expression from here, but I could tell she had her arms crossed over her chest.
Like Mariah had said, change took time. I wouldn’t be able to win over all of Wisteria Grove in a day, and that included Juniper. Hell, it could take us months or evenyearsto form even the most tentative of alliances between the witches and the werewolves.
But at least now, we were no longer enemies. Mariah herself had declared it.
And it made me feel the most important emotion of them all: hope. Hope that I could balance my life between Wisteria Grove and Hollenboro. Hope that my mother and I could meet with the empath witch in Bangor and get help. Hope that both of us would learn to control our powers and use them for the good of the town.
And of course, my smallest but most important hope: that Rowena and I would spend that evening nestled by the fire, coffee and tea in hand, and revel in the fact we no longer had secrets to hide.
I was determined. Overjoyed. Excited.
So, I celebrated in the best way werewolves knew how. I craned my neck, tilting my head up to the sky, and letting out the most joyous, ferocious howl I could muster.
At first, it startled the rest of the werewolves, but they were quickly eager to join in. After all, it was a symbol of our unity. Our community. Our family. Before long, there was a whole chorus of howls, echoing across the forest and into the bright, snowy sky.
As a group, we wereloud. They could probably hear us back at the witch cottages. I wondered if they could hear us at Bar Harbor, or even Cadillac Mountain.
I wanted all of Mount Desert Island – hell, the entire state of Maine – to hear me.
Because I did it. I saved everyone, witch and werewolf alike.
And for the first time ever, I couldn’t wait to see what the future held for me.
Epilogue
“Alright, everyone!” Mariah clapped her hands together, hushing the excited crowd. Her loud, deep voice had always been useful for gathering a large group’s attention, especially during meetings at town hall.
But tonight, we weren’t in town hall. There was no meeting. Instead, nearly half of Wisteria Grove was crammed into the café, occupying every bench, chair, and couch in the warm, dimly-lit space. The walls were decorated with silver tinsel and paper snowflakes, and mugs of coffee, tea, and hot cocoa were strewn on every available surface.
“One minute until countdown!” Mariah shouted, which elicited a small chorus of cheers from the packed café. The party had been buzzing for hours, but now that it was nearly midnight, the excitement hung heavy in the air. It was as palpable as static electricity.
“Alice! Give that back!”
Abbey chased after my sister, hands outstretched into claws as she wove through the partygoers, eager to retrieve the plastic party blower that her twin had stolen.
The girls were in their human forms, but they were still as rambunctious as wolf pups, bumping into two of my cousins and Rowena’s half-brother as they fiddled with their own party blowers. The toys’ low, whistle-like honking sound echoed through the café as the kids played.
But once my sisters nearly knocked over Rowena, who was carrying a tray of frosted cookies, my mother finally stepped in.
“Alice! Abbey!” she snapped, setting her cup of coffee down on the counter next to the register. She wore a beautiful sapphire-blue dress, one with a low neckline and long, flowy sleeves. She still had the wrinkles and lines around her eyes and mouth, buther face looked brighter and less tired than it had two months earlier on Halloween.
I spun around, searching for my father. I finally found him in the corner, chatting with both Adrian and an older male witch I didn’t recognize. I wanted to bark at him that our mother needed help, but she seemed to have the situation under control, and I didn’t want to interrupt my father’s conversation.
Mainly because it was so heartwarming to see them, two witches and a werewolf, happily fraternizing as if their kind weren’t mortal enemies.
The werewolves of both Hollenboro and Mount Desert Island had been frequent visitors to Wisteria Grove since Halloween. Rowena and I split my time between all three locations, working at the café during the week and visiting family on our days off. My father, uncles, and several other werewolves from Hollenboro had even renovated the cottage next to Rowena’s so I would have a proper place to stay. Gone were the rotting countertops and broken, rusted bed frame. I now had proper furniture, a full kitchen, and even some photos and other family heirlooms to hang on the walls.
And of course, a brand new lock on my front door. My father was always concerned about my safety now that I lived away from Hollenboro.
