The Era of the Wolves

Shadow, there you are.” A cheery women voice sounded when the door chime rang out as it was being opened.

“Yeah, of course I’m here.” Shadow put her hood down and ran her fingers through her hair.

She went towards the voice to the back of the bakeshop to find her boss. Her boss was named Flower, a nice fun loving person. Her boss was in complete uniform with a hat that said her name and an apron over top of her cloths that had the company logo on it which was a cake with the company name, ‘The Bakers Café’ written on the side. Her apron was covered with flour and her long blonde hair was tied in a bun with two chop sticks crisscrossing.

“You look pretty today,” Shadow stated looking over at her boss while she got her apron.

“Oh, thanks,” Flower smiled at her employee.

Shadow went over to the list that was on today’s bake sale. Her boss was already working on the cupcakes so she could bake the cakes for today. Shadow loved baking it took her mind off things. She was no artist but she could decorate the most beautiful cake that tasted about as great as it looked. She got all the ingredients and started the batter. She was allowed to listen to music when she worked because Flower knew she works better like that. Shadow put in her earphones and “Going Under” by Evanescence played.
“You can really sing Shadow, you know that right?” Flower chimed in after Shadow had finished putting the cakes in the pans and finished singing to Evanescence.

“Oh, thanks Flower,” Shadow replied.

Then it got silent again. Shadow really was unsocial and shy. She never really talked unless she really had to. The only one to hear her sing is Flower because Shadow was in her own little world and forgot that she was even at work. She shook off the compliment and really didn’t care much. She wasn’t going to go to school for singing lessons so it didn’t really matter. She wasn’t going to leave this town. She was waiting, waiting for those wolves to finish what they started. To show their muzzles in this town again to finish what they tried to do sixteen years ago.

“The bake sale is in an hour you better get the icing ready for the cakes,” Flower broke the silence.

“You got it boss,” Shadow went towards the cupboards and garbed everything and started mixing everything by hand.

After a while of mixing the icing was done and same with the cakes. She started to make decorative roses. She made the white covering on the cakes and started putting the beautiful roses that she made on the sides and put the company name on the cakes in cursive writing. People started to line up outside the door. The two women looked at each other and Flowers’ eyes held fear. This many people were very rare but it was a good thing.

“Alright, ready for the sale,” Flower asked nervously.

“Yeah go right ahead,” Shadow stated plainly with no emotion.

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Shadow wiped the sweat off her head as the last customer went out the door. She never had to deal with that many orders at once before. She had made it through the sale though. The full moon was shining in the window with the most beautiful white light. It was like a calling, a soft murmur of peace and tranquility. Shadow started to get lost as her golden eyes locked onto the full moon. She growled softly as she saw a flashback of her parents. She fell to the floor of the bake shop twitching in pain as the memories filled her mind. The heat of hot liquid tears coming down her face and soft sobs of agony filled the place. Flower ran to her aid, sat down next to her body propping her head on her lap.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Flower whispered softly trying to calm her down.

Shadow didn’t hear anything as her sobs were louder than her voice. She couldn’t talk as the tears drowned her thoughts and strained her speech. She held so many tears back this entire time, through so many years she has never cried once. Even when she was a child she would never cry for her parents. Seeing the full moon had brought back all the memories she had erased from that horrible day. No one knew that she saw the entire thing from her bedroom window and she couldn’t do anything about it. She watched her father crawl to her mothers’ lifeless body and collapsed there. What was she supposed to do, she was only two, she knew what had happened but didn’t at the same time. Poor Shadow everyone had said. She cared but she never cried, that was until the memories came back to haunt her.

Shadow lay trembling on the floor as the sobs stopped but the tears still rolled down her face. The tears fell to the tiles and splashed. The small droplets of tears well shed and needed. In Shadows ears all she could hear was the snapping of her mothers’ neck and the soft sobs of her father. The sobs were her own she played in her mind like they were her mothers and her fathers. Her tears were steady now, falling in steady rhythm with her fast beating heart. Every bat of her eyes another tear would crease her cheek.

“I’m sorry,” Shadow managed to finally choke out the words that have been there since she started crying.

“It’s okay dear really,” Flowers soothing voice was what Shadow needed to here.

To her this was more than a boss employee relationship, this women was like her mom because she gave her a job here when she was sixteen. Yes, Star was there for her too but it wasn’t the same. With Flower it was like it was natural for her to call her mom. She wanted to so many times when she was a kid. Though she didn’t because she thought it might offend her because she was no part of the Silver Moon pack. Flower wasn’t even a wolf for that matter. Shadow just looked up at her boss and say closure in the blue eyes that were looking back at her.

“I’m here for you, Shadow, I have always been here,” Flower was speaking in a soft whisper as she gently ran her fingers through the emotionally distressed young adult.

“You know Flower, I’ve always thought of you like a mother. I never really said it but I wanted to. I was about to say it once but I caught myself,” Shadow sobbed once more as a few more tears came down her face running a fine line of liquid that was already traced in her skin.

“I know you have. I am glad that you want to call me mom. You can it doesn’t matter to me. I treat you like a daughter anyway,” A light soft smile rose on the women’s face.

“Thank you, mom for everything,” Shadow hugged Flower as another tear fell down her face and landed on the floor behind Flower.

They stayed like that; in a mother daughter embrace that was just so touching it could bring tears to anyone’s eyes. Shadow hugged her for a long time until they finally separated. Shadow looked at the clock as it said 11:45. Her eyes grew wide.

“What’s wrong Shadow,” Flower’s voice was but a whisper.

“It is almost the witches’ hour, and you are not home. I have to get you home.” Shadow spoke fast as she pulled her up to her feet.

“Wait, Shadow, what are you talking about?” Flower’s voice suddenly got really worried.

“I can sense it. There is a wolf near, I can smell him. Yeah, it is called the witches’ hour but every creature of the realm is stronger. I do not want you to get hurt. Go to your apartment upstairs now,” Shadow barked the order as she shifted into her wolf form.

The black and white fur wolf nudged the women up the steps. Shadow in her wolf form was also a thing of beauty. Her fur was a coal color but had white in it as well. Her golden eyes were still dominate and around her eyes were white with thin strips of black fur. She waited at the door. She could smell the male coming closer. Her ears went up twisting from side to side, searching for multiple wolves but only found the running of four paws. The heavy thuds of male paws were very loud in Shadow’s sensitive ears. Then a male wolf came to the window and tilted his head. He reared up at the sight of her and put his head and ears down in submission.

This wolf had the same gold eyes as Shadow. Those gold eyes were now staring at her unable to take his eyes off of her. His colors were a mix between a light brown and a reddish brown at the top of his head and on his ears. Shadow looked into his eyes, how she loved them. His ears them perked up, she tilted her head in wonder. Not many stray wolves come in this little town in Pennsylvania especially at this time. The snow usual sent everyone running to the south. She looked into his eyes and became star struck by his appearance. She loved the way his ears would twitch every now and then.

After they changed bows saying it was okay to enter the building they both shifted into human form. Lucky for them their cloths do not rip, they transform with them. Shadow opened the door slowly to reveal the very handsome intruder. He had the hair of the sun. It was cut choppy and was in his face. He had on a black musle shirt that showed enough of the six pack to keep the girls head turning. He was waering an over shirt that was unbuttoned. He wore a sharks tooth around his neck which was a light brown like a tanish. His eyes were that same gold that they were when he was in his wolf form. Shadow looked him over again and instantly fell for him. She thought that maybe, just maybe this was her soulmate, her one and only, her mate. She looked over him again and thought for a moment again and then disregarding being in love. She walked away from the male grabbed his hand and shoved him out of the shop.

“Yeah, Flower it’s me, everything is fine. I locked the door and I will see you in the morning,” Shadow ended the call by touching the button.

Shadow started walking towards home and the male was walking with her, “What is your name?”

The male looked up in surprise by her voice, “Rain.”

She replayed that name over and over again in her mind. Rain, what a name, that could put anyone’s soul on fire. She wanted to stop asking questions but she just wanted to know more about him. She had the urge to take in every little piece of information that was about him.

“How old are you,” She asked.

“Um, just turned eighteen last month,” He replied taken aback by all these questions.

She played that in her mind now. Same age and that warm feeling she got when she first saw his wolf. Then that feeling that she had when she pulled him out of the bakeshop. She shook it off again. “No, it can’t be love. That is impossible I just met this guy,” she tought to herself and trudged on biteing her lip as she wanted to ask more questions.

“Well, Wh-“ Rain started to ask.

“Names Shadow, I just turned eighteen a few days ago,” She answered him quickly.

He just walked silently now, keeping his mouth shut. “She is mine, she has to be the one I need. I followed her sent here. I could smell her from the moment I turned eighteen. My soulmate, the love of my life, but how do I tell her?” His mind rambled on with so many questions as they reached her house. She unlocked the door and then she laied down on the couch. She never uses the rooms in the house because of the memories.

“Don’t go near the bedrooms, bathroom is down the hall to the left. You are sleeping on the floor in front of the TV,” Shadow stated plainly as if this was all normal and happened every day.

He only nodded as he didn’t know what to say. He was in love with an alpha. He could tell she was just by the way she gave orders. Where was the pack though? How does he get her to understand? He laid down on the floor as a blanket was thrown over top of him. He looked surprised as Shadow laied back down on the couch and curled up in a ball and fell asleep. Her black hair was curled back over one ear. She was still wearing her outfit she had on this morning. He looked over her once and smiled. He laid there and watched her sleep and soon he was asleep too with a soft smile on his lips.