Grasping Fate

Alessandra jolted awake. Those golden eyes were back, swirling through her dreams like smoke, disrupting her thoughts and ideas. They were an intrusion into her otherwise monotonous life.

The loud knock on her worn white door made her jump. She could feel her ears twitch, ruffling her messy bed hair. She rubbed the faint scar on her cheek, more out of habit than anything else, and called out, “I’m up! I’m up! No need to break the door down, Mrs. T.”

Mrs. Templelock, or Mrs. T as the residents of the compound affectionately called her, owned this vast piece of land to the east of the Creekwood-Celestial Pack. She was a seventy-two-year-old werewolf, plump and smelling of freshly baked cookies. She was always seen in an apron, her thinning grey hair perpetually tied up in a bun with a red and white checkered scrunchie.

The main house sat atop a hill, a long winding driveway snaking down through the overgrown brush and vine-covered branches. Trees stood guard, shedding golden-brown leaves every fall. But now, in the height of summer, the house was bathed in a cheerful light as the sun filtered through the leaves and branches.

But the house was far from cheerful. It was home to many children without homes—some abandoned, some who had lost their families in combat, some refugees from neighboring packs. Each had their own story, as heartbreaking as the next. But they all had one thing in common—they were all werewolves.

Well... all except Alessandra. She had no idea why she’d ended up in this godforsaken place. Her best guess was that her family had been wiped out in the Attack of Nightencewood. But she felt nothing. No sorrow. No survivor’s guilt. Nothing. Zilch. Nada.

The main house was huge, boasting thirty rooms and twenty bathrooms. But there was only one kitchen, which was a shame. With nearly fifty kids around, the kitchen was always occupied—day and night—so midnight snacking was out of the question. But it also meant that Mrs. T had forty-nine kids to wake up before Alessandra, making her quite grumpy in the mornings.

“WHAT?” Mrs. T yelled through the door. Oh yeah, she was also partially deaf.

“I SAID! I’M UP!” Alessandra shouted back, throwing off the thin duvet and climbing out of the creaking bed.

“WHAT?” Mrs. T yelled again.

Alessandra sighed, yanking the door open. “I said, Mrs. T, that I am up,” she said through gritted teeth, not particularly enjoying the cold air on her bare shoulders and legs. She was definitely not a morning person.

“WELL, WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST SAY SO? YOU COULD’VE COME DOWN AND HELPED WITH BREAKFAST.” Mrs. T was still shouting, not out of anger, but because she couldn’t hear.

“I only woke up a few minutes ago, Mrs. T,” Alessandra sighed, rubbing her arms to warm her goosebumped skin.

“YOU COULD HAVE SET THE TABLE.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for tomorrow, Mrs. T,” Alessandra nodded, glancing at the alarm clock. The luminous blue numbers read 6:52 am. Shit! If she wanted to shower, she needed to be quick.

“DAMN RIGHT YOU WILL,” Mrs. T muttered as she walked away. “UNGRATEFUL DAMN KIDS MAKIN’ ME DO EVERYTHIN’ BY MYSELF.”

Alessandra snorted, grabbing her clothes from the hook by the door and her toiletries from a small wicker basket she’d made in crafts when she was eleven. She sprinted down the hall to the nearest bathroom, relieved to find the west side halls still empty.

Being the last one to wake up meant she was usually the last one out of bed. She quickly locked herself in the bathroom and managed to shower, pee, and brush her teeth in a record seven minutes and forty-two seconds. In this house, you had to be quick or face the wrath of the other “inmates,” as they called themselves. Curfew ranged from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm depending on your age, and lights out was at 10 pm. The lights were turned off at the main switch and didn’t come back on until 5 am the next day. Youngsters with night terrors were left to deal with them on their own, no matter how terrified they were.

Alessandra remembered when she was younger, all the girls wanted to share a room with her because she knew the lumos charm, the charm of light. But as she grew older and her knowledge of charms faded, she was abandoned once again. Just Alessandra with the twitchy ears and no memory of her past.

That’s why she didn’t share a room with anyone now. No one said it out loud—at least not to her face—but she’d always be the outsider. Despite this, it was the only place she’d ever known, and she found comfort in calling it home.

The bathroom door shook as a heavy fist pounded on it. She knew it was Lander. He was the biggest guy here, a six-foot-four tower of muscle. He’d come from the Neckland Pack up north, where everyone was apparently built like a house. He’d only been here a month and was a temp, which meant his family was coming back for him. He just needed to be away because of the ongoing battle, which was considered too dangerous for anyone under twenty-one.

He had wavy auburn hair and honey-brown eyes, a pair of strong, straight eyebrows, and a sharp jawline. Half the girls here were instantly smitten. Alessandra tried to be, but... the pain came. It shut down any physical attraction she might have felt for him, whether she wanted it or not. It was a real pain in the ass.

“Let me in. I gotta pee,” his deep voice echoed through the door.

“Hold on,” she mumbled, struggling to pull her jeans up her legs. The task was made more difficult by the water droplets from her wet hair that were trickling down her thighs. She hopped around the bathroom, tugging at the stubborn fabric.

“I swear, I'm about to wet myself. Open up.”

“Go pee in a bush outside then!” Alessandra retorted, wrestling to get the denim over her damp underwear and backside. Quick showers didn't leave time for drying. Especially not in the compound.

“Who do you think I am? Just open the door!”

Alessandra surrendered, grabbing her toiletries and shirt, flinging the door open and stepping out.

Immediately, Lander recoiled, shielding his eyes. She didn't care. She wasn't bothered by what men saw when they looked at her. “Whoa! Cover up, woman!” he exclaimed, his cheeks flushing and the tips of his ears turning pink.

“Aw, has innocent Lander never seen a half-naked woman before?” Alessandra teased, slipping her shirt on.

“Screw you. I've been with more girls than you've had hot meals,” he grumbled, slamming the door shut.

She chuckled. Living with a bunch of idiots could be entertaining at times. Only sometimes though. The rest of the time, it was a total drag.

Sure, there were the regulars, but most people just came and went. That's just how it was.

A flash of fiery red hair rounded the corner, hissing in annoyance when they bumped into each other, “Watch it, slut—oh, hey! Ally!” Her scowl transformed into a wide grin.

“How's it going, Jess? Still after Beth's neck, I see.” Alessandra grinned back, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Beth was... well... quite the character. The resident psycho, or as the inmates liked to call her, the Prissy Bossy Bitch.

Alessandra had had a few run-ins with her over the years, which resulted in Beth wearing a neck brace and a month's worth of grounding and bathroom duty.

But that only meant that Beth no longer talked trash. Not about her, anyway.

Jess was the ultimate bad girl.

With her bright red hair, belly button piercing, countless tattoos covering her torso and arms, vibrant green eyes, and a knack for shaping, plucking, and drawing eyebrows.

She usually wore a black leather jacket, burgundy clothes, and combat boots.

And although it wasn't confirmed, Alessandra was pretty sure Jess carried a knife and had a samurai sword in her room.

She wasn't exactly sure... but she just seemed like that type of person.

“You bet. That bitch has been stirring up trouble again. Trying to gather evidence against me,” Jess laughed wickedly, “She must think I'm stupid. I've covered all my tracks. Every. Single. One. And if she starts scaring off my clients... she'll live to regret it.” Oh, and let's not forget, Jess was a hardcore drug dealer.

“She's going to bust you again, isn't she?” Alessandra stated.

Jess rolled her eyes, “Let's rephrase that. She's trying to bust me again. I'm not as naive as I was two years ago. And she's about to get her ass kicked if she tries anything.”

Jess glanced at the bathroom door, nodding towards it, “Is it occupied?”

“Yeah, Lander just went in. You might want to try the one downstairs near the backdoor.”

Jess winked, “Good thinking. I'll see you at breakfast, okay? I smell pancakes! Today's gonna be a good one, I can feel it!”

“Will do! See you later!” Alessandra smiled as Jess jogged away, heading back to her room.

Jess and Beth were regulars. They'd all been thrown in here around the same time. Jess and Beth were both eighteen, and Alessandra was only a few months away from turning eighteen herself.

She thought back to when they were younger. When Beth wasn't so self-absorbed and Jess was more carefree and childlike.

They'd all been kind of close, but when they started secondary school, they all drifted apart, forming different groups.

Jess started dealing drugs to make more money and get out before she turned twenty-one. Beth became a pain in the ass, and Alessandra... well, she didn't really want to change.

So she stayed the same, just with a dirtier mouth.

Once she reached her room, she dumped her toiletries and rushed down to breakfast. She wanted the best batch of pancakes, and the only way to get them was to be quick about getting in line.

When she saw the crowd of twelve-year-olds, she knew she was in luck.

“Excuse me. Coming through. Move or get pushed. Thanks.” She sang, weaving through the pre-teens. Her morning routine was almost complete. All she needed now was a mouthy thirteen-year-old to put in their place, and she'd be set.

“Ally! Over here! I saved you some!” Jess called from across the room.

Alessandra bristled. She'd just pushed past what felt like a thousand kids. She shrugged and smiled at Jess, “They better be damn good.”

“WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE AROUND THE KIDS!” Mrs. T yelled.

“Sorry, Mrs. T,” she winced.

Mrs. T scowled and went back to serving pancakes while Alessandra took a seat across from Jess.

“So, what's on your schedule today, soldier?” Jess laughed, tying her red hair into a bun. With her hair up, you could see the crescent moon tattoo on her neck and the tiny heart on her cheekbone. She was stunning, and most of the boys here wished she would give them the time of day. But all her focus was on getting out of the compound.

“Umm... I'm not sure. Probably English, math, maybe triple science? Honestly, I don't know and don't care,” she laughed.

“Ally, you’ve got to look at the bright side! Imagine getting accepted into college at the Lakemoon-Celestial pack. You’d be free from here! You could even apply for student housing and start a new life. Well, at least a life free from this place.”

Alessandra offered a melancholy smile. She had no clue what she’d do after high school. She didn’t know where to go. The only world she’d ever known was the Creekwood-Celestial pack.

“I mean, I guess I could. But who knows, right? I don’t even know what I’m doing in forty-five minutes, let alone the rest of my life. That’s just too much to think about this early in the morning.”

“You’ve got six months until applications are due, sweetie. You better start thinking.”

Alessandra rested her head on the table, pushing her plate aside. “What about Inter-Pack Law? Or is that too hard? Or maybe Veterinary-Shift dynamics? Like how you guys shift and all that medical stuff?”

Jess tapped her chin, her eyes lighting up. “Oh! I’ve got it! What about Coniunx-scindo? You know, helping mates split up? There’s a ton of money in that! Especially if it’s done under the table!”

“But I don’t want the council breathing down my neck. That’s like the worst crime you could commit!”

“Yeah, but think about the money,” Jess said, pushing a half-eaten pancake around her plate.

“I’d be a wanted woman if I did that. And we both know how that ends.” Alessandra rolled her eyes.

“Yeah... but think about how much money you’d make.”

“Jess, I’m not doing it.”

Jess groaned. “Oh come on! It’ll be fun! We could be wanted by the Royal Guards together!”

“No! I want to do something legal! I don’t want to get taken out by some assholes on their high horses.”

“Fine,” Jess huffed, “If you insist.”

The alarm bell rang, signaling it was time to leave.

“Alright, I need to grab my bag. I’ll see you on the bus.” Jess sighed, pushing herself up from the seat.

Alessandra nodded, heading out of the house. When her phone dinged, she pulled it out of her pocket.