Chapter 12 New Guests
twelve
New Guests
*GWENDOLYN*
“Faye, are you ready for your playdate?” I call towards the kitchen.
Faye jumps through the door, stretching out her arms and nodding. “Will mommy be okay?”
“Yes, I think she understands the new routine now,” I say. “We have been doing it the last couple of months, and it’s not much different to how it was before. But maybe you and Donna can check on her. Does that make you feel better?”
“Yes,” she says seriously.
Faye, Marina and I had been travelling around for weeks, not sure where to stay, until we reached this small town on the coast. Maybe it was fate, I don’t know, but everything fell into place here.
I ran into an old lady who was struggling with her groceries, and I helped her.
That was Donna. Donna’s friend and neighbor is overseas at the moment, and was looking for someone to house-sit her small cottage.
Donna immediately took a liking to Faye and me, and, I think, felt some pity for our situation concerning Marina, so she set us up with her neighbor.
He isn’t paying me anything but provides a space to live.
The cottage is small, even smaller than the one from my former pack, but it’s comfy, and there’s space enough for the three of us, plus Tiger, who has not left my side ever since we left the pack.
It also means we can rest a while from the endless road trip.
It’s necessary to have this break, especially for Faye.
We have been staying here for two months now, although it’s obviously just a temporary solution. Faye needs stability. I am surprised how well she took us leaving the pack; maybe deep down, she really hated it there. I told her we would be travelling around and just have a little bit of girl fun.
When I talked to Maddox’s cousin, she immediately agreed to help me but told me to lie low while she searched for a good pack that would take us in.
She very much encouraged me to drive around at first, just to put distance between my old pack and us, before staying in one place for a couple of weeks or months.
I hope she will be able to find a solution that would fit for all of us.
“Don’t forget,” I say to Faye, “that Donna is a human.”
“Yes,” she giggles. “I’ve learned all about that in the pack.”
I get down on my knees and pull her into my arms, squeezing her. Faye giggles. “Stop it, Gweeeen!”
I laugh. “You are just too cute to resist.” I get up again, gently stroking her hair. “Come, let’s say goodbye to Mom.”
She beams, running back to the living room where Marina is currently sitting. The TV is on, as always. I am just glad she has adapted to the new routine, but also for her sake, we soon need to find a proper solution to our situation.
“Bye, Mommy!” Faye places a kiss against Marina’s cheek. My heart breaks when I look at her, and the way Marina doesn’t react to anything Faye does. Faye returns to me and takes my hand. “I am ready.”
“Let’s go.” I shoulder her bag and look at her. “What’s your name?”
“I am Ann,” she giggles. “And you are Elsa.”
We decided to go by fake names, just to be sure.
I have no choice but to trust Maddox’s words that no one will sniff us out as rogues, but I still wanted to add a layer of safety.
Faye is obsessed with that movie, Frozen, so I hoped she would remember these names easily.
Fortunately for me, she loves pretending to be a princess.
With Faye safely at Donna’s place, I can focus on work.
Maddox gave me money, but I don’t want to rely on it solely, as we might need to live on it for a while longer.
My plan is to keep it as backup, in case of an emergency, or possibly save it for Faye.
He was right, it would technically help us survive for a couple of months, but once it runs out, we won’t have anything left.
And I don’t want it to come to that.
“Hey, Elsa.“ One of the patrons reaches out to grope my ass, but I dodge him swiftly.
“A beer, as usual?” I ask him.
He stares at my cleavage while his friend puts an arm around his shoulders and leans closer towards me. “Make it two.”
I put on my best customer smile and wink at them. “Of course, guys.”
“Are you dancing tonight?”
I turn around to smile. “Let’s see.” I always try to remain as vague as possible.
Technically, I am just working as a waitress here, but it is a nightclub with exotic dancers and strippers performing.
There are even VIP rooms for the patrons who pay a little extra cash, so they can have their favorite performer dance for them in private.
Most of the employees do both – working as a waitress and a stripper. I wonder how long I can keep refusing to do anything extra. I know I was only hired because my boss found me hot, and I am sure he wants me to dance at one point.
If I want to save money, I need this job, but I am not sure if I would ever be able to dance for the crowd. I feel sleazy enough flirting with the guys here, but wages are low, and we all need the tips.
The door opens, bringing in fresh air and three more customers. I know one of them, he is another regular, but the other two are here for the first time. I try not to stare, but something about them strikes me as odd. After years of living with wolves, I just know the signs.
It’s in the way they carry themselves, the way their eyes sometimes darken and how they seem to take in a room with all their senses. One of the guys even sniffs the room slightly. Fuck! Who are these guys?
There are no packs close by! Maddox’s cousin verified that.
“Are you okay?” Jenny asks me. She is the youngest girl working here, barely eighteen.
“Yes, don’t worry.”
“Anton didn’t give you a headache, did he?”
My gaze wanders back to the two sleazy customers who ordered beers from me. “Nothing unusual,” I whisper. “Anton just tried to grope me, and they kept staring.”
“Gross,” she mutters. “It sucks that they are obsessed with you.”
“Yeah, I am their favorite,” I say sarcastically, while preparing their order.
“Elsa.“ Our shift supervisor approaches me. “We have no waitress for table five. Can you get their order?”
“Sure,” I say, turning around just to realize that table five is the one with the shifters.
Just my luck.
But they can’t smell me. Maddox and Daniel both told me that I barely have any wolf scent on me, and if they - as my pack members - couldn’t tell, strangers surely won’t. At least, I hope so.
I decide to fake being human.
“Hello, guys,” I say, approaching them with a bright smile. “I see, you brought some friends, Steve.”
“Yeah, I wanted to show them around,” he grins.
“It’s always a happy day when you are here.”
He blushes slightly, but smiles. Steve is an okay guy; I prefer him a ton over Anton, but just like many guys here, he is married. They just all take their rings off when they come to this establishment. “How can I help you?” I ask them with a smile.
The two shifters have dark hair and serious expressions.
Just like most shifters, they are tall and strong.
One of them stares at me for a while as if he wants to look right into my soul.
I feel a surge of panic and instantly think of Brandon.
When I imagine Brandon, I usually forget to be anxious and get angry instead. It’s my best coping mechanism.
Staring right back at him, I put on my best smile and wink. “Do you like what you see?”
The guy raises his brows, checking me over once more before he seems to relax. “You are not too bad.”
I laugh. “Well, thank you. What can I bring you?”
With that, our interaction is over. I just bring them some drinks, and after a while, they pay and leave, tipping generously. Maybe I was freaking out over nothing. My only problem would be if they could tell I am a rogue.
My shift continues for four more hours before I can finally return home.
It’s pitch-black outside, the darkness of the night having swallowed every light.
There aren’t even stars in the sky. It’s warm as usual in early summer.
Overall, it’s a very cozy town, nothing out of the ordinary, but it also means that jobs are rare, which is why I ended up working in that club.
Just a temporary solution until Amelia finds a place for us.
I walk back to my place, enjoying the warm summer night. Despite having no idea what I am going to do and how I am going to solve all our issues, despite the anxiety of not knowing where this path will lead me, I also feel free.
Free from the awful place that shunned me and dragged me down. Free from Brandon and his friends. Free from my sad memories.
A squeaking sound startles me.
By the goddess, what’s going on now?
Another squeak and something that sounds like a whistle. Who or what is that?
I am so enthralled by the noise that I almost miss it. Right in front of my entrance door, there is an animal the size of a medium-sized dog. “What…” I stare at it when it gets up, looks at me, and squeaks again. “Are you a capybara?”
Another squeak.
Capybaras are certainly not domesticated animals here! Where did it come from? Getting down on my knees, I try to have a good look at it. The capybara doesn’t respect my distance, though, and waddles forward to bump against my knee.
“First Tiger, now you?! What am I going to do now?”
Still deep in thought, I open my front door, just to be pushed aside slightly by the capybara as it happily enters my place.
It’s one thing to keep a bird, but I can’t adopt a capybara!
Well, I can’t send it away either now. It’s in the middle of the night, and I can’t call the vet. I need to keep it until tomorrow.
As I am about to close the door, I hear a new sound, some rustling coming from the garden of the house next to me. Another animal? I keep staring in that direction, but nothing happens, aside from a shiver going down my spine.
I am getting paranoid.
I decide not to linger at my door, closing it firmly and locking it.
Fortunately, Faye will stay overnight at Donna’s place, so I don’t need to worry about her.
I often wonder if I am doing her good. Sure, Faye is a sweet kid and just overall thankful for everything, but I am not sure if I am doing right by her, or if I remotely fulfill her needs, and sometimes I wonder how much longer I can actually do this.
There are times I just feel exhausted, at other times I realize that my nerves are so thin I am scared of snapping or bursting into tears.
If only Marina would wake from her dissociative state.
If only Amelia would find a pack for Marina and Faye, then I could maybe leave and-
A wave of guilt hits me. I shouldn’t think like that.
Quickly glancing into the living room, I notice that Marina has gone to bed. The capybara, meanwhile, has lain down on the carpet with Tiger fluttering closer to inspect it.
“Don’t get too attached,” I mutter. “We won’t be able to keep it.