7

I could only imagine what last night must have been like for her. For me, things couldn’t have gone more perfectly. I had finally met with her face to face, rather than lurking in the corners, hoping to get a chance to talk to her. I got to put Terror Trevor in his place and drive out the Howls from the town. A place free from the violent werewolves, now wasn’t that the dream?

Last night, I walked the Path of the Creed. When a pack such as mine found itself without an alpha, Providence made it such that a new alpha would rise from the ranks by facing challenges and overcoming them. Everything that had happened, from me rescuing Alice to me battling Trevor was Providence’s way of conducting a trial to see if I was worthy or not. So said Father Thomas and the rest of the elders in the ceremony.

I hadn’t anticipated becoming an alpha. Ever since I was little, the alpha had been someone strong, wise, and old. I might be strong, but I came up short on the wise and old front. I had posed this concern to everyone present at the ceremony. Rather than take it as a valid concern, they thought I was displaying signs of modesty, which made them even more in my favor.

On the blessed full moon night, I was chosen by the pack to be their new alpha. I might not be wise or old, but even I knew that my new position entailed a lot of responsibility. Wolves who ascended to being alphas took the title seriously and devoted themselves to the cause full-time. At the time, I was elated, thanking everyone, shaking every hand that came my way, and hugging everyone who approached me. Now, in the sobering light of day, the balancing act seemed quite challenging to me. To somehow maintain my normal life and also uphold the traditions that came with being an alpha—it was going to be…

“Cat got your tongue?”

I could see that someone was shaking their hand in front of me. Had I gone into one of my hyper-focused trances again? I blinked myself into awareness and followed the hand to the arm it was attached to. It was Alice. She was smiling at me, waving her hand at me.

“Hi!” I said, getting up to greet her. What did people do when they met for coffee for the first time? Hug? Kiss? Shake hands?

“Hey yourself,” Alice said, chuckling as we did an awkward hug that was also a handshake at the same time. I had never felt more awkward in my life than I did at that moment.

Alice dumped her shopping bags under the table and sat down across from me. “Why is this place so jam-packed? Is there like a Starbucks shortage in town?”

“Starbucks doesn’t usually aim for towns that have a population of fewer than ten thousand people,” I said. I wasn’t even sure that was true.

“Oh, Gosh, really? That low?”

“The town welcome board says ten thousand, but I think it’s way less than that. Have you seen even a thousand people since you’ve been here?” I asked.

“I should have been counting, dammit,” she said, rifling through the menu. “What’s good in this joint, present company excluded?”

I could just sit here and gaze at her all day. Everything every poet had ever said felt like the truth as I sat in her presence. All these people around us, yet she was the only one I could see. Alice, with her deep beaming eyes, her face looking like she was suppressing a thousand thoughts behind that smile, and her hands constantly reaching up to her hair to tuck it behind her ears.

“Brandon?”

The way she said my name. It felt right to hear my name coming from her lips. Her voice was a smooth lilt that cradled my entire being into a sense of comfort.

“Brandon?” This time she reached out and tugged my hand.

“Oh. I’m sorry. It’s just…” It’s just what, Brandon? Think. You don’t want this girl to think you’re a weirdo.

“I know what you mean,” Alice said, her smile disappearing.

“You do?”

“The way we met last night, it was sort of like a record playing in reverse. We didn’t get a chance to ease into things. One minute I’m being chased up the hill, the next minute you’re throwing me off it. I come out of the water, there you are, telling me that you’re a wolf and I might be one, too. On top of all of that….”

“Exactly! How does one go back to normal, make small talk, or behave like one’s on a date when the underlying context revolves around,” I looked around to see if anyone was eavesdropping or not, “…Werewolves.”

“You know,” Alice leaned in with a devilish grin on her face. “I haven’t exactly been honest with you. I’m what the shrinks might label batshit crazy. So, if I’m taking this better than most people would, you might want to consider that I might be thinking that I’m hallucinating all of this.”

“Are you for real right now?” I asked.

“Well. You were honest with me last night, coming clean about the existence of mythical creatures such as yourself, so the very least I can do is do the same for you. It’s not for naught that a family just up and moves from Chicago to a place like Rapid Falls. There’s history there,” she said. “I’m just letting you know up front.”

I reached across the table—what the hell else was I supposed to do? Her hand just idly lay there—and wrapped my hands around hers and squeezed.

“Listen,” I said. “I see you. There’s depth to you that would give deep sea trenches a run for their money. Whatever’s there, you don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready. I’m here and I’m not going to be fazed. That’s a Caufield guarantee.”

She didn’t immediately reply. Just put her other hand on top of mine and squeezed back. We stayed put like that, unmoving, just looking deeply into each other’s eyes, until the waiter came up, asking for our order.

Once we were done with eating and drinking, I asked if she wanted to go for a walk, desperately not wanting the night to end.

“What about the … wolves?” Alice said, her eyes betraying the fear she had been holding onto.