Wait! Werewolves Exist?
Chapter 11

AMBER.

I followed the directions Ellie had given me and pulled up outside a big, beautiful house. This couldn’t be the right place, surely. I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. I walked over and cleared the foliage that had grown over the sign. BLUEBELL COTTAGE. It was the right house. HOLY s**t! I couldn’t believe that this gorgeous house was mine. Bluebell cottage was a misleading name. I had been expecting a cosy little cottage, not this. It was a luxury lodge style building, all wood and glass. There was a huge garden, which was a little wild at the moment. The house in the city was a small two bed, terraced house in the middle of a busy street. I loved that house and had so many happy memories there, but I couldn’t help feeling a little bit confused as to why we had lived there, when Mary had this place the whole time. We had never even come here for a holiday.

I slid the key into the lock cautiously. I half expected someone to fling the door open and demand to know why I was trying to get into their house, but no one did. I pushed the door open and stepped inside. It smelt musty from being locked up and empty for so long. I would soon change that. I went around opening curtains and windows. There were big patio doors in the back, so I opened them too. I would soon have it aired out. I looked around at the big, open plan kitchen/dining/sitting area. There was a huge brick fireplace, and i thought that Mary’s old chair would look perfect right in front of it. I would get it shipped up from storage. I was pleased to find that the house was completely furnished and that the furniture had been protected with dust sheets. I was already falling in love with this place and couldn’t wait to make it my home.

I headed upstairs to open the windows up there as well. There were four big bedrooms and the bathroom was bigger than my childhood bedroom. I looked forward to relaxing in that bathtub. It was easily big enough for three people and has spa jets. I took a moment to wonder how I would get the power and water turned on. I had no idea who supplied them out here. Maybe Ellie could give me the numbers, I thought to myself while absentmindedly flicking the bathroom light switch. I was surprised when the room flooded with light. I guess i wouldn’t have to worry about that after all. I did a mental note to still speak to Ellie about it as I needed to know who my suppliers were to pay the bills. I tried the tap and smiled as the water began to flow. I turned the tap and light off and headed out to get the cleaning supplies I had just bought from the car. I would have this place clean and fresh in no time. I couldn’t help smiling as I got to work.

ELLIE.

I hadn’t stopped thinking about Amber since she left. I had always wondered about Mary and what became of her. We had been good friends but had lost touch when she left and severed ties with the pack. Eighteen years ago, Lakeside suffered a great tragedy when our beloved Alpha family was brutally murdered in a rogue attack. Mary was very close with them. She had even been their daughters godmother. She took their deaths hard and couldn’t face staying. The thing is, Mary didn’t have any children when she lived here. And that girl was clearly in her twenties. Had she adopted her? I was surprised she had named her Amber, unless she already had the name before Mary took her in. That was a hell of a coincidence, though. Amber was the name of the Alpha and Luna’s daughter, but she had died in the rouge attack with her parents. I figured maybe Mary chose the name to honour them, and I shrugged it off.

Her name was the least of my worries. I couldn’t help but wonder how Amber was going to fit in here. It was almost unheard of for a human to live in a werewolf pack. Very rarely a werewolf would be mated to a human and should they choose to accept the mate bond and be together they could either live in the pack, which I imagine would be difficult for a human, or live in the human world, which I imagine would be difficult for a werewolf. A human mate was the only circumstance in which it was legal to turn a human, and even then, you needed permission from the supernatural court and the werewolf council. Unlike in the movies it’s not as easy as scratching someone. It takes a magical ceremony and is absolutely brutal for the human. If they survive it, they have to wait until the next full moon to see if they turn. A made werewolf isn’t the same as a natural werewolf, but they do have our enhanced senses, strength, speed and healing abilities so the court and council will grant permission occasionally if it’s what both mates truly want. Amber however hadn’t mated to a wolf. I had never heard of a human living in a pack without a mate before. I’m sure Mary had explained everything to the girl. Being a wolf/witch hybrid, she probably taught her plenty. I’m probably worrying over nothing. I chuckled to myself as a thought crossed my mind. Imagine if she didn’t know about any of it. What a way to find out about the existence of the supernatural world, by moving into a town full of werewolves.