Shifting bonds

Claudine first heard the menacing and lethal hiss of the cat before she spotted it crouched in the corner of the room.

Although it lay on its belly, it appeared ready for attack, prepared to pounce and seize one of the rats scurrying about.

Claudine hushed herself as she observed the cat hiss even more strongly, bare its teeth, and then leap, successfully capturing one of the rats.

With sharp canines, it tore its prey into pieces, extracting every last bit of life and vitality from it.

The room transformed in an instant.

The scared rats vanished like ghosts, leaving behind an eerie stillness. Claudine surveyed the aftermath, struck by the sudden silence that enveloped the room, though the strong smell of rat pee lingered.

Balancing on the worktop table, she contemplated her next move. Descending seemed unwise, for the cat's intentions remained unknown.

Her eyes never left the feline form at the room's center, now engrossed in licking his furs, an oddly serene juxtaposition to the recent brutality.

Claudine watched with amazement at the feline beauty. She got down from the table as slowly and as gently as she could manage.

She stretched out her hand, and her fingers trembled lightly.

"Easy now," she said with a shaky voice, approaching with care.

The cat's fierce gaze softened as it delicately groomed itself, the remnants of the rat forgotten beside it. Claudine inched closer.

"There, there. It's just me," she murmured, her voice soothing.

The cat had taken its eyes from her and was back to licking its paws, cleaning her coat with the pink tongue.

When Claudine was very close, the cat as if on impulse, glanced up and hissed. Claudine recoiled.

"Come on now, it's just me," she said in a gentle whisper. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She nearly laughed at the thought of hurting the cat. She had been timid enough to be frightened by rats. How was she going to hurt a cat?

She was only trying to appreciate the cat who had come out of nowhere to save her. The cat hissed again and began to retreat slowly.

"Don't go now, kitty," Claudine implored.

"Come on, I'm just a friend. And aren't you my friend too?"

But the cat did not stop. It retreated till it got near the door, and that was when Claudine saw how it had entered.

There was a small window adjacent to the door. The cat, agile and graceful, leaped up and fled through the opening.

"Ohh, no," Claudine said to herself.

With the cat gone, she felt alone and afraid once more. What if the rats returned? She clutched her throat to choke down the tears that were burning through it as she looked around her.

The room was even more filthy. A lone bulb with a dullish yellow glow hung from the ceiling, its light dimming and brightening up intermittently.

The stench of the urine-filled her nostrils, and she felt nauseous. Her head began to throb, and it felt like it might blow up at any minute.

She looked at the window again. It was too small for her. Even the cat had had to squeeze itself out.

"No, this isn't happening," she said to herself as she smacked her forehead. This only increased the ache in her head, and she groaned.

At the orphanage, she and the other children used to dream about a real home with birth parents who would actually care for them and not simply monitor them perfunctorily as the carers did.

They dreamt aloud, many of them, but Claudine held her dreams inside, close to her heart, like precious jewelry.

She thought if she said it aloud, it could somehow alter the dream, so she kept mute while the other girls rambled on about their dream parents.

"No," she said again, sinking into the slim bed that lay by the side of the wall.

The mattress was worn out with use, and as soon as she sat, it sank under her weight. Almost without thought, she lay flat on the bed, willing her head to stop throbbing.

She heard a rustle and became scared that the rats had returned, but she was too tired, too weak to get up, so she lay supine.

She heard the rustle again and then a thud.

"What now?" She moaned, her voice filled with terror.

But then, she heard a meow. She turned her head sharply, and sitting on its haunches was the cat. It looked more genial, more inviting. She swung her legs off the bed.

"Hi there, kitty," she said to the animal that had now cocked its head left and right to scrutinize her.

Claudine held a hand out. Slowly but surely, the cat approached her. It nozzled its head up against Claudine's open palm and gave a purr of satisfaction as it did.

"There, there now," Claudine said.

"There you go."

She was grateful for the companionship and even more grateful that with the cat present, the rats would stay away. She smiled at the animal as it climbed onto her body and the bed.

"Ohh, you're a playful one," Claudine said, giggling as the cat jumped onto her lap, nuzzling its head on her thighs.

"I'll have to give you a name; you don't seem to have one."

Claudine thought very hard.

While she was at the orphanage, she spent her free time poring through books, most of them fantasy but also of other genres.

She tried to think up a name that

would suit her new friend. The light in the room brightened, and the cat shrieked in response.

It climbed onto Claudine's body, snuggling itself in her thin frame.

When the light dimmed again, the cat gave a loud purr of satisfaction.

"Ahh, you don't like the light, do you?" Claudine said, stroking its fur.

"Well, don't be scared."

She thought for a while and finally came up with something.

"I know just what to call you," Claudine said with excitement.

"Lumos. Wow, that works perfectly."

She did not know where she had heard the word or read it, perhaps, but she knew it had to be related to light.

"Lumos," she said again.

The cat got down from her lap and lay on the ground next to the bed, and Claudine straightened her frame on the bed.

Her headache had dulled, and she knew it was the interaction with her new friend that caused it. It was going to be tough, she knew, but she would be tougher. She shut her eyes and tried to sleep.

***

"It's almost mating season," Janey said aloud, taking another sip from her glass.

Arielle muttered something under her breath.

Since Arielle turned eighteen, the Zaynaders had been trying to have her mate with Denzel, the alpha of the Blackmoon Pack, but every time they did, he spurned their advances.

"What about that, mom?" Arielle said, her voice colored with irritation.

"Well, Denzel is still without a mate," Janey said, a complacent look on her face.

"I thought we're forgetting about Denzel, Mom," Arielle complained.

"You, of all people."

Janey shrugged. The last time she and Matt had visited Denzel's mansion, he had yelled from his room that they should go, saying that he had no interest whatsoever in their daughter.

Matt and Janey, who had had to swallow their pride to pay the visit, felt utterly disrespected and swore on the moon that they would never approach Denzel again.

"That fucking bastard is too big for his breaches," Janey said as Matt had driven them home that day.

And now, here she was, raising the issue again.

Arielle's voice was tinged with frustration. "Mom, please, drop it," she insisted. Janey caught the tension in her daughter's expression.

"Arielle, you should join us at this year's Founders Day ball," Janey suggested.

"The whole town will be there—humans and werewolves to choose from."

Arielle's eyes widened in surprise.

"What?" She shot her mother a puzzled glance.

"I mean, since you're not too interested in Denzel, you could see someone else." Janey teased lightly.

"Yeah," Arielle said, waving her hand as if to swat the idea of Denzel away from the conversation.

"Reid. He's not bad, and I can handle him. Maybe I'll even make an appearance at the Founder's Day ball. I might try my luck with both of them."

"That's my girl," Janey cheered, clapping her hands with glee.

"I'm sure you'll enchant them. They might even vie for your attention."

Arielle gazed up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"What's on your mind?" Janey inquired, her curiosity piqued.

"Nothing important," Arielle replied, still looking upward.

"Just... Reid. He's rather charming."

Janey wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"He's the beta," she reminded her daughter.

"You've never settled for less. Don't start now."

"True, Mom," Arielle conceded.

"He's not on my radar yet."

"Good to know, darling."

"Although, even if things lean towards Reid, I'd help him ascend to alpha status, even if it means challenging Denzel."

"But betas are fiercely loyal. How do you plan to sway him?" Janey questioned.

"Mom, never underestimate the influence of a mate. I'll entice him with my charms and striking looks."

Arielle rose from her seat and made her way to her room, Janey observing her with concern.

She wanted the very best for her daughter, and one of her wishes was for her to mate with pack royalty, such as Denzel, the alpha of the Blackmoon pack.

But Arielle seemed to have other thoughts in her head if that didn't happen.