Chapter 6: The Pet Store (Lucia's POV)

THE PAST (Six years earlier):

"Cody, help me. I need to pick out a pet for my grandma. She hates birds. Want to head to the pet store with me," I ask?

My grandmother's birthday is around the corner. She's wanted a pet for as long as I can remember. I've never had a pet. I am pretty sure Cody has owned a few pets.

"Yeah, we can go there. Want to walk to the mall," Cody asks while eating the last chocolate chip cookie?

That's just like Cody to eat the last of my grandmother's cookies. He likes my grandmother and she makes him cookies regularly to keep him around. She knows he's my only close friend. We may not see eye to eye, but at least we have the love of my grandmother in common. Cody is more outgoing than I am, and my shyness is why we are close. I keep him grounded and he keeps me on edge. Two best friends, keeping each other equally balanced.

Cody tears the cookie in half and gives me a bite.

"Sure. My grandmother needs a pet. Her birthday is coming up and I want to surprise her with the perfect pet. Any pet will do. I told her I would take care of it if we got one. So she's honestly not going to care," I say as I take the cookie out of Cody's hand.

His eyes reflect a yellow at times when he looks at me. It's both frightening and fascinating. The yellow is is similar to the amber found by fossils. I never ask him about his eyes, it might be a trick of the light or a birth defect. I wouldn't want to make Cody uncomfortable around me. But those eyes, call to me in a spiritual way like they can predict the future. Sometimes I think Cody knows what is going to happen before it unfolds, like he's a time traveler or has a sixth sense that I am unaware of.

"Alright, let's get going," Cody says as he finishes the cookie and crunches it loudly beneath his teeth. His teeth are stronger than mine, his canine teeth are unusually sharp compared to most.

I follow him along the sidewalk, and watch as he stops in his tracks. Cody's eyes fixate on a squirrel who is too scared to move. He stares at the squirrel for a full five minutes. His eyes never leave the poor creature. I swear I heard him lick his lips as his yellow eyes got large with his pupils again.

I touch Cody's shoulder and his head tilts down toward my face. I blush slightly. It's a secret that I like my best friend a little more than I'd like to. We walk to the mall, and the leaves fall from the trees. The sound of the leaves running along the sidewalk sounds like the stampede of the mustangs in the field. Cody leans his head to the left to listen, at times he acts just like a dog. But that's silly, humans and dogs are very different species.

The pet store is on the horizon, the large sign reads 'Pete's Pet Rescue.' The name is deceiving. The animals at Pete's need to be rescued from their animal prison. I am pretty sure they don't feed them properly there. But since Cody and I are fourteen and thirteen, we don't have our driver's license and walking was the best we could do. As for 'Pete's Pet Rescue' it's the closest pet store we can get to by foot.

Pete Avery the store owner opens the door for us. A motion sensory signals for the bell to go off, as we enter the store. Pete has been smoking on his break again. I can see the ashes resting in his salt and pepper-looking pirate beard. I am pretty sure he was a pirate in his past life, no one can convince me otherwise.

"What pet would you like to buy today," Pete asks as his nostril flare? He isn't a nice man, which supports my animal mistreatment theory.

"Do you have any cats," I ask?

Not that my grandmother likes cats, but it's the first animal that came to my mind. Pete scares the shit out of me, after all.

"Yes, we do. I'll let you and your little friend pick one out and play with it in the animal playroom." Pete points to the cat corner and Cody walks to the door.

All the cats freeze as they look at Cody. When he puts his face next to the glass they all start hissing. Every single cat. Their tail fur becomes bushy and all their hairs stand on end. Cody's green eyes turn a yellow amber as anger finds his soul. I know puberty sucks, but it seems to have taken its toll on Cody in a way I will never understand. Now I know I can never ask him anything. Puberty is embracing enough for women, I don't need to concern myself with what Cody is going through.

"Hey, Cody. Forget the cats. They look like they would rip my grandmother's eyes out. Let's get a dog? Maybe a small one," I say.

The encounter between Cody and the cats is unnerving and I need it to end. I grab Cody's hand and walk us over to the dogs. The dogs are loud and are barking like they all want to be let out at once. Cody releases my hand and whispers to the dogs. They all stop barking and sit down and obey him like he is an alpha.

It's as though he is one of their own, a member of an unspoken dog pack. As he calms them down, I grab a small little poodle and pay for it quickly. Even Pete looks creeped out by the supernatural ability that Cody possesses over the dogs. When we leave the pet store, Cody carries the small white poodle pet carrier. The dog inside is calm, the other dogs start barking as soon as Cody leaves the pet store.

THE PRESENT:

"Lucia, wake up! Wake up! It's time to get going. It's time to continue our journey and find Cody," Chief Wolfpaw says while putting the fire out.

My dream about Cody reminds me of the truth. That he has been a werewolf this whole time. If I had known the signs and what to look for, I would have realized it then that yellow eyes and commanding pet store dogs is not normal behavior for a boy of fourteen.

Cody wherever you are, I hope we can get married and I can find out what a true alpha you really are.