Shelter

What do you mean?" Alphonse frowned.

The old man didn't respond for a while and just shook his head. " The city is a dangerous place for our kind these days, and this shelter is the only hope at survival."

" I'm not certain if you've come across one of those human hunters. They are everywhere in the city nowadays, and those dastardly kids who let their feral desires rule them are the reason behind human raising a counter against our kind." The old man sighed. " We can only be grateful to kind Samaritans such as the Luna of the pack, who's quite successful and is a philanthropist towards her race. Seeing her kind being persecuted, she made this safe haven for helpless ones like me and you. It's that simple"

" ..." Alphonse was left speechless. He couldn't believe Nicole had done this for no reason other than it being out of kindness and compassion towards the werewolf race.

It was quite a pitiful life that werewolves lived. Cursed with feral desires and tendency to shape shift into a monstrous beast, life had never been more difficult and unfair.

From the first time a werewolf transforms, they have to slowly find their true selves and learn through physical hardship and mental difficulties to accept their nature while keeping it a secret from others. it is a painful process as the first few times shape shifting could be very painful. Bones and flesh shifting hurts like hell and it takes several years of getting used to before it finally stops hurting and becomes a normal process.

Then, Slowly, they meet others like themselves and integrate with their newfound race. From thereon they either become a member of a pack or lone rogues, but decision came with a price to pay. The price being when you finally realized the harsh and ugly side of being a werewolf, and when you're being hunted, you're left with allies who would help protect you. That's the purpose of a pack.

And the plentier the number of members in a pack, the stronger the collective strength of that pack grows as opposed to rogues who were mostly lone survivors. Even if a rogue has allies, they're not bound to protect him as a pack member. If a pack member left another for dead, he'd be considered to have betrayed the whole pack.

Life as a werewolf is complicated and riddled with several difficulties. And Alphonse being experienced has had to realize this in a cruel way.

" This city, it's really not a safe place?" after some thoughts, Alphonse asked the old man again. He had few days to stay at the shelter and thereafter he'd end up in the streets of the city once again. Alphonse wanted to gather as much info as he could to prepare.

Alphonse had been lucky to meet people and other werewolves who were kind enough to help him and even direct him to Yoldes' palm. However, he didn't expect that the city wasn't as safe as he thought it to be.

" Not at all. Besides, you're much safer in here than our there" The old man said and nodded towards a distant spot before turning away. Alphonse was confused for a moment until he looked towards where the old man had nodded.

' Nicole?' He was shocked to see her in the shelter.

The pretty Luna stood with her back facing Alphonse, her long black hair cascaded in a slight curl down her back. Her long blue gown clung tightly to her skin, accentuating her plump figure.

Alphonse had'nt noticed her presence as he was focused on listening to the old man's words. After all, whether he liked it or not he'd soon be thrown out of the shelter into the streets.

Reason for this? Well, not even the shelter would be willing to take in someone who poised a level of threat as he did. He had a whole wild pack in his pursuit, no one would want to get involved.

As Nicole stood to instruct some of her underlings, her domineering demeanor amplified her nurturing presence which embodied compassion and grace as she demonstrated with her hands and spoke. She exuded the aura of a mature woman who'd been in power for a long time, like a female politician, especially with those subtle makeups and wine lipstick besmirched lips.

She spoke to her betas for a while before looking around the place. Her gaze stopped when she met sight of Alphonse and she instantly approached him.

" Alphonse is it?" She asked when she was close enough.

" Yeah?" Alphonse was confused as to why he was being approached by the one who ran the place like this. Could it be that his time was up already and he was about to be kicked out?

" Well, I'd like to speak with you for a moment if you don't mind following me" Nicole asked and turned around to walk away without waiting for Alphonse to respond.

Alphonse just stared in a daze at her back as she walked away. He looked around as if to find answers and was shocked to see that no one looked at him not gave a concern as to the fact that Nicole had approached him. Even the old man laid on his side with his back to him!

' Strange...' Alphonse thought as he slowly followed behind Nicole. He had no reason to not, after all, she practically owns the place.

Alphonse followed Nicole towards the same room where he'd been interrogated the first time he was at Yoldes' palm. He noticed that ag some point, two other men followed behind him closely.

' Makes sense, I'm really being kicked out' Alphonse made a quick conjecture as to his current situation. That was the only logical conclusion he could make about the whole scenario.

'Sigh?!' Alphonse sighed visibly and slightly shook his head. He started to give thought to his next line of action.

Getting into the familiar room, Alphonse expected to meet Yoldes' sitting in the room with an accomplished grin on his face. However, Yoldes' was nowhere to be found.

In fact, save for Nicole and the other two guys who stood behind him to safeguard the door, there was no one else but him in the room.

Alphonse couldn't help but observe the room, not sure if perhaps, Yoldes was hiding. The room which had a cozy yet commanding setting, however, seemed the same as last time. The large, sturdy desk of vintage decor in the middle of the two chairs where he'd sat back then were still just the same. Even the pillows were placed exactly as he could remember.

" No one comes in!" Nicole half-turned to say to the two betas and shot Alphonse a glance before walking out the front door.

Alphonse was shocked at this new progression and couldn't help but look around, unsure of what to do next.

Getting no help from the guards either, he decided to follow behind Nicole. Quite surprisingly, the guards didn't stop him.

Alphonse walked out the door which Nicole had just left the room through and found himself in the familiar corridor. He saw the stairs which led to the pub and quickly looked around to find Nicole.

' There!' Alphonse looked to the side and caught a glimpse of Nicole taking a turn by the far end of the corridor. Alphonse didn't waste time standing around, he rushed towards the corridor to follow behind Nicole.

Click!

Taking a turn by the end of the corridor, Alphonse stood before another corridor with a door at its rear end. He'd heard the sound of the door clicking shut just now and Alphonse could tell that Nicole had just went in.

Alphonse stood in spot and cautiously looked around, unsure whether he should follow behind Nicole now as it seemed like a well thought-out trap.

He thought to turn back and leave but staring at the door at the rear end of the corridor that now stood in, something told him to go in there. And if he didn't, he'd regret it.

Alphonse had never felt this tensed to make a decision in his life. However, being a man, Alphonse decided to see this through instead.

' If it's a trap, then I'll force my way through!' He thought with a firm conviction. His gaze became resolute as he took step after step towards the door.

He stopped by the door and reached to grab the knob. Alphonse hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether he really shouldn't go in.

' Fuck it!' he swore and turned the door knob, pushed the door and went in.

...