Returning Home

Chapter 14 - The City

POV - Felix

I started my walk looking back at our beautiful house. The timber from the house was all from the packs milling. Black Forest Pack had been in the game for century's, even before the great war. It was one of the only packs which traded inter species so after the war it only made sense to help fund the city Blackwood which we backed onto named after both the pack and the founder of the city Amelia's and Axels Grandfather.

The city was already fairly developed before the war including the Uni but it had been mostly for the Pack use and associates of the pack.

The pack had always been like a sanctuary for beings needing a home and that is how my mother came to be here. During the war her parents Pack, Moonlit, was very active and was the reason for a lot of the destruction and lives lost. They believed that the Wolves should lead and had a lot of followers. My mum was expected to lead but felt very differently from her family which lead to her fleeing and finding herself here.

That is about the most of the story Jake and I got then she met my dad blah blah blah. Then she passed. Leaving me with only photos of her past. Most of which were of her in the city. She arrived when she was only 18 just as I am. I felt close to her now imagining how she felt alone in a new place.

As I walked up the road the sun beaming on my back I felt free. like this is my new life. At least it is for now. i wanted to be a part of the city like I had tried to do back at the pack. I had hear about a community centre which focused on displaced beings after the war. It had been 40 years or so but people still struggled and there was still division thought the country. The council mostly delt with it but it meant people still needed help.

i wanted to help people like my mum as a way off feeling closer to her. i craved that connection. Especially now with everything going on. I only felt closer to her since she too had mate problems when she first met my father.

He was already with Kate when she moved here and they were planning to marry and mark each other as chosen mates when my father and mother met. It took a long time for things to come around and now I was in a somewhat similar situation with the daughter of the woman who tried to take my mum's mate from her.

I had volunteered at the pack orphanage and care centre for pups. Many thought me being wolfless was actually beneficial for this as I didn't scare younger pups with my Aura. Most of the other workers were Omegas or weaker unranked wolves for the same reason.

I hope the community center is similar and that they will accept me to work there. Though the situation is different and I know some places prefer not to hire those without abilities as it can put them in danger.

I could feel the sun starting to burn my skin as I entered the edge of the city. The area I was in was filled with apartments but at the end of the street I could see a small group of shops. The layout of the city made a lot of sense there were a number of small groups of shops with about a 15 minute radius worth of housing around each one allowing all beings to be able to walk to get their necessities. It was perfect. Our whole pack had just one group of shops and there were over 500 of us in that area so it made it much harder to go about day to day life and made it much harder to be independent.

As I went past each house they were fairly boring to take in but you could see the hustle and bustle of each household shine through making them feel like homes. clothes hanging on the balconies for tots to full grown men and children laughing and screaming.

It was so different from the pack. Though the city clearly had strong community the house holds held their own individual lives. Though there was respect for the alpha household that owned the lands and helped fund the city and the council who governed the country the households are more independent here. I whish our house had felt more like a family. But my father and brother and step monsters were more concerned with strength and alliance with the Alpha house (or rather loyalty). They found it easier to push me aside. These families In front of me appeared to be more whole and like I always wished I had.

Once I reached the shops I saw a little cafe "Humming Bird" the shop had on fancy writing out the front with a little picture of a bird sipping a coffee. The whole cafe was light blue with dark blue, yellow and white elements. Even with the cool tone to the building it felt homely so I walked in joining the line.

After I got my Iced Americano I asked a nice looking lady sitting out the front for some directions to the community centre.

"Oh sweetheart, it's just about 5 minutes east up this road and then on to Oakley Terrace" her voice was laced with pitty. I think she got the wrong idea but I didn't mind.

I thanked her heading off. I didn't feel the need to explain my situation. She didn't need to know. I sipped on my coffee just strolling and taking in my surroundings untill I saw the street sign for Oakley Terrace.

As I turned up I saw a beautiful building made of almost entirely timber. Most of it had silvered off but the warm wood tome still made me feel at home. it was perfect. "Oakley Community Centre" the sign read. I was surprised to see all sorts out the front mostly younger folk but Vampires, Fae, wolves, elves, even demons all talking and relaxing in the outdoor seating.

I felt so at home here I couldn't place my finger on it but I felt like I belonged. Maybe because in many ways I was a displaced wolf. I've always felt like I didn't belong so maybe that is where I did belong. With other beings who were also without a clear home.

I opened the big front doors to the entry. There was a lot of timber in here and a big photo wall along the back. I walked up and tears started to prick the edge of my eyes as I landed on the pictures of my mother from 40 years ago. She had been here... I walked along the photos getting more and more recent, some even had my father and brother in them and then there was the one of her pregnant with them and I knew it was the last of her.

I assume my brother doesn't remember this place because he would have been 3 when I was born but I couldn't understand why my dad wouldn't have said anything about it.

I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath. I need to be controlled when I talk to the front of house lady. I turned around my eyes landing on an old lady, she smelt like a witch, she had long grey hair and warm hazel eyes.

She was small and round but she felt like home. Her head finally raised her eyes catching mine and her face dropped. I saw tears start to fall from her eyes as she got up rushing around the counter pulling me into a hug. Her head was buried in my stomach and her arms around my waist as she sobbed uncontrollably. she pulled back dragging me into a room behind the counter and I just went with it.

Honestly I am so confused I just can't even react.