Mated to the unknown

It's been 13 years since a werewolf sighting. I was 15 and I remember it very clearly. Our town has never been against werewolves, but still they ran away, that's what we were told. The werewolves ran but I do not think it's the full truth. Is anything ever fully true? My alarm rang and that shocked me out of my thoughts,when I checked the time it was 7:15am. I'll be late for work if I don't start getting ready now. So I stand up from my bed and rush to the bathroom to brush and take a bath. I checked my alarm clock once I got out of the bathroom and dressed and it read 7:45 am. I'm definitely going to be late. It's a 30 minute drive from my house to the hospital, if only I didn't give into my intrusive thoughts, that also means no breakfast today. Darn it. I took the stairs out of my apartment building because the elevator was broken, I don't know if the caretaker is aware but I'll make a mental note to remind him when I come back home. By the time I reached the end of the staircase I was drenched in sweat- that's what I get for living on the 7th floor. As I clocked in I checked the time- 8:05am, I was early by only 5 minutes which meant I escaped a scolding from Dr. Wilson. That's a win. A great way to start your Monday. Barely 5 minutes after I sat down Dr. Wilson came out looking for me. "Laura, good to see you're on time today," he walked to the clock on table and checked, once he saw the time, he grimaced, "You're only 5 minutes early. Laura I need to know whether or not you're committed to this hospital. I can't keep telling you how much I value punctuality. I know we don't officially open till 10 minutes past eight... " " Sir, I promise you I am very committed, working at this hospital is a dream come true, and helping all those pets heal and become healthy is what my whole life is about. This hospital is not just a hospital, it's like a second home to me. I am very sorry for always coming late. I am committed, I really am... " "Okay", Dr. Wilson said. "Okay?", I said, astonished. "Okay? What do you mean by 'okay'? Okay you forgive me? Okay I'm fired or okay you have nothing more to tell me and this is the last straw and one more strike and it's the end of my career?" I said in a rush. Dr. Wilson eyed me. "Laura, breathe. I know this hospital means a lot to you and you show that a lot. I just want you to be on time. That is all and I'm not firing you, at least not now. You're my most valuable staff. Just be on time. Thank you." "Okay, thank you so much sir. I promise to be on time from now on." I said with a wide smile on my face as he walked away. I sat down and arranged the documents on my table, getting ready for the mountain of paperwork that was bound to come. I got home by 8:30pm and the elevator wasn't working again, time to find the caretaker, Evan. I walked down the hall of the ground floor and stopped at a door with the word 'CARETAKER' in capital letters on it in neon green. That's a weird color though, I mean why would it be green? I was about to knock when the door opened and I jumped back. "I'm sorry about that, I wasn't expecting anyone to be here" said the mysterious man with golden brown eyes and a silky deep voice. "Oh, it's alright I'm just looking for Evan,the caretaker." I finally spoke after what felt like hours of looking into those eyes, eyes that looked like they knew all my secrets. "Evan isn't here," the mystery man said. That's weird. Evan doesn't usually leave until it's 10:00 pm, I wonder if he's okay. I hope he's alright. "Oh did he go somewhere? Is it far? " I inquired. "No, it's not that. Evan isn't here anymore," he said firmly while walking away, like he was trying to deliver news of the death of a loved one,which took me aback. "What do you mean 'He's not here anymore'? Oh my gosh, is he, is he...dead?" I asked, fearful of his response. He stopped in his tracks and looked back, his eyes looked different in the semi-dark hallway, illuminated by the flickering light bulb that looked like it was plucked out of a horror movie, darn that lightbulb. And then something happened, something I never expected - he laughed. He's about to give me bad news and he's laughing? What kind of human being is he? "No, that's not what I meant. He's very much alive. He was fired and I'm his replacement." Fired. Fired? Fired? What does he mean he was fired? "You really need to see the look on your face. His wife just gave birth and he took a break to take care of her and their child. And I'm his replacement, I'm standing in for him while he's away. I'm the new caretaker. What do you want me to do for you?" His voice got deeper at the last sentence and I flushed. Thank goodness the lightbulb was flickering. "What.. wha.. wha?", I stuttered. "I figured you needed something from the caretaker, hence the reason why you are here by..." He pauses to check his watch. His very expensive watch. With a watch like that, why would he need a job like this? This job pays about a grand, minus taxes. "9:45 pm. So what do you need me to do?" he continued. " Oh um, I just wanted to tell Evan, I mean the caretaker, that the elevator isn't working anymore and also that lightbulb." I pointed upwards. "The lightbulb is a menace and causes headaches with all its flickering." I said. "Okay, noted. The elevator will be working by Wednesday and as for the bulb, I'm on it. It will be working fine in the next 10 minutes. You can come down later to check it out and see if it fits your standards. Is that all?" He said with a smile. "Um, yes. Thank you and goodnight." I said and walked away. Dang it, I don't know his name. I can't remember leaving my house. I'm in the woods and the only light is from the moon. There's a clearing ahead and I'm walking towards it. There's a sound in the bushes and it seems like there's something there so I walk towards it and then I hear panting and whining like a dog's own. I walk faster towards what looks like a dog. It has the prettiest ears and its fur is matted right above its first paw, like it's wounded. So I take off my scarf and tie it around the injured paw, and surprisingly it lets me. "It's okay, you'll be fine." I start talking to it, to keep it awake- keeping your patient conscious is a must. I go around it to check for more injuries and I find none. It's time to see if it can walk, so I can get it to the hospital for actual treatment. It probably sensed what I thought and it made an effort to stand up and it was successful, we made it 3 steps before it stopped and growled. I know that growl. There was danger around, I stopped and looked around and then something knocked the air out of me and I was on the floor... 6:45 am, saved by the alarm. I jerked out of sleep drenched with sweat. What was that dream? Was that actually real? I made sure to check every part of my body and I was whole. No scratch, no tear, no blood. 5 minutes later I walked to the bathroom to brush my teeth and take a bath. It looks like I'll be early today. That's a new development. Turned on the shower to fill the tub and opened my Spotify app to play Taylor Swift's new album. 15 minutes to take a shower as usual. I put on my scrubs and walked to the kitchen to get my usual breakfast of Rice Krispies. I checked my watch. 7:20am, 30 minutes to the office. I'll be early by 20 minutes, that's a good start. I opened the door to see the caretaker looking right at me and I jumped back. "Good morning. I didn't mean to scare you, I just wanted to let you know that the elevator will be working by this afternoon." he said with a stoic look on his face "Oh...okay. Good morning to you too. Thank you for the information. I thought you said Wednesday... " "I contacted the company before you told me about it and I called them. They told me Wednesday but they sent people this morning," he explained. "Thanks a million." "Have a nice day," he said as he turned to leave. Ask him his name, girl. "Wait!" I called after him and he stopped and turned to look at me. "Yes?" I walked quickly to his side, because I didn't want to shout the question. "I'm Laura." " Nice to meet you Laura." He turned to walk away and I held his hand. His skin was soft and very hot. He turned back again and I swear I saw his eyes change. He yanked his hand back like he had been burned. "Please do not touch me. What else is there?" "I'm sorry about that. I just... You didn't tell me your name after I told you mine. I mean you're the caretaker but that's not your name, I need a name so..." "It's John." "Okay. Nice to meet you John." "Hmm. Is there anything else?" he said as he checked his watch. 7:35 am. Dang it. Looks like I won't be as early as I wanted today. "No. Goodbye and have a lovely day." I said as I broke into a run. I clocked in at 7:52am- 18 minutes early.8 minutes better than yesterday. That's a win.