It had been a long shift, but Caden loved the bar he worked at and thoroughly enjoyed it most of the time. In the early hours of the shift he would be one of the star attractions, showing off his flair for flavours and tricks, tossing and catching bottles with ease, spinning them and making a cocktail which tasted amazing along with the show. The later hours, once the music was in full swing and people were just focused on getting back to grinding on the dancefloor, so it was a case of handing out bottles of beer, pouring quick shots, occasionally being a shoulder to cry on. As daylight approached it was a case of clearing up - putting on the playlist of whichever member of staff won the coin toss that night and dancing together to make the job go faster.
Eighteen months. It seemed longer since they'd left the city. Caden had initially hated living with Dom and Carrie so they could 'keep an eye' on him, but Dom did treat him fairly and Carrie was a pleasure to be around (apart from the hormones and stress of being pregnant). Dom and Caden had worked together on making the cages that Carrie and Caden spent a few nights in each month, and since he was properly involved Caden took a sense of pride in it. He knew they were strong, he knew what they were for, and because he'd helped make them, it made going into them easier than it had been when he'd been told to report to the Oligarchy each month having been allowed to roam free previously.
Caden had never really put much thought into starting a family - who would want a kid with someone who turned into a monster each month? But Dom and Carrie seemed to make it work, and the cub, little Sadie, was adorable. And growing at a fucking amazing rate.
Dom had explained that her quick aging was due to what he was that she'd inherited - black bears could have a life-span of up to 25 years; it seemed sad to Caden that her life would be so short, but she was learning quickly and the baby - somehow now a toddler, was full of life and charm and Caden was smitten with the little darling. He was more than happy to spend hours with her, reading, playing in the forest that surrounded their cabin, making her dinner and putting her to bed when his shifts allowed.
Their cabin was an hour outside of the city by car and it was rare that Caden got home before 6am, usually giving Sadie breakfast to give her parents a bit of a lie-in before she or Dom would take over and Caden would crawl into bed. Dom was usually a grouch in the mornings, especially if his sleep had been disturbed, just like Sadie (although she was usually the one doing the disturbing). They didn't always get along brilliantly, all three of them had their differences and despite them having a baby, Carrie and Dom hadn't really known each other longer than they'd known Caden. But most of the time they made it work.
As he was giving Sadie her breakfast that morning though (boiled eggs from the chickens out back), Caden heard raised voices coming through from the larger bedroom. Carrie was screaming at Dom, something about being locked up that night. She seemed to have been getting more tense about it recently, and Dom wouldn't give an inch, which really was for the best.
"Come on Sadie, let's turn breakfast into a picnic, shall we?" Caden suggested to the youngster, before scooping up her and the eggs and heading outside, venturing into the forest so they could finish their breakfast out of hearing of the shouting from her parents.
He spent a little longer with Sadie that morning, giving Carrie and Dom a chance to work things through. There was a tense moment when the little girl transformed into her bear form, but she still knew him and they played for a bit before she transformed back. Shifting always wore her out, so Caden was relieved to hear a car leaving as she turned back and he scooped her up and took her home, finding Dom on the front porch, his long legs stretched out as he sat on the steps.
"What happened?" Caden asked as Dom stood to take Sadie from him, resting her head against his shoulder.
"The usual, she doesn't want to go into them tonight. I hope she comes back in time," Dom said nodding in the direction the car had driven off in.
"She will, she always does," Caden replied, although he felt a spark of worry. He'd spent plenty of full moons out in the wilderness, but they were closer to the city than he'd been during those times. And there hadn't been a baby around then.
Dom gave a slow nod, before turning and taking Sadie inside. "Get some sleep Caden, you'll need your rest for tonight," he said over his shoulder to the werewolf. Caden gave a nod and headed to his room, stripping and curling up in his bed to sleep the rest of the day away.
It was only half an hour before moonrise when Caden awoke and he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, feeling a jolt of surprise as he registered the time.
"Fuck," he mumbled to himself, rolling out of bed. Dom or Carrie usually woke him up before then. That was their routine - Carrie and Caden would have a big dinner whilst Dom put Sadie to bed, then they would be locked up, a pile of meat in their separate cages to keep them busy, then they would hopefully sleep the rest of the night, whilst Dom patrolled to make sure they stayed in line. But they had let him sleep and there was no smell of food cooking, or the sound of movement anywhere in the cabin.
Caden raced through the cabin, until he found Dom stretched out on the sofa, a glass of juice on the coffee table before him. Caden quickly checked him over, shaking the shifter, but although he was breathing, he wouldn't stir. Caden took a sniff of the juice and smelt something... unnatural. Surely Dom should have smelt that before he drunk? Maybe not if he was distracted. He'd been drugged, definitely.
"Carrie?" Caden shouted, "Sadie?"
Nothing.
Caden did another quick search of the cabin, but there wasn't time to go further. In a state of panic Caden made his way to the cages and locked himself up, curling up in a corner to pray that Carrie and Sadie would be ok.
The next morning Carrie returned. She was cold, unclothed, muddy, blood-splattered and without her child. Dom had finally awoken in the early hours of the morning, feeling groggy and acting like a ... well, like a bear with a sore head.
As soon as Carrie was back and Caden was released from his cage, they went back out hunting for her. Carrie was sobbing, apologising over and over again for drugging Dom in her frustration over their argument, but Dom merely grunted at her in response. Dom followed their scent, but it was a winding trail that Carrie had taken and it had been hours since they had set out the night before, so it was fading. When the werewolf in her scent became more intense, Dom visibly tensed up and it wasn't long after that before they found little Sadie's body.
She was cold and been torn apart. Caden stared at the sight in horror, how had she done that?
No, that wasn't the right question - she'd not been herself, she'd been a monster when it had happened. But she'd been stupid enough to take her daughter with her when she knew she was going to turn. Dom was silent, still as though he couldn't believe what was in front of him, until Carrie mumbled something between her sobs about how she'd told Sadie to turn into her bear form and then she would have been safe. But she hadn't listened.
That was what had flipped Dom. He had turned on Carrie and before Caden to make any move to try to stop him, he had snapped her neck with the strength of a bear.
The two men stood there, both in shock over what had happened for what seemed like hours. Their whole life that they'd built here had fallen apart in just a few hours. Eventually, Dom stirred, glancing up at the sun to check the time.
"We should go home," Dom said, his voice like gravel. "We don't have time before you'll turn tonight, we'll go after this cycle is finished, I don't know what's happening in the city for werewolves now," he added.
"What? You mean, actual home, not the cabin?" Caden asked, getting only a nod from Dom in return as the shifter turned away. Caden thought he was heading back to the cabin, but Dom started to gather large branches and bring them back. As soon as he realised what he was doing Caden began to help. They put Carrie and Sadie next to each other and covered them with the branches, the only burial they would get. They couldn't set a fire in the forest and had no tools to dig a hole, so this would have to do.
When they made it back to the cabin it no longer felt like home. It was cold, silent, and they went about their business, starting to pack up the few things they wanted to take with them. The next few days they hardly spoke, hardly ate, but went through the motions of daily life, locking the werewolf up at night, Dom letting him out in the morning.
After a couple of days, they had packed up the necessities and headed back to the city. They left the cabin unlocked, in case anyone in need came across it. Dom had no intention of going back. Just before he headed to the car Caden stepped into Sadie's room. He picked up a small, cuddly toy bear and put it carefully in his rucksack before heading out to the car. Dom glanced sideways at him, checking he was set before putting the car in gear and driving off without a backwards look, heading back to the city they left a lifetime ago.
