Dylan
"I'm so sorry sir, it will not happen again."
This is definitely not how I wanted to start my weekend, or my shift. The voice on the other end of the call was none other than my manager Roane.
Roane Winters is not only my direct boss, but he is one of the youngest managers in the company. Since I worked from home, I have never met him in person, but the authority in his voice always makes others seem to fear him.
To be honest, Roane has always seemed to dislike me, but for no other reason than I was given special permission to not only work remotely, but to never have to attend meetings in person, or on video calls.
"Dylan, you know that if you are not going to make it in for a shift that you have to give us prior notification."
Crap, I knew that and I had made sure that I set my alarm to go off with plenty of time for me to get up, but I guess my mind and body needed more rest than I had anticipated.
I was about to try to explain to him what happened last night, but he immediately cut me off, "I don't want to hear your excuses Dylan. Are you going to be able to work your shift today or not?"
Yes, I was late, but I was obviously on the system and fully logged in, did he think that I had done all this if I had no intention to work.
"Apologies Mr. Winters, I did not mean to be late today, but I will be able to work the rest of my shift today and I can even stay later and make up the time I missed today if you'd like."
It was obvious that Roane was pissed with my response, "you will make up the time, and you will also make sure that this doesn't happen again. Just because you get special privileges doesn't mean that you can take advantage of the company."
Yeah, this guy hates me.
"Of course sir, I apologize if I gave off that impression." There was no reason at this point to try to give him any excuses or reasons as to what happened today. I knew that he wouldn't understand or even care so there was no point in aggravating him any further.
For a few moments I could hear nothing but him breathing. There was no way I was going to make him any more upset, so, I just sat there waiting to see what he would say next.
Softer than I expected he finally spoke, "you have potential to grow in this company Dylan, so don't blow it", and then the line closed.
I was so startled by his words. My face felt hot and there was a sudden burst of little flutters in my chest. That was one of the first compliments anyone had ever given me. "God's I'm so broken", I whispered as I clasped my cheeks with both hands, but I could feel the smile that spread across my face.
Rae must have gotten plenty of rest because the second I got my wits together I could feel her hearty laugh almost vibrating through me. "Don't you start with me to", I grumbled at her.
Rae continued her laugh, but didn't push me to hard. I know it's because she is well aware of how my life is and how much that one statement meant to me.
The rest of my shift went by uneventful and I didn't hear from anyone else before clocking out around ten o'clock. Even though my body felt much better, I was still sore so I decided I would cook a late dinner and read the new book I downloaded last week.
Rae had been pretty quiet all day, but I felt a nagging sensation in the back of my head and I knew that there was something bothering her. Rae and I shared everything that we wanted to share with each other and nothing more.
Navigating through my little kitchen area was much easier than last night, and I didn't notice earlier since I was working, but my body was already feeling so much better. The aches and soreness were gone so I put on some music to dance to while I made my meal.
Happiness. That is what I felt right now. I was happy to be home, to have a job, to have money, to have food, to have a place to live, to have Rae, and to just be me. I was so happy dancing around my little house that I didn't sense the person who knocked on my door.
Instantly, Rae filled my head and I could feel her protective nature come full force. "Dy, I know this scent. It is someone who was in the woods with you yesterday." I was a little nervous at first, but if Rae truly sensed a threat she would have forced a shift by now.
The knock came again, but this time they used a little more force and knocked a few extra times. As I walked towards the door, I focused on my senses. While I couldn't detect things the way that Rae did, I knew that if it was someone who wanted to hurt me they wouldn't have bothered knocking.
Wolves didn't really need any type of weapons, since we kinda turn into one, so I went straight to the door and yanked it open. To my surprise it was Lecia, and she looked like crap.
"What are you doing here!" I practically yelled in her face as I took in the sight of her. Lecia was a pretty girl with dark blonde hair and forest green eyes. She wasn't nearly as tall as I was, but she was much thinner. Right now, she looked as if she had been drug through the woods and thrown in the lake.
"Are you going to let me in", she asked as she tried to push past me into my house. Caught off guard I moved to the side and let her come in.
No one has ever come to my little house besides Alpha Rogan. I wasn't even sure many people knew where I lived, but right now I was conflicted by thoughts of what made her come here, and why she looked like this.
Shutting the door and locking it behind me seemed like a good idea. I didn't know if anyone may have followed her. As I turned to where she stood in my little living area I watched as she slowly took in the space.
I felt so vulnerable.
What would she think of me?
What would she think of my home?
I didn't have it in me to ask her those things out loud, so I just gave her a minute to check out my humble abode. A thick heavy scent started to come from the stove and I had to run over to pull the pot off the burner so that my veggies didn't burn to a crisp.
When I turned back to look at Lecia, she was sitting at the table in the same chair that I had sat in last night when Alpha Rogan was here. I didn't know how to handle this situation and I was starting to feel uncomfortable.
"Can I get you something to eat or drink", I asked her to try to ease my nerves. For a moment she just looked at me and then she smiled. "Yes, I would love to have some of whatever it is you were burning over there."