Species- Gabriel

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The weeks rushed by in a flurry of activity. The entire community was gradually getting involved in organizing the upcoming event. The deadline was short, and everyone wanted to be part of the 'Ass-Savers' team. It was simply hard to resist Amanda's charm, and the name helped too. It seemed like only Luka grumbled in her presence, constantly growling.

"You don't hear me, Amanda, I said no!" Luka snapped angrily.

"I hear you very well, darling, but I don't care. If you continue to constantly disapprove and hinder every step I take, I'll be forced to replace you", Amanda said in a serious tone.

Luka looked at her with wide eyes. Anna thought she saw a question mark above his head.

"You can't replace the beta and the head of security, you lunatic", Luka thundered.

"Now you're just being rude", she replied nonchalantly and walked out of the pastry shop, turning her back to him. Luka hurriedly followed her, visibly upset.

"If you want to lead people, you have to turn your back on them - William Shakespeare," Anna said aloud, although she expected Luka to bite her head off at any moment. She chuckled to herself.

"What's funny?" Anna heard Mrs. Mannington's sweet voice.

"I'm laughing at them," Anna gestured toward Amanda and Luka.

"They'll either fight or..." Anna paused, unsure how to express herself without sounding inappropriate.

"Or", Mrs. Mannington said and laughed.

Mrs. Mannington was a longtime resident of Wolf Valley and a wise woman. Her late husband was a shapeshifter from the wolf family. She made the best cakes in town.

"Finally, something's happening in this town", Mrs. Mannington calmly said.

"Your cakes will be ready, as we agreed, Anna."

"Thank you", Anna paused for a moment. "Can I ask you something personal?"

"Shoot!"

"Did you know...no, that sounds silly... how..."

Did I know that Roger was a shapeshifter? Oh, I knew very well. He was different, more beautiful, and stronger than all the other guys. I felt something strong towards him from the very beginning, an invisible connection that pulled me toward him. Just because the public didn't know about the existence of shifters didn't mean the rest of the world was blind. Roger was the love of my life, my other half, and my soulmate. We spent a beautiful 50 years together, and I wouldn't change a single second of our shared life", Mrs. Mannington spoke with a hint of nostalgia in her voice."In our time, things were different, harder. My parents didn't approve of our union, and his pack wasn't favorable toward me either, but that never shook us. Our bond was too strong, we had to be together. In the end, we found refuge here."

"Bond?" Anna asked.

"Yes, a bond that holds two kindred souls together, like two separate and seemingly incompatible forces of nature that complement each other."

"Like Yin and Yang", Anna added.

"They complement and cooperate, creating the Tao, the unity. The symbol of Yin and Yang shows their complementarity as they perfectly fit into each other's winding side, and besides, each of them contains and shares a piece of the other", Anna babbled on, as she usually did.

Mrs. Mannington observed her closely. "The bond brought you to our town, Anna. You are his Yin to his Yang. You're perfect for him, and before I die, I'd like to see that boy happy and finally at peace", Mrs. Mannington concluded, slowly making her way to the kitchen, leaving Anna speechless at the counter.