Paradise Pines (Shawn Mendes)

The Beginning of Their End

Yalda: The longest and darkest night of the year; the northern hemisphere's winter solstice.

Iris was waiting on the last guest to arrive alongside Shawn and Karen in their living room. Iris had told her parents she was sleeping over at Avril's house so they wouldn't question why she was out late.

Of the guests among them were Johnathan, a thirty-something year old that looked more like an awkward geek than someone that shape-shifts into a werewolf, Cody, a 20 year old student with a blatant attitude problem, and Carlito, a grief-stricken father. Everyone had always known him to be cheery and charismatic, but the news of his daughter's trespasses had completely transformed him; he was morose and gloomy.

"It's 10 o'clock (at night), when is Marissa coming?" Cody asked, growing impatient. Everyone was on edge except for Iris, who was weirdly calm.

"She'll be here soon enough," Shawn answered.

"You've changed," a quiet voice from the corner of the room spoke. The group turned their heads toward Carlito. He rose his head revealing dim, almost lifeless eyes. "You're no longer as weak as you used to be. What's changed?"

Shawn would have told him he killed a beta (Rebecca), but he thought it would be best not to inform his uncle of this. "Being a lone wolf has forced me to toughen up."

"If we fight together, we will no longer be lone wolves."

"This is pointless. We'll end up dying tonight. Don't bother trying to form a pack," said Johnathan.

"He's right," Cody added.

"If that's the case, why are you both here?" Carlito was met with silence. He raised his voice, "Well?" Neither men responded. "That's because we're werewolves. We are meant to be in packs, therefore it is an innate desire of ours. Shawn went from omega to beta, and reunited us. Don't get upset just because you realize he can become an alpha, our alpha. You two don't stand a chance because your balls aren't half as big as his."

"If I may," Iris intervened the discussion, "I know all about the Yalda Pack, and I now know that splitting up your previous pack was the worst thing you could do. They may be stronger in numbers, but good werewolves like yourselves have a desperation to survive that is much stronger than their greed will ever be. I know you are only here to rescue my friend, but there are more lives you can save if you stick together and fight."

Cody snarled. "Sapiens. You're all so foolish. Once you discover us and our secret world, you think you're experts, but you aren't. We can never defeat the Yalda Pack, so stop with this nonsense."

Shawn's jaw clenched with anger at his words. Iris grabbed one of his tightening fists, and he knew that was her way of telling him to calm down. So, he took a deep breath and spoke. "Since my dad was recruited, I have lived every day in fear, but things only got scarier when we disbanded. I felt vulnerable and weak. I didn't even think I was capable of protecting my mom, but I know better now. I never knew what I was capable of until I had to fight for someone I care about.

"Together, we could do some serious damage to their pack, or die trying. And when other werewolves catch wind of what we're doing, or did, they will come out from the shadows and fight alongside us."

"You must daydream a lot."

"I know it will happen!" Shawn snapped. "Iris is a psychic. She's seen the fall of Yalda in her visions. She doesn't know how or when, but she knows they will be defeated." Iris looked up at him with surprise, but she didn't let her face show it. She understood why he lied, but she felt it was wrong of him to.