by JJ King
Katherine clapped along with everyone and moved to wrap her arm around Rose’s shoulder. She leaned in to whisper something that made Rose laugh but was too low for anyone else to hear. The sweetness of it, the sheer simplicity of sisters sharing a joke, left emotion thick in my throat.
When the applause died down, Katherine lifted her voice again. “Because we were here anyway, and because we wanted to share excitement of this historic moment with all of you before it hits the news, we decided to deliver it ourselves.” She looked over at Daphne and nodded.
Daphne stepped forward, taking Katherine’s place, and addressed the group. “Honestly, I don’t know whether to say good evening or a very early good morning. I have no idea why we meet at such auspicious times, but I do like the drama of it all.” Laughter tittered through the crowd. “For those who don’t know me, I am Daphne LittleFoot, wife to Keme LittleFoot, first-born son of Alpha Jacob LittleFoot. I stand here beside my friends and family to announce with pride and gratitude that as of this evening, two more Alphaships have been granted by the Alpha Council to our sisters.”
Surprised silence left her announcement hanging in the air for a split second before hands met with hands and voices raised in excited shouts. I shifted from foot to foot, too overwhelmed by the news to stay still. It was absurd, that in our modern world the news of two women rising to power somewhere in our great wide world would bring so much joy. I’d never followed politics before coming to AWA, of course that was before I learned my place in the world of Alpha politics. I had a good idea which candidates would’ve passed the Alpha Council’s approval and trials. I held my breath and squeezed Rory’s and Daniella’s hands as Daphne raised her palms in the air to silence the cacophony.
“So, join us in celebrating the new Alphas of Belgium, Elise Heylen, and of Slovenia, Irena Novak!” Daphne threw up her hands and loosed a very unladylike shout that made the group erupt into cheers and laughter.
Servers appeared seemingly out of nowhere with trays of champagne flutes, filled to the brim with golden liquid. I accepted one from a woman I didn’t recognize and lifted it into the air in salute to two women I admired greatly. Belgium and Slovenia were in good hands.
The meeting devolved into a party, which no one complained about. After the first round of champagne, glasses of Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir were passed out like water to thirsty sailors while music pumped out of the speakers I hadn’t known were there.
“Best secret society meeting ever!” Rory said on a laugh as she swung her hips side to side and took another drink of wine.
“Now all you need is to have Addison by your side,” I said, shimmying my shoulders and watching in awe as Daniella executed a perfect pirouette in her Jimmy Choo’s. “Stop showing off,” I joked.
“Elena,” Katherine’s voice had me spinning around, not quite as gracefully as Daniella. Katherine’s face was lit up from within and her eyes sparkled. It was nice seeing her so genuinely happy.
I stepped into her open arms and took the hug she always offered. When I stepped back, she gestured towards the woman beside her and made introductions. “Elena, Aurora.” Her eyes widened slightly at Daniella’s proximity to us in the smile on her usually disgruntled face. “And Daniella,” she included, “this is my dear friend Daphne Dru and my sister Rose LaFlamme.”
Handshakes and nods were exchanged all around while Katherine shot me a questioning look and glanced towards Daniella. I, in return, gave her the barest of shrugs and lifted an eyebrow, hoping she’d understand that I’d explain later when we weren’t in the middle of a party.
“So, what were you guys doing in the area?” I asked, standing with Rory and Daniella opposite three of my personal heroes.
“Keme wanted to visit his mother,” Daphne said. “So, we figured why not make a vacation out of it and get the tribe together. With babies and oceans between us, we rarely get the chance to do more than video chat.”
“That “oceans between us” dig was directed at me,” Rose said, making a face at Daphne who grinned in response. “Liam and I have been pretty busy with the women from Benbulbin. That’s partially what brought me back. There are a few academies I want to check out for the girls who want to ease into the world.” She held up a hand when Daphne sputtered in mock anger. “And I wanted to see my best friend and sister,” she added, mollifying the gorgeous Mi’kmaq woman.
Daphne nodded. “I’ll accept it.” She snaked an arm around Rose’s waist and pulled her in. “Basically, it was an excuse to get together, drink too much wine, reminisce about the times we almost died together, and talk about how sexy our husbands are.” She tipped her glass towards us. “You three should join us!”
Katherine laughed and hip bumped her friend. “Daphne is a little drunk,” she explained. “She’s off mom duty tonight. I’m off mom duty, too!” She did a little hip shake and laughed again. “We’ve got one of the guest suites over at the far end of campus. Will you guys come party with us old ladies?”
“Speak for yourself, Grandma!” Rose said, taking another sip of her wine. She squealed a moment later and twisted away when Katherine tried to smack her on the leg.
I watched them, unable to tear my gaze away, and couldn’t believe where the twists and turns of my life had led.
I was going to a private party with three of the most kickass she wolves on the planet. Life was pretty good.
I smiled brightly, excited about the night ahead, and willed the voices that whispered in my head constantly now to hush.
Chapter 11
I slammed my cup down on the table and raised my hands above my head with a raucous cheer immediately echoed by Katherine. A chorus of jeers followed from the two other teams.
“Sore losers!” Katherine accused with a mock glare. “Go on,” she coaxed, her grin widening at Rose’s groan. “Drink up, bitches!”
I dissolved into a puddle of giggles at the crudeness spilling from Katherine’s mouth. The more time I spent around her, getting to know her as an actual human being, rather than the gorgeous, mysterious first-born daughter of the Alpha family, the more I liked her. She was just as real, hilarious, and quirky as my favorite people in the world. It made sense that she had to put on a public face, but it made me happy inside to know that she could feel free enough to drop it around me. I promised myself never to take that trust for granted and to always remain a loyal and steadfast friend to her and her family.
“Ughhh,” Rose groaned, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Tequila is disgusting.”
“Now who’s the grandma?” Daphne mocked, slamming back her latest shot. “You’re just a baby!” she said a little too loudly, with a wide grin as she swayed to the music. “You wouldn’t have survived law school. When we weren’t studying, we were drinking. I think I majored in it my first year.”
“Me too!” Katherine agreed with a shake of her head. “Sometimes I have no idea how I managed to pass the bar. Wolf metabolism.” She raised a shot glass into the air and shot it like a pro then slammed it on the coffee table upside down.
Each woman grabbed a shot glass, raised it into the air, shouted, “To wolf metabolism!” and tipped it back.
Because the bottle of Patron was empty now, we moved on to the chalet’s wine stores, which Katherine assured had been well stocked. The conversation turned to extremely sexy husbands, which led to a viewing of particularly naughty pictures snapped on cell phones, many of which I was sure the man in question would be mortified to know had been shared. Rory, Daniella, and I oohed and awed over each picture, then congratulated each woman on their choice of soulmate.
When they were finished, I flicked through the pictures on my phone and clicked on my favorite. “Avert your eyes, Daniella. Your brother’s gorgeous body is about to be ogled.” Without waiting, I flashed the ladies whose eyes sparkled with appreciation and whose comments made Daniella squirm and cover her ears with pillows.
“Gross!” she yelled, although her voice was muffled through the
pillows.
Daphne patted her on the leg. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You got an amazing body, so it’s only fair your twin brother has one, too. Don’t you think?”
Daniella stared at her considering, her emerald green eyes narrowed in thought. “Yeah,” she said slowly, nodding hesitantly at first then exuberantly. “Yeah, that makes sense. But it’s still gross.”
Daphne laughed, picked up the newest opened bottle of wine, and refilled Daniella’s glass. “Then, my dear, the trick is to keep drinking until your brain stops working.” She raised her glass and clicked it in salute.
Because my head was spinning pleasantly, and I didn’t want to push it beyond that point, I sat back and just enjoyed the company I was in. Beside me on the couch, Rory sat with her legs tucked beneath her and half an empty glass of red wine in her hands.
“Hey,” I said quietly, nudging her with my elbow. “What’s up? You’re being really quiet.”
She shrugged. “Just wishing Addison was here, that’s all.” She leaned into me and shot me a saucy grin. “Look at me, so caught up in my soul mate that I’m turning into a stick in the mud.”
Katherine leaned forward, her eyes flashing with interest. “Sorry for eavesdropping, but did you just say you found your soulmate?” She put her glass down on the coffee table and wiggled closer.
Rory blushed, a gorgeous shade of rose that infused her with life. She nodded and glanced down before pulling out her phone and clicking on a picture of Addison. “Yeah,” she said, holding up the phone so Katherine could see the picture. “Her name is Addison.” For a moment, Rory’s chin quivered, then she lifted it with pride and turned the phone to smile at her soulmate’s image.
Katherine slid off her chair and knelt on the floor before the couch, reaching for the phone to get a better look. Her eyes went wide in recognition, then turned to me in silent question.
I shook my head. “That’s not Adeline,” I explained. “It’s Addison, her sister.”
“Twins?” Katherine asked, then scrolled in on the image to take a better look.
“No,” Rory spoke up. “Addison is a year younger, but they’re almost identical. Or, they were.”
Katherine swallowed and nodded her head. “She’s gorgeous. I didn’t know Adeline very well, but I had a good impression of her. She was smart and independent, even if she ran with the wrong crowd.” Katherine’s gaze flickered over to Daniella.
I thought back to the brief time I’d spent with Adeline and the conversations we had. She had been smart, and kind, and I’d begun to think she could have been a friend when her life ended too soon. I clenched my jaw and looked away, blinking rapidly to chase away the tears that threatened to ruin the night. It wasn’t easy, spending time with Addison when Adeline’s loss was so fresh in my mind, but it was getting easier. I often wondered how hard it was on her to spend time with me.
Katherine handed the phone back to Rory and grinned. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? That bond between soulmates. It’s crazy that you girls are finding your mate so young, though. I was close to my three hundredth birthday when I met Quinn.”
“You don’t think it’s weird that she’s a girl?” Rory blurted, then immediately slapped a hand over her mouth. “Old Ones, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that.”
Katherine shook her head. “Don’t be sorry. I know there are wolves out there who are openly against same-sex soulmates, but for the life of me, I can’t wrap my head around that.” She leaned forward and tapped her finger against her cheek. “I mean, if you’ve experienced that connection, and the way you have zero control over it, then how could you ever think there was a choice involved. One wolf sees and recognizes the other half of their soul in another wolf. Your wolf chose her and hers recognized you. Neither of you made a conscious decision, it’s just what fate had in store for you.” She patted Rory’s leg. “But don’t worry, there are way more people who wouldn’t blink an eye than there are idiots in our world. My cousin Damien and his partner dealt with it early on but, now, they have three children and have cut all the negativity out of their lives. You and Addison will find your way and, if anyone gives you grief, I’ll kick their asses.” She smacked her right fist into her left palm and growled menacingly, then dissolved into laughter.
Rory launched herself off the couch, into Katherine’s arms, nearly upending her glass of wine, which I grabbed in a panic. Katherine caught her and wrapped her arms around Rory’s petite body and squeezed as the tears that had glazed my eyes a moment earlier, formed and fell onto my cheeks without shame.
“Well, you know, there is one thing you could do for us now,” Rory said a little shyly.
Katherine arched a brow. “What’s that?”
“Addison isn’t a member of The Sisterhood…” Rory let the sentence hang.
“Ohhh,” Katherine murmured, touching her nose with her forefinger. “I got you. That will be rectified immediately. Now, if you ladies will excuse me.” She pushed to her feet, swayed for a moment, then stepped free of the seating area. “I’m going to go get more snacks. We need to soak up some of the booze, or they might find six dead women in here in the morning.” She headed to the kitchen with a chuckle.
I took the opportunity to set my own glass aside and head to the bathroom to break the seal. I padded across a thick and expensive-looking carpet and opened three doors before finding the bathroom.
On my way back, I stopped into the kitchen to see if Katherine needed any help and found her grating cheese over a tray of nacho chips loaded with spicy ground beef, chopped tomatoes and onions, jalapeño peppers, and corn. I eyed the corn speculatively, eyebrows raised and pointed. “You put corn on nachos?”
Katherine plucked one from the tray and popped it in her mouth. “You don’t put corn on nachos?”
I shrugged. “It’s nachos. I’ll eat it. Is there any sour cream or guacamole here?”
“In the fridge,” Katherine gestured, but kept grating. It was quiet for a moment as I pulled the containers out of the fridge and put them on the counter. Then I felt Katherine’s gaze shift and turned to see her watching me. “So,” she said conversationally, “how is it, really? Seeing Adeline’s face every day? And don’t give me an obligatory answer.”
I inhaled deeply and measured my words. “It’s getting easier. The more I get to know her, the more I see their differences.”
Katherine popped another kernel of corn in her mouth and chewed, nodding thoughtfully. “How are the nightmares? Getting worse or the same?”
“The same,” I confessed, then disguised a cringe by grabbing a chip and munching on it. It wasn’t a lie, not exactly. Katherine didn’t know the full extent of my nightmares to begin with, no one did, not even Dalia. I felt the weight of that decision like an anvil on my shoulders, but every time I open my mouth to tell someone, the words just wouldn’t come. Instead, my mind would begin to hum loudly, filling with voices I didn’t recognize and couldn’t drown out. They were indecipherable, too, so I was never sure if they were warning me against sharing or begging me to get help.
“Don’t be a hero,” Katherine warned, setting her insightful gaze on me. “Grief is a bitch and the only way to cope is to move right through her. Are you still seeing Dr. Mira?” she asked even though I was pretty sure she knew the answer already.
“Yeah. Once a week, like clockwork.” I tried not to sound dismissive, but I didn’t want to talk about my mental health tonight. Tonight, I wanted to ignore the whispers, eat nachos with corn, have another glass of wine even though my head was already spinning, and have fun with my girls. I opened my mouth to say something to that effect when I heard something that had my eyes going wide and my feet hitting the floor as I raced back to the living room.
Rose, Daphne, Rory, and Daniella shimmied and shook their bodies while singing at the top of their lungs about what they really really wanted. I threw my hands into the air, shouted, “Spice Girls!” and began to sing along. A moment later Katherine danced her way ou
t of the kitchen, singing at the top of her lungs, too.
The song was winding down with each of us hitting it word for word, when Katherine’s phone rang. She peeled off from the group and put the phone to her ear, plugging her other one so she can hear. I was having so much fun that I almost missed the way her entire body jerked back rigidly or the way her face went stark white then deep red. The spit dried in my mouth and dread filled my stomach, anchoring me to the floor. No one else noticed, but then two other ring tones interrupted the song and I watched, in horror, as Daphne and Rose went through identical metamorphosis the instant they put their phones to their ears.
Rory and Daniella cheered and clapped, still swinging their hips and swaying their shoulders, as the song clicked off and the sound of panicked voices filtered through their drunken joviality.
Rory moved to my side and reached out to touch my arm, worry and confusion written all over her face. “What happened? What’s going on?”
I shook my head, trying to focus on each woman’s responses to garner some clue as to what had just happened. I heard words like “dead,” “murdered,” “assassinated,” and “sister.”
My legs forgot how to hold me up, so I sat with a thump on the nearest chair and waited, hands folded in my lap, staring silently at Katherine until she lowered the phone and closed her eyes. Her lips moved in a silent prayer.
No one said a word, not until Daphne and Rose clicked off, as well. Then all three women looked at each other with baleful gazes and shook their head in grief.
“What…” Daniella managed to say, before falling silent again. The tension in the room was too high to ignore.
Katherine turned to look at us, huddled together, and opened and closed her mouth several times before words would finally come out. “The new Alphas of Belgium and Slovenia were murdered following their appointment ceremonies. Both were shot in the heart with a silver bullet,” she spoke like an android as if even saying the words was too much. Her big blue eyes stared, helplessly out behind thick lashes, that fluttered in confusion.