I shifted uncomfortably without really meaning to, and then felt two hands rest on my shoulders.
I looked up and relaxed when I saw Michael's calm eyes looking down at me.
"You okay?" I just nodded and turned back to the group. I was sitting in a circle with most of the high ranking men of the pack. Strangely enough I felt more comfortable here than Marigold obviously did.
Michael released me and I snuck a glance back, just to see him sitting down. I frowned at him slightly. I hadn't even noticed him back there. He was barely two feet away from me.
He met my gaze and I turned to Gabriel.
"Give me back my hand." I ordered him; in the loudest voice I'd used all day.
Dave laughed, "I think she means it Gabe."
I think my jaw dropped. I quickly looked at Gabriel's expression. It looked like he'd frozen when he heard the new 'nickname' as well. Normally I would have laughed and pretended to be outraged that I hadn't called him that first. But I didn't think that would help the situation.
Then I saw something move behind Gabriel's head.
I looked past him and saw the teenagers and kids of the London pack had started up a game of football. One of the older kids had the ball and was dribbling it down the field towards the 'goal'.
I grinned and tugged on Gabriel's arm.
He turned away from Dave, who he had no doubt been glaring at, and narrowed his eyes questioningly at me.
I nodded towards the game.
He glanced behind him and was on his feet in a second. A wicked grin had taken over his features and I found myself mirroring his expression.
"See ya guys later." I waved before Gabriel and I jogged away from them.
"Oh thank god you're here!" I spun around. "I call Elaine!" 18 year old Chase, who was Sharon's older brother, called out as he jogged up to me.
I saw that Heidi's face painting kit was being put to good use and laughed when I saw one of them had painted his entire face with the blue paint. He looked like a smurf, but I wasn't going to say that because I was sure one of his teammates had already pointed it out.
Gabriel and I were put on opposite teams and the fun began.
I got the ball and took off running. I felt someone come up behind me, but ignored them. My eyes were on the ball at my feet.
Then I saw another pair of feet enter my line of vision. Michael was running right beside me. His eyes weren't on the ball though. They were on the men on the opposing team.
"Shoot." Michael ordered. He spoke so low that I wondered if the others had heard.
I heard him though. I aimed, set, and kicked with full force.
The ball went soaring through the two cars that were being used as a goal. The goalie, a skinny boy who looked younger than me, could only stare as the ball went skidding onto the gravel.
I threw my arms into the air and smiled at Michael.
"What the hell are you people think you're doing? You think this is a show?" Hank, the Captain of the yellow team, exploded. "All of you should know Elaine gets double the defense on her!"
I started laughing and Michael joined in.
"Next time, little girl." Gabriel taunted me playfully.
I laughed harder, "Only if you can keep up, Gabe."
His grin dropped and I knew that in the next round I'd really have to keep an eye on him.
"Hey Leo!" Hank called out, "We really need you!"
I spun around and saw the London Alpha and Nathaniel standing near the cars.
"Hey Nate! You too!"
After some mock pleading and begging we got both of them on the field. With Leo on the other team I was sure we were done for. He was one of the best football players I had ever met. I always bugged him about turning pro, but he always waved me off saying that someone would notice when he outran the entire team without breaking a sweat.
But, I hadn't calculated Nathaniel and Michael. Those two were awesome and enough to take on the Alpha.
Which they did.
As Michael scored the final, and winning, goal I tilted my head back and howled.
The sky had grown dark and was now adorned with stars. The moon wasn't in sight, but I could still feel her.
Michael ran up to me and was the first to join in the howl.
Soon it became a chorus. The entire pack joined in. Even Gabriel tilted his head back and sang, even though he was part of the losing team.
Caleb came up to me and I high fived him. He'd been part of the blue team and had pretty much taken over as Captain because Chase couldn't keep up with the amount of people playing. He clipped my chin with his knuckles before slinging his arm over my shoulders; in a brotherly and teasing way.
He ruffled my hair, "I knew there was a reason why I wanted you to come camping."
I laughed with him.
When I looked up I saw Michael. The fire behind us reflected off his face and really brought out the color in his eyes. I couldn't tell what he was thinking though. He had a way of doing; keeping void.
Then he tossed the ball from one hand to the other and gently dropped it into my hands.
"Who wants smores?" I glanced between my Beta and the London Beta and wished the tension that had suddenly built up would disappear.
CL
I had eaten six smores and was regretting suggesting the idea as I sat down near the fire.
Don't get me wrong. Those smores were amazing. Nathan made mine. He was the perfect smore chef. I often joked that he should make it his career, at least during camping season. But, I ate too many and my stomach was churning with the very sight of them roasting.
I sat on the ground and pressed my back against the log that was meant to act as a bench. I preferred it as a pillow.
I closed my eyes and relaxed as the pack began to gather around the warmth.
Then, as someone strummed a guitar, my eyes snapped open.
My nausea was forgotten as soon as I saw Eric pulling his guitar into his lap. His daughter, Sharon, plopped herself down beside him and Heidi took the spot on the other side of her. They were the perfect family portrait at that moment.
"I think I'll start the night's festivities." Eric's eyes fell onto his wife's and I smiled as Heidi's eyes began to glow. They were a breathtaking sight.
Then, he began to play a song that was familiar to all of us.
Someone came up beside me and knelt down so I saw his chest in the corner of my eye. I glanced over and saw Michael watching me. His gaze was unyielding, like always, but I saw gentleness in his features that he normally lacked.
He leaned down towards me and I didn't stop him. I was practically frozen where I sat. I even stopped breathing. Something about the way he looked at me made me remember the moment I said goodbye to Michael weeks before.
Michael's expression was very similar to how it was then.
Michael's lips grazed my ear and I shivered, "Would you dance, if I asked you to dance?" I didn't know if he planned it, but Michael said those words just as Sharon's father sang them.
I smiled and took Michael's outstretched hand and he took me a few feet away from the log I had been sitting on. He gently spun me around and brought me, with an expert hand, into his chest as he began to lead me in a casual waltz.
Hero by Enrique Iglesias had become a staple within the London, and my own, pack. Greg had started the tradition when he was trying to cheer me up one day. I often hummed it when I was trying to ease my own, or someone else's pain. I passed it on to the London pack when I stayed with them.
I laid my head on Michael's chest and watched Eric and Heidi. I could see the love in Eric's eyes as he gazed at his wife. A goofy smile was across his lips and a look of pure serenity occupied the rest of his features. Heidi looked the same, except with a light blush over her cheeks; which, I was positive, wasn't because of the fire.
After a few moments I closed my eyes and just let myself get lost in the warmth of Michael's body and his scent.
Michael's grip on me tightened slightly an
d a small grin tugged at my lips.
CL
I stirred in 'bed' and opened my eyes when falling back to sleep became impossible.
Something was wrong. I could feel it.
I sat up in my sleeping bag and my gaze instantly fell to the blankets lined up beside me. Gabriel was the only other one in the tent. My insides went tight as panic consumed me.
My eyes darted along and I saw that Nathan had left his cell phone and Michael's boots were gone.
"I just don't think me joining this war will aid in ending it."
I strained my neck as I heard Leo's voice. As my eyes adjusted to the lack of light I saw shadows dancing across the tent walls. The fire was still going and I could see the shadows of at least four men sitting around it.
Slowly, I relaxed.
"You could try." Caleb interjected.
"None of you understand." Leo continued as if his son hadn't said anything. "This war," He trailed off and for the first time I heard uncertainty in the London Alpha's tone. "When this war began I promised myself I wouldn't get involved."
Gabriel shifted in his sleeping bag at the other end of the tent and I tensed up again. He rolled over so he was facing me. There was enough light that I could make out the outline of his jaw and his closed eyes.
There was a tightness around his neck; a strain. Even when he slept he was tense, ready, alert, and angry.
"Why?" Michael asked after a long pause.
For a while the only thing I heard was the cracking of the fire. I sat up and crossed my legs. I closed my eyes, as if they'd help me hear them better.
"Because I know Nicolais." Leo finally admitted.
"We all know Nicolais." Nathaniel concluded.
Leo made a strange noise, almost like clearing his throat but more animalistic, before saying, "You may know of him. But none of you have actually met him outside the battlefield."
I bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep myself from asking the question that everyone else wanted to ask.
"I've known Nicolais for centuries." Leo continued without anyone verbally asking him to. "He worked with me in my hometown in Germany. I knew him before I changed."
I cautiously lay back in my sleeping back. I didn't want to make much sound or else everyone would know I was awake.
"When I changed I was left rogue for a while. I, like many werewolves who don't belong to a pack, blamed everyone else for my problems." Leo's voice became tight and chills of anxiety ran up my back and over my arms. "I was very angry, untrained, and uncontrollable…." He trailed off as if unable to continue.
"Go on, father." Caleb gently commanded. He kept his tone so soft and comforting that it was hard to hear the order in his voice.
"I only got worse as time went on. I had no one to teach me how to control my violent urges." Leo stopped and I heard someone moving; although I didn't know who. "On the seventh full moon of my change, I attacked Nicolais."
My heart stopped, as did my breathing, as Leo said those words.
I didn't need to hear him say his next sentence, for I knew what happened next.
Leo had changed Nicolais. The same Nicolais that headed the opposing side of this war. The same Nicolais that was responsible for hundreds, maybe thousands, of brutal deaths of both werewolves and mundanes alike.
"You're partly responsible for this war, and yet you do nothing?" I could tell Michael was beginning to lose control. Like Nathan, it wasn't something he did often, but he was the Beta after all.
Betas were more known for their violent actions and muscles than anything else.
There were signs to apprehend Michael's anger, just like Gabriel had his. Everyone had them; they're just sometimes harder to see in certain people.
Michael was like Leo in this particular area. They were both incredibly hard to read and understand, especially when it came to their anger.
But I knew some of Michael's anger stages.
First, he'd clench his jaw. Then, he'd find something to lean against. Normally it'd be a counter or table so he could clutch the surface. After that he'd normally put a stop to the reason for his rage, or leave the room to find a punching bag.
"I was a young wolf and changing him will always be one of the biggest mistakes of me life." Leo explained, "But, thus far, I have never tried to contact him again."
"Well maybe that's the problem." Caleb responded, "He could just be trying to get your attention; like a son does to an absent father."
His words reminded me of Sebastian and Pavel, but I brushed away those thoughts. I didn't want to miss any of this conversation.
"Caleb, he's not an adolescent." Leo replied gruffly.
"Who cares what his reason is for killing hundreds. The fact is that he is killing people." Michael wasn't growling openly, but even I heard the threat in his tone. "You changed him Leo. You may still have a bond."
After that the conversation ended.
The fire was put out.
I stared at the place in the tent wall where I had once made out Leo's shape. I glared at it and sat up. I was pissed! I couldn't believe they ended it just like that. I wanted answers!
Then I heard footsteps.
"I don't think we'll get anymore out of him." Nathaniel's voice met my ears. I didn't lay back and pretend to be asleep; because I knew he already knew I was awake. He was weird like that.
"I agree. I'm surprised we got him to confess to that." I had an assumption that both Nathan and Michael already knew Leo sired Nicolais, but I didn't know for sure.
The flap of the tent door was pulled back and Michael stepped inside.
His muscles were trembling from the pressure he was putting on himself. He was obviously even more pissed than I was.
"Don't start tonight, Elaine." Michael ordered me. I narrowed my eyes at him, but didn't say anything. He apparently saw my glare and stuck out his jaw in aggravation.
"Both of you go to sleep." Nathan came in behind my Beta and I inwardly reveled in the fact that Michael obeyed the very obvious demand. "We'll discuss things tomorrow." Nathaniel added; a tiny bit softer.
I lie back down with a huff and close my eyes. I could hear Nathan moving next to me. I blinked open my eyes, but when I turned to face Nathan, I saw his back was to me.
CL
I woke with a start as my forehead bashed into the window. My eyes snapped open and I let out a strangled cry as the upper right side of my head began to pulse angrily. It wasn't really that bad. I'd had worse. But still, that wasn't exactly how I wanted to wake up.
I sent a fierce glare at Nathan, who was driving. He didn't even seem to notice that I was glaring daggers into his head. In fact, he was only watching the road as he pulled us into a parking lot.
"Do you have to go to the bathroom?" He sounded distracted; as if he were only asking because it was the right thing to say. I stared at him, while rubbing my sore scalp. After a second the eldest Durand moved around in his seat and took out his wallet and cell phone.
I noticed, even in my half asleep state, that he had an incoming call on his phone. It must have been set on vibrate because it obviously wasn't ringing.
"Get lunch too."
Normally I would have been greatly upset by the tone he was using with me. It was like I was one of the men he worked with. Nathaniel was in an all business mood; which was the opposite of how he'd been all morning.
Instead of confronting him I groggily snatched the wallet out of his hand, shoved open the door, and sauntered towards the McDonalds that Nathan had parked outside of.
After I went to the bathroom I ordered enough food that would feed a small army; which, technically, was what the guys were.
With four bags of food and Nathan's wallet firmly in my hands, I started back out to the SUV. I noticed right away that something was wrong. Not only was Nathaniel out of the driver's seat, but he was pacing back and forth while speaking into his phone. He was talking too long for me to catch any of it though.
Then I turned to the o
ther Durand's. Gabriel was leaning against the side of the car with his head planted firmly on the door. He looked like he'd been hitting his head against it.
I refrained from making a joke once I caught Michael's gaze.
He was half sitting on the hood of the SUV. One foot was propped up on the bumper and I couldn't help but think about how handsome he looked. I took in his strong features, firm jaw, and his muscular arms that he had crossed over his chest.
I gulped slightly, and mentally shook myself to get rid of those thoughts, before walking up to my Beta.
"I pretty much ordered the entire menu." I spoke lightly, as if I was waiting for one of the brothers to suddenly blow. Michael's gaze was so hard and heavy that my heart started beating faster. I wasn't sure why, but something in his eyes made me feel heat throughout my entire body.
For a few seconds I held his gaze, but I looked away shortly. Unfortunately my eyes landed on Gabriel.
I could practically see the anger coming off Gabriel as he hit the side of the SUV. It didn't dent; which told me he was still in control of his actions. He looked ready to pounce on the next thing that moved, and I more sure then, than I had ever been in my life, that that moment was not the time for me to make jokes.
I was fairly certain that even the mundanes felt the amount of tension that the three were putting out. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a small boy watching us. I turned and gave him a small smile. It was instinctual.
He looked unsure as he gazed at me. I saw the way his eyes darted from me to Michael and then Gabriel. Then his mother took hold of his arm and pulled him at least two feet away from where he had been standing. Her eyes were doing the same darting thing.
The boy obviously wasn't the only one concerned about the way the three men in front of me were behaving.
His mother practically scooped him up into her arms as she walked around her mini van to where a man, I assumed was her husband, was locking up the vehicle.
There was alarm and fear in the woman's eyes, and I didn't blame her. I was kind of scared too.
She didn't need to say anything to her husband. He simply shot a dark look at the Durand's and ushered his family inside.
Howl (Howl Book 1) Page 23