Before they slipped into the McDonald's the woman gave me a torn look. She was probably debating over coming over to rescue me from this brutish men or staying within the safety of the restaurant.
I sighed heavily and turned back to the brothers. "I can't take you people anywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if that woman called the police."
"Why would she do that?" Gabriel growled; my first warning to shut my mouth.
I glared at him, "Because you all look like you're about to murder someone!" I hissed loudly.
Nathaniel somehow managed to get behind me. I heard him snap his cell phone shut and I turned quickly so I could see him.
"There's been an attack." His eyes were on mine, so I knew the other two already knew this. Damn werewolf hearing!
I tensed up, but my hold on the food slackened. "Are my parents okay?"
Gabriel snorted angrily by the SUV, "That dickhead is only agreeing to be an elder because his life is in danger. You know that right?"
"Elaine," Nathan placed his hand on my shoulder, but I didn't feel any better. I was confused, angry, tired, hurt, and annoyed. These guys weren't helping me at all! "You're parents are fine. It wasn't our pack that was attacked."
"Leo was attacked while leaving the campsite." Michael chimed in, "They're alright." I knew he was talking about Leo, Marigold, and Caleb.
Slowly I nodded, as I began to understand. "So he's agreed to be an elder." It was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes." Nathan answered tightly, "He'll announce it in Germany." I watched as he exchanged a pointed look with Michael, "At the Alpha senate."
Chapter Eighteen
The air was cold on my bare arms and I rubbed my hands along my biceps in attempt to rid my skin of the goose bumps that had spread. I closed my eyes as more wind pushed against me and leaned against the wall beside my window as if that would keep me out of range.
I was on the roof again. I had been out there since the sky turned dark. First it had been so I could wave to my brother as he went on a run with some of the other guys, but even two hours after he had disappeared into the trees, I was still out here. I couldn't bring myself to go back inside.
I had stuff I needed to figure out.
My mind wouldn't shut up, even though I tried to make myself concentrate on other things. I couldn't stop thinking about Leo.
He had always been a mystery to me; from his fashion sense, to his choice of mates, and his decision making skills, but never once had I thought he was a bad guy. I guess I still didn't, not completely, but a lot of things had changed during that last trip to London.
First, Seb hinted towards Leo being involved in the war. Now I've come to realize that he is primarily the reason behind the whole damn war because of his connections to Nicolais.
I've known a lot of wolves who have had bad pasts. I was sure no one had gone through their lives without harming someone, but still. Leo had never admitted to this before, to my knowledge, and didn't seem to care about the damage the man he had changed was constructing onto the world.
I understood why the Durand brothers (excluding Cassiel, as per usual) were so pissed about Leo becoming the third Elder. To them he was nothing more than a coward who somehow managed to become an alpha.
"Hey,"
I jumped slightly and spun around to see Cassiel leaning against my window sill. His right eyebrow was arched in an unspoken question.
"Did you get any dirt?"
"Only that Leo's only taking Caleb to the Alpha senate." Cassiel replied instantly and a small conniving grin tugged at the edges of his lips, "Something's going on between the London alpha and his wife."
I moved over and let my best friend take the seat beside me, "What do you mean?" I willed myself to forget my worries and I focused on Cassiel and his much beloved gossip. Sometimes he acted like such a schoolgirl. I had pointed that out to him once, and he threw an entire bowl of popcorn at my head. Unfortunately, when I ducked, all of it, plus the tons of extra butter Cassie was known to pour over his movie popcorn, went spilling right onto Alexander's lap. That had been one of the most hilarious and terrifying moments of my life; which was saying something.
"I'm not sure." Cassie rubbed his hands together and turned his narrowed eyes on me, "What are you doing out here? It's cold."
I laughed, "You can be such a girl."
Cassiel laughed mockingly for two seconds before his arm hooked around my neck. I huffed as he pulled me into a headlock, "Take it back." He was laughing for real now. "Take it back or I'll send you right over the roof."
"You wouldn't dare!" I hissed while weighing my options. I could go pivoting down the side of the house and fall flat on my back on the hard ground. I had done that before and it was not fun. I did not want to ever do that again. So, I thought about what else I could do. I could say uncle.
But then I had another idea; one that did not end with me admitting defeat.
I let myself fall back into childish antics and started tickling Cassie's sides. He was the ONLY Durand who was ticklish! And I knew all his weak spots.
Cassiel let out a swearword and then both of us started sliding.
I swore too.
I was on my knees while he was half standing. I made a grip grab at my window sill but it was too far away.
Then, a scream exited my mouth, and we fell.
I managed to grab the rain gutter and Cassiel had hold of my arm, but that didn't stop my heart from pounding like one of those annoying ear splitting construction drills that are used to repave highways.
"Can't you go one day without getting into a life threatening situation?" Gabriel's deep, gruff, and very annoyed voice carried up to me. I didn't dare look down to see where he was. I only held onto Cassiel's arm even tighter.
Cassie and I slowly climbed down and seconds later I found myself standing in front of Gabriel; the last person on earth I'd want to be around after a day full of bumper to bumper traffic.
After we got home from London all of us went our separate ways. I greeted the entire pack before going up to the roof. Michael went on a run. Nathaniel was only here for a few days and I assumed he went to Alexander's house. And Gabriel, well I wasn't sure. He just kind of disappeared.
"Cassiel, Alexander needs you." Gabriel's burning gaze didn't leave mine even though he was speaking to his brother.
I grabbed hold of my friend's hand and silently begged him to stay with me.
"He won't kill you." Cassie bumped my shoulder gently before releasing my hand and walking away.
"Walk with me." It wasn't a request.
"Can't you ever ask me to do something? Why does everything always have to be an order?" I grumbled, more to myself, as I followed him. We were heading to the main path, and I got a flashback to the last time we had done this. Thankfully we didn't have to worry about two drunken werewolves-to-be jumping out at us this time.
Gabriel made a sound in the back of his throat, but didn't say anything.
That fact alone put me on edge, "You okay?"
The night air was cold, but it was fresh. I felt like I could run five miles, but refrained. I knew better than to start a race with Gabriel, especially when he's acting like this. I didn't know why, but something was off with him.
"Oh yeah, I'm swell." Now, there was the Gabriel I knew and loved. Anyone could hear the sarcasm in his voice.
I glanced over at him and jammed my hands into my jean pockets when I started getting nervous. "You're not bringing me out here to kill me, are you?" I was joking, but forced myself to hide my smile. I quickened my pace so I was a few steps in front of him, because I was losing the battle with my expression.
The wind was knocked out of me as Gabriel ran into me from behind. I huffed and growled when I felt the majority of his weight land on me. He was not a skin and bone kind of person. There wasn't an ounce of fat on him, but his muscle weighed more than any fat could ever hope to aspire to.
"Maybe," He answered my sarcastic question by whis
pering huskily into my ear. I twisted around in his hold as I tried to get the upper hand, but he was too strong. I didn't have a chance in hell. If he wanted to snap my neck right then, he could without breaking a sweat.
But I knew he wouldn't.
He was just toying with me, I had no doubt.
Gabriel lifted himself up so he wasn't squishing me, and then turned me around so I was lying on my back. I growled and barred my teeth at him; just as my inner wolf instructed. Even though it was Gabriel, I still hated exposing my stomach to him. It was the most sensitive part of the body.
He only chuckled darkly at my empty threat. He was a large shadow and I could only make out his vague shape because of how dark it was outside, so I stayed still.
Then I felt his breath hit my face.
I found his eyes in the darkness of the night and found myself staring into an endless stream of lava. Danger came off of him in spades, but I wasn't scared.
Or at least, that's what I told myself. I couldn't explain the way my heart sped up, or the way my hands started to sweat. I could only watch as he lowered his face to mine.
His eyes snapped closed and I froze. I had no idea what to do. I didn't know what he was going to do. I had an idea, but I wasn't sure how I thought about it.
My brain screamed at my body to move, to push him away, or to do something! But, my body didn't obey. I simply closed my eyes too and waited; while listening to my heart pound in my chest and the soft rustle of leaves around us.
"You thought I was going to kiss you."
My eyes snapped open. My face grew hot and I knew I was blushing. A bucket of water couldn't have been more effective.
He was smirking, I could tell, and I could feel my face getting even redder. I shoved him away and managed to get to my feet without tripping. My breath was ragged and I wasn't sure it was because I was angry.
I ran my fingers through my hair and let some of it hang in front of my face in order to save myself from some embarrassment, "No!" I growled, "You are such a jerk!"
Then his arm wrapped around me and I was pulled roughly against his chest. "Cause, I will." His face was so close to mine that I could feel that stubble that had grown around his chin against my cheek.
I stopped breathing as I watched him out of the corner of my eye.
Gabriel smirked even more before pecking me on the cheek. "There, you happy?"
"What are you doing to her?"
I jumped around, narrowly missing hitting my head against Gabriel's, and found my brother standing in the shadows. I could kind of make out his expression, but not enough to tell if he was more angry or amused. It was hard to tell with him, even in the light anyway, so I guessed it didn't really matter.
"We were just talking." I told him, and attempted to inch my way towards Josh. He was standing off the path and I couldn't see where I was going. Could anyone else see a disaster in my future? "Can you tell me before I step into a ditch or something like that?" I asked; half joking.
"Here, I gotcha," Gabriel's hands wrapped around my upper arms and led me confidently towards my brother. When I got to his side I noticed he wasn't the only one there.
"I wish I had my werewolf senses." I grumbled as I realized that half of the Luperco were surrounding me.
Josh laughed and looped his arm around my shoulders, "You say that, but after you start hearing people scream at one another or sing in the shower," He sent someone a pointed look, but I couldn't tell who it was sent towards, "you'll rethink that wish."
CL
Three weeks went by without a hitch. There were no attacks, no bad emails or calls from Sebastian, and Gabriel and I managed to forget about the obvious tension that had built up between us that night in the woods. Or at least I had; or tried to, anyway.
Now there were only two things on everyone's minds.
One: the Alpha senate.
Two: Martin and Odolf's birthday.
"The meeting will begin Monday." I could hear Alexander's voice from my place on his porch steps. I wasn't sure if they knew I was sitting there, but at the moment it didn't matter. I was listening to privy information. That's what mattered. "After that no one leaves until the meeting has been ended."
"That's strict." Greg, who detested the Alpha senate, grumbled.
My mom laughed, "More like torture. Remember what happened at the last meeting. Someone set one of the French alphas chair on fire."
Greg made a guilty sound in the back of his throat and I had to bite down on my tongue to keep myself from laughing.
"You're always doing something bad."
A shadow fell over me and I looked up to see Pavel guarding me from the sun. He was watching me with a disapproving, yet amused, expression. He was definitely a Durand. Sometimes I thought they were all born with that look. They all had it down pat.
"I am not. I'm simply waiting for my parents." I told him, half seriously.
Pavel shook his head, but I didn't miss the smile that tugged at his mouth as he sat down next to me. "What have you been up to?"
"I've been avoiding your father and uncles." I told him truthfully. There was no point in lying to a werewolf, even if two of the people I was talking about could hear me from inside Alex's house.
Pavel chuckled, "You're always doing that."
"It has become somewhat of a habit." I admitted jokingly. I bumped my shoulder against his and watched as he smiled back at me.
"Let's start with the oldest." He took the time to change his voice into one that I'd assume would belong to a therapist. "What has my father done this time?"
I sighed, "It's not what he's done it's what he hasn't told me." I glanced at Pavel through the corner of my eye, "I overheard some stuff at London fall camping and no one has bothered to talk to me about it since then."
"I can't believe you've waited this long before barging up to one of them and demanding to know the answers." Pavel shook his head melodramatically.
I laughed, "I know, but it's different than usual. It's about Leo."
"He's been a touchy subject with my dad for a while."
I nodded; telling Pavel that he understood exactly what I meant. "I thought about asking Michael, but…" I trailed off, "I guess I just don't want to step over a boundary."
"If you ask the rights questions, they'll tell you." Pavel told me diplomatically.
We sat there for a while before I said, "I'm also stressing over the war. There hasn't been a battle in a while. I'm just…"
"You're just scared your parents are going to get a call in the middle of the night and leave." Pavel finished for me.
I nodded hastily, "That's happened before. They get a call from Alex, or one of the other packs, and they're gone when I wake up. I remember two times when they didn't even get to say goodbye to me."
Pavel stared down at the step his feet were planted on, but didn't say anything.
"I just don't want to start any fights with anyone." I sighed heavily and dropped my head into my arms that I had folded over my bent knees.
Pavel's arm rested over my back, "Just because they might leave eventually doesn't mean you have to walk on egg shells whenever they're around."
"If I get into a fight with them," I was talking about Michael, my parents, Josh, and pretty much the entire pack as I spoke, "and they leave and die on the battlefield the next day, I'll have to live with the fact that they died angry at me because of an argument we had that probably wasn't that important anyway."
"That's no way to live." Pavel concluded.
CL
The last few days had been great and horrible at the same time. Martin and Odolf were driving us all up the wall, because there birthday was today. I hadn't heard one thing out of their mouths that hadn't revolved around their first pack run. Sure, I was happy for them, but I was jealous too. I wished they wouldn't rub it in my face, like they were.
The pack had gathered at Michael's house, the Pack House, for the party. Everyone came. Well, not everyone. Nathaniel was back in
London and his oldest son Vlad was in the U.S. but other then them and Seb everyone was here.
Like I often pointed out, the problems often laid in the hands on the Durand's. Or at least the absences did.
"Alright, everyone, settle down." Alexander stood with a grin across his lips and a glass full of… probably something alcoholic because the bottle that it came out of was what the twins were trying to get there hands on. The twins froze and guiltily smiled when everyone's eyes landed on them.
I was standing near the kitchen door. My back was to the wall. It wasn't that I was being antisocial, because I wasn't. Hell, I had led the round of punches the birthday boys got. Each of them got 17… well eighteen but don't look at me. I swear it hadn't been me. Gabriel snuck up behind them and nailed them both on their biceps. They look on their faces had been priceless, because just a second before landed the final hit they had thought their birthday torture was over.
We took lots of pictures and there wasn't one person in the house that wasn't laughing their asses off. Even the twins joined in after the shock wore off.
I just felt better over here.
Okay, I'd admit it, I was jealous. Again, I was back to feeling sorry for myself. I hated myself for feeling this way, but I wanted to be the one who got to fully join the pack. I wanted to go on the run and howl with them.
"You have no idea how long we have waited for this moment." Alexander's speech started. He made a new and different one for every birthday party. I was never sure how he managed to keep everything so original. "Some of us didn't think it would ever come!"
Everyone laughed, and even I managed to join in. He had a good point with that line.
"But you've finally made it. You've finally become pack."
Alex lifted his glass. Everyone else did the same.
I slipped out through the door while everyone chorused the twin's names. The door shut almost silently behind me and I went and took a seat on one of the chairs that sat alone along the deck banister.
The weight of the day crashed onto me.
My parents were leaving again. Sure, it wasn't for a battle. But still, they were leaving. Alpha senates were terrible, because you never knew how long they'd last. They could last a few hours, two days, or a week or longer. Time was nothing to them.
Howl (Howl Book 1) Page 24