I felt happy just knowing I had made her feel better. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all.
Chapter Seven
Hope
Nana Butterfly had spent the day walking me through her greenhouse, which she had named Petals, and pointed out all her favorite flowers and plants. As much as I was beginning to like this woman, I had to admit, she was very strange. I tried to remember all she had told me, what the name of the flowers were, how to take care of them and things like that, but it was overwhelming to me. I had never really cared about keeping plants alive before. After all, as werewolves, we did live underground. It was hard enough keeping myself alive. Although, I had to admit to myself, it was nice being surrounded by so many beautiful and colorful things. There was a moment when I actually felt blissful, but it was only a fleeting moment, and I didn’t dwell on it.
My mind kept going back to Wesley and the story Nana Butterfly had shared with me. It affected me more than I let on. I felt sad for the little boy who watched his father die, and then to be rejected by the only other father figure he had left. And not only was he rejected, but he was looked over, as if he didn’t even exist. Sadly, I understood that feeling very well.
That evening, Nana Butterfly took me to the dining hall where dinner was being served. She let me sit with her and her husband, as well as others she had introduced to me but I had already forgotten their names. I found myself studying this Clark guy, the one who had passed Wesley over, and discovered that I didn’t like him that much. Why? I didn’t know. I was still staring at him when I heard a commotion and turned to see Wesley entering the room. He was excited and was laughing and high-fiving his friends and elite. I had never seen him like this and my eyes were drawn to him. His black hair was messier than normal, the spikes leaning toward the left side of his head, and his tall, muscular form was dressed in a hugging blue t-shirt and faded jeans. Black and white converse finished the look. It was a nice look, I thought before shaking my head, desperate to shake those crazy thoughts loose. He began making his way to our table and froze mid-stride for only a second when he recognized me, but then continued cautiously. I quickly went back to my food, trying to ignore the fact that he had taken a seat at my table.
He cleared his throat. “Hello, Miss Mason. I hope you’re feeling better tonight.”
Everyone at the table had quieted as if they were hanging on every word. I glanced up at him to make sure he wasn’t being sarcastic and found that he seemed sincere. “Oh, well, I’m doing much better, thanks.” I managed a smile but just a small one. I almost choked when he changed seats to the one open next to me. I peered up at him and recognized nervousness as he first looked to his grandmother before addressing me.
“Uh, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for the way I behaved last night. I think both of us were on edge, and it angered me that you would dye your hair just to irritate me. But now that I know you’re a true redhead I totally understand.”
I snapped to attention. “What is that supposed to mean?” I demanded, my anger returning in a flash.
He noticed my shift in emotion and also seemed to get angry. Nana Butterfly cleared her throat, trying to grab his attention but it didn’t work. “I just meant that the red hair explains the attitude.”
I turned to face him full on. “And what exactly explains your attitude, huh? Is the big bad wolf afraid he’s met his match?”
He snapped. “You are no match for me! I am the alpha of this place!” He motioned around the room. “Everyone around here listens to me. Maybe you should too.”
My face turned red with anger, and I ignored all the curious faces fixed on the two of us. “And just when I thought this place had potential.”
If he was in his wolf form I would have seen the hair rise on his back. “And just what in the hell does that mean?” he demanded, his voice rising.
I put my hands firmly on both hips. “It means, you overgrown pig-headed dolt, that this place would have potential if everyone didn’t listen to you!” I snapped.
His eyes went wide and he began shaking his head around. “Oh yeah! And who are they gonna listen to? You?”
We both stood and began yelling at each other with arms flailing, and I stood my ground despite him towering over me by more than a foot. Within seconds, his elite came, and with great effort, ushered him from the room as we continued to yell. If this guy thought he was a match for me, he was in for a rude awakening, and I couldn’t wait to see his face when that realization hit him.
Chapter Eight
Wesley
I paced back and forth just outside of the dining hall. My hands were balled tightly into fists. My elite were trying to make me calm down but it wasn’t working at all. My head jerked up when Nana exited the room and came to a stop in front of me. “I tried to talk to her, Nana, but you saw how she was! She’s unreasonable! She’s nothing but trouble! Trouble! I should send her back to her father in Alaska!”
Nana was calm when she took my face in her hands. “That was the poorest attempt at apologizing I’ve ever seen. Now, you need to try again.”
“What?” I yelled. “No way! She needs to apologize to me! She’s the one who went crazy in there! No way, Nana. No way!”
She took my face in her hands once again, looking me sternly in the eyes. “Okay, calm down and listen to me. You were just as unreasonable as she was. The two of you are very much alike, and you’re both wounded. Now, you will benefit more from being friends than enemies. Am I right?”
I had to admit, she made it sound reasonable. “Fine. I’ll give it another try, but if she goes all crazy on me, I’m done with her. Got it?”
She smiled, rubbing my arm gently. “Of course, sugah. You’re doing the right thing.”
It took over an hour or so for me to cool off before heading to Petals, my Nana’s greenhouse, to give my apology one last shot. Once I entered the door to Petals, I heard music. As I got closer to Hope’s door, I realized she was playing her guitar. I stood there for a few minutes listening. She was really good, but the song seemed sad. She stopped and I wondered if she knew I was there. Suddenly, she opened the door and plowed right into my chest.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Her eyes went wide when she realized it was me. She crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you doing here?”
Okay, here we go, I thought. “Okay, here’s the thing. I’m not really all that good at apologies.”
“No, you’re really not,” she said sarcastically.
I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Okay, fine. I won’t give you a hard time.” She gestured with her hand. “Go ahead.”
I was lightly kicking the door post with my foot and looking at her through my lashes, hoping the puppy dog look worked. So far nothing else had. “Well, I’m sorry for earlier. It got out of hand. I mean, I got out of hand. And I guess I haven’t made this transition very easy for you. Will you forgive me—please?”
She studied me for a moment, and I had no idea what she was thinking. I shifted my feet nervously. This was clearly out of my comfort zone.
“Okay. I guess I forgive you.”
I huffed. “You guess?”
She laughed. “I’m kidding. I forgive you.” She looked at her feet. “I guess I’m sorry too.”
By her expression that was harder for her to say than even me. “Well, the guys and I are going to Happy’s for ice cream. You wanna come along?” I shrugged. “You know, get out of this place for a while?”
“Um. What’s Happy’s?”
“It’s an ice cream parlor located in the nearby city of Happy. It’s not too far, maybe twenty minutes or so. We’ve been hanging out there some lately.”
She smiled a little. “Oh, okay, sure. Just let me get my jacket.” She walked into her room and returned moments later wearing a black form fitting jacket that accented her slight curves. I couldn’t help checking her out, but I tried not to be too obvious. She was wearing skinny jeans that were a normal shade of blue, not black like bef
ore. Her fiery red hair was in soft natural waves just touching her shoulders, and her lovely round face was pale with just a touch of pink on her cheeks and lips. And of course there was the adorable light dusting of freckles across her nose.
“Are you ready then?” I asked.
“I think so.”
I motioned for her to take the lead, which I thought might please her and followed at a safe pace behind her. I caught sight of Nana peeking around the corner, hiding behind one of her huge plants. She was giving me thumbs up. I rolled my eyes and kept walking.
Chapter Nine
Hope
Thirty minutes later, Wesley, Li, Andrew, and I strolled through the doors of Happy’s Ice Cream Parlor. The atmosphere of the room seemed cozy and friendly, with cheerful faces and laughter surrounding us. We took our seats at a booth near the front. Andrew said he liked to people watch. I thought about my friend Cathy. She often said the same thing. Sometimes we’d end up at the mall just so she could people watch. She said people were much more entertaining than watching T.V. I missed her. Many times since arriving I’d wanted to message her but my dad confiscated my phone and iPod weeks ago after my fight with Amanda in the school parking lot. It had been my third fight with her within the year. She had been bullying Cathy a lot this year, and I couldn’t allow that. Even though I’m smaller than Amanda, I gave her something to fear—redheads. I smiled thinking about it.
“You wanna share what’s so amusing?” Li asked from across the booth.
I straightened. “Not really.”
He shrugged. “That’s cool.” I actually liked this Li guy. I had never met an Asian before but I had always wanted to. Not many lived in our small town in Alaska. They seemed like such neat people, and Li didn’t disappoint. He was funny and he had really cool hair that was spiked on the top and shaved on the sides. I wondered how I would look with that cut.
Just then the doorbell to Happy’s rang. We all turned to see a small group entering the front door. The biggest man I’d ever seen led the way. He must’ve been seven feet tall. “Hector, you get Charity’s order and I’ll get Ashley’s,” another guy called out to him. Wow, Hector was a good name for a guy like that. All the guys at my table jumped up and greeted the others in friendship.
Wesley ushered them to our table. “Guys, I’d like you to meet Hope Mason, Sergeant Mason’s daughter. Hope, these are some of the guys from the Drake Pack.”
“Oh yeah, I remember that Levi set it up for her to stay with you for a while,” the one that spoke earlier said. “Hope, I’m Josh, Levi’s beta. It’s nice to meet you. How are you liking it here in North Carolina?” He seemed like a friendly guy with thick blonde hair and sleepy eyes. He was cute.
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you too. I like it okay. This is really the first chance I’ve had to see it.”
“Have you had the ice cream yet?”
“Um, no, not yet.”
He turned to Wesley. “Well man, what are you waiting for? Get this young lady a cone of the best ice cream in the state.” He laughed, slapping Wesley on the back in a brotherly manner. This surprised me. For some reason I thought that maybe they were still enemies. I guessed that something must’ve happened recently to change that, and I was glad for it.
“Um, so, Josh,” I said, “How are Charity and the new babies doing?”
“Oh man! Those are the cutest kids ever! You should come over and see them sometime. Charity loves to make new friends. As a matter of fact, she’ll be here in a few minutes. They were right behind us.”
“The babies, too?” I asked.
“Oh no. Levi’s mom is keeping them so Levi and Charity can get out for a bit.”
I was disappointed for a moment, but then I got excited about the possibility of meeting Charity. She was like a celebrity at the Mason House. We had heard all of the stories about her rescuing the werewolves from battles, killing a vampire bride, and even influencing a vampire to change sides. Her beauty was rumored to beat out all others. This was a girl I just had to meet.
Wesley must’ve sensed my anxiousness and sat down beside me. “Are you okay?”
I glanced up and our eyes locked. I stared deep into those dark orbs and felt myself getting swimmy headed. I broke eye contact, shaking my head slightly. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? I sense something coming from you.”
“Honestly, I’m excited to meet Charity. I’ve heard so many stories. Is she really as beautiful as they say?”
He smiled. “She is beautiful, but not as beautiful as you.”
I peered up at him then, my jaw going slack in surprise. His face mimicked mine. I guess he was as surprised at what he said as I was. I actually laughed at his expression.
“I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have said that.” He fidgeted with his fingers, looking lost and confused.
I touched his hand to stop him and smirked. “It’s okay. You know, even though I’m a redhead, I still like compliments.”
He looked at me for a second, letting the sentence absorb, and then he burst into roaring laughter. This drew the attention from the others who were now all gathered around us.
“What’s so funny, Wes?” Andrew asked.
He caught his breath and answered, “Hope is a funny girl.”
I didn’t think it was all that funny, but I began laughing too, along with the others. It seemed we didn’t really need anything to be funny to laugh at each other. It was nice for a change. Everything was always so serious at the Mason House. Sergeant Mason, my dad, was more strict and stiff than anything else. It felt good to laugh—very good in fact. I stopped short when I heard the doorbell ring again, alerting us to new traffic. Was this Charity, I wondered, peering around the guys to get a good look.
A tall and very handsome man entered first, holding the door for the others. He must be Levi, but then another man who looked just like him also entered. This was the Drake twins. Suddenly, I caught sight of the red streak in the one’s hair and knew it was Eli. With him was a small woman with black hair. She was very pretty and she marveled at everything she saw and touched. I was instantly curious as to what part of this puzzle I was missing. Charity entered then. And I knew this because, not only was she breathtakingly beautiful with long flowing dark hair and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen, but Levi practically knocked Eli over to get to her. He took her hand and led her through the maze of pack members that were still gathered around our table.
Wesley and Levi greeted each other in a friendly enough manner and then he ushered them over to meet me. I was in awe as the introductions were made. I’m sure I stumbled over my words as I greeted them. My fantasies about them were true. They were an amazing couple. Anyone could see that. And Levi couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She had recently had triplets and she was as beautiful as I had imagined she could be. She sat down beside me, pulling two other women down with her. They were introduced to me as Ashley, Josh’s wife and Destiny, Eli’s new bride.
The four of us sat together eating our ice cream cones while the guys sat in the booth behind us. It was amazing to me how friendly they were to me. It was as if I had been a friend for a very long time. I felt an instant bond with all the girls and we laughed as we licked. They told me that a couple would soon be joining us that weren’t pack and didn’t know about us. That was my cue to keep all things werewolf a secret. A few minutes later, another adorable couple entered and the girl bounced over to join us. Her name was Kitty and her guy’s name was Reed.
I really liked my new friends, especially Charity and Ashley. They made me feel so welcomed. Occasionally, I found myself peering over at Wesley. He was doing the same. This did not go unnoticed by Charity. She gave me an all-knowing smile. She seemed to be suddenly very happy about something. What was I missing here, I wondered? Something told me I wouldn’t find out so soon. But that was okay. This night was too wonderful to ruin, or so I thought.
I squeezed out of our booth and made my way out the door and to the b
ack of the parking lot to the car to retrieve my pocket book. I needed it so I could write down all the numbers of my new friends. Knowing I wouldn’t need it, I had left it in the car when we arrived. This really bugged me because had my controlling father not taken my phone from me I would’ve already had the numbers programmed by now.
I was shutting the door when someone whistled. I spun to see three guys approaching. They looked pretty rough and I instantly felt unease. “Well, hello there, cutie. Lookin’ for some company?” The one that spoke had slicked back hair and a very big mouth. I could sense he was looking for trouble. Too bad that was my nickname of late. He glanced around to make sure I was alone.
I was shaking. I knew this wasn’t good. “Um, I’m here with someone,” I threatened, taking a step back. I was not prepared for this.
“Well, I don’t see him.” He grabbed me around the waist then and pulled me against him. The others gathered around us. His hands roamed my body, landing on my butt as he kissed my neck and ear. “Let’s have some fun, red.”
“Let me go!” I yelled, trying to push him off me.
“Get your hands off of my girl.” I heard a controlled voice say. I knew that voice anywhere. Normally I was the one he had to control his anger against.
“Oh yeah?” the one holding me said, slinging me into the arms of his friend. “Hold her for me, Dave, while I take care of this guy.”
Wesley’s eyes did a quick rake over my body to make sure I wasn’t hurt. Then he stretched to his full height, his eyes shifting yellow and a snarl dripped from his lips. He was pissed. His hands clenched into tight fists. The other pack guys poured out of the ice cream parlor to investigate, but they weren’t needed. In less than five seconds all three of the guys threatening me were curled up in the gravel groaning in pain. And I never saw Wesley move, but then I was in his arms and he was pressing my face against his chest protectively.
“Tell me he didn’t hurt you, Hope,” he said, pulling away just enough to see my face. His eyes were full of concern as they took another rake over my body, searching for injuries.
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