by Yara Gharios
As the screaming match continues, I join Connor who is leaning casually against the front door, calmly watching our brothers.
"Ten bucks says Nate ends up shotgun," he says.
"You're on," I say. "I believe in my twin."
"Isn't anyone betting on Mason?" Dad's voice asks from the couch.
I shrug. "Mason doesn't really care. He just likes to rile them up."
We watch them for a few more minutes until we hear Mom sighing loudly from the kitchen. She comes stomping into the living room with a murderous look on her face. At first, the three of them keep on fighting, but then she puts two fingers in her mouth and lets out an ear-splitting whistle that just about blows our heads off. Even Dad has to cover his ears to protect them. Sometimes, having heightened senses really sucks.
"If you boys aren't out of this house in one minute, I will make all of you walk to the pack house, do you understand me?" she threatens, her voice low and deadly.
We all fall quiet and stare guiltily at each other. Our parents usually put up with our bickering and only intervene when something more important needs to be done, or when our fighting is taking place downstairs, which is where all the breakables are. Plus, my parents kind of cherish the nights when my brothers and I go out. It's the only time they get some peace and quiet. And other disturbing things I am not even going to think about.
"Sorry, Mom," Mason is the first to say.
She point at the front door. "Just take it outside," she orders, a bit calmer now.
We shuffle out, mumbling apologies and goodbyes. Before they can start fighting again, Connor suddenly announces, "Mason gets shotgun."
"Aw, come on!" the other two protest.
"No buts," he argues. "It's my car, and he's less annoying than you two."
They continue complaining, but they do as he says. "I can't believe you're always favoring Mase and Mickey," Danny whines.
"At least you get to drink," I point out, to which they have nothing to say.
Because of my secret, it's always been an unspoken rule that I can't ingest any substance that might make me drop my guard and could cloud my judgment. Ever since I turned 16 and got my driver's license, this has meant that I'm the designated driver during any party that my brothers go to.
I don't really mind the not drinking part, since I've never really tried it, but I like to play it out like I do. It makes my brothers sympathize with me and gives me plenty of opportunities to mess with them. Driving home is an added bonus. I like driving, and I rarely get a chance to, so when I do, I cherish it.
On the way to the pack house, the conversation shifts to my brothers' memories of their best and worst nights of partying. I can't really give much input, since I usually take a nap in the car and wait for them. But I do find a million different things to make fun of them for. Like how Connor once got so wasted that he went skinny dipping with a girl, who then ditched him when he started singing I'm Too Sexy. That was too weird for her.
A few minutes later, we get to the entrance of the pack's compound, and a security guard asks for our names. When Connor gives him our last name, he calls for someone called Creed on his walkie and he buzzes us in. The gates retract and the road opens up in front of us; I am literally amazed.
Sadie may have said there are eleven of them, but that's if you only count those living in the pack house. There's about a dozen other regular-sized houses scattered across the compound, and all of them may be lived in. Malcolm the diner owner probably lives in one of them.
There are also a few other buildings with different purposes inside the gates, used for anything a big pack needs; a training center, a hospital and a school. I'm pretty sure there's also a playground somewhere in there.
A granite road leads all the way to the pack house, then turns around and makes a perfect circle back to the entry gates. Every patch of land in between that doesn't have property built on it is covered by a perfectly green grass carpet. Some trees are also scattered here and there. It almost looks like a spa or a country club, with the pack house as the hotel.
In the werewolf world, a pack usually lives in the same house, and they have all their training and education within it. But SMP is a bit too big to fit inside one house. The compound was built decades ago and the pack's way of life was established along with it.
The pack house is where the alpha, his family, his mate, and the beta and his mate all live, so I'm guessing this is where Logan's family lives, along with Reena, Cade and Sadie. The others live in the houses. The training center and hospital are used by all, but the school is for the younger kids only.
At this time of the day, when the sun has set hours ago, the lights coming from the pack house are bright enough to illuminate a big part of the compound. Music can also be heard from there, but it's far enough from the houses that it doesn't disturb them if there's anyone at home sleeping. I doubt anyone other than little kids and their parents is staying home tonight; this party is a big deal.
When the pack house itself comes into view, I notice that the road has been closed from that point on, and there are a few people gathering in front of the barriers. There's a lot more people than I imagined; surely more than the pack contains. Then I realize that most of them are human, which really shocks me. I thought this was supposed to be a private party?
"Where the hell am I going to park?" Connor mumbles to himself.
That's when I notice a familiar brunette who seems out of place amidst the crowd on the street. Standing beside people clearly dressed for a night out at a club, she looks almost awkward in a simple short-sleeved red dress that reaches her knees, with laces lining the top of its chest. She has black flats on and is tapping one of them while she looks around for us.
I roll my window down and stick my head out. "Sadie!" I yell.
At the sound of her name, she turns and sees me a moment later. She beams widely and jogs toward us.
"Hey Dylan!" she greets me in her usual manner. "You made it!"
"Yeah, we did. Um, do you know where we can park?"
She seems to realize that my brothers are in the car, too, and crouches down to see them through the window.
"Hey guys!" she says. "Nice to see you all came."
"We wouldn't miss it," Mason says with a smile.
Then she looks at our driver. "It's Connor, right?" she asks.
"Yeah," he answers casually, a little surprised she remembered his name.
She points to the side of the barrier. "You can park on either side of the street here. Not that many cars are supposed to be coming in."
"Kay, thanks."
"Wait, Con, hold on," I stop him before the car moves again. I hop out and close the door behind me. "I'll meet you guys in there."
"Alright, cool," they easily agree.
"Remember, don't drink anything except water you've poured yourself," Mason reminds me.
I roll my eyes, annoyed he had to say that in front of my friend. "Whatever, Dad."
Sadie's watching us with an amused half-smile on her face. I grab her elbow and start dragging her away. "Don't even start."
"Start what?" she asks innocently. "Teasing you that your brothers are babying you? Why wouldn't I? It's hilarious."
Instinctively, I growl at her, but there's enough noise around us that she doesn't hear.
"I'm the designated driver, okay?" I offer as way of explanation.
"Whatever you say, baby," she teases.
Chapter 10
Daniel
My brothers and I have a system during parties; we always go together and we check in with Mickey every hour so that he could make sure we aren’t getting too drunk to lose our senses. Alcohol doesn't affect us as easily as it does humans, but when taken in large amounts, it makes us as vulnerable as any drunk person.
My brothers and I are allowed to drink, though, save for Mickey of course, for one simple reason. Drunk guys are not taken seriously if they start yelling that their baby brother is actually a werewolf gi
rl in hiding. If Mickey was to start acting like a girl, however, the truth would come out. We can’t shift when there’s the least bit of alcohol or chemicals in our system, but all my twin has to do is take his shirt or pants off.
It’s unfair that he’s the only one who can’t drink, so we promised that we would always stop when he tells us to. But he lets us have our fun, because he has this warped sense of right and wrong, and he thinks it’s wrong to chain us to him.
Unfortunately, the welcome party at the SMP is the first one he attends willingly and has someone to hang out with. This makes him distracted, and I unintentionally let loose. Thirty minutes later, I’m much drunker than I’ve ever been in my life.
"More shots!" I scream over the loud music.
Everyone cheers me on. My vision is so fuzzy, but I feel like I’m flying and that nothing can stop me. People love me every time I drink and announce that I’ve taken yet another one. I like it. Somebody hands me another shot. Grinning, I reach for it and look up at the person to thank them. I stop short when I see a girl.
"Why hello, gorgeous," I flirt.
She’s really pretty; her eyes are so blue, like the ocean. Or are they green? I can’t tell, I’m distracted thinking about taking a swim in the back pool soon.
"Hi," she says back with a suggestive smile.
By now, it’s just me and her talking. Maybe she wants to go to the pool with me.
"You want to go for a swim?" I ask.
She scrunches up her nose for a second in an adorable way, but I’m sure it’s just the fuzziness of my vision. She purses her lips like she’s considering it, and then she leans forward towards me like she’s about to tell me a secret.
"Tell you what," she begins, and I get closer to her, my curiosity to know her answer burning inside me. "You finish that drink, and I’ll take you up somewhere secret."
I knew she was going to tell me a secret! I love secrets!
People always tell them to me, and I usually keep them. Without hesitation, I down the shot she gave me and wait for the burn. Nothing comes.
Whoa! Did I just develop a superpower? Alcohol resistance! Awesome!
"Hey I didn’t even feel that!" I exclaim with pride.
"That’s because it’s water," she tells me with a straight face that doesn’t have a hint of the flirty expression she wore before. "I think you’ve had enough."
I don’t understand what she’s telling me at first, and I frown to concentrate. "You tricked me!" I finally realize, feeling betrayed. "That’s not very nice! I’m going to get a drink from someone who’s not mean, like you."
"Don’t you want to see my secret place?" she reminds me.
Damn it! I love secrets. This is too tempting! How do I choose? Wait, why don’t I want to see her secret place again? I wonder.
"Okay!" I agree enthusiastically.
She holds out her hand for me and I take it immediately. Faces of other people blur in front of me as she’s leading me upstairs somewhere. She stops in front of a door and opens it, pulling me inside with her. The music is more muted here, and I can hear my own breathing, but there is a ringing in my ears. I see a bed and realize we’re her room.
Oh!
Anticipating what she had planned, I pull her toward my chest with a grin on my face.
"What are you doing?" she squeaks.
"Isn’t it obvious?" I say back.
"Ew, no! That’s not what I meant! Let go of me!" she protests, sounding a little afraid.
Dejected, I do as she says. My parents always tell me to respect girls, and I don’t want to scare her. That’s never stopped me from turning on the charm and convincing girls who've said 'no' to me before, but something about this girl makes me stop, for once. Still, I can’t say I’m not disappointed.
"But why?" I pout.
"I’m fifteen you idiot!" she yells. "That’s statutory rape! Hell, that’s just rape!"
My eyes widen. Am I so far gone that I didn’t notice she’s so young? "Then why did you bring me here?"
She heaves a sigh and shakes her head with both her hands on her forehead. "This was a bad idea. I don’t know what I was thinking. Of course, if he’s drunk enough not to remember this in the morning, then he’d be drunk enough to expect this! Why didn’t you think of that?"
She’s confusing me again, and I frown. "Are you… talking to yourself?"
She gives me an exasperated look. "Yes, I’m talking to myself, you idiot."
That’s twice that she called me ‘idiot’. I wonder why I don’t feel offended, but I’m distracted by what she said before. "What don’t you want me to remember?"
She sighs again, but this time, she slumps down on her bed and looks tired. "My secret," she reminds me.
I gasp in shock and kneel down in front of her. "So there really is a secret?" I whisper with wonder.
She laughs a little and nods her head. "Yes, there really is a secret," she repeats. "I can’t tell anyone I know about this, and I thought a total stranger would be a good choice. Obviously, I miscalculated a lot of things."
She looks down with a sad expression on her face. I don’t know why, but it makes me sad, too, to see her about to cry.
"Oh please tell me!" I beg. "I love secret, and like you said, I won’t remember this tomorrow. Please? I’ll tell you a secret, too!"
She hesitates and does that nose scrunching thing she does before she agrees. "Alright."
"Yes," I quietly cheer, which takes the sadness out of her eyes.
"Do you know that my dad is not really my dad?" she begins by asking.
I blink, twice. "What?" So far, this is the worse secret ever.
"The man who raised me is not the same one who gave birth to me," she explains.
I suppress a laugh. "Men don’t give birth, silly; women do."
She rolls her eyes, although she’s smiling at the same time. "Okay, fine, he’s not my biological father. Is that better?"
I put on a straight face. "Continue," I try to say with authority.
It only succeeds in making her laugh again. "You’re funny when you’re drunk, you know that?"
I shrug. "I’m funny all the time," I correct her. "I’ve never been this drunk."
She seems a bit surprised by that. "Really? Why not?"
I shake my head. "Nuh-uh! Your secret before mine."
She gives me a non-impressed look. "That’s your secret? That you’ve never been as drunk as you are now? I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you don't seem like someone who can easily hold their liquor."
Coming from a fifteen year old girl, I should probably take that as an insult, but I can't focus. I am confused. This girl is messing with my brain.
"But how are you sure I won’t remember this in the morning?"
"I watched you," she tells me. "For a werewolf, you're kind of a lightweight. You had four beers and fourteen shots in a row. You’re still talking normally, but not rationally. I get the feeling you don’t generally drink a lot, because you were singing ‘We Are Family’ at the top of your lungs, and completely off key, if I may add, after just seven shots. My sister’s boyfriend can have twice as much as you drank in total before he starts behaving the way you are now."
Only one thing in her speech catches my attention. "Sister?" I wonder if she’s cute, too.
"Yeah," she confirms. "You’ve met her. Her name is Sadie. He boyfriend is Cade, the beta of the pack. Remember?"
I can’t remember, and it’s making me even more confused. I need to focus, so I close my eyes shut and shake my head. What were we talking about?
"Besides," she adds before I can ask her out loud, "even if you do remember, it won’t be so bad to have someone to talk to. You seem like a decent guy. I mean, you could have just taken advantage of me even when I said no. And you could have just left me here."
That’s when I remember. "But I want to know the secret," I beg her.
She shakes her head like she’s forcing herself to focus, too. "Right, that’s t
rue, I was telling you about how my dad isn’t my biological father," she recalls.
"Are you adopted?" I blurt out without caring.
"Technically, yes, my dad adopted me," she tells me. "But my mom is really my mother. That’s not the point, though. The point is that I found out something about him."
I prop myself up on my elbows, which I place on her knees. This must hurt, but she doesn’t try to move me.
"What?" I ask excitedly.
She pauses before answering me. "He had a son a few months before Sadie was born. With another woman. And my mom doesn’t even know."
My eyes go wide with my childlike excitement, and I lift my head from my hands. "Ooh, a brother! Brothers are awesome. I have three of them."
"This isn’t awesome for me; my dad is a cheater," she complains. "I always had this perfect idea of him, you know? That he was this great guy, and he died before I was born, but he still loved me. But now that I know he has a kid with another woman, it’s like the whole image of him being perfect went into dust. Is that so wrong of me? Is it too stupid to wish that all my genes came from good people, that my parents are someone I can be proud of?"
I drop my arms casually over her legs and lean my chin over them.
"No," I tell her with certainty. "He’s the stupid, and you’re a... better than him."
"How can you say that? You don’t even know me."
"Because you didn’t let me drink any more, and you didn’t want to sleep with me, and you don’t want to tell your mom because you don’t want to hurt her, and you love your other dad," I count the reasons off on my twelve fingers. "Trust me, you’re nothing like him."
Shocked, she blinks at me and takes a moment to reply. "I’m starting to doubt whether or not you’re really drunk," she says.
"If I was, I wouldn’t be trying to make you feel better, believe me," I answer her. "I might not forget this, but I won’t use it against you; I promise."
Her smile is adorable, just then. "Thank you, it’s really sweet of you to say that."
I shrug. "I won’t be this nice in the morning, so you better make use of it."
"Ah, so you’re the type that becomes adorable when you’re drunk. I hope you stay this way sober," she says. I smile at her, just because she's nice. "So what’s your secret?"