When I see the other girls in the classroom coming towards me giggling with each other, I grab my books in one swift movement and rush out of there as fast as I can, pretending not to hear when they call my name.
The hallways are filled with students as eager as I am to leave.
I get accidentally pushed against the blue lockers a couple of times, and pieces of cracked paint fall on my red hoodie.
A minute later, I meet up with Danny at the school entrance.
“Hey, bro,” he greets me.
“Ready to take on the Silver Moon bunch?” I groan.
“Don’t remind me.” I’m nervous enough as it is.
My family hasn’t had contact with another pack since I was born.
I personally never even came face to face with one.
A part of me is scared they’ll take one look at me and instantly realize that I’m a girl.
But I trust my parents, and I know they would never put me in danger.
When Daniel and I get outside, we find Nate leaning over a girl against the outer wall with her books tucked into both her arms.
One of his hands is in his pocket while the other is resting on the wall beside her head.
They’re both grinning flirtatiously at each other.
I look at Danny, and he guesses what I’m thinking from the sardonic smirk on my face.
It breaks my heart to extract Nathan from an easy win -really, it does… I can’t stop myself though from grabbing him in a headlock and rubbing the hair on his head with my knuckles as fast and as hard as I can.
I steer him in our direction.
“What’s up lover boy?” “Get the hell off, Michael!” he screams.
I let go just as he’s about to punch me in the stomach and grin at him.
“What’s the matter?
Didn’t you just get laid this weekend?
What was her name?
Gina?” “Gina?!” the girl screeches in anger before he can even react.
“You’re the one who screwed my best friend over, you asshole?” Whoa, I did not see that coming.
I’m so impressed that one of my eyebrows shoots up.
Nate tries to save himself.
“No, Cami, I never-” She cuts him off.
“Save it!
You know, I actually thought you were cute.
And to think I was this close to giving you my number!” Indignant, she walks off with her nose in the air.
It takes about two seconds for my composure to break and for me and Danny to start laughing our asses off.
We hold each other up while we get it out of our system.
In the meantime, Nate stares after her for a couple of seconds before turning his glare toward me.
“Now that, my dear brothers, is what I call payback,” I announce with a bow.
“You’re a true natural,” Danny praises, going along and clapping for me.
“Thank you, it’s a gift,” I modestly reply.
“Can we just go now?” Nate grumbles.
He is just itching to get back at me.
I can feel it.
But, sadly for him, because of the rules of War Day, he’s not allowed to.
The three of us walk to Connor’s car.
My two remaining brothers have chosen to stay in the car, because even though one of them refuses to admit it, they are too whipped to go near other girls, especially high school ones.
Mason does that by choice since he is entirely devoted to his mate -like I said, whipped.
But Connor, I suspect, is afraid of…
damn, I forgot her name again…
his girl dumping him.
They’re both sitting in the front, so there’s no point arguing over shotgun.
Once we hop in, Connor pulls out of the parking lot and starts driving towards Rod’s Diner.
“I always enjoy watching your retaliations on War Day, Mickey,” Mason comments with amusement.
I give him my best innocent smile.
“Thank you brother.” “You know you’re the only one left on his agenda, right?” Nate reminds him.
Mason apparently forgot about that because he grimaces and slaps a hand over his face.
I laugh at his discomfort.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.” “Hey!” Con protests.
“Why does he get the easy treatment?” “Because he’s the only one of you idiots who’s got a mate,” is my reply.
I don’t need to elaborate; they know what I’m talking about.
It means Mase is the one who sympathizes with my fellow females, and subsequently with me, the most.
Also, there’s the fact that Marianna becomes concerned about him very often, which means I can’t ever do anything drastic to him.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t yank his chains every once in a while.
Marianna even joins in on the laughter sometimes, which makes her so much cooler in my eyes.
“Connor might have himself a mate soon,” Daniel hints teasingly.
“Shut up,” Con replies with forced indifference.
Oh yeah, he is so whipped.
“Nah, he’s too much of a coward to take that leap,” I continue the joke.
“I’m not a coward!” he protests.
“Then why haven’t you asked her?” Nate mocks.
What’s the girl’s name?
There’s a joke I need to tell…
“Because, we’re not serious,” Con insists.
“I just like having her around sometimes.” “Yeah, and you just adore her borderline obsessive need to immortalize everything you do together in pictures,” Danny says sarcastically.
“Hey, it’s not her fault we’re both photogenic,” he replies defensively.
“Oh man, you’re as obsessed with her as you are with yourself,” Mason remarks, “if that habit of hers doesn’t even get on your nerves.” I wish one of them would say her name already so I can tell my joke!
“We all have habits that get on people’s nerves,” Connor points out evasively.
“Yeah, but we only put up with them if we care about the other person,” Mason goes on.
“Like when Nate wears dirty shoes all day and only airs them when I decide to go to bed, for example.” We all roar in laughter at that, even Nathan.
“That’s harder to put up with than Andrea’s picture fetish,” Danny laughs.
Andrea!
Finally, I can tell my joke.
Just as I open my mouth to start saying it, I see the diner’s sign, and the joke dies in my throat.
The others fall quiet as well, and a tense silence builds up as Connor parks.
Finally, Danny sighs and says, “Let’s go dance with the wolves.” Logan Rod’s Diner has been used as neutral territory for pack business since my family first lived here.
The current owner is Rod’s son Malcolm.
He is a werewolf in his forties who stayed behind with his family when our pack first moved.
His father was too attached to the diner and refused to leave, even though he was terminally ill.
Malcolm stayed to take care of him in his last few years of life, and then took over the business.
He’s got a wife of his own and two boys who are fourteen and fifteen years old, all of whom work with him.
This is where I’ve chosen to meet with the Connollies, on the off chance that a conflict will ensue, to give everybody a way out.
The “closed” sign greets us at the front door, but Malcolm lets us in immediately.
The diner looks the same as it did in my parents’ photo albums, only a bit worn out.
The colors red and white dominate the doors, counters, tables, sofas and chairs, and the floor tile is checkered black and white.
A few tables are messy with food remains, but the others are shining and reflecting the light from the lamps.
We sit at the table in the far end corner.
Cade and his brothers are the ones I asked to come with me, along with Sadie and Reena.
“This place is…
interesting,” my mate mutters when we enter.
She’s not one to love places that sell junk food.
She’s very health conscious.
For some illogical reason, Reena chose to wear something extremely revealing.
We’re in the middle of spring, yet she’s wearing jean shorts and a tight white blouse which makes her eyes bluer and hips curvier than usual.
Combining that with her natural olive skin tone, long and straight black hair, sharp features, and striking good lucks, she looks as though she has just came back from a day of tanning at the beach.
On the one hand, I’m uneasy at the thought of other guys ogling her.
It’s bad enough that Jared and Sam eyed her up and down before we left the compound.
But on the other hand, she is undeniably sexy, and my satisfaction over the fact that she is mine makes me want to show her off.
“Think Mom and Dad would remember this place if they came here?” Cade asks his brothers.
“Definitely,” Sam and Jared answer back simultaneously.
“It must be as old as they are,” Jared jokes.
“If not older,” Sam plays along.
Their usual banter always starts this way, but they are interrupted by Sadie this time.
“Can you imagine how much history the pack has here?” she comments with a fascination that negates Reena’s disgust and Nashes’ mockery.
“What if some of our parents met in this very diner?
It’s so cool to think we’re literally standing in their place right now.” She took the words right out of my mouth.
I think she may have even said them for my benefit.
Every new place I visit in this town is yet another link I have to my parents.
Yesterday, after Cade and I had come back, I spent a considerable amount of time just walking around the pack house.
I visualized what my parents might have done at one point in their lives in each room.
I could imagine them having breakfast together in the kitchen, or lounging around in the playing room, or just relaxing in their bedroom, which I am now occupying.
“Maybe for you guys,” Reena murmurs so low that only I hear, because my ear is right by her mouth.
My arm is around her waist guiding her towards the farthest table in the corner.