The alphas son, p.3
The Alpha's Son, page 3
Mom goes quiet, and there’s a strange, happy-yet-faraway look in her eyes.
I glance at Katie and even she is getting a little weirded out by my mom’s trance-like state.
“You ok, Mom?”
She blinks a couple of times and suddenly she’s back in the car. She readjusts the steering wheel and laughs a little at herself.
“Sorry, I forgot what I was doing there for a second.”
“Well, keep your eyes on the road, please,” I say. “We’d like to make it to the festival in one piece.”
I stare back out the window as we take a left down a long tree-lined street. We must be getting close.
I gulp and take a breath. My mom nearly drove us off the road thinking about mates. It’s obvious this whole situation is dangerous.
After about twenty minutes a row of tall, skinny flags appear, lining the path, fluttering in the breeze. They have the pack’s insignia printed in the middle and alternate colors from green to yellow to purple. The colors of the Elite Pack.
Eventually, the path leads to an open field, where hundreds of cars are parked. Mom pulls into an empty spot and we get out, grabbing our bags from the trunk, and strapping them on our backs.
“Well, this is where I have to leave you,” Mom says, looking like she’s about to cry. “The retreat is just up there past those trees, you’ll see it when you reach the top of that rise. Good luck, kids!”
Houston, we have lift off! Mom starts crying as she pulls us both in for a massive hug.
“You’re going to have such a nice time.”
When we can finally pry ourselves away from my overzealous mother, she takes my face in her hands and kisses my cheek.
“I love you, kiddo. I hope the next few days make you happy.”
I roll my eyes but even I can’t help getting a little choked up. I’m not completely heartless.
“Love you too, Mom.”
After a few too many goodbyes and one last panicked search for a potentially forgotten toothbrush, Katie and I leave my mother and make our way to the top of the hill.
“Gosh, there’s so many people here,” Katie says, looking astounded at all the cars and the other wolves all struggling with giant packs.
“Who knows, our mates could be out there.”
“Ha, yeah,” I say.
We reach the trees my mother mentioned. Below us on the opposite side of the hill sits the retreat. It’s mega.
At the base of the hill is a giant cabin, it’s woodsy and rustic but is probably the size of freaking Madison Square Garden. Behind the main cabin there are at least a hundred smaller cabins and behind them is a green grass field the size of a football stadium. To the right of the retreat is the shore of the lake and a boat house. Deep blue-green water reflects the trees and mountains that surround it. Lining the perimeter of the camp is the edge of a forest, which stretches for as far as I can see, rising into the foot of the mountains.
For a moment Katie and I stand there, awestruck.
“This is wild,” she says.
I’m truly gobsmacked. After all the years of hearing about the retreat, I’d assumed it was some run-down, Friday the 13th campsite but this is...next level.
“Shall we?” Katie says and I nod again. We take off running down the hill.
When we reach a gravel-covered area out front of the main cabin I’m suddenly overwhelmed by just how many other wolves there are.
“Everyone is so...so…” Katie stammers, unable to finish her sentence.
“Hot,” I say, knowing exactly what she was going to say.
Wolves are usually pretty gifted in the looks department, what with being all preternaturally strong and all. But seeing this collection of hotties en masse is kind of...intimidating.
The girls look like models who’ve stumbled out of the pages of a sportswear catalog and the guys all look like celebrity personal trainers.
With all these beefcakes around, the chance of someone wanting to be my mate is negligible. Maybe I can get through the weekend swimming, eating smores, and not having to worry about my eternal fate.
“Have you guys got your invitations?” a squeaky voice behind us asks.
Katie and I turn to find a short dark-haired girl, holding a clipboard, and staring at us with a toothy grin, so wide I’m worried she’s about to strain a muscle.
“Hi,” I say.
“May I see your invitations?” she asks again.
“Oh yeah, sure.”
I shoved my invitation somewhere in my pack on the way out of the house and I’ve completely forgotten where I put it. Flustered, I toss my bag onto the gravel and start searching all the outside pockets before digging into the main compartment.
“Here,” Katie says, having produced her still-crisp invitation from a plastic wallet she’s attached to the zipper of her pack. “Katie Andrews.”
Katie sticks out her hand and the girl with the clipboard reciprocates.
“Eleanor Peng,” she says, shaking Katie’s hand too vigorously. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m one of the festival volunteers and I’m in charge of distributing cabin assignments to new arrivals. Aren’t you just pumped for the festival? I know I am!”
Eleanor laughs awkwardly as I continue to search in my pack.
“We’re both really excited,” Katie says, placating the crazed camp attendant.
“And imagine who you could end up being mated to!”
“It could be literally anyone,” Katie says, doing her best to play along, although even she’s struggling to match Eleanor’s enthusiasm.
“Yes but this year it could be someone particularly special.” Eleanor leans toward Katie with a conspiratorial glint in her eye. “This year will be the first time Jasper Apollo will be here.”
I look up from my frantic searching.
Jasper Apollo. I know the name. Of course, I do. Jasper is the son of Jericho, our alpha. He’s next in line to lead the pack.
For some reason the sound of his name sends a strange warm sensation to my toes and the tips of my fingers.
“Just think,” Eleanor continues. “You could arrive here today a complete nobody and wind up mated to the alpha’s son!”
She bursts into her distinctive awkward cackle again and I’m shaken from my reverie. I go back to searching my bag.
Finally, I find my crumpled-up invitation and hand it to Eleanor.
“Fantastic,” she says, having a meltdown behind her eyes.
“Sorry, it...got squashed.”
“No matter,” she says, before unleashing another hyena-like outburst. She glances from the invitations to her clipboard and back again.
“Katie you’re in cabin B14 and Max you’ll be in cabin C27.”
“Oh, I thought we’d be in the same cabin,” Katie says, disappointed.
“The cabins are separated by gender I’m afraid,” Eleanor says.
“Very binary,” I mumble so only Katie can hear.
“With all the extra energy from the blue moon,” Eleanor continues, oblivious, “we don’t want to encourage any wolves to jump the gun before the Mating Run.”
“Oh, no of course not,” Katie says, ignoring me. Eleanor hands Katie back her invitation, and she accepts it, blushing a little.
“Well, have an amazing festival. There will be drinks in the Alpha’s Hall in the main cabin at 6, followed by dinner and a welcome soiree. That gives you a couple hours to get settled in. Me and the other volunteers will be here all festival in case you need anything.”
Something tells me the other volunteers probably aren’t taking this quite as seriously as Eleanor.
“May the Moon Gods light the path between souls!”
Eleanor waves manically before crossing the courtyard to accost another set of new arrivals.
I smile at Katie who shrugs at me and smiles in return.
“I guess we should find our bunks,” I say. “Meet you back here in a couple of hours?”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Katie says.
***
It takes a few minutes of hopeless wandering before I find my home for the next few nights. My cabin is toward the back of the configuration and right next to the woods. Inside there are four sets of bunk beds. A couple already have bags on them, which I assume means they’re taken. I head for the bunk closest to the window and toss my pack onto the top bed.
Hoisting myself up, I immediately notice the view outside the window. The woods and the lake are framed perfectly by the cracked window frame, with the mountains in the distance behind them. It’s breathtaking. I’m suddenly really glad I brought my sketch pad with me. If nothing else I can probably get some great drawings out of this weekend.
A couple of bros enter the cabin laughing and slapping each other on the back.
“Hey man! Name’s Todd,” one says. “Looks like we’re going to be roomies!”
I roll over and sit up. Todd is a big, big guy with pale skin, orange freckles, and cropped ginger hair. He’s muscle-y but in that soft kind of way.
“Hi,” I say, in a higher pitch than I intend.
“This dweeb here is Simon,” Todd says, whacking his friend on the back.
“What’s up?” Simon says. Todd’s friend is almost his polar opposite. He’s still got muscles but he’s much leaner, with black hair, and umber skin.
“Hope you don’t mind snorers,” Todd says, laughing at his friend’s expense.
“You dick, I don’t snore,” Simon retorts. “Hey, I call top bunk!”
“No way man, I called it in the car!”
“Doesn’t count unless you’re in the room, my man.”
Instantly they forget I’m here, as they start wrestling, trying to claim the top bunk opposite mine.
I lie back and sigh. “It’s only four nights.”
But I wish I didn’t have to share a cabin with a bunch of bros. I wish I could just be in a cabin with Katie and no one else. And I wish there wasn't all this pressure to find a mate. Everyone seems so excited to be here. And with the news that Jasper Apollo is coming, I’m sure that excitement will be dialed up to an eleven.
I dig into my pack and pull out my sketchbook, before hopping down off my bunk. I desperately need some air and I don’t think Beavis and Butthead will even register me leaving.
I head from the cabin straight into the woods.
“You just have to make it through four nights.”
The Alpha’s Son Arrives
“Ouch!”
I slap at another mosquito flying around my head and end up whacking myself in the neck.
There are like, a million of the little bloodsuckers out in the woods. I’ve only been walking for ten minutes and I’m already dotted with bites.
The woods themselves are lush and green. The ceiling-like tree canopy provides a shady, damp environment for moss and fungi to thrive. Big, gnarly roots rise from the soil, curling back around on themselves like giant snakes. The trees are as tall as skyscrapers, with vines draped around them like lights on a Christmas tree. The landscape is peppered with boulders more and more as I head toward the base of the mountains.
I have a bit of time before I’m supposed to meet Katie, and I’d much rather spend it out here drawing than back in my cabin with my wrestling roommates.
Up ahead is a boulder tall enough and dry enough to sit on. I have to scramble a little to reach the top, but once I’m there I try to get comfy. With my trusty pencil in hand, I start to sketch the landscape.
A breeze drifts through the forest, rustling the leaves and mixing with the buzz of insects and the chirping of birds. I let myself get lost in my drawing. And then…
SNAP!
A loud crack, like a branch being stepped on, startles me. I spin to see where the sound came from but turn too quickly and lose my balance. Before I know it I’m falling backward.
With a strange panicked noise, I squelch-land in a puddle of mud. I lie there and wish the earth would swallow me whole.
Then I hear laughter.
“So graceful, bonehead,” a voice says––a voice that sends shivers of anger rippling through my veins.
I look up and find his stupid face staring down at me. The jerk from the city. Is he here for the festival?
So he’s a wolf after all! I knew it! That’s why he sent my senses tingling.
I stand and do my best to wipe some of the mud off my chin.
“You don’t have to be a dick, you know,” I say. “You could have helped me up instead of laughing.”
The jerk stops chuckling. “Watching you struggle is much more enjoyable.”
What an asshole!
“You know I only fell because you surprised me. What are you doing sneaking about out here anyway? Shouldn’t you be mingling with all the other braindead campers?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“I needed some air,” I say, wiping more of the mud off my face. “And privacy. What's your excuse? Are you some kind of asshole stalker?”
The jerk raises an eyebrow.
“I was just minding my own business, when you started flailing about like a ridiculous chicken.”
Again, he snickers and my face starts to burn.
“Stop laughing!”
“I’m sorry,” he says, about as genuinely as a gas station greeting card. “It’s just...you looked really funny and…,” he sniffs the air and scrunches up his face, “...you totally stink.”
“What?! I…” I sniff at my clothes and realize he’s right. The mud pit I fell into was more than rank. And I’m coated in the sludge.
“This is your fault!” I shout.
“You’ll never find a mate smelling like that,” he says. “There are showers back by the cabins. You should probably think about taking one.”
“You’re such an asshole!”
“Whatever,” he says, shrugging. “See you around, bonehead.”
Without another thought he saunters away, leaving me dripping mud onto my trainers.
“You still owe me a phone!”
“May the Moon Gods light the path between souls,” he calls out sarcastically, without turning back.
What a completely colossal asshole! There is nothing else for me to do except grab my sketchbook––which has survived with only a couple mud splodges splashed on the cover––and trudge back to the cabin.
Trekking from my cabin to the shower block feels like an eternal hike. I’m greeted with more than a few strange looks. What a great first impression.
At least the jerk made one good point. No wolf in their right mind would want to be my mate. Maybe it’s now how he meant it, but I find that thought pretty darn comforting.
I’m running late to meet Katie––of course––by the time I’ve managed to wash the mud out of every nook and crevice on my body and cleaned up my clothes the best I can.
With my unruly hair refusing to settle in any style I ask of it, I hurry to meet her.
Katie’s alone outside the main cabin, bathed in twilight when I get there, looking delicate and radiant in a lilac dress. I can’t remember ever having seen her look so pretty before. There’s even a matching flower in her hair. Next to Katie I look like a toddler who’s been allowed to dress themself for the first time.
“Sorry, I’m late,” I say, breathlessly. “You...look amazing.”
“Thanks,” she says, blushing and biting her bottom lip.
“I bet you could find your mate tonight looking like that.”
“Don’t be a moron,” she says, giving my shoulder a playful shove. “You ready to go in?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
She links her arm through mine and we make our way inside.
The Alpha’s Hall is grander than I imagined it would be. As long and wide as an Olympic swimming pool, and lit by a massive chandelier, made from at least fifty sets of deer antlers. Wooden columns line the room, supporting a second-level balcony that runs around the perimeter. Paintings, at least twice my height, hang on every log-lined wall. And at the far end, two large staircases descend from the balcony.
To the right of the entrance, a string quartet is playing elegant welcoming music; wait staff in white shirts and waistcoats wander through the sea of wolves offering trays of canapes and glasses of champagne––or sparkling cider for those of us not old enough to drink.
The room is full of werewolves all dressed to impress. Girls in colorful cocktail dresses and guys in suit jackets and crisp white shirts.
I tug at my gray button-down, which I’ve paired with a pair of light blue skinny jeans and sneakers.
“See those lug-heads over there?” I point to Todd and Simon who I’ve spotted across the room.
“The ones seeing who can eat the most tiny sausages in one go?” Katie asks.
“Those are my roommates.”
“Gee, I’m sorry,” she says, laughing. “They're sort of cute though, don’t you think?”
“Sure, if you’re into the walking dead.”
We wander further into the room and I grab us a couple of mini quiches from a passing server.
“Oh my Moon Gods! These are delicious!” I exclaim, spitting crumbs.
Every new tray of hor'dourves that passes, I grab as many tiny, delicious snacks as I can and shove them in my mouth.
“At least the food is great!” I try to say but Katie is unable to decipher my words through all the chewing.
I keep my eye out for the jerk in case I need to make a swift left turn but he’s nowhere to be seen. Maybe he’s not much of a joiner. That would explain the solitary walk in the woods.
“Hi, guys! Enjoying the meet and greet?” Katie and I are suddenly confronted by peppy Eleanor, looking very formal in a black dress with a white Wednesday Addams style collar.
“Yes, thank you, Eleanor,” Katie says, ever the diplomat.
“I heard the alpha's son is supposed to turn up at any moment now,” she says, looking like she’s about to burst from excitement.
“Really?” Katie says with the highest eyebrows I’ve ever seen. “That’s great.”
“My father works for his father,” Eleanor continues, beginning to ramble. “Well, actually it’s more like they work together, my father’s kind of important.”
I glance at Katie and even she is getting a little weirded out by my mom’s trance-like state.
“You ok, Mom?”
She blinks a couple of times and suddenly she’s back in the car. She readjusts the steering wheel and laughs a little at herself.
“Sorry, I forgot what I was doing there for a second.”
“Well, keep your eyes on the road, please,” I say. “We’d like to make it to the festival in one piece.”
I stare back out the window as we take a left down a long tree-lined street. We must be getting close.
I gulp and take a breath. My mom nearly drove us off the road thinking about mates. It’s obvious this whole situation is dangerous.
After about twenty minutes a row of tall, skinny flags appear, lining the path, fluttering in the breeze. They have the pack’s insignia printed in the middle and alternate colors from green to yellow to purple. The colors of the Elite Pack.
Eventually, the path leads to an open field, where hundreds of cars are parked. Mom pulls into an empty spot and we get out, grabbing our bags from the trunk, and strapping them on our backs.
“Well, this is where I have to leave you,” Mom says, looking like she’s about to cry. “The retreat is just up there past those trees, you’ll see it when you reach the top of that rise. Good luck, kids!”
Houston, we have lift off! Mom starts crying as she pulls us both in for a massive hug.
“You’re going to have such a nice time.”
When we can finally pry ourselves away from my overzealous mother, she takes my face in her hands and kisses my cheek.
“I love you, kiddo. I hope the next few days make you happy.”
I roll my eyes but even I can’t help getting a little choked up. I’m not completely heartless.
“Love you too, Mom.”
After a few too many goodbyes and one last panicked search for a potentially forgotten toothbrush, Katie and I leave my mother and make our way to the top of the hill.
“Gosh, there’s so many people here,” Katie says, looking astounded at all the cars and the other wolves all struggling with giant packs.
“Who knows, our mates could be out there.”
“Ha, yeah,” I say.
We reach the trees my mother mentioned. Below us on the opposite side of the hill sits the retreat. It’s mega.
At the base of the hill is a giant cabin, it’s woodsy and rustic but is probably the size of freaking Madison Square Garden. Behind the main cabin there are at least a hundred smaller cabins and behind them is a green grass field the size of a football stadium. To the right of the retreat is the shore of the lake and a boat house. Deep blue-green water reflects the trees and mountains that surround it. Lining the perimeter of the camp is the edge of a forest, which stretches for as far as I can see, rising into the foot of the mountains.
For a moment Katie and I stand there, awestruck.
“This is wild,” she says.
I’m truly gobsmacked. After all the years of hearing about the retreat, I’d assumed it was some run-down, Friday the 13th campsite but this is...next level.
“Shall we?” Katie says and I nod again. We take off running down the hill.
When we reach a gravel-covered area out front of the main cabin I’m suddenly overwhelmed by just how many other wolves there are.
“Everyone is so...so…” Katie stammers, unable to finish her sentence.
“Hot,” I say, knowing exactly what she was going to say.
Wolves are usually pretty gifted in the looks department, what with being all preternaturally strong and all. But seeing this collection of hotties en masse is kind of...intimidating.
The girls look like models who’ve stumbled out of the pages of a sportswear catalog and the guys all look like celebrity personal trainers.
With all these beefcakes around, the chance of someone wanting to be my mate is negligible. Maybe I can get through the weekend swimming, eating smores, and not having to worry about my eternal fate.
“Have you guys got your invitations?” a squeaky voice behind us asks.
Katie and I turn to find a short dark-haired girl, holding a clipboard, and staring at us with a toothy grin, so wide I’m worried she’s about to strain a muscle.
“Hi,” I say.
“May I see your invitations?” she asks again.
“Oh yeah, sure.”
I shoved my invitation somewhere in my pack on the way out of the house and I’ve completely forgotten where I put it. Flustered, I toss my bag onto the gravel and start searching all the outside pockets before digging into the main compartment.
“Here,” Katie says, having produced her still-crisp invitation from a plastic wallet she’s attached to the zipper of her pack. “Katie Andrews.”
Katie sticks out her hand and the girl with the clipboard reciprocates.
“Eleanor Peng,” she says, shaking Katie’s hand too vigorously. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m one of the festival volunteers and I’m in charge of distributing cabin assignments to new arrivals. Aren’t you just pumped for the festival? I know I am!”
Eleanor laughs awkwardly as I continue to search in my pack.
“We’re both really excited,” Katie says, placating the crazed camp attendant.
“And imagine who you could end up being mated to!”
“It could be literally anyone,” Katie says, doing her best to play along, although even she’s struggling to match Eleanor’s enthusiasm.
“Yes but this year it could be someone particularly special.” Eleanor leans toward Katie with a conspiratorial glint in her eye. “This year will be the first time Jasper Apollo will be here.”
I look up from my frantic searching.
Jasper Apollo. I know the name. Of course, I do. Jasper is the son of Jericho, our alpha. He’s next in line to lead the pack.
For some reason the sound of his name sends a strange warm sensation to my toes and the tips of my fingers.
“Just think,” Eleanor continues. “You could arrive here today a complete nobody and wind up mated to the alpha’s son!”
She bursts into her distinctive awkward cackle again and I’m shaken from my reverie. I go back to searching my bag.
Finally, I find my crumpled-up invitation and hand it to Eleanor.
“Fantastic,” she says, having a meltdown behind her eyes.
“Sorry, it...got squashed.”
“No matter,” she says, before unleashing another hyena-like outburst. She glances from the invitations to her clipboard and back again.
“Katie you’re in cabin B14 and Max you’ll be in cabin C27.”
“Oh, I thought we’d be in the same cabin,” Katie says, disappointed.
“The cabins are separated by gender I’m afraid,” Eleanor says.
“Very binary,” I mumble so only Katie can hear.
“With all the extra energy from the blue moon,” Eleanor continues, oblivious, “we don’t want to encourage any wolves to jump the gun before the Mating Run.”
“Oh, no of course not,” Katie says, ignoring me. Eleanor hands Katie back her invitation, and she accepts it, blushing a little.
“Well, have an amazing festival. There will be drinks in the Alpha’s Hall in the main cabin at 6, followed by dinner and a welcome soiree. That gives you a couple hours to get settled in. Me and the other volunteers will be here all festival in case you need anything.”
Something tells me the other volunteers probably aren’t taking this quite as seriously as Eleanor.
“May the Moon Gods light the path between souls!”
Eleanor waves manically before crossing the courtyard to accost another set of new arrivals.
I smile at Katie who shrugs at me and smiles in return.
“I guess we should find our bunks,” I say. “Meet you back here in a couple of hours?”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Katie says.
***
It takes a few minutes of hopeless wandering before I find my home for the next few nights. My cabin is toward the back of the configuration and right next to the woods. Inside there are four sets of bunk beds. A couple already have bags on them, which I assume means they’re taken. I head for the bunk closest to the window and toss my pack onto the top bed.
Hoisting myself up, I immediately notice the view outside the window. The woods and the lake are framed perfectly by the cracked window frame, with the mountains in the distance behind them. It’s breathtaking. I’m suddenly really glad I brought my sketch pad with me. If nothing else I can probably get some great drawings out of this weekend.
A couple of bros enter the cabin laughing and slapping each other on the back.
“Hey man! Name’s Todd,” one says. “Looks like we’re going to be roomies!”
I roll over and sit up. Todd is a big, big guy with pale skin, orange freckles, and cropped ginger hair. He’s muscle-y but in that soft kind of way.
“Hi,” I say, in a higher pitch than I intend.
“This dweeb here is Simon,” Todd says, whacking his friend on the back.
“What’s up?” Simon says. Todd’s friend is almost his polar opposite. He’s still got muscles but he’s much leaner, with black hair, and umber skin.
“Hope you don’t mind snorers,” Todd says, laughing at his friend’s expense.
“You dick, I don’t snore,” Simon retorts. “Hey, I call top bunk!”
“No way man, I called it in the car!”
“Doesn’t count unless you’re in the room, my man.”
Instantly they forget I’m here, as they start wrestling, trying to claim the top bunk opposite mine.
I lie back and sigh. “It’s only four nights.”
But I wish I didn’t have to share a cabin with a bunch of bros. I wish I could just be in a cabin with Katie and no one else. And I wish there wasn't all this pressure to find a mate. Everyone seems so excited to be here. And with the news that Jasper Apollo is coming, I’m sure that excitement will be dialed up to an eleven.
I dig into my pack and pull out my sketchbook, before hopping down off my bunk. I desperately need some air and I don’t think Beavis and Butthead will even register me leaving.
I head from the cabin straight into the woods.
“You just have to make it through four nights.”
The Alpha’s Son Arrives
“Ouch!”
I slap at another mosquito flying around my head and end up whacking myself in the neck.
There are like, a million of the little bloodsuckers out in the woods. I’ve only been walking for ten minutes and I’m already dotted with bites.
The woods themselves are lush and green. The ceiling-like tree canopy provides a shady, damp environment for moss and fungi to thrive. Big, gnarly roots rise from the soil, curling back around on themselves like giant snakes. The trees are as tall as skyscrapers, with vines draped around them like lights on a Christmas tree. The landscape is peppered with boulders more and more as I head toward the base of the mountains.
I have a bit of time before I’m supposed to meet Katie, and I’d much rather spend it out here drawing than back in my cabin with my wrestling roommates.
Up ahead is a boulder tall enough and dry enough to sit on. I have to scramble a little to reach the top, but once I’m there I try to get comfy. With my trusty pencil in hand, I start to sketch the landscape.
A breeze drifts through the forest, rustling the leaves and mixing with the buzz of insects and the chirping of birds. I let myself get lost in my drawing. And then…
SNAP!
A loud crack, like a branch being stepped on, startles me. I spin to see where the sound came from but turn too quickly and lose my balance. Before I know it I’m falling backward.
With a strange panicked noise, I squelch-land in a puddle of mud. I lie there and wish the earth would swallow me whole.
Then I hear laughter.
“So graceful, bonehead,” a voice says––a voice that sends shivers of anger rippling through my veins.
I look up and find his stupid face staring down at me. The jerk from the city. Is he here for the festival?
So he’s a wolf after all! I knew it! That’s why he sent my senses tingling.
I stand and do my best to wipe some of the mud off my chin.
“You don’t have to be a dick, you know,” I say. “You could have helped me up instead of laughing.”
The jerk stops chuckling. “Watching you struggle is much more enjoyable.”
What an asshole!
“You know I only fell because you surprised me. What are you doing sneaking about out here anyway? Shouldn’t you be mingling with all the other braindead campers?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“I needed some air,” I say, wiping more of the mud off my face. “And privacy. What's your excuse? Are you some kind of asshole stalker?”
The jerk raises an eyebrow.
“I was just minding my own business, when you started flailing about like a ridiculous chicken.”
Again, he snickers and my face starts to burn.
“Stop laughing!”
“I’m sorry,” he says, about as genuinely as a gas station greeting card. “It’s just...you looked really funny and…,” he sniffs the air and scrunches up his face, “...you totally stink.”
“What?! I…” I sniff at my clothes and realize he’s right. The mud pit I fell into was more than rank. And I’m coated in the sludge.
“This is your fault!” I shout.
“You’ll never find a mate smelling like that,” he says. “There are showers back by the cabins. You should probably think about taking one.”
“You’re such an asshole!”
“Whatever,” he says, shrugging. “See you around, bonehead.”
Without another thought he saunters away, leaving me dripping mud onto my trainers.
“You still owe me a phone!”
“May the Moon Gods light the path between souls,” he calls out sarcastically, without turning back.
What a completely colossal asshole! There is nothing else for me to do except grab my sketchbook––which has survived with only a couple mud splodges splashed on the cover––and trudge back to the cabin.
Trekking from my cabin to the shower block feels like an eternal hike. I’m greeted with more than a few strange looks. What a great first impression.
At least the jerk made one good point. No wolf in their right mind would want to be my mate. Maybe it’s now how he meant it, but I find that thought pretty darn comforting.
I’m running late to meet Katie––of course––by the time I’ve managed to wash the mud out of every nook and crevice on my body and cleaned up my clothes the best I can.
With my unruly hair refusing to settle in any style I ask of it, I hurry to meet her.
Katie’s alone outside the main cabin, bathed in twilight when I get there, looking delicate and radiant in a lilac dress. I can’t remember ever having seen her look so pretty before. There’s even a matching flower in her hair. Next to Katie I look like a toddler who’s been allowed to dress themself for the first time.
“Sorry, I’m late,” I say, breathlessly. “You...look amazing.”
“Thanks,” she says, blushing and biting her bottom lip.
“I bet you could find your mate tonight looking like that.”
“Don’t be a moron,” she says, giving my shoulder a playful shove. “You ready to go in?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
She links her arm through mine and we make our way inside.
The Alpha’s Hall is grander than I imagined it would be. As long and wide as an Olympic swimming pool, and lit by a massive chandelier, made from at least fifty sets of deer antlers. Wooden columns line the room, supporting a second-level balcony that runs around the perimeter. Paintings, at least twice my height, hang on every log-lined wall. And at the far end, two large staircases descend from the balcony.
To the right of the entrance, a string quartet is playing elegant welcoming music; wait staff in white shirts and waistcoats wander through the sea of wolves offering trays of canapes and glasses of champagne––or sparkling cider for those of us not old enough to drink.
The room is full of werewolves all dressed to impress. Girls in colorful cocktail dresses and guys in suit jackets and crisp white shirts.
I tug at my gray button-down, which I’ve paired with a pair of light blue skinny jeans and sneakers.
“See those lug-heads over there?” I point to Todd and Simon who I’ve spotted across the room.
“The ones seeing who can eat the most tiny sausages in one go?” Katie asks.
“Those are my roommates.”
“Gee, I’m sorry,” she says, laughing. “They're sort of cute though, don’t you think?”
“Sure, if you’re into the walking dead.”
We wander further into the room and I grab us a couple of mini quiches from a passing server.
“Oh my Moon Gods! These are delicious!” I exclaim, spitting crumbs.
Every new tray of hor'dourves that passes, I grab as many tiny, delicious snacks as I can and shove them in my mouth.
“At least the food is great!” I try to say but Katie is unable to decipher my words through all the chewing.
I keep my eye out for the jerk in case I need to make a swift left turn but he’s nowhere to be seen. Maybe he’s not much of a joiner. That would explain the solitary walk in the woods.
“Hi, guys! Enjoying the meet and greet?” Katie and I are suddenly confronted by peppy Eleanor, looking very formal in a black dress with a white Wednesday Addams style collar.
“Yes, thank you, Eleanor,” Katie says, ever the diplomat.
“I heard the alpha's son is supposed to turn up at any moment now,” she says, looking like she’s about to burst from excitement.
“Really?” Katie says with the highest eyebrows I’ve ever seen. “That’s great.”
“My father works for his father,” Eleanor continues, beginning to ramble. “Well, actually it’s more like they work together, my father’s kind of important.”
