A Wolf From The Other Side

Chapter 13 - Amara

I was walking across the hallway of the large packhouse after dinner had been served. The vague aroma of the food lingered in the air, reminding me just how hungry I was. I tended to eat at home with my family, so, despite being so close to the dining hall, I was making my way back to my home after studying in the library. But the hallway was busy with other pack members that used the public dining hall, often used by the single pack members. I did my best to avoid the crowds as I headed toward the large door of the packhouse, my mind and my belly already looking forward to my Mum's home cooking.

“Hey Mara.” Lily called over to me, disturbing my wandering mind. Lily was the daughter of our pack Beta, and one of my closest friends. She looked me up and down almost critically. Looking a little puzzled by the stack of books and notebooks in my hands. “You not coming tonight? Thought you would be ready by now.” She added, and it was my turn to be puzzled.

There was somewhere we were meant to be? A sense of panic washed over me. I did not recall any plans . . . I looked towards Lily with a sense of confusion, because I did not know what she was talking about. Lily and her brother Milo, who was our upcoming Beta, were another essential piece of our friendship group, along with Finley and Ezra, both of whom were Wyatt’s cousins, then there was Clara, who was Lily’s cousin, and Jessie, who was my cousin. A small knit group of us from the senior families of our pack that were of close age, all growing up alongside one another. They, along with Asher and Wyatt, had been my closest friends since I was a child. We had all shared so many wonderful memories over the years, and knew everything there was to know about one another. Yet Lily appeared to know of something I did not.

“Coming where?” I asked, totally unsure of what my friend spoke of.

“Finn had a movie and games night set up. Drinks, pizza, snacks, you know, the usual.” Lily explained. Her tone spoke like she expected me to know about it, and like what she was telling me was nothing but a reminder. But nothing had been mentioned. I knew that I had been busy in recent days with my training schedule, but even so, I was fully aware that no messages had been sent, and no mindlinks missed . . .

“I didn’t know about it, Lil.” I explained, feeling suddenly uncomfortable as I noticed the unease pass over her face.

But that unease quickly dissipated as Lily gave a nonchalant shrug. “I am sure they just forgot to tell you. You know what the guys are like. Not as good at organizing as we are. So, you want to walk over with me?”

“I will maybe head home and shower and change first.” I excused myself, and my friend nodded, offering me a smile.

“Sure thing, doll. See you soon, yeah?” With that, Lily was rushing along the hallway toward the staircase, I assumed, on the way to Finley's home. Both he and Ezra were a couple of years older than the rest of us, so they had moved out of their parents' homes, claiming a couple of suites within the packhouse. The joys of being part of the Alpha family, I suppose.

I walked the rest of the way home only to find the house empty, making me wonder if even my parents had been aware of our plans. Normally, at this time of day our house would be a hive of activity. My Mum in the kitchen, busy making dinner, and my Dad driving her crazy with the chatter about his day, unable to keep his hands to himself as Mum prepared the food. But the kitchen was silent. Not a person in sight. It made me wonder if they had arranged a date night like they often did when we were busy.

So, seeing there was nobody else around, I did just as I told Lily I would, knowing that the guys would be serving pizza and snacks, so there was no need to hang around and have food at home. I headed for my shower, twisting my hair up into a messy bun once I was dried off, and threw on a pair of simple black yoga pants and a matching tank top. The ultimate chilling out clothes.

I slipped on my sneakers and walked out of the house. Making my way back toward the packhouse, wondering why not one of the others had thought about mentioning the plans to me. Had they been last minute? Even Asher hadn’t mentioned them. And, the fact that Mum and Dad were out made me think it wasn’t quite as last minute as I was considering.

I pushed open the large door of the packhouse, to find the hallways had quietened down since I had seen Lily there a short while earlier. Now that many of the pack members who had been in the dining hall had already headed home, the place had grown near empty. I made my way along the familiar hallways of our modern and luxurious packhouse, toward the stairs, my belly grumbling appreciatively at the idea of what food might be waiting for us.

I had worked up quite an appetite with the workouts I had done during the day, and I knew that Finley was a mean cook when he wanted to be. I darted up the remainder of the last steps, and made my way down the long hallway to his door. As I approached, I could hear the sound of muffled laughter telling me that they were all already inside and having fun.

A sense of unease washed over me. Not one of them had reached out. None noticed I wasn’t there . . . or, maybe Lily told them I was on my way? I tried to reassure myself as I tapped on the door with my knuckles. I waited a little anxiously, before the door pulled back. A puzzled expression upon Finley’s face met me as he caught sight of me. "Erm, Mara . . ." He all but stuttered uncomfortably, instantly making me regret my decision to come. I don't think he was expecting me after all.

From where I stood I could see the others sitting in his lounge. All crashed out over the comfortable chairs and beanbags. But, their curious faces were now looking toward the door. A confused expression seemed to pass over many of the faces as they too noticed it was me. But that became the least of my concerns. My eyes fell upon an unfamiliar face. A petite she-wolf with long blond hair. Big brown eyes. She was sitting on the lap of Wyatt, with her head rested adoringly upon his shoulder; and it was then that I realized there had been a reason I had not been told about the plans . . .