The C.E.O. Alpha's Fated Invitation

Chapter 2: 21 Drinks

Chapter 2: 21 Drinks

Blaring music, bright lights, a crowd of people, and one hell of a party, for most anyway. For one girl in particular, this isn’t her kind of party, but she’s not going to let that get her down.

Welcome to Slider’s, where werewolves and humans alike come to blow off some steam. However, the humans are completely unaware of the werewolf part. As far as they know, the werewolves are just normal people like them with one difference: they’re hopelessly in love and have anger issues.

It’s 9:00 p.m. on a Friday night. Fridays are typically a busy night in general for Slider’s, but tonight is a little more hectic than usual. Tonight, Isla Taylor turns 21, and Sierra has thrown her a huge birthday bash.

The whole party has Isla feeling a bit overwhelmed. All she wanted was something a little simpler. The one thing getting her through this party is the fact that Sierra, her best friend, knows her entirely too well.

Earlier today, Sienna had Isla pick a number between 1 and 100. Isla chose the number 21 since today is her 21st birthday. She was dared to drink 21 drinks tonight. Each drink must be different, be it by brand or type. Three sips are to be taken from each drink unless it is a shot.

In the darkest corner of the bar room is a man watching a group of girls. His eyes stay locked on one girl in particular. His anger and disgust grow the more he watches the girl being friends with such ‘disgusting dog creatures.’ He watches as Sienna walks away from the table, and Isla continues to talk and laugh with the other two ‘mutts.’

Isla sits at a table designated for her. The table is all decked out in glittery pink and gold decorations. Sierra has walked away to grab another round of drinks while Sage and Robin stay with Isla. Isla has three friends, and all are keeping a huge secret from her.

“Ooh, someone’s feeling it.” Sage teases Isla. Isla giggles, “I know, I’m trying to pace myself.” Isla says. She may have had ten drinks, but only three sips of most of them. “You don’t like it?” Robin asks. “I did not like the beer, the um, martini, or the gin and tonic,” Isla admits.

“Alright bitches, I have a Long Island iced tea, a Manhattan, a Black Russian, and s*x on a Beach. Which one do you pick?” Sienna sets a tray of drinks on the table and points to Isla.

Isla looks at the assortment of drinks to choose from and grabs the Long Island Iced Tea. ‘This one sounds the safest of the selection.’ Isla thinks to herself.

“Oh, I think you are going to like that one,” Sage says while grabbing the s*x on a Beach drink. “Yeah, we should do wine next. I’ve always wanted to try that.” Isla suggests before taking her first sip.

“Oh, we should save that and go to a vineyard for a wine tasting,” Robin says excitedly. “Yes, that would be amazing.” Sage claps her hands. “Yeah, Enzo will just have to suffer the weekend alone.” Sienna chuckles.

This is the part of the conversation where Isla feels like a fourth wheel. She’s never met Enzo but knows he is Robin’s husband. “Yeah, right,” Isla mumbles to herself as she takes another sip of her drink.

‘It’s not like I’m not your ongoing joke of the century or anything,’ Isla says in her mind. She feels like her whole life has been a joke. Just from the mention of Enzo, she becomes annoyed at her friends.

Enzo is Sienna’s brother, and Isla has never met him. Isla has known Sienna the longest and feels a little betrayed by her. Everyone else can meet her family, but not her. Deep down, Isla has always felt as if Sienna might be embarrassed to be her friend.

Sienna’s family is rich, while her family runs a small town bakery. Isla’s own mother has nothing to do with her. She’s been punishing her for her father’s choices.

“What was that?” Robin looks at Isla. She pretends not to have heard Isla, even though she had. It’s amazing how sensitive werewolf hearing can be. Sage and Sienna shake their heads at Robin as a warning not to ruin things. “Nothing.” Isla snipes. “Robin, don’t start. You know why she said what she said. It’s not her fault.” Sienna warns her sister in law through mind-link.

A mind-link is a type of communication used by shifter beings. It is mainly meant for them to communicate while in their animal forms.

“Yeah, and I told you befriending her is a bad idea. Isla is great and all, but she is just a human. I told you when you introduced us, I would not always entertain this friendship.” Robin mind-links Sienna.

Sage clears her throat and says, “Hey Isla, why don’t we go to the bar and look at a drink menu, yeah?” Sage grabs Isla’s hand and quickly leaves the table, giving Sienna and Robin time to sort their argument out.

Isla, confused, decides to go along with Robin. “Hey, wait, I’m going to the restroom for a minute. I’ll meet you at the bar, ok?” Isla says. She shifts her legs uncomfortably, trying to hold it. “Oh, yeah, sure, go ahead.” Robin waves her off.

Meanwhile, Robin and Sienna continue their argument. “I don’t care if she’s human or not, and nor should you.” Sienna snaps. “Not in the sense you are meaning, but it does matter, or have you forgotten the rules?” Robin points out. Sienna sighs, “I know the rules, but you don’t have to rub it in her face. You know she feels left out enough without you pushing her.”

“Enough, you two.” Sage walks over to the girls while Isla is in the bathroom. “This is not the time for this. Sienna, you cannot keep a perfect friendship with Isla when you have secrets. She’s going to catch on.” Sage looks at Sienna and points her index finger at her.

Then Sage turns to look at Robin and points at her like she did to Sage, “And you, what is wrong with you? Almost snapping at Isla for something that is our fault is not what anyone needs. It is Isla’s birthday tonight. Let’s not argue.”

Sienna and Robin look down at their laps and nod their heads. “Ok, fine, but only for tonight,” Robin says. “Good, now let’s have a good night for our friend.” Sage nods her head and walks away towards the bar.

Isla finishes up in the bathroom and crosses through the dance floor only to bump into the last person she ever wanted to see. Isla watches the DJ on stage as she walks up to the bar when she meets something hard with a thud. She falls to the ground and looks up to see Drake.

Drake Wattson and Isla broke up 3 months ago when she caught him cheating with her friend, Brynn. Isla gasps in surprise. She jumps up onto her two feet in a fit of anger. He was not invited to the party, and Sienna would have made sure he never received an invitation or got inside.

“What the hell are you doing here? How the f**k did you get in?” Isla asks. Just seeing Drake’s face makes her blood boil. “Now is that any way to greet your boyfriend? Baby, I’m…” Drake says, using his charming and luring smile on Isla. Isla quickly cuts Drake off, “Don’t you baby me. How dare you? You are not my boyfriend. We broke up! There’s the door, please let it hit you where the sun don’t shine and get the f**k out.” Isla says with her hands on her hips.

“Come on, you’re seriously going to allow one simple accident to ruin everything we had. I love you.” Drake tries to play innocent. Isla scoffs and tries to walk away.

Isla’s heart pounds when Drake begins to follow her and stops her at every step. She begins to panic. I thought suddenly crosses her mind, so she says, “Stop it! We are nothing. I’ve moved on, Drake.”

‘I might not have a boyfriend, but he doesn’t have to know that. It’s not like he’s going to ask who and where he is, right?’ Isla lies to Drake, telling him she already has a new boyfriend. Drake steps closer to Isla, leaning down to whisper in her ear, “Oh, really, and where is he? He must not care about you because I would never let you leave my side looking like that.” Drake's eyes travel down her body, making her suddenly feel self-conscious.

In a panic, Isla shoves Drake away from her and rushes towards the bar to find Sage, only to lock eyes with the back of a random guy. Something about him makes her stop. Her heart pounds not out of fear but something unknown. Before she knows it, Isla has grabbed his shoulder.

Aiden and Enzo sit at the bar, feeling a bit out of place. This party isn’t exactly their scene. Human parties always feel like the party is more about out doing someone that a celebration.

From the moment Aiden entered the bar, he had been on edge. A light scent lingers in the air that drives him crazy. With all the different smells going through the bar it makes it hard for him to pinpoint the scent.

“Are we just going to sit at the bar the whole time?” Enzo asks Aiden once he’s confirmed this party is not a threat, from what he can tell. “Can you see me going out there and dancing?” Aiden sarcastically remarks.

“You’re an ass.” Enzo playfully punches Aidan's arm.

Aiden is suddenly hit with a jolt of electricity through his shoulder and down his arm. River howls in excitement. His head jerks to the side to see who has touched him and what that feeling was.

It all feels like the world stops all around them. Aiden and Isla stare each other in the eyes. Their hearts race as a tingly sensation bundles on their left wrists. “Mate,” River tells Aiden.

Enzo is left speechless when he sees Isla. He’s left with this protective feeling towards Isla. “Our Luna.” Enzo’s wolf claims.

Drake quickly catches up to Isla. Isla soon shakes herself out of the strange feeling she just had when she sees Drake getting closer. “Isla, stop running from me. Let’s just talk this out.” Drake says.

“Um, Drake, this is my boyfriend, uh…” Isla looks at the man who is now holding her hand in a possessive manner. “Aiden,” He simply says. “Right, and you expect me to believe this?” Drake refuses to believe Isla could move on so quickly.

“Is he bothering you, little Dove?” Aiden glares at Drake as a warning to back away from his mate. Drake glares at Isla in anger. ‘How dare she choose this i***t over me?’

Isla is left a little stunned that Aiden would play along with her trick. She’s so stunned that she’s left speechless. Aiden looks over at Enzo, “You know what to do.”

That’s all Aiden had to say. Enzo grabs Drake’s arm and leads him out of the bar despite his protests and struggles.

Isla watches Drake almost being dragged out of the bar in shock. “Are you ok?” Aiden instantly grabs Isla’s attention.

Aiden can’t stop looking at Isla. He feels so mesmerized by every detail of her. She captures an image of every detail to imprint it into his memory: her wavy, light-brown hair, with a gold tiara that says ‘Birthday Girl,’ her chocolate brown eyes with amber flecks, and the cute button nose that scrunches up every now and then.

Now that she’s closer, her scent is more definable. The scent of freshly baked cookies, hazelnuts, and one undeniable note, human overload, Aiden’s senses. “My mate is human?’

Despite how werewolves normally feel about humans, Aiden finds himself unbothered by it. There is no question or doubt in his mind about it, she is his mate, and he will never let her go.

Watching her, he becomes concerned. She seems to be caught in a state of shock.

“U-uh, yeah, I’m fine.” Isla turns all her attention to Aiden, forgetting Drake ever existed. “Thanks for helping me out there,” Isla says, giving him a shy smile of thanks.

“So you’re the birthday girl, huh?” Aiden asks, looking at the tiara that sits atop Isla’s head. “Uh, yeah, I’m Isla. I guess you’re one of Sierra’s friends. She set this whole this up tonight.” Isla asks, having not recognized him but most people here she doesn’t.

‘Sierra?’ Aiden wonders how Isla knows Sierra. “Yeah, something like that. I’m Aiden.” He reaches his hand out to her, letting her decide to shake it or not. Isla takes his hand and freezes. “Whoa, when did I do that? I’m not that drunk, am I?” Isla has a mini freak-out when she sees a tattoo-like mark in the shape of a heart with the letter A written in the center.

Little does Isla know Aiden has a matching one, only with the letter I. When Alphas find their fated mates, and mark appears on their wrist.

Aiden scratches the back of his neck, unsure of what to say. “Isla, there you are. I was looking for you. Come on, the sisters dearest are done fight… Al. I mean, Aiden, what are you doing…” Sage finds Isla only to find her with Aiden.

She finds herself getting tongue-tied at the sight of her alpha being here. Her eyes catch sight of Isla’s mark on her wrist and gasps. “Oh my gosh, what!? Sierra is going to freak!” Sage says filled with multiple emotions and unsure on which one to focus on.

Aiden gives Sage a small warning glance to keep her quiet. “Are you ok?” Isla asks her friend. “Hey b***h, you still got one more sip to take before you move on to the next, or are you giving up?” Before Sage can answer, Isla, Sienna, and Robin come over with Isla’s drink in hand.

Isla’s face turns serious and takes the drink from Sienna. “Who the hell are you talking to? Give me that 21 drinks. Eleven down and nine to go, bring it on.” Isla says while Aiden looks at the girls in disapproval.

“21 drinks in one night?” Aiden asks which alerts Sienna and Robin or their alpha’s presence. “Aiden, I didn’t think you’d actually come.” Sienna sounds surprised he would even show up.

“Your sister was getting on my nerves,” Aiden says with no explanation. A small pout forms on Isla’s face hearing about Aiden and another girl. ‘Am I jealous? That’s silly, I don’t even know him, but he is really hot.’ Jealousy and confusion bubble inside Isla. She’s confused by how drawn to Aiden she is. Isla doesn’t understand why she would feel jealous of someone being with Aiden.

“You have a sister?” Isla looks at Sienna. “No, Alyssa is not my sister.” Sienna refuses to acknowledge Alyssa as her sister. If Sienna didn’t know any better, she’d stare daggers at Aiden, her alpha.

This is where Isla begins to feel like the odd one out again. Everyone around her knows everything about each other, and she’s barely scratched the surface if at all.

Aiden senses Isla’s feelings and feels bad for her. He wishes he could make the feeling go away, but there isn’t anything he can do right now. Secrets have been kept from Isla, and Aiden fears how she will react when he tells her the truth.

“Alright, that d**k bag is gone. Ladies? Baby!? What are you doing here I thought you had a party for some friend to… Oh, she’s the friend.” Enzo returns to see the group of girls standing around Aiden.

“Enzo? He brought you?” Sienna is just as surprised to see her brother as she was to see Aiden at the party. “Who the hell else was he going to bring? I guess this is the friend you’ve never introduced us to. If only you had brought her by sooner… A certain someone wouldn’t be so uptight.” Enzo looks back and forth at Isla and Aiden. Sienna’s eyebrows crunch in confusion as she watches her brother's eye looking back and forth at her friend and alpha.

After a moment, realization suddenly hits Sienna as to what Enzo is hinting at. Sienna gasps, “OMG, are you serious. You? And… Wow…”

“Hey, Levi, surprise me this time! Give me something sour.” Isla slams the glass on the bar and orders drink number twelve. Isla decides to ignore the unknown things happening in front of her and focus on the challenge.

“I’m sorry, the only way I could get her to stay was to dare her to drink 21 drinks tonight. You won’t be able to stop her. Isla never loses a challenge. Dared to climb the water tower, did it. Dared to catch a rooster…” Sienna apologizes to Aiden for getting his mate wasted in advance.

“I got that Fred with just five scratches and three pecks.” Isla says sounding proud of herself. “Fred?” Enzo asks. “The rooster. Be glad you’re not the one who has to fight him everyday. The is one mean bastard.” Isla says.

“Yeah, Isla lives just outside Wicker Woods. They have chickens, a few horses and goats.” Sage says. ‘So she’s been there the whole time.’ Aiden feels a small amount of regret knowing Isla was so close.

Isla gets a phone and leaves her group, only frowning when she’s turned away. She has a feeling this phone call is going to put her in a bad mood.

Isla finds a private corner to answer the phone call. “Hello, Mother,” Isla answers, not so happily. “Hello, dear. I was just calling to wish you a happy birthday and to see if you’ve made a decision on my offer.” Isla’s mother, Erin, says.

Isla rolls her eyes, ‘Of course she would ask. That’s all she cares about.’

“Erin, I have to go. It’s almost time for cake.” Isla says, “Isla, I am your Mother and I expect you to…” Erin says only for Isla to end the call before she could finish talking.

When Isla returns to her group, faking a smile. “Oh no, let me guess, Erin?” Sienna knows Isla so well. “Yep, can you believe she only called because she wanted to know if I decided to move back to live with her? Why would I do that when she's been punishing me for my dad cheating on her?”

“From what you tell me of her, I can.” Sienna agrees. “You know what I don’t want to think about my mother or Drake or Brynn or where this tattoo thing came from. Let’s just get this party over with so I can go home.”

“Whiskey Sour.” The bartender sets a drink on the bar top for Isla. “Twelve down, next.” Isla drinks three sips of the drink. “Oh shot shot shot shot.” The girls cheer on…

At the end of the night, Isla is completely wasted. Her words are slurred, her vision is impaired, and wobbly balance. Aiden threw her over his shoulder and took her home. He wasn’t exactly the happiest about allowing Isla to drink that many drinks, but as an alpha, he has an understanding for winning a challenge, so he allowed it against his own judgment.

Aiden doesn’t take Isla to her home, but his. He couldn’t stand the thought of leaving her outside his pack’s borders unprotected. “You’re pretty.” Isla’s arms hand around Aiden’s neck as he carries her to his bedroom. “Oh no, this isn’t my room. Help, hehe, I’m being hehe, kidnapped.” Isla giggles.

“Ha ha, very funny.” Aiden gently lays Isla in his bed and covers her up. “Hmm, you smell good.” She hums in content as she drifts off to dreamland. "Good night, Little Dove." Aiden kisses her forehead as she drifts to sleep.