Chapter Fourteen
1312 Words
At eight o’clock, Iris, Vince, and I stood on the front porch of the Darken’s house.
Nervously, I reached for the doorbell, just as the door swung open.
Aiden stepped out and scooped me up, spinning me around in his arms. “Happy birthday, birthday girl. I’m so glad you’re here.”
He twirled me a few more times, like I was a figure skater, before gently setting me back on the ground.
“Thanks,” I replied, grinning up at him. It had been so long since I’d been this close to any of the Darken, Colton aside, that I’d forgotten how tall they all were. Next to them, I felt like a baby bunny standing next to an elephant.
“Come inside,” Aiden said, holding the door open.
I followed him in, with Iris and Vince close behind. In the foyer, Rhys and Colton were already waiting. Three of the four Darken were present, the only one missing was Theo.
“You guys, these are my friends, Iris and Vince,” I introduced, though technically, they already knew them since they were professors too.
“We already know them,” Colton said, almost reading my mind. “Thanks for coming to celebrate our girl’s birthday.”
Our girl? My blood heated at the implication. They hadn’t spoken to me in months, and suddenly I was their girl?
I felt my bones tighten.
Oh no.
My anger was triggering my shift into wolf form. Of course, my birthday fell on a full moon.
Calm yourself, Raven.
I pushed the thought aside, trying not to let Colton’s comment fuel my temper.
“So, what type of party is this?” I asked, attempting casual.
“What do you mean? It’s a birthday party. Your birthday party, birthday girl,” Rhys said. “Happy birthday, by the way.”
“Thanks. But I mean… what are we actually doing? I doubt we’re just sitting here twiddling our thumbs.”
“Well, we can do that if you want,” Aiden said with a cocky grin. “But I was thinking we could play strip poker.”
“That sounds fun to me,” Vince said.
“Of course it does,” I replied with an eye roll. “We’re not playing strip poker.”
“And why not?” Aiden teased.
“Because I don’t even know how to play poker.”
“Even better,” he said, waggling his eyebrows at me.
I rolled my eyes harder. “Seriously. What are we actually doing?”
“Well, I figured we could hang out in the pool, maybe watch a movie, have some birthday cake… and then you can open your presents,” Colton said.
“You got me presents?” I asked, eyebrows raised.
“What kind of birthday party would it be without presents?” Rhys replied.
A smile tugged at my lips. Thoughtful of them, but… I was curious. They didn’t really know me, so what could they have possibly gotten?
“Why don’t we hit the pool now?” Colton asked.
“We didn’t bring bathing suits,” Iris said quietly.
“Easy solution,” Aiden said with a smirk. “We’ll just skinny dip.”
I glared at him.
I wasn’t going to lie,I wouldn’t have minded. Not with him… or any of the other Darken.
But I didn’t want to share them with Iris, or Vince. It was selfish, yes, but I just wanted them to be… mine. And only mine. A feeling I couldn’t even begin to put into words.
“Aiden’s being an asshole. We have extra bathing suits in the changing room by the pool. Come on, let’s give you the tour,” Colton said.
Every inch of the Darkens’ home was… stunning. It felt like stepping into the mansion of some Hollywood star. Marble floors, granite countertops, expensive-looking wallpaper, everything was gorgeous.
I knew it was ridiculous, but I could totally picture myself living here. Not that it mattered. I was stuck in my dorm for the next four years.
Not that I could complain, I actually liked my dorm. But this house had one thing mine didn’t.
The Darken.
“And this is the changing room,” Colton said as we stepped into a spacious powder room. “Change into the bathing suits and meet us at the pool, through that door.” He pointed to a door on the left.
“Okay,” I nodded.
Once the Darken had left, Iris turned to me, eyes wide. “Holy crap. This place is like a fairytale!”
“A fairytale?” I laughed. “Honey, I’m pretty sure I saw it on WHGTV once.”
She blinked. “The werewolf version of HGTV, maybe?”
“Well, we’re just here for a party. Not like they’re inviting us to move in,” I said, trying not to show my disappointment.
“No, but you could totally be spending way more time here.” She glanced out a window. “Um… did you see the pool?”
I frowned. “The pool is outdoors? It’s November. It’s freezing!”
“Raven, you’re forgetting something. We’re werewolves,” Vince reminded me. “Even if it was snowing, our body heat would melt it. We can swim any time of year.”
“Oh.” Duh.
I scanned the room and spotted the bathing suits, all brand new, tags still on them. I rifled through them, groaning. “You guys… they only have bikinis.”
“So?” Vince said, scanning me like a hawk. “You could rock a bikini. Have you even looked at your tight little bod? Not that you don’t already have curves in all the right places… but that is most definitely a bikini body.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, still feeling weird as I grabbed a black bikini and slipped behind a curtain to change.
When I emerged, I studied myself in the mirror. “Um… my boobs are practically falling out of this.”
“I think you look awesome,” Iris said a moment later, stepping out from behind another curtain in a sparkling emerald green bikini.
“And you’re trying to get Theo’s attention, right?” Vince said. “Boobs hanging out like that is a good way to do it.”
I glanced at myself in the mirror. “There’s something I haven’t told you guys. You already know I have feelings for Theo, but…”
“What is it?” Iris asked, pulling her hair up into a bun.
“I think I have feelings for… all of them,” I said quietly, in case any of the Darken were nearby.
From what I’d learned, werewolves didn’t have supersonic hearing like movies claimed, it only kicked in during predatory or defensive mode. So if the Darken weren’t right outside, they probably hadn’t heard me.
“All of them?” Iris said, staring at me for a moment. “Well… I can’t say I blame you. They’re all hot, and they all seem interested in you.”
“I don’t know about that,” I sighed. “None of them have talked to me in over a month.”
“You’re about to find out why tonight,” Vince said. “And I’m pretty sure strutting around in that barely-there bikini top is going to help in that department. Now… let’s go swimming.”
I took a deep breath and gave myself one last look in the mirror. Hair straightened, makeup done, black mascara and eyeliner making my green eyes pop. My skin had this vibrant glow I’d never noticed before.
Had it been the wolf transformation? Or was it just being near Theo again? Everything about me felt, and maybe even looked, better when he was close.
The only question was why.
- Writer
