Her chosen mate (The change series 2)

Chapter 3: Caught at a house party

Natasha

I hated to admit it, but whenever Kai wasn’t around I tended to mope. I tried not to think about where he had disappeared to, probably with the beautiful blonde we’d seen earlier in the cinema.

I found dad in the living room and collapsed dramatically onto his lap. Yep, I still sat on his lap like a big kid, mum couldn’t escape my affections either, they’d gotten used to it.

“What’s up with you?” He asked.

“Nothing.” I leaned back against him and folded my arms.

Sputtering my hair out of his mouth he breathed, “ok, well, can you let your father f.ucking breathe.”

Sighing, I shifted so that I was sitting on him sideways, my back against the arm of the chair and my legs stretched out across him.

Hearing my sigh he sarcastically said, “oh, I’m sorry that I’m a living, breathing being and not an object for you to use as you see fit.”

I shoved his head and he shoved me back. I glared at him, and he mock glared back at me.

He couldn’t pass for my father, he looked too young and good looking, mid-twenties at the oldest, we could’ve passed as brother and sister, but people would ask too many questions seeing as I was a black woman, and he was white and blonde.

It wasn’t impossible for two white parents to have a black child, though technically mum did have a little of the black gene in her with mum’s grandad being black, her mum (my grandmother) half black too, and the rest of his family, heck maybe even dad had some black ancestry somewhere in the family tree, so it was possible, just also extremely rare, but I wasn’t the only one in the world to have this happen, and it was probably less rare for someone like me to end up as a black person like my grandad, but the less dad had to interact and talk with humans the better, so we just passed me off as Amber’s sister.

Like me, she was black, unlike me, she was absolutely stunningly beautiful with light hazel eyes, a soft skin tone like Halle berry, a tall and athletic build. I wished I could have been tall, dad was around six foot, not overly tall and mum was only five foot one, so lucky me I was maybe five foot three, pfft. I knew Kai liked tall girls with long legs, damn it.

“You’re sulking, why?”

I jolted out of my thoughts to dad’s voice.

“I’m not.”

He wrapped his arms around me and softly asked, “is it Kai?”

I quickly shook my head, cheeks burning.

“Natasha, I’m not stupid, I know you like him, you have for years now, have you chosen him as your mate?”

I looked at dad in surprise, being more wolf he understood that sort of thing more than most, so I nodded.

He was quiet for a while and then said, “I hate the thought of you with anyone, but out of all the pack members Kai isn’t the worst, and if you’ve chosen him, then I know more than anyone that nothing will change your mind now, you’ve chosen him as a lifetime mate haven’t you?”

I nodded, cheeks burning even hotter. “It’s alright, I get it darling, I was the same with your mum, practically stalked her at the start of the relationship.” We both laughed and I relaxed a little.

“I just don’t want you getting hurt, baby, Kai isn’t known for being the settling down type.”

“I know, but I can’t help the way I feel.”

“I understand, I just want you to be careful.”

I snuggled into him and he held me. There was no magic involved when choosing a mate, we didn’t have true mates, binding soul rituals, or anything so dramatic, but we were like real wolves in that when we picked a mate for ourselves, that was it, we’d be committed to one another for the rest of our lives, we wouldn’t cheat, we wouldn’t leave one another and even if a mate died we’d never find another. In a way, I suppose it was still like soulmates.

Werewolves were also part human so they weren’t always perfect, but for dad he took it very seriously, being more wolf meant he wanted a lifetime mate and nothing less, I knew he’d lost his virginity to mum and her to him, she was his first kiss too, his first everything as Kai liked to tease, I was a lot more like my father than I realised, because I felt exactly the same way, I wanted nothing less, the problem was that I couldn’t have chosen a more difficult person to want to mate myself to, the biggest playboy around, and I wasn’t sure I had what it took to tame him.

The next day was a Monday and I had college, I was studying to be a preschool teacher.

I was leaving the house when dad yanked me back by my jacket. “What are you doing?”

“Uh, getting the bus for college.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“I don’t need you to drive me.”

“But I’m going to anyway.”

“Ugh, It’s so embarrassing, everyone stares.”

“No they don’t.”

“Let me rephrase, every single female stares when you’re there, I prefer to slink in unnoticed.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

“I’m not! We can’t go out for a meal without some woman trying to get your attention, even with mum right next to you.”

“At least let Kai drive you, then.”

My eyes grew wide. “Kai’s just as bad! You two are that rare kind of pretty that would have model agents drooling and desperate to get their hands on you.”

“You’re definitely being dramatic now.”

I growled in frustration, dad thought more like a wolf than a human, so he didn’t get the whole attraction thing.

“I’m getting the bus.”

“Let Joey take you!”

I tried to ignore dads over the top protective ways and walk out, but he tugged me back by my backpack and went next door to get Joey.

I glared at him as I walked by and climbed into joeys car. When I was inside, I flipped dad off, and he blew me a kiss. D.ick.

Joey was older than all of us at sixty, you wouldn’t know it looking at him, the oldest he looked was maybe late twenties to early thirties, when he reached the age of ninety, he would start to slowly age again, mum told me the aging process stopped at twenty-five, so you’d stay looking late twenties early thirties until it started back up again at ninety, it would still be slow, so even over a hundred he’d probably still look only mid to late thirties.

He always kept his head bold and was a burly man and six foot three, he used to work in the police force so he was handy whenever we needed help in unlawful situations. He was Leo’s uncle, and he definitely gave off uncle vibes, I even called him uncle Joey, he was always smiling and cracking jokes with an infectious laugh that was louder than the rest of us.

He parked up in the college parking lot. “Alright, kiddo, off you go.”

“Thanks,” I grinned and hugged him goodbye and playfully ruffled his bald head as if he had hair.

“Oi, you cheeky mare, get your a.ss into college,” he laughed.

I jumped out and ran over to where my friend Cody was waiting for me. “Finally, we better f.ucking run to class if we don’t want to be late,” she all but yelled. Grabbing me by the sleeve of my jacket, she yanked me along and made us jog there.

Cody was my only real friend here, we hung out in a small group, but they were more her friends than mine. She was a year older and was pretty in a simple and plain kind of way.

She had brown hair that was shoulder length with bangs, average weight, average height at five feet five, her makeup she always kept simple, some mascara, lip gloss, a hint of foundation, nothing in particular stood out about her, or it wouldn’t have except for her fashion sense.

She was wearing shoe trainers with one black and white stocking and one red and white, a black Jean skirt and a nightmare before Christmas t-shirt with a black cardigan over it and a grey scarf.

Rings adorned her fingers on both hands, and she had a nose ring too, she liked to be different, always told me to wear whatever the hell I want and not what strangers in the street wanted me to wear to fit in and make them feel better, said it was stupid because they’d never see us again anyway.

She loved all things supernatural, and sometimes it was so tempting to want to open up and tell her I was a werewolf, but I couldn’t, it was too dangerous.

When we were at our seats she scrunched up a piece of paper and threw it at the back of Toby’s head. He turned back to glare at her, and she grinned, “party later at Samantha’s?”

He grinned and gave a thumbs up. Tammy reached across and whispered, “can I tag along?”

“Of course, we should all go, you’ll come right Tasha?”

My eyes widened at Cody and she laughed. “Don’t be so shy, it will be fun and I won’t leave your side. Please!”

“How could I explain my parents wouldn’t let me? We were all adults, and it would seem weird that I couldn’t do as I pleased.

In the end, I caved and agreed and she squealed happily.

When class was over I said, “I don’t have anything to wear.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got loads of clothes at my apartment.”

I looked at her and then looked down at myself. “Uh, your clothes won’t fit.”

“Stop that,” she scolded.

“I mean it, they won’t, we aren’t the same size.”

She rolled her eyes. “Ok, want to go shopping?”

As if I had a choice, she was a woman on a mission. She dragged me into town and helped me pick out an outfit. I admit I got carried away and bought makeup too, mum hated shopping, but I enjoyed it, usually I always tagged along when Amber went.

I wasn’t much different to Cody with simple makeup, I wasn’t brave enough for anything else, but she made me pick out some red lipstick and eyeliner and some other bolder makeup including false eyelashes.

“Will Kai be picking you up?” Cody asked when we were getting ready at her apartment.

Dad wanted me to pass him off as a cousin, but no way was I doing that when I had plans of making him my mate, it would be awkward if we ever bumped into Cody, so I passed him off as a best friend instead.

“I’m not sure yet.”

She groaned dramatically, tilting her head back and said, “he’s so sexy, so is Grayson, you and your sister’s brother in law right?” I nodded. He would never pass for my dad, so we stuck with the brother in law story.

“He’s like some Greek God, I’d love to have both him and Kai f.ucking me at the same time.”

“Ewww, too much information!” I laughed, cringing.

“Come on! You don’t find them hot? They look like they should be on some front cover of a magazine, topless preferably!”

I shoved her, “stop!” I made a gagging face.

“You really don’t find them sexy?”

“Kai is,” I blushed, and was thankful my dark skin tone hid it.

“Just Kai? Grayson is sexy as f***k with those blonde curls and blue eyes, I bet his big.”

Oh my god, I did not want to hear her talking about my dad like that, yuck, but I couldn’t act too repulsed, or I’d look suspicious, there was no denying my father was an exceptionally attractive man, he’d fall into the pretty boy category if it wasn’t for the strong chiseled jawline. So I had to play along, and only act mildly grossed out as she explained all the explicit things she wanted to do to them and have them do to her in her fantasy of a threesome.

I did my makeup, Amber had taught me how, as mum didn’t even wear makeup and had forgotten any skills she might have had when she was human.

Cody helped me with the cat eyeliner look, I wore shimmery green eyeshadow, foundation and had contoured my face, I finished with the new red lipstick and Cody helped me with my hair doing two pigtails with a half up and down look, with my tight curls it looked full and gorgeous, I loved it.

I’d let my hair grow down to my waist, and I was so glad and was happy with the look. For once, I didn’t just feel like the fat girl, I felt like, well, I felt like the pretty fat girl for once and for me, that was a major improvement.

The closer we got to the house, the more anxious I grew, I’d never been to a party outside of the pack before. It was loud, the music hurt my sensitive ears, but I grit my teeth and bared it.

Loads of people were milling about in the front garden, talking, smoking and drinking. I tried to stay away from the smokers, I already knew I’d probably have a headache later from the smoke, and the smell of overused perfume and cologne.

Our group at college consisted of me, Cody, Toby, Samantha, Tammy, and Jessie, and we saw them waiting for us at the gates.

“Finally!” Jessie grinned. Her name suited her, she had the whole Jessica rabbit look going on with wavy red hair, full makeup and red lipstick, sultry eyes and an hour glass figure I’d kill for, maybe I’d have one when the werewolf metabolism kicked in, and I lost the weight.

I’d tried dieting once, and my parents had gone nuts, dad had explained as werewolves we needed to eat a lot because of the fast metabolism, just because I couldn’t see the effect of it yet, didn’t mean it wasn’t working he’d said. Apparently not eating properly could make you lose control, you’d become more irritable, snappy and even violent.

Toby linked his arms through ours and pulled us inside. He had light blonde hair down to his shoulders and had tied it into a half up and down hairdo. He was short but lanky and just as confident as Cody, he was gay and when he caught sight of a cute guy he grinned, “I’ll be back!” And headed over to the man.

Cody went and grabbed us some drinks and handed me and Jessica a kopparsberg each, apple flavoured. When I was feeling tipsy, Cody dragged me to the crowd of dancing people and made me dance, I couldn’t dance at all, but I tried, I didn’t dare try and be sexy, I knew I couldn’t pull that off so I danced funny and stupidly instead. I was having a good time until Kai showed up, looking scarier than I’d ever seen him.