The Trials of The Alpha and His Mutt

Chapter Four: Fun and Games

Miya POV

I fussed over my dress and make-up for longer than I thought I could stomach. My straight hair was braided, twisted, pinned and hair-sprayed into the fanciest style I could manage on my own. I had borrowed a dress from Grandma Aikina that was perhaps a bit out of my comfort range as well. It was silky and red, with a slit down the skirt that exposed more thigh than I would have liked. I felt a swell of nerves in my stomach when I went down to meet my family, but I stopped when I heard them speaking in hushed tones.

“...getting worse. I don't know what we can do about it.”

“There's nothing to do about it.” Dad whispered harshly. “I was hungry all the time too at her age. She'll grow out of it.”

“Did you hunt bears?” Mom spat. “No, because even the most i***t wolf knows to avoid them when they're alone. She came home with a claw mark across her face and smiled like it was nothing! And what terrifies me is that to her it is nothing!”

“Aimi,” Grandma Aikina spoke up softly. “Our little girl is a little different than most. What matters is that she has a kind heart. She hasn't attacked anything sentient in years.So as long as she's happy, none of that matters.”

I touched my face where the claw mark had been. It was already down to a small scratch on my cheek- it looked like a kitten had done it. By the time my friends arrived, even that would be gone. I approached the family meeting I was pointedly excluded from and sat down at the island in the kitchen. “Maybe... I should cancel.”

“What? No!” Granny Sarah said. “It took all that convincing to get you to go in the first place.”

“You're only eighteen. Still just a teenager,” Grandma Aikina chimed in, “Act like one. Go rebel at a party. Break some of his stuff while you're in there- trust me, its liberating.”

“I don't belong there,” I replied, looking at my hands. “I don't belong... anywhere, really... do I?”

Silence passed through the table. It was mom who finally approached, laying a knowing hand on mine. “How much did you hear, sweetheart?”

“Enough,” I said, pulling my hand back. “I-I know I'm hungry all the time, and it's getting worse lately... but...” tears threatened my eyes, and I found myself tugged into my mother's arms, then my father’s. I didn't have to see them to know my grandmothers were unable to resist a group hug.

When they released, mom held my head up and made me look at her. “This is a family built from love. Your grandmothers loved humans, and we half-humans love each other, and all of us love you. You belong wherever we are, and wherever you want to be. So go to the party if that's what you want. Have as much fun as you want, and dance with everyone there, because as long as you're wearing that perfume, you are safe, and you are okay.”

I was amazed at how much weight that lifted from my shoulders. I wiped a rogue tear out of the corner of my eye and turned to go back upstairs. “I, uh... have to fix my make-up real quick.”

The family breathed a collective sigh of relief as I went back upstairs.

The make-up fix took maybe another five minutes, and with that added to my timeline, I had to jog to make it to the end of the drive by the time Harper pulled up.

“Nice look. Didn't figure you'd be going for sexy,” Harper said. “I pictured something more... hm... green?”

I laughed, “Thanks, I think. Green's never been my color, though.” I got in the back seat and smoothed the wrinkles out of my skirt, while they chattered away in the front seat. I could tell they were buzzing with excitement at the prospect of their future alpha finding his future Luna tonight, but they were forcing themselves to talk about other things. I felt bad for them, having to hide their excitement because I was in the car.

“So, Miya,” Rose said, all business. “I'll send out a group text when everyone's ready to go. If you have to leave early, text or find me. Do you drink?”

“I think I might try tonight,” I admitted.

“That's fine,” she said, “Just remember, I'm taking you with me when I leave rather you like it or not.”

“I'm fully prepared for that,” I replied. “Besides, you're still the only people I really know at this school. Except for- hey, is Joe coming?”

“Of course,” Jenny replied. “He's already there helping set up.”

“Ah.” I replied. “But, uh, anyways... you're really the only friends I have, so I'll probably stick with you like a wallflower. I-if that's okay.”

“There is no standing by me,” Harper said, winking at me through the rear-view mirror. “Only dancing.”

I smiled, feeling a little better. Tonight would be fun and no pressure. No one knew me, no one knew I was there, so I would blend in like any other 'clueless human' and have fun, then leave before it got hot and heavy. Tonight was all fun and games.

Riever's POV

Tonight was not fun and games. Everything had to be perfect, from the drinks we chose to the decorations. Tonight was the night I would be able to hear the siren call of my mate, and even if I was a solid 98% sure it was Angelica, I wanted it to be a night she would remember for all eternity.

I, walking around in a button-up shirt with two buttons undone and untucked, met Bradley, my Beta, in the kitchen. Bradley was a scrawny wolf, but I'd seen his incomparable speed and wit in the fighting ring, and more important than anything, there was no one in the world I trusted more. “How do I look?”

“Terrified,” he said, raising a glass.

I frowned at him, “Are you drinking already?”

“Yes,” he said. “I hate these social events. I only come along because you want me to- and because if you meet our future Luna, I want to meet her in person.”

“Still not sure it's Angelica, huh buddy?” I asked, rolling my eyes. He never understood us as a couple- but that was because he didn't see her like I saw her. I picked up a solo cup and filled it with 'punch.' It smelled strong enough to singe hair, but I tossed back a bit anyways to calm my nerves.

“Angelica is...” Bradley trailed off, then sighed. “I think I'll hold my tongue on the matter for the night. Let's just say I don't prefer her company.”

“That's good,” I replied, shouldering him, “If you did, I'd have to fight you.”

“Have you talked to her about what happens between the two of you if... she's... not?” Bradley asked.

“No,” I admitted. “I don't feel the need. Angelica says she's felt the pull since she met me."

Bradley nodded. “I guess... it's a good thing she's a werewolf. She'll probably understand. If it comes to that.” He punched my shoulder weakly. “It might not.”

I pushed off of the island. “I'm sure it won't.” I drained another solo cup before one of the warriors posted at the front of the pack manor sent a mind-link transmission.

The first human guests are arriving. Nix the wolf talk, and have some fun, kids.

Bradley and I did a quick toast with our cups, then went out back to the pool. Angelica was in a beach chair, wearing a flowing skirt over her bathing suit. I pressed my lips to her passionately, and while she was distracted, handed off her phone to Brad. Once the electronics were secured, I grabbed her bridal style and threw her into the pool, before throwing off my own shirt and following her in.

Tonight wasn't fun and games, but neither was it a night for worrying. It was a night for listening to the inner howlings of my wolf.

Miya's POV

As it turns out, being a shut-in my entire life made for poor social skills. I hugged the wall for the first hour of the party, then discovered the punch bowl in the kitchen and helped myself to a cup. Then another. And a third. Halfway through the fourth, Harper had me dancing on a table for a crowd of cheering teenage boys.

My eyes locked with Riever's at one point, and I laughed and raised my glass. “To the birthday boy!”

To my surprise, everyone raised their own. Several people let out wolfish howls. I laughed, threw my head back and imitated one myself. The crowd around us cheered, and I was tugged off the table by my hips, into the arms of Aiden, the boy who had asked me to marry him on my first day.

We danced for a while, and when I got tired, I excused myself and found Jenny sitting and talking to Rose outside on the patio. “Hey, party people!” I greeted cheerfully, giggling then hiccuping.

“Wow, Miya, are you good?” Rose asked. “You look... like you're having fun.”

“I wasn't,” I replied, almost proudly. “Then I had some drinks, and now I am.”

Jenny scooted over on her bench and patted beside her. “Alcohol, the number one social enhancer. Are your parents going to be upset if you come back drunk?”

“I mean, probably out of principle,” I said with a shrug, looking into my cup. “Honestly, they're so happy I'm out and getting to know people. I did not want to come tonight.”

Rose and Jenny exchanged a worried look. “Miya, if this isn't your scene,” Rose said, reaching out and touching my shoulder. “We can take you home and be back before the main event...”

“Oh no, I'm good now,” I replied. “The music and the dancing is fun. It's nice to have a night where I don't have to worry for once.”

“Worry about what?” Jenny asked, “Your homeschooling sounded rad from what I heard.”

I scratched the back of my neck. “My family isn't exactly... uh... standard? I guess? Hard to explain, but... I'm under a lot of pressure. Sometimes. To be someone I'm... not.”

Rose frowned. “Uh, Miya, if you ever need to talk about this stuff... I know we kind of just met, but you can talk to us any time.”

I threw back the rest of my drink. “I am famished! Where's the snacks?” I stood up and left, following the scent of delicious pigs in a blanket. Cooked meat wasn't my style, and would probably make me sick, but I was starving all of a sudden, and human wasn't exactly on the menu.

I made myself up another cup and a plate of smoked ham sliders and pigs in a blanket and started winding my way around the party. The patio was big, and the party had moved indoors after sundown, so the patio was mostly for couples hoping for a modicum of privacy and intimacy. I could hear the quiet moans of the girl that was being boned in the pool, and the squeak of pain of a too-drunk human being fed off of by a vampire.

I paused, looking at him. “Is that... ethical?” I asked, unable to stop myself.

He froze, locking eyes with me. The girl was gone, I knew, and the marks would be gone in the morning. She wouldn't remember anything other than having made out with the guy, but from where I stood I could clearly see the blood dripping down her neck. He licked up the drop, then wiped his mouth. “Who... are you?”

“Miya Summett. New in town,” I replied.

“Human,” he said, drawing the word out slowly. He stood up, towering over me. “And yet, unsurprised by what you see.”

I looked up at him unflinchingly. “The vampirism, yes, the ethics of the matter...” I hissed, as if burned, “...a little.”

“Miya!” Jenny called, running over and grabbing my arm. “Sorry about that, Dimitri, she is very drunk. I'll get her out of your way.” She pulled me away before we could finish our talk. I looked back and with my free arm pointed to my eyes with two fingers, then directed them at him.

He looked perturbed, but didn't return to feeding on an unknowing human in the middle of a human-friendly party which was... I guess my goal? The bass of the music in the house caught my attention, as did Harper, dancing alone on the dance floor. Suddenly it was me pulling Jenny, and we joined her, laughing and giggling.

Well, I giggled. Jenny kept shooting me worried looks.