Chapter 8
1587 Words
Atlas eyed me dubiously, “I think you have a mild concussion, but overall, you’re not in any immediate danger.” Atlas said finally.
“Thank you.” I replied. “I really just want to wash up real quick, do you mind if I use one of the bathrooms?”
“No, you need to tell us what happened to you first.” Luke protested.
“No,” I said firmly as I pointedly looked at him, “What I need is to get clean and not feel like a victim.”
Luke looked like he was going to argue with me, but I gave him my most serious “I’m a strong warrior woman and I’m not going to be pushed around” look. After a moment, I saw a look of acceptance on his face and he nodded.
“I’ll make it quick.” I told them and I turned on my heels and headed towards the closest bathroom.
My shower was quick and procedural. When I had finished, I realized that I didn’t have an extra change of clothes. Sh*t. I had resigned myself to putting on the dusty, blood-stained clothes I limped up here with when I heard a knock on the door.
“Evelette, it’s me.” Clay said from behind the door. “I thought that you might need some clean clothes. It’s not much, but I brought you some jogging pants and a plain black t-shirt. I’m just going to leave them here by the door. No one is around, so you can open it up and grab them. Just give me a few seconds to get around the corner.”
“Erm, thanks!” I called back.
I waited until I heard his footsteps retreat before I cracked open the bathroom door. The pile of clothes was folded neatly and I quickly grabbed it and shut the door. I smelled the pile of clothes and knew instantly that they belonged to Clay. They smelled of cedar wood and rosemary. I was definitely not going to complain that I needed to borrow clothes if they smelled like this. The shirt hung almost to my knees, but the jogging pants were not too big. The elastic design of jogging pants allowed them to fit many sizes. At least I wasn’t going to have to worry about having to pull them up every 5 seconds.
I hesitantly left the bathroom and rejoined the Lycans who were waiting for me in the living area. I calmly walked up to a recliner and carefully sat down. No one uttered a word as I made my entrance. Once I was firmly seated and comfortable, well, comfortable enough, I took a deep breath and started talking.
“It was Rina and her gaggle of minions.” I finally said. “She told me she wanted to come with me, here, to meet you all. I told her she could join, but I was going to walk. She insisted that we take her car instead, to which I stupidly agreed.” My jaw tightened and I felt my eye twitch.
Luke walked from his position near the entrance to sit on the sofa next to me. He looked at me earnestly and put his hand on the armrest of the chair I was sitting on.
“You’re not stupid. You just have a heart that wants to see the best in people, that’s all.” Luke said.
“That’s the thing, since we were 17, she has never shown me anything that would indicate that she was going to be nice. She has been a complete b*tch to me ever since I discovered I couldn’t shift. We were friends once, how could we not be with our families always being around each other? Then I became a dark stain” I said in an offhand manner.
Luke sat back against the couch and said, “Go on, what happened next?”
“Well, after a short while in the car, she slowed down, said some incredibly mean things to me, sped up again, and pushed me out of the moving vehicle.” I summarized.
The group of Lycans were silent. Not one of them even seemed to be breathing, it was so quiet. Then, all at once, they started speaking.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Are you serious?”
“Why would someone do that?”
“They need to be taught a lesson.”
“This can’t go unpunished.”
“F*cking b*tches”
I leaned my head forward and rubbed the side of my temples. I made sure that everyone had exhausted their outrage before I spoke again.
“So yea, that happened. At least I won’t have to deal with her after tomorrow. I wonder how she will entertain herself when I leave.” I mused thoughtfully. “But I’m not going to let this ruin my day. She will get what’s coming to her…eventually. Anyway, what’s this birthday surprise I heard about?”
Clay shook his head and widened his eyes at me. “Wait, we are just pivoting? Just like that?”
“Yes, absolutely.” I said as I looked at him. “It’s my birthday, I decide. By the way, how did you find out it was my birthday?”
“That was actually me.” Luke said as he waved a finger in the air. “I called the pack house to officially request we get a tour of the pack, you know, to make it official and make it look like you’re doing your job.” he said with a wink. “Then I was told that since it was going to be your birthday the next day, they were not sure if you would be available.”
“Hmp, I’m going to have to find out who spilled the beans.” I said with a smile. “Regardless, I have to admit I really appreciate whatever it is you are going to do. I don’t usually do much for my birthday.”
At this point, most of the Lycans started concentrating on their own activities. A couple went into the kitchen and another went to the game room and some went outside. As much as I liked the attention I was getting, I had to admit that the undivided attention of half a dozen single Lycan men was making me feel a bit overwhelmed.
“Why don’t you do much for your birthday?” Luke asked.
“Well, it’s only me and my parents, and I don’t have many friends. Don’t get me wrong, people tell me happy birthday and I’ll get a present every so often, but I don’t have a big celebration. It’s just low key.” I said.
“Guess this year will be one to remember.” Clay said with a smile.
Clay’s words hung in the air and I could sense a shift of energy through the house. Luke and Clay shared a quick glance, and for the briefest of moments, I saw a flicker of something between them. Excitement, perhaps? Or even anticipation. They were clearly communicating something that involved me and my birthday, and I couldn’t help but be excited. I decided I was going to absolutely enjoy the day, regardless of what happened with Rina. Besides, she wasn’t the one that was about to be spoiled by a pack of handsome Lycans, that was me.
Atlas, who had remained silent as he observed from the side, cleared his throat and said, “We kind of went a bit crazy. And when I say ‘we,’ what I really mean is them.” He said as he looked at Clay and Luke with a smirk on his face.
Before I could respond, Luke jumped up from his position on the couch and grabbed my hand. “It starts in the kitchen.”
He led me to the kitchen where I saw a miniature feast on the island. It was thoughtful, and it warmed my heart in a way that I had only ever felt from my parents. There were a few bowls of chips, macaroni, a large salad bowl with all the fixings, and the most perfect lopsided birthday cake. I was completely and utterly touched.
“Surprise!” Clay said with a grin. He extended his arms towards the table like he was a game show host who was revealing a prize.
“This is amazing, oh my Goddess, thank you so much.” I exclaimed.
“Of course,” Luke said. “Everyone deserves a little something special on their birthday.”
I felt a sudden lump in my throat and I blinked away tears. Growing up, I never had a big birthday celebration, especially by people who were unrelated to me. This gesture, though simple, meant more to me than they could ever know.
“We didn’t know what kind of cake you liked, so we went with a layer each of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Hope that’s okay.” Atlas said as he leaned on the edge of the counter.
“It’s absolutely perfect.” I said as I smiled at him. “Really, thank you all for this. You really didn’t have to do this and I don’t know what possessed you to be so kind to me, but I’m grateful.”
Luke motioned me towards the cake as Atlas lit the candles.
“Make a wish,” Luke prompted.
- Writer
