My Mate's Secrets

Sturdy Surface

*Through Emily's Eyes*

    The streets were packed, making shopping more frustrating than usual. It was the first relatively warm day towards the end of winter and everyone and their mothers had decided to go out and about. 

    Including me. 

    I groaned when we walked into the next boutique, seeing the line by the fitting rooms and the cashier, but my mom just laughed at me and took off to the rack of dresses. 

    It had been a while since we spent the day together and she jumped at the opportunity to come to the city when I mentioned I might need a new dress for May’s birthday party. While not opposed to wearing the same thing more than once, I had officially used each dress I owned for at least one birthday party. 

    I didn’t know May very well, but she had invited me and told me to bring friends, so I was excited. Also, I was pretty sure Olly would be there. May was new to the pack and I was given the responsibility of helping her settle in by Aunt Sage upon her arrival. Her mate, Nick, was one of Olly’s best friends and was the one hosting and planning the party, so I was sure his friends would be invited too. It was their first birthday together so he was going all out. 

    “What about this one?” Mom asked from across the store, causing some of the other women to glance in our direction. I huffed and moved quickly towards her, not liking everyone’s attention. “It’s...fine,” I said, running my hand over the soft velvet fabric. “What’s wrong with it?” she asked, holding it up against my body. 

    I shrugged and took it from her hand. “I like it, but I prefer colors.” 

    She flipped sleek black hair over her shoulder. “Okay, but try it anyway. Black looks great on everyone,” she said with a wink. I smiled, just glad that her hair wasn’t purple this week. While having a mom who looked like a super chic model was cool, some of her hair colors made humans stare. 

    I walked up and down the racks, pulling out some dresses. When I got to a dressing room, Mom added a few more to the pile. She took a seat on the bench by the big wall mirror as I shut the curtain. 

    “Are Ruby and Jill going to the party too?” she asked through the barrier. 

    “Yeah, May said I could bring friends,” I responded, pulling back the curtain to show her the black, velvet dress. It fit perfectly and did actually look good, but I thought I could do better. 

    “Oooh, that looks so good honey,” she cooed. The thin spaghetti straps tied in little bows on my shoulders, and while it went down to mid thigh, there was a small slit up the side that made it a little sexier. “And I love velvet, boys won’t be able to keep their hands off you!” she joked. 

    “Mom! I’m 16! You’re not supposed to say those things!” I gasped. But I did love the dress. And liked the idea of certain boys putting their hands on me. 

    She shrugged and waved her hand at me. “16 is old enough for many things.” Which for a wolf, was very true. 

    I shook my head at her and moved on to the next one. 

    “Is Oliver going to be there?” she asked as I shimmied into the dress, her voice dripping with fake innocence. 

    “I don’t see why not, his best friend is throwing the party,” I said, trying not to portray my hope. 

    I pushed back the curtain again, turning my back to her. “Can you zip me?” 

    She stood and zipped up the back, moving slightly so we were looking at the dress in the mirror. The emerald green satin hugged my body without being skin tight. It was also mid-thigh length with spaghetti straps, but the neckline slouched a little bit, adding detail and a hint of cleavage. 

    “This one,” she said, smoothing out my hair and pushing it over one shoulder. “Definitely this one.” She added a familiar tap to my butt and sat back down. “Oliver will love it,” she said with a sly grin. 

    “Mom, he’s not my mate. We’ve already beaten this dead horse. I’m just gonna have fun with Ruby and Jill tonight,” I sighed, going back to the safety behind the curtain. 

    “Never know, you’re not 18 yet,” I heard her say under her breath. 

    I huffed and managed to unzip the dress myself. I didn’t bother trying on the others because I didn’t like them nearly as much as the green one. When I was dressed I grabbed it and joined my mom. She reached past me and grabbed the black one. “We’re gonna get this one too.” 

    While our pack and our family had tons of money, we weren’t raised to recklessly spend it, so I always aired on the side of frugal when it came to new things. But I couldn’t deny I needed another dress and really liked the black one. 

    After she paid, we visited a shoe store and then found a local bistro. 

    “Do you need anything else? Jewelry? School clothes? We’re here, I know the stores at home can get a little repetitive,” she asked once we had ordered. 

    “Nothing that I can think of.”

    “I know you’ve started going to the office with your dad sometimes, do you have enough business outfits?” 

    “Yes, mom, I don’t need anything new.” 

    “How has that been? The office?” 

    “I like it, it sort of feels like school, but more useful. I normally just sit in Dad’s office and help him with paperwork, but it’s easier to learn from because it’s in the context of a real company, unlike the fake case problems they give us in math class.” 

    “Well I know he loves having you there with him.”

    “I’m excited for when they start to take me to meetings. I usually get updates on what happens from Dad or Aunt Sage or sometimes Uncle Xander, but I want to be in the room, you know?” 

    She chuckled and took a sip of her water. “I will never understand how you guys can get so excited about spreadsheets and HR reports.” 

    I smiled and shrugged. “So, any good gossip I probably haven’t heard?” I asked her. My mother was one of the only team members who knew every person on the Strong Mountain territory. She also had a fantastic relationship with the omegas and helped with the trainings, giving her unparalleled access to all lines of gossip among the pack. While she didn’t go around spreading things, I could sometimes get important bits of pack news from her. 

    “Nothing too exciting. You already know we’ll probably be expanding the borders. There was a small feud between some neighbors at Strong Rock, but Ben resolved it on his last trip there. It’s been a pretty unexciting month.” 

    Lies. “Well, I heard a rumor that we had a visit from some Elders.”

    She c****d her head. “Where did you hear that?” 

    Got her. 

    “Around. Why were they here?” 

    Our waiter showed up with the food as I finished the question. 

    “Just to have a conversation with Sage. Don’t worry about it, hon. Ooh, that salad looks good!” she said to change the subject. But the Elders didn’t visit packs for reasons that required no worries. Maybe Oliver would tell me. 

    She continued to chatter on about Maxie and Jett’s recent escapades and funny stories from the training sessions with the pack children. I listened, but my mind was stuck pondering the meaning of the Elder’s visit.

**********

    “Ooooo girl! That dress is amazing!” Jill squealed as I stepped out of my mom’s car. She had driven me to Nick’s house so I didn’t have to shift, and it was slightly too far to walk in the heels she had encouraged me to wear. My dad had not looked happy at my outfit when he saw me, but Mom had given me her black leather jacket and batted her eyelashes at him and he had caved. 

    I heard her laugh to herself as I shut the door. 

    “Yours too! Purple is your color for sure,” I said to her. “And red is yours!” I added, looking over Ruby’s signature red dress. 

    Jill grabbed our hands and pulled us up the driveway. People were already starting to spill out of the house onto the lawn and, from the sound of it, the back porch, and the thumping music got louder each time someone opened a door. 

    Ruby wiggled her hips and if I wasn’t in a party mood before, I definitely was now. We shouldered our way into the house and through the living room towards the kitchen, waving at some kids from school and other people we knew. The crowd was a mix of recently graduated wolves and Nick’s friends, with a few other juniors and seniors in high school and a few older. 

    At the drink table we ran into May, who had Nick practically attached to her hip. “Emily! I’m so glad you could come! You look great,” she smiled as she gave me a hug. 

    “Thanks May! Happy Birthday! This is Jill and Ruby,” I replied, introducing her to my friends. They took turns greeting her as Nick leaned over to hug me. “This is some party you threw,” I said to him, glancing around at the mass of bodies, colored lights and the expanse of refreshment tables. 

    “Of course! Only the best for my mate,” he grinned, giving May a sloppy kiss on the cheek. “Plus, my dads decided to go into the city for the night!” he yelled, and everyone within earshot cheered. 

    “Let me get you guys drinks!” May said, her and Nick turning to the table to prepare something. When I noticed their uncoordinated movements and smelled the alcohol on them, I offered to make the drinks myself. We weren’t super late, but clearly they had been enjoying her birthday for some time. 

    I grabbed a beer from the table as Ruby made herself a vodka soda and Jill put tequila with lemonade. We moved through the kitchen and started chatting with some people we knew from school. Keeping my head on a swivel, I couldn’t see Oliver anywhere. Maybe he had already come and gone? 

    “Dance floor!” Ruby suddenly called out, and I was dragged by the elbow towards the middle of the living room while everyone was smushed together to dance. We danced through song after song, taking turns to refill our drinks. Eventually I could feel the beat of the music in my bones and the faces in the crowd began to blend together. It was hot surrounded by so many bodies and I made my way towards the wall by the stairs, not bothering Jill and Ruby, who were busy dancing with boys who had come up behind them. 

    I broke free from the sweaty mass and leaned against the wall, using the sturdy surface for support. My head bobbed to the side and I noticed the couch. I smirked when I saw Elliot slumped on it, trying to impress the two older girls sitting with him by chugging a beer. Based on the way he looked, he’d be asleep in a few minutes and the girls definitely only saw him as a cute child. 

    I shook my head but immediately stopped, trying to get the world to stop spinning. It wasn’t my first time drinking, but I had to admit I may have gotten a little carried away with the music and numerous refills. 

    Glancing at my phone, I saw that it was late, but not too late that my mom would be mad if I linked her to come get me. Or I could step outside and sober up a bit before going back to my friends. 

    Yeah, that was a good plan. Pushing myself off the wall, I turned in the direction of the back door and almost ran into a body. I squinted at the face, waiting for it to come into view. 

    f*****g Eric. 

    “Hey Emily,” he smiled, holding out a drink for me. “Want a beer?” 

    I sighed. “No, thanks. I’m just gonna get some air.” 

    He didn’t move and there were too many people for me to go around him. “You look really hot tonight,” he said, slurring a bit. I think. I definitely noticed the way his eyes slowly looked me up and down. He put one cup in the hand of someone walking by and moved his free hand to my shoulder. My body was moving too slowly to move out of the way. 

    “You know, I think you’re amazing. I’ve always thought so,” he said as he took a step closer to me. 

    “Uhm, thanks.” I saw an opening and moved to go around him, but his grip tightened on my upper arm.

    “We would be so good together, don’t you agree?” He took another step forward and I took one away, but my back hit the wall I had just been leaning against. 

    “Thanks, Eric, but…” 

    He leaned his face closer to mine. “We could be mates, you know? We could be meant to be.” I turned my face away from his, trying to pull my arm out of his grasp. I had heard about drunk people sobering up quickly in sudden emergencies, but I didn’t seem to be one of those people. My body felt detached from my mind and too slow. 

    I felt his finger trace my face from my forehead down to my chin. “Goddess, you’re so f*****g hot,” he murmured, moving his body and face even closer. I shook my head, hoping the movement would only shake him off and not also make me puke. Eva was already gagging in my mind from his scent. 

    His hot breath tickled my ear and I shook my whole upper body, trying to make room to leave. The movement just jerked him a bit and I felt a wet spot form near my ribs. 

    Ugh. A brand new dress and he had spilled his f*****g drink on it. 

    Everyone else in the room was too drunk to realize what was happening and the music was too loud for me to ask someone for help. To others, we looked like another pair caught up in the party vibe. I just hoped that my body would cooperate with my mind if he tried to pull me somewhere private. 

    Almost like he read my mind, I felt him wrap an arm around my waist and tug me towards the stairs. And no, my body did not cooperate. I tripped on the first stair but his grip tightened and he pulled me up. 

    “Eric, I’m not interested,” I mumbled, feeling suddenly tired. Damnit. I shouldn’t have done that last round of shots Jill brought back with our drinks.

    “Mmm, you will be, don’t worry,” he whispered in my ear, purposely touching his tongue to my skin. I moved my head away as much as I could, trying to use my hands to push him away. But I couldn’t. Eva seemed too repulsed to help. Did wolves get drunk when their humans did?

    “Eric, no no no, stop,” I kept repeating, but I wasn’t even sure I was speaking loud enough for him to hear. Not that I thought he’d listen if he did hear. 

    Suddenly a pair of shoes appeared on the step above us. I tried to lift my head to look at who they belonged to but it felt too heavy. 

    “Hey man, just trying to help her to a bathroom so she can puke,” Eric said in a disgustingly polite voice to the shoes. 

    “I believe she said no, actually,” they replied. I sighed at the sound. My favorite voice. 

    “We’re all good, just trying to help her, bro,” Eric restated, his grip tightening on my waist. I winced and tried again to lean away. 

    “I am not your bro. And I suggest you take your hands off of her,” Olly said. I had never heard him sound so serious. 

    “Mind your own business, Oliver. Isn’t a kid’s birthday party a little beneath you anyway?” Eric snapped at him. 

    Was this guy stupid? 

    “Are you stupid?” Olly mirrored my thoughts. “You have your hands all over one of my best friends. So it is my business,” he said, taking a step down and towards us. 

    “You’re not her mate and I’m not doing anything wrong so back off,” Eric growled. 

    My eyes felt impossibly heavy and all I knew was that I didn’t want to stand all night on these damn stairs. 

    But I didn’t have to. There was a solid thud sound near my head and then it felt like I was falling. The grip on my waist was ripped away and replaced by a different arm around my back, followed by one under my knees. 

    I wasn’t standing anymore but I felt supported and warm. My head dropped to the side and hit something solid that smelled delicious. It reminded me of the scent in the forest after it rained. 

    “Go to sleep, Emily,” Olly’s voice said above me, still serious but a bit softer. So I did.