The Midnight Wind Pack

2

Julia POV

            I awake with a yelp when my alarm begins blaring “Eye of the Tiger”.

            “Okay, time to start the day Jules, it’s your first day and you need to make a good impression!” I tell myself, but as soon as I try to get out of bed, I’m hit with an immense amount of pain and groan. I finally make it out of bed and head to the bathroom to shower. I strip my pajamas off, and for the first time, I look at my abdomen and am worried. My whole stomach is covered in black bruises, and my face is now also black instead of a greenish color. “It’s going to take some time to cover these up” I tell myself. I know for sure my right wrist is broken, but I have to push through it. While under the hot shower, I try to bend it in hopes of it healing soon, but all I’m met with is excruciating pain. “f**k, this is going to be a tough day”, I tell myself.

            After an hour, I’m cleaned, make-up is applied, and my caramel brunette hair is in a nice, professional updo. I decide to wear a pencil skirt that stops right above my knees, with a white button up shirt, and a black cardigan sweater to cover my wrist. “Well, hello there, Jules, you clean up mighty well” I wink at myself. I’m proud of my makeup skills that I was able to cover my face well enough that you can’t even tell there’s a bruise under it. Looking at my watch, I realize I need to leave, now. “s**t, can’t be late for your first day!” I say, flinging myself towards the door, sprinting down the stairs and to my car.

            I get to Mountain Lodge Hotel sparing five minutes. “Victory!” I exclaim, fist up in the air. When I make it to the front desk, a beautiful blonde haired woman is there to greet me. I take a moment to look around at the place and find that it’s a very luxurious hotel. White and gold marble cover the floors, and a crystal chandelier is hanging from the ceiling, my oh my, this is must be what being rich always feels like.

            “You must be Julia!” She girl excitedly squeals.

            “Yeah, that’s me, you can call me Jules, everyone does.” I smile back at her.

            “Okay! I’ll be your trainer, my name is Amy, you can follow me and I’ll show you the locker room”.

            I follow her to the locker room and find an open cubby to set my things down.

            “We already made a badge for you, you’ll swipe it on that computer every time you clock in or out. If you forget to one day, don’t worry, the manager, Dave will be able to fix it.” She says, smiling.

            “Okay, that sounds great.” 

            “So, what brings you all the way out to Mineas?” Amy asks when we make it back to the front desk.

            “Well, I come from Phoenix, and I got tired of the heat and the city, I did some research and Mineas seemed to be the perfect place for me to set my roots down in” I reply back to her.

            “oh, that’s nice. We rarely get newcomers, so a new face is always nice, especially when it’s as pretty as yours” She says with a wink.

            “Hahah, I don’t know about that now’” I say, “I would say the only one with a pretty face is the girl standing next to me”. We both burst into a fit of giggles.

            “I think we’re gonna be great friends” Amy says

            “I agree” I reply.

            “Hey, you look to be about my age, are you still in high school?”

            “Yeah, I am, I’m a Junior this year, I just turned 17.”

            “Oh nice! I’m a Junior as well! Have you gotten your schedule yet?”

            “Yeah, lets compare! Maybe we have some classes together”

            I end up having 3 out of 6 classes with Amy this semester, and I feel so relieved that I’ll have a friendly face at school tomorrow. 

            “Girl this is gonna be such a fun year with you here!” Amy exclaims.

            “hell yeah! It’s gonna be a great new start” 

            “Do you work tomorrow? We’re having a back to school party at my house. All the cute boys will be there, I swear” She sends a devilish smile my way.

            “Well, when you say cute boys, how could I possibly say no?” I fake gasp, placing my hand over my forehead.

            After getting over the laughing fit, Amy replies “it starts at 7pm! I’ll send you the address!”

            “Sounds good”, I nod, “What should I wear?”

            “Dress like you would to a club girl! We’re going boy hunting!” She laughs.

            Great, do I have anything that would be fitting to go to a club? I mentally palm myself, I haven’t even gotten my first paycheck, yet, I need to go shopping to get something dressy to wear to Amy’s party. 

            The rest of the day goes by quickly, and before I know it, it’s 5:00pm and time to head home.

            “I’ll see you tomorrow Amy, can’t wait for the party!” 

            “Sounds good, See you tomorrow Jules” she waves me off.

            “First day down, many more to go.” I say smiling to myself. 

            I decide to go for a run and find a state park nearby. I didn’t bring my exercise clothes, but ,

I really don’t need them. Even though I can’t shift right now, I don’t get tired easily from running.

            I arrive at a state park 10 minutes later, leaving my shoes in the car, I trek off to a opening in the tree line a ways away from my car.

            This is amazing. I think to myself. 

            I’m stopped for a drink of water, when I hear rustling in the bushes. My hackles stand up and I immediately inspect the area for any possible intruders of my evening hike. My eyes land on a enormous, black wolf that doesn’t seem to notice me yet.

            Thank you my lucky stars, I think to myself

            How to get away before he notices me? I just have to make a run for it and hope he doesn’t hear or see me, because if he does then I’m his next snack. 

            While the wolf is looking in the opposite direction, I make a bolt for it, sprinting as fast as I can, weaving through the trees, all the way back to my car.

            “Whew! That was a close one Jules!” I tell myself. “Maybe I’m not the only werewolf in this town after all.” I can’t help but smile and also frown at the last sentence. What if they aren’t nice?

                                                                                     ***

Xander POV 

“Xander, we spotted a wolf roaming through the territory, we weren’t able to get close enough to her before she darted away” 

“Another one? That’s the fifth one this month. Something isn’t right. Was she a rogue?”

“No, she didn’t seem to be, she didn’t smell of death. She also was in her human form. The only way we were able to tell she’s were is because of how fast she ran away”

“Hmm, that’s odd. I wonder why she didn’t change.” I reply. “The other’s we’ve caught have all been rogues.”

“Yes sir, maybe she was traveling?”

“Nonsense. Every wolf knows to announce entry into our territory, especially if they’re wanting to pass by the largest pack in history.” I say more to myself, than to Andrew. Why would a girl be stupid enough to cross my territory, The Midnight Wind Pack, uninvited?

“If the girl comes back, I would like a full investigation Andrew”

“You got it boss”, he says as he walks out of my office

Just as I’m about to call it a night, my bubbly sister, Amy walks in.

“Oh Xan, you’re going to love the new girl working at the hotel, she’s just amazing!”

“Is that so?” I say chuckling.

“Yes! I invited her to my party tomorrow so you can meet her! No distracting her though Xan, we told ourselves that we’re boy hunting” She says with a wink.

“Alright, I guess that I can’t wait to meet her then, Amy” I stand and we both head out of the office in the pack house and into the Alpha’s house, AKA, our home. 

It’s a comfortable silence, and my mind can’t help but think of the girl that has Amy so interested. Why do I care? 

“Well, I’m going to bed, Goodnight Xan” 

“Goodnight Amy, I’ll see you at the party tomorrow.” I say while heading to bed. Exhausted is an understatement, I can’t help but let sleep consume me, tomorrow is the back to school party and the day after is my last-first day of school. I’ll be a senior this year, and after, I will be able to totally focus on just the pack.

                                                                                       *** 

Julia POV

I wake up at nine the next morning, prepared to do some serious bargain hunting. I need to find a dress that screams “Club wear” but at a walmart price. “Easy enough”, I think to myself.

Downtown Mineas has a few shops, the majority are overpriced, and just when I’m about to give up, I find a consignment store. I have to stop myself from screaming with excitement when the first thing I find is a short white body on dress. It’s plain, but I’ll be able to dress it up with my accessories at home. I try it on in the fitting room to find that it stops mid-thigh, and hugs my hourglass figure perfectly. “This party is gonna be great! If a guy doesn’t drool over me in this, then I don’t want him” I tell myself. I quickly check out and head back to my apartment. 

I make myself some steak for lunch, and try to keep myself busy for the rest of the afternoon. The clock is ticking painfully slow, but before I know it, it’s finally time to get ready. 

I prep and pamper myself and leave my long hair down and in its natural waves, when I do this, my hair touches my waist, accentuating all of my curves. 

Taking one last look in the mirror “Damn, I look good” I think to myself.The white dress makes my golden eyes pop, and accentuates my tan skin. I wear the same cardigan to cover my wrist, ensuring no one can see any of the horrible bruises. A text takes me away from admiring myself and I am reminded of the time.

    Amy: You still coming??

    Me: Yeah, sorry. Got caught up with something. Be right there!

I rush out of the house, and speed down the road. My GPS says her house is 30 minutes away, but I make it in 20, only half an hour late to the party.

I drive up the winding driveway to see a enormous house pop into my view. “God Damn, does this woman own the hotel?” I mutter to myself. When I make it to the entrance, a valet man is there to park my car.

“Can I get your name, Miss?” He asks.

“Jules”

“Okay, we’ll get your car parked right away, please head inside and enjoy the party” He replies and I reluctantly leave the car with him. I know it’s stupid paranoia, but I can’t help but worry that the car I barely scrounged up enough money to buy, gets damaged or stolen.

I walk into the mansion to find that luxury was not spared on this party. A DJ is in what seems to have normally been the living room, but is now a club, in the was-dining room, every dish known to man is being served. Whew, I’m eating good tonight, I think to myself. I’m pulled out of my trance to find a waiter passing around champagne glasses. I greedily take one. Hey, I’m legally an adult, and there’s no ID check here, so I’m gonna take it while they’re offering. 

Looking around and thinking to myself how beautiful Amy’s house is, getting lost in my own thought when Amy startles me by enveloping me in a bear hug, causing me to wince in pain.

“I’m so glad you made it! I was worried you might not show! Are you okay? Sorry, sometimes I don’t realize my strength” she sheepishly smiles.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I brush off, “sorry I’m late, this is a great party by the way!”

“Thank you!, Goddess you look hot! The guys will definitely drool over you tonight!”

“Hahaha thanks Amy!”

“Go get something to eat, I have to greet everyone and then I’ll make my way back to you”

“Sounds like a plan” I reply as I head off to the catering stations. I decide on the filet mignon, a baked potato, and a delicious looking chocolate cake. 

“Mhmm” a moan escapes me when I take the first bite of the steak. This is the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted. 

I’m started when I feel someone touching my shoulder, “I’m jealous of that steak love”, the stranger whispers in my ear and I immediately get a shiver down my spine. You can’t leave yourself vulnerable, Jules. You can’t let what happened with Josh ever happen again.

I need to think my tactics through clearly, I don’t want to draw any attention to myself or this creepy dude and cause a scene. 

“Sorry, I’m spoken for” I lie to him.

His smile only widens, and it’s as creepy as the Cheshire Cat’s smile. “Well, we can always fix that love, besides, I don’t see him with you tonight, my name’s Bradyn, but you can call me Brad.” He extends his hand, but I don’t take it, partly because of my wrist, and partly because he creeps me out. I hear what I think is a snarl? “You Bit-“  Is all he’s able to say before Amy comes to my rescue.

“Jules! I’ve been looking all over for you! Brad, can I speak with you a minute?”

Brad seems to be angry, but obeys and tilts his neck to the left side. That’s odd. I think to myself.

They go a few feet away from me and whisper, but I can still hear clearly everything they’re saying.

“Brad, you can’t harass my friends like that.”

“Why do you even care about that Human, Amy?”

“That human is my friend, if you go against my wishes, you will be dealt with. I’m tired of you believing you are above the pack rules.”

“As you wish, Amy.” Brad states, again tilting his head and showing his neck. What is this place? I think to myself. 

I need to get out of here, and fast. I don’t know what this place is, but if they aren’t human, I am definitely not safe here. I grab my bag, and quickly dart for the exit. Before I make it there, my eyes meet with an earth shattering attractive man, causing me to pause my breakaway for the briefest second. Get it together, I tell myself, turning back towards the door. 

I meet the valet and quickly grab the keys to my car, racing towards it. I finally am able to climb in, and race off, pushing my little Honda Accord to its limits. 

I’m safe now. I think to myself when I make it out of the gates. I still dash home, entering my house in half the time it took me to get to Amy’s mansion. I peel off my clothes, and I can’t help but think back to the mysterious man I saw as I was leaving. Pushing it to the back of my mind, I decide to send Amy a text, and give her an excuse as to why I left. 

Me: Hey, sorry about leaving so abruptly, my landlord called about a leak in my apartment.

Amy: No worries J I wish you could have stayed, but I totally understand! 

I leave it at that, turn on my alarms, and head to bed. Tomorrow is the first day of school and I need to be well rested, I have a feeling it’s going to be hectic.