Twisted Loves

Knock knock knock. Three taps on my door signalling that it’s time to wake up. As much as I love sleep, I think I love food even more. However, I really don’t want to get out of bed. Thirty seconds later, my bedroom door swings open and I feel someone pounce on top of me.     “Oof. Joshua, I swear to Moon Goddess, if you don’t get off of me right now-” I started to groan and yell at him before he cut me off.     “Oh, I’m sorry, Nikita. I guess I’ll just eat all of your precious peanut butter chocolate chip pancakes. Bye!” he jokes as he hops off me and rushes to my door.     I quickly dart out of bed and jump on his back, wrapping my arms and legs around him like a piggyback ride. “Touch my food, and you won’t wake up to turn eighteen, cousin!” I exclaim while tousling his thick, brown, wavy hair from behind. He quickly grabs my legs to hold on, and darts down the stairs, each of us laughing the entire way. He sets me down once we enter the kitchen, and looks down at me, winks, then walks towards the island.     We may be the same age, born on the exact same day, but we couldn’t be more different. He stood at six-foot-three while I was a mere five-foot-three. Where his hair was dark brown and wavy, almost curly, mine was straight and platinum blonde. My blue eyes were very different from his chocolate brown ones. I’m much more reserved and tend to keep to myself, whereas he is a social butterfly and a popular one at that.     “Well, it’s nice of you to finally join the pack for breakfast, Nikki,” my Aunt Debbie smiles at me as I sit next to her on the island. Josh sat down next to his father, Uncle Jonathon, who sat on the other side of Aunt Debbie.     “Sorry, Aunt Debbie. I stayed up a little late thinking over the graduation. Josh woke me up though, in his usual way,” I replied glaring over at Josh as I did. He just winked at me and continued to stuff his face with the breakfast in front of him.     Aunt Debbie and Uncle Jonathon had taken me under their wing from a young age. Uncle Jonathon was my father’s brother, but I don’t remember much of my mother or father. We were in a terrible accident when I was four years old, and they both passed away. When I woke the next day, I was in the hospital with my aunt and uncle crying as they prayed that I woke up. When I did, they vowed to always be with me and raise me as their own child. And they did just that. Uncle Jonathon is the Alpha of our pack, which makes Aunt Debbie our Luna. Amongst werewolves, they are the most respected members in the pack. Josh, being their first and only born child, and a son at that, would then take the role of Alpha after he turns eighteen and meets his mate.     Aunt Debbie smiles at me and Josh, then stands to address the pack. “Good morning Blood Moon Pack!” She calls out melodically and enthusiastically.     “Good morning, Luna,” the pack responds in unison.     “Tomorrow, Saturday, we will be having a very special celebration! As Joshua and Nikita both will be turning eighteen, as well as officially graduated from school, I have been planning an extravagant party! I’ve even invited several packs Alphas, Betas, and a few unmated members of their packs to attend! I’m hoping to see some newly mated couples this weekend,” she says as she winks down at me and Josh. I blush, but smile back. Her enthusiasm is contagious.     “Now I expect you all to be on your best behavior and show everyone how hospitable and friendly we can be,” she addresses the crowd again.     “Yes, Luna,” they responded in unison again.     Josh and I are both seventeen, and today is our graduation. Tomorrow we both turn eighteen as well. Josh is over excited, a combination of the thought of becoming Alpha but also meeting his mate. He’s always been anxious to meet her, but me on the other hand, I could kind of care less. If I meet my mate, great, if not oh well.     Because my parents passed away, a lot of pack members my age think less of me. They think that I was a rogue, or a wild packless wolf, and my Uncle just felt pity and took me in. I’m reminded of it every single day. Josh does his best to keep people from bullying me about it, but I mostly just hide everything that happens. He knows what they say and do, but when I don’t confirm it, he can’t do anything about it. They only say anything when he’s not around. So I can only imagine what my mate will think about me.     “Good morning, sweetie,” I hear someone say behind me as a plate of my favorite peanut butter chocolate chip pancakes are placed in front of me. I turn and smile at Ms. Wilson, the head cook of our pack. She has always treated me as if I was her granddaughter, spoiling me with my favorite foods. I swear she’s the reason I have a plump ass, big t**s, and thick thighs. I wouldn’t trade it for the world though. I love food.     “Good morning, Ms. Wilson. Thank you,” I respond as she gives me a kiss on the forehead and places some turkey bacon on my plate as well. I swear I’m the only one who prefers turkey bacon. Oh well, more for me.     “Congratulations, little butterfly. You’ve grown into a magnificent young woman,” she says as she runs her fingers once through my high ponytail.      “Thank you so much. I blame my curves on you, though,” I tease her as I stuff my face. She simply laughs at me, shakes her head and walks back to continue her duties.     We all continue eating and talking about Josh and I growing up, embarrassing stories of our childhood, and pretty soon, it’s time to go get ready for the ceremony. I thank everyone for their kind words and head towards the stairs to our floor of the packhouse. As I start to climb them, I get knocked to the side by none other than Olivia. She hates that I’m so close to Josh’s best friend and future Beta, Drake Blane. However, Drake goes through she-wolves like socks, so Olivia was just this week’s flavor.     She glares at me before snidely remarking, “Watch your step, b***h. We all know you’re a pathetic alpha wannabe. Once I’m the beta female, you’ll be banished from this pack for good. Too bad Drake won’t care anymore.” She struts off like a wannabe barbie doll, and I reach down to pick up my phone.     Before I can get it though, another hand already picks it up and hands it to me. I mumble thanks and look up to see Drake staring down into my eyes, looking like he almost feels sorry for OIivia’s comments. Drake is tall, at six-foot-five, and being on the step above me he towers even more. I blush as I look at his emerald green eyes and almost black, dark brown hair falling slightly over his eyes.     “I’m sorry,” Drake whispers, frowning slightly, as I take my phone from him. Even frowning, he is absolutely gorgeous. It’s no wonder the girls are all over him.     “What are you sorry for?” I question him, confused as to why he would apologize.     “For her behavior. You don’t deserve that. Tomorrow’s the big day, and I hope your mate treats you the way you deserve. Like a princess,” he answers as he walks down the stairs, as if he didn’t just say those words. I stared at him dumbfounded. What. The. f**k. I didn’t understand why he decided to talk to me today, and say those things, but I quickly shook it off and walked to the second to last floor and entered my room.     “Ahhhh!” I screamed as I entered, not expecting anyone to be there. Jasmine, my best friend, jumped from my bed and chucked her phone at me, ready to attack. I quickly caught it, and looked over at her, clutching her chest trying to calm herself.     “Nik, I swear to god, why do you try to give me heart attacks?” she says to me before i toss her her phone, and she sits back on the bed.     “Says the girl who I walk in on sitting on my bed unannounced,” I retort back to her, before walking to my closet to grab a dress. I settle on a silk, navy blue spaghetti strap dress, that is loose enough to not restrict me, but hugs my curves perfectly. I thank the Moon Goddess for my hourglass figure and perfectly flat stomach.     “You know we’re getting ready for the ceremony together, b***h. So shush. I’ll be waiting. I already showered,” she replies before sitting down and returning to her phone. I realize she’s in a robe now, and roll my eyes as I walk into the bathroom and start up the shower. Jas has always been my best friend, the only one I’ve got really. She knows all my secrets, and I know hers.     I quickly strip down and hop into the shower. I let the scorching hot water run down my hair and my body, quickly relaxing my muscles. I scrub my hair and body, and quickly rinse and hop out of the shower, throwing a fluffy robe on my body. I walk out and Jas immediately hops up and wraps me in a deathgrip hug.     “I can’t believe it, Nik. It’s finally our graduation!” she squeals as I struggle to breathe. She is our top female fighter here in the Blood Moon Pack. She turned eighteen about a week ago, yet hasn’t met her mate yet.     “Jas, I love you, and I’m excited, too, but I can’t breathe,” I manage to get out before she quickly lets me go. She smiles at me and we both walk over to my vanity. She has me sit down and immediately goes to work on my hair and makeup, without question. I’ve learned to just accept it. She stops for a moment when she hears her phone buzz, and quickly rushes to text back whoever texted her.     “J, who is it you’re so crazy with texting ASAP?” I ask her as she turns back to me. In the mirror I see her blush and try to avoid eye contact with me. “Oh my god, is it your mate?! Why didn’t you tell me?!” I screamed at her, clearly hurt that she kept it from me.     “Relax, Nik. It’s a guy, and I think he’s my mate, but until he turns eighteen I won’t know. So hush, and just relax. He will be eighteen soon, and we will see,” she replies nonchalantly. I understand not wanting to get her hopes up. I just hope he is everything she deserves.     After she finishes my hair and makeup, I slip on my strapless bra and the dress, then grab my silver flats. I take one look in the mirror and immediately I’m smiling back at myself. My platinum blonde hair is straightened and falls to the middle of my ass. My natural, light makeup accents my blue eyes and pale skin perfectly. My curves are perfect in the dress, and so the last thing to do is put on the gown and cap. I throw my gown on and when I reach to grab my cap, I smile wider. Jas and I had decorated our caps together, and unintentionally they complimented each other perfectly. We even signed each other’s caps.     After I finished, Jas took only five more minutes to finish everything and soon she was dressed with me. We joined arms and walked out of my room and down the stairs to the sitting room where Josh, his parents, and Jasmine’s parents were waiting to take pictures. Soon after we started taking photos, Drake and his parents showed up and joined in. Eventually it became chaotic as all the pack’s graduating wolves showed up with their parents. I quickly grabbed Jas and Josh and we ran for the door. Josh had a hold of Drake and was dragging him with us.     We all piled into Josh’s red Escalade and took off. Josh and Drake were talking about some random guy s**t, so I turned to Jas and she smiled at me. I returned the smile and leaned over and whispered, “I can’t believe tomorrow I turn eighteen. I’m excited and nervous at the same time. What if my mate is a complete stranger? Or an abusive asshat? Or what if he… rejects me?” I trailed off as I said the last part. I kind of forgot about werewolves having extreme hearing, and was soon reminded.     “Nikki, you won’t get rejected. You are an amazing girl, and if anyone hurts you, they’ll have to deal with me,” Josh replied, ending his conversation with Drake. I dropped my head, not wanting to look into his eyes and see him disappointed in me for thinking this.     “He’s right Nik, they’ll have him and me to deal with. You’re my girl, you got this,” Jas says beside me.     “You’ll be fine, Nik. You deserve a great guy, who waited for you and is so happy to find you,” Drake responds. The care fell silent as we weren’t really expecting him to chime in. I did appreciate it though. These guys are my everything. I’d be lost without them. Even Drake, despite the fact we barely talked anymore.     “Thanks guys. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I smiled at them, and they returned the gesture.     We pulled into the parking lot, and as we exited the car, Josh and Drake walked off towards their friends, and Jas and I made our way to the bleachers. We sat and chatted a little bit, and soon enough, Josh, Drake, Olivia, and the rest of their gang sat in front of us. Olivia was practically leaning on Drake’s lap, looking back at me as she bit his earlobe. Jas quickly growled at her, making Olivia shrink in her seat, as our principal approached the stage. I swear I heard Drake chuckle slightly, but I quickly shook the thought off.     Sitting through the names of the graduation was nothing exciting, but I was glad when my name was called. I walked onto the stage and heard hoots and hollers around the stadium. I quickly spotted my aunt and uncle as they were looking at me with pride. I smiled at them and after shaking hands with the principal, I walked off the stage and saw Josh waiting for me. I quickly ran and jumped up in his arms, hugging him tightly. He hugged me back and whispered congratulations in my ear, then set me down and we walked to his parents.     After a little chatting and congratulating, we all piled back in Josh’s car and headed home. Jas quickly reminded me that it was sleepover night. I groaned and glared at her, and they all laughed at me.     “Who wants a movie night?” Drake asked the car, nonchalantly inviting himself to the sleepover night. We all quickly agreed, and when we returned to the packhouse, Josh, Jas and I made our way up to our floor, and Drake went to the floor below us, the Beta’s floor. His parents being the current Betas, he lived on that floor as well.     “You good, Nik?” Josh asked me after Jas rushed into my room.     I smiled at him as I thought if I really was good. I wouldn’t tell him otherwise though. “I’m good, Josh,” I responded as I turned and walked into my room.     Jas was busy texting that person again, and I just rolled my eyes and walked to the closet, grabbed some pajamas, and then to the restroom to clean my makeup off. Once the makeup was off, I put on my pajama shorts and a form fitting tank top, my normal bedtime attire. I walked out and Jas was changed and back to texting. I walked over to her and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of my room and down towards the theatre room.     I went and sat down in the middle, the best seats available, and Jas went to get snacks. The boys entered and sat down behind me, as a few other pack members entered and scattered about. Jas returned with a giant tub of popcorn, multiple bottles of Mt. Dew, and two hot dogs. I raised my eyebrow at her and she immediately responded, “Extra butter, and I only need one Mt. Dew.” She knew I had a weakness for Mt. Dew. The only thing I drank regularly.     She let Josh pick the first movie, and he chose to watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I loved this movie, so I was fine with it. Throughout the night, I felt like someone was staring at me, but I shrugged it off and let it go. We decided to keep watching the Harry Potter movies, and by the third movie, it was 11:45 at night. Josh stretched and announced he was leaving. “Dad wants to go over some stuff before the visiting Alphas come. Let’s go, Drake, I’m sure you can learn a thing or two as being the next Beta,” he says as he walks out with Drake. I stretch my arms, and the fourth movie begins.     Shortly into the movie, I start to feel strange. My head feels like there’s pressure, and I feel wide awake, but also exhausted. I look at my phone and realize it’s now midnight. I’m eighteen. My wolf! My wolf is waking up! That’s why my head feels funny. I relax and let my wolf make herself comfortable.     Hello, darling. It’s good to be awake finally.     A-Are you my… my wolf?     Hehe yes, doll. My name is Sapphire. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.     Ahh! I’m so excited! And I love your name. This is the best night ever!     I’m glad you think so little one. Now I’m going to rest, because coming forward takes a lot of energy out of us wolves. You should rest as well. A big day for us tomorrow.     I feel her slowly retreat into my mind, and I realize I’m exhausted. I tell Jas I’m going to bed, and I walk out of the theatre to my room. I make sure my extra bed is set up, seeing as Jas will be spending the night. Once I’m sure everything is set up, I flop onto my bed and quickly let sleep overtake me, as tomorrow is going to be hectic.