Stolen Soul

Chapter 19: Birthday Party

Lexi

We all climb into my car to head back towards Matt’s truck and then back to the pack house. As I pull out of the parking lot, Rebecca shifts her body forward in the backseat to pull herself between Matt and I, until her face is centered between the two of us.

“So what are we thinking tonight, I am about to send a group chat out and want to let the guys know the change of plans,” she states smiling from ear to ear.

“Bonfire and beers,” Matt seems to both ask and tell at the same time.

“Perfect” Rebecca and I both say in unison.

Matt grabs his phone, as Rebecca begins to frantically text our group of college friends, likely only the werewolves.

“Sam, hey change of plans tonight. We are going to celebrate Lexi’s birthday.”

I can hear Sam in the background, wolf hearing definitely has it’s perks. “Okay man, what are you thinking?”

Just as I hear him, Rebecca gasps and leans back in her car seat, the color fading from her face, as she nervously shifts in her seat. Matt arches his eyebrow up slightly in response to her behavior, but doesn’t skip a beat in his response, “Bonfire and beers, can you get that ready, we should be back at the pack house in the next 30 minutes. Oh and Sam, I found someone you might want to meet.” Before Sam can even question him, he hangs up and turns to Rebecca, “You okay?”

She just nods and stares out the window. When we get to Matt’s truck he hops out, and sends me a subtle wink as he heads towards his car.

Shaking my head at him, I turn towards my friend sitting in the backseat of my car and ask, “Becs you want to come up here, let me know what’s going through your mind?”

She hesitates before she final responds, “Yeah, I just don’t know what to feel.” I watch as she slowly climbs out of the car and joins me in the front of the car.

“You could start by telling me why you went pale as a ghost,” I ask as I shift the car into drive and turn back on to the road to head back to the pack house.

“Is Sam Matt’s brother?,” she asks looking at me and past me at the same time.

“He is, is that the reason you seem so, I don’t know freaked out,” I ask unsure how to describe what my friend is going through.

“My wolf got really excited, and that makes me nervous. I’ve never even kissed a guy, and even if it was just a few more days until I was going to meet my mate, I just don’t know if I am ready.”

“Ready for what exactly, I doubt that Sam would force you to do anything you aren’t ready to do.” Before I can continue she cuts me off.

“He won’t my hormones will, my wolf will. Right now I don’t feel ready for anything, but from everything I have ever been told, when you meet your other half, their scent, their touch, everything about them makes you want them, like really want them,” she says in one breath. When I look over, she is shaking slightly, before I can say anything to try and help calm her, she shifts in her seat, and starts again, with more excitement. “Really, I have been waiting my entire life for this moment, for what is about to happen. I am both excited and nervous, and scared.”

“That seems perfectly reasonable,” I assure her.

She turns and adjusts herself, clicking her seatbelt into place, and exhales one long breath. Then flicks the mirror down and starts fixing her hair. “Do you have any lip gloss in here?”

“Does chapstick count,” I ask, picking it up from the center console and holding it out for her to take.

“I can make do,” she says as she swaps in out of my hand.

We stay silent the rest of the way back to the pack house, until I park my car. “So what’s he like? Does he look like his brother?” She spits out, as she grabs my hand and my eyes meet her desperate ones.

“He looks like more like his other brother , Luke, more than like Matt, and he is the calm nice one, you’ll see soon enough, let’s go.”

As we exit the car, I hear a loud crash, and look up to see Sam with his jaw dropped and a keg rolling away from him.

“What the fu..” Matt states before he can even finish his sentence he sees Rebecca staring at his brother, still as a statue, eyes wide open, mouth slightly agape.

Sam opens his mouth and barely gets out one word “Mate?”, tears line his eyes, and roll down his checks.

Rebecca seems to come unglued from her spot as he speaks, and hesitantly steps in his direction. Each step she takes quickens as she closes the gap between herself and Sam. He seems to realize she is moving towards him and he starts to move forward, it also starts slow and steadily increases until they meet.

With a shaky breath, I hear Rebecca say, “Hi, I’m Rebecca, but you can call me Becs.”

Sam chuckles, and then falls completely silent before clearing his throat at least three times and stating “I’m ummm… clearly nervous, but my name is actually Sam. You’re gorgeous.” His checks turn deep red as he rings his hands and looks at the ground.

His nervousness seems to have grown the amount of confidence Rebecca has, as her shaking has all but stopped, and her normal smirk has returned to her face, along with her color. When I hear her quip, “Right back at you handsome.” I completely anticipated that he would turn bright red, stay shy, but to my surprise his raises his blue eyes at her and winks.

Rebecca has never been one of those giggly girls, instead she rolls over in laughter, and Sam follows, he then leans in and whispers something in her ear, so low I don’t even catch it, but I get the hint when Rebecca mouths “sorry” and takes Sam by the hand leading him away from us and towards the pack house.

Matt clears his throat, and I finally tear my gaze away from my friend towards the handsome man I find myself once again alone with, as I look towards him he leans his head and nods in front of him. I follow his gaze and find the keg has been stopped from its roll by the wheels of a jacked up matte black pick up truck.

“Want me to grab that?” I ask, a little hesitant because from what I recall kegs are pretty heavy.

“Not exactly, I just want you to set it up right and scoot it away from Luke’s truck, he will throw a fit. He is on his way down to help with the set up too.”

I manage to move the keg, which is in fact still heavy even with my alpha wolf strength, just in time from Luke turning the corner.

“Need a hand?” He asks with a chuckle, and then sees how suspiciously close I am to his truck, before shooting his brother a glare, and passing straight by me to his truck.

“Seriously, I thought you were going to help me with this,” I whine.

“I will just let me make sure you assholes didn’t scratch my baby, then I will grab the keg,” he states with the most serious voice I have ever heard.

“He seriously loves that truck more than he loves me,” Izzy states with a giggle.

“Not true babe, but Oscar here is a close second, and it lucky for you two, it looks like there is no damage,” he states with a suspicious look over his shoulder in my direction.

Once Luke and Matt each grab a keg we had towards the woods. Several people I have not met yet are gathering wood, and setting up for the bon fire, I head over towards the area the fire is about to be set up to see if anyone needs any help, and am greeted by a lot of smiles and a few happy birthdays, when a feel a tap on my shoulder.

“Want to help me grab some cups, they are back in the cafeteria?” Matt asks.

“You carried a keg here by yourself and you need my help with some cups?” I taunt.

“Sure do, Ms. Birthday girl,” he says with the most tantalizing grin I have ever seen on a man.

“Well how could I ever resist your charm, and that smile.” I say while I pretend to fan my face with my hand. I turn on my heel and head in the direction of the pack house. I hum to myself, feeling the thrum of excitement course through me, it’s been a long time since I felt really happy, a part of me always felt incomplete, but right now that void feels whole.

Maybe for you, but for me, I feel the void. I almost trip over a tree limb, catching myself as a stumble a bit, out of the woods, at the sound of my wolf’s voice. I know she is still upset about our mate, and wants me to go find him, but honestly I just don’t feel it. I mean, after my first shift, I felt a pull, but I was more freaked out than anything.

You are a very different person now than you were in our last life. I think its because you were raised human. You question everything, even the bond.

I can see her shaking her head at me in my mind, and since her frustration, as mine also rises to the surface. When I feel an arm grab mine right before I reach the pack house.

“Lex, what can I help with.” Becs states, her lips are a little swollen, and her hair is in a haphazard pony tail, but she is glowing, and smiling from ear to ear.

“I take it the last fifteen minutes went umm, well?” I ask, really unsure if I want the details or not.

“We only made out, perv, but holy s**t that is the best f*****g kiss I have ever experienced, and to be honest it was hard to not go further.” She squeals.

“Don’t let me stop you, I am all for you getting some action.” I say with a smirk and a wink.

She slaps me on the shoulder, and grabs the door. “So why are you back at the pack house, I was really expecting you to be hanging all over Matt.”

“You were? Even though I have a mate.” I drawl.

“You guys clearly like each other, and I am not the only one that has noticed.” She states mater of factly.

“You think he likes me?” I ask, nervous for the answer no matter which way it goes.

“Yes.”

“Just YES?” I ask raising my voice in exasperation.

“Yes.” She states again.

“You know sometimes you’re a real bitch.” I saw, half kidding half serious.

She has been following me while I head towards the cafeteria, I stop at the doors and start looking around.

“So what are we getting?” Becs asks again.

“Cups.”

“Just cups?” She asks, raising her eyebrows, as she asks.

“Yup.” I state, popping the p, as I head over towards the disposable cups.

We head back to the bon fire, in silence. The butterflies in my stomach haven’t stopped churning. I think I just need to talk to Matt, maybe tell him my secrets.

Do not do that Rose, we are not yet ready to share our secrets. Ela practically shouts in my mind.

I immediately stop walking and put my hands to my head as a piercing pain settles in my mind. I can feel her pushing against me, forcing herself forward. I push willing my hands to stay hands, and feel the pressure continue to mount.

When I whisper to her I won’t tell him, please stop.

“Are you okay, what’s going on?” I hear Matt stating as he holds up my weight.

“Nothing, my head just started hurting, I’m okay now.” I plead with my eyes for him to let it go, and the look in his eyes is not only concern but certainty that I am not telling the full story, but luckily he drops it, but what he doesn’t drop is my arm. He deftly swoops his under mine and laces ours together, as we walk towards the bon fire.

The fire is raging now, and I see a few of my cross country friends, and my new friends from the pack looking straight at me and Matt. A few eyebrows raised, and a knowing look from Rebecca has us untangling our arms, much to my dismay.

Rebecca and Izzy coming racing towards me, looping an arm on each side to me, pulling me towards the kegs. When we seem out of ear shot of the guys, they stop abruptly, turning all of their attention on me.

“What’s up between you and Matt?” Izzy asks, a smirk a mile wide adorns her face, as she waits for me to answer.