The last of the Lycans

Chapter 3

The Party

When we pulled up, it was already dark outside. There were a ton of people. People were inside, outside, and in the backyard. The house was massive. I recognized it immediately as Ryan Lancaster’s house. He was a football star, and his family had a lot of money. He had gone away last year to attend special training. His father wanted him to be a Warrior, and given he had alpha blood on his mother’s side, I’m sure he was in line for the title of alpha. Each year, a select few were chosen to attend a special training and be nominated to earn a top spot at the academy for warrior training. With his football background and alpha bloodline, he was a sure nomination for that special training, so I wasn’t surprised that he had gone. Aside from that, he was known to be a ladies' man. Frequently surrounded by a host of women begging for his attention.

He also had this dark aura. I can’t quite describe it, but everything about him was intimidating, terrifying, and dark. I avoided him anytime he was around. I could barely stand to be in the same room as him. Not that he would give me a second look. He was gorgeous but way out of my league. He was muscular all over, had jet black hair with curls, and a smile that would make anyone melt. Most of the girls he was around were models, or at least they looked and acted like they were. Tall, long, beautiful legs, curves in all the right places, large breasts, and painfully beautiful.

All of a sudden, I felt more nervous than I was before. I didn’t realize he was back. How was I going to avoid him in his own house? My stomach was in knots just thinking about him being here. I could feel my wolf on edge as well. She also found him attractive, but also knew she wanted to save herself for our fated mate and had the same uneasy feeling as I did about him. He was a year older than I and had also not found his fated mate. I wasn’t even sure she went to the mating ball last year. Probably not, given his track record with women.

Just as I was about to plead with Crystal not to go in, Jason yelled, “Hey, Crystal!” That was it; there was no getting out of it now. I would just avoid, avoid, avoid. I really wish I had brought my book. I cursed loudly in my head!

Crystal: “Hey! Thanks for inviting us.”

She gave him a hug and turned back to me, “Come on, Liza”. Only Crystal, Dad, and her mom called me Liza. It made me smile. Dad said that before I was born, Mom would call me her “Lil Liza”. That is why only certain people got to call me that. It was reserved for special people. I sighed and headed toward her. As we made our way inside, it only got louder and more crowded. Even as big as this house was, it was like it was the smallest one with all these people everywhere. Jason took us to the kitchen and offered us both a drink. I didn’t drink often, but I accepted it. It was some kind of punch, but boy was it strong. It took a lot for shifters to get intoxicated, but in just a few sips, I could feel a light buzz.

Crystal was chatting with various people. Some I recognized from school, others I didn’t. I smiled and nodded here and there. I was still a bundle of nerves. So out of my element, I thought to myself. What I wouldn’t give for a warm cup of coffee, comfortable PJs, and my book. Crystal came up to me and said, “I am going to dance, come on!” I laughed, took a sip of my drink, and said, “Not even close to drunk enough for that!”

She tugged at my arm, smiled wide, and said, “Drink faster, there is no way you're not going to dance with me tonight, Liza!” I knew I wasn’t going to get out of this, so I did what she said and finished my drink. Now I was definitely feeling a buzz. I let her pull me into the room where many were already dancing and grinding on one another. I felt like someone was watching, my nerves growing even more tense. I could feel my wolf pacing around, too. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with her; this wasn’t the first party we had been to. A new song started just as we got to the center of the room. Crystal shrieked loudly, “I love this song!” and started swaying her hips, dancing like crazy. I tried to keep up with her, but I was not a dancer. I just swayed back and forth, trying to look like I knew what I was doing.

I must have been distracted or caught up in the moment; next thing I knew, I was bumping into a rock-hard body. I turned to apologize, and my stomach tightened. There stood Ryan Lancaster with a smirk on his face. His dark aura was stronger than ever, making me want to recoil instantly. My face immediately turned red, and I averted my eyes and whispered, “Sorry”. I don’t know where Crystal was, but next thing I knew, I was standing there with Ryan, and she was nowhere to be found. He stared down at me for what felt like forever. I couldn’t tell if he was mad, cocky, or just annoyed by the expression on his face. I then tried to move past him to get some distance between us. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, “What’s your name?” I stared at him but couldn’t respond.