Twisted Destinies

Chapter five

            Since the next day was Saturday, Jaxon and I were able to sleep in. When we did wake up, it was to a beautiful sunny day. That prompted the idea that it should be a barbecue day, since we weren’t likely to get too many more days like this. That meant that we would be spending the entire day outside engaging in water fights and other outdoor activities that would result in us being soaked by the end. It promised to be a lot of fun.

            We had brunch inside and then we all moved out to the back of the house. Since we didn’t have a pool, the first order of business was to set up sprinklers and then the slip and slide. Marissa and I had changed into bikinis and the guys were all only wearing swimming trunks. Jared was a little hesitant to join in at first, but he started getting into the spirit of things when I chucked a water balloon at him. That started an all-out war that lasted for over two hours. When the last balloon had been demolished, I flopped down onto a lounger to relax and soak up the sun. Marissa stretched out in the lounger beside me while the guys started up a game of soccer.

            I slipped a pair of shades on and watched the boys running back and forth with a smile. “Jared seems to be warming up a little now.”

            “It must be hard for him, since he was a loner for his whole life until recently. And Derek’s pack isn’t as big as this one, so it must be strange to interact with so many other wolves his age.”

            I glanced over at her. “You can probably relate to him the most, since you were kind of thrown into this family as well. For me, it’s normal. I grew up in a pack setting and have known these guys forever. How long did it take for you to feel comfortable with us?”

            “I was lucky, because I had Chris. And you were so welcoming that I never really got a chance to feel uncomfortable. I may have only been with all of you for about six months, but it’s already hard for me to remember what it was like before I met you guys.”

            I returned my gaze to the soccer game. “I hope Jared is happy being in our pack. He seems like a nice guy and he’s a good addition to our little group I think. He’s more laidback, so maybe he can calm some of the wilder guys down.” At that moment, Jared tackled Sean to the ground in a bid to get to the ball. I sighed and shook my head. “Then again, maybe the other guys will be a bad influence on him.”

            Marissa let out a laugh. “That’s probably more likely to happen. There are nine of them and only one of him. I don’t think he really stands a chance.”

            I watched as the guys abandoned the soccer game to suddenly start a new game where the object seemed to be to see who could tackle who the hardest. When Jared pinned Chris to the ground and let a maniacal sounding laugh, I couldn’t help but grin. “You’re right; he doesn’t stand a chance.”

            We settled down to the serious business of sun tanning while the guys all continued to mess around. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the late summer sun, knowing that this was one of the last days this year that I’d get to do this. There was a good chance that in two weeks time there would be a layer of snow on the ground. The moody weather was part of the charm of living in Canada.