Masked SheWolf (MSW book 1)

Chapter 15 - Michael

JUNE 2022 UPDATE: Go read "Lucy", a spinoff of the Masked SheWolf trilogy, now updating on Wattpad, and its "Behind the Scenes" companion book that includes character profiles and a complete recap of the trilogy, as told by the characters in interview format.

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I regret forcing Connor not to retaliate. It makes my week uninteresting.

My brothers and I bicker as usual, but other than video games banters, wrestling matches and girlfriend teasing, there's not much excitement, because no one plays any pranks on anyone else.

Luckily though, it doesn't get boring for me at school, because I spend more time with Sadie. We even get to a point where it's just the two of us and I don't need to hang out with Danny and his friends to pass the time somehow.

I learn that her mom is a school teacher at the compound, and her dad is an attorney who acts as the pack's lawyer when one is needed. It's really nice to get to know someone like that.

I even enjoy listening to Sadie ramble about her "darling angel little brother." Don't get me wrong, I met the kid, and he's okay. But I don't normally like kids, so for me to voluntarily talk about them is a great feat.

She also tells me that Zoey is going through a phase and has been very cynical since they left. Sadie and her parents chalk it up to an identity crisis, because that was when she visited their biological father's grave for the first time. She had always known about him but there wasn't anything concrete to remind her of that until she went to that graveyard.

When I ask Sadie how she felt when she first heard about him, she tells me that it was different for her.

"I have some memories of him," she says. "I was three when he died. Even as a kid, I always knew who he was. My parents didn't have to explain to me like with Zoey, because I felt the transition when I suddenly had a new dad, and they were always honest about it with me."

"Your parents are really sweet," I comment without thinking, and then backtrack. "I mean, it's cool that they're open-minded like that."

Sadie chuckles. "You don't have to do that."

I blink at her. "Do what?"

"Be so tough all the time just because you think that's how you should act," she specifies. "You don't have to hide your emotions, not with me."

"I'm not," I defensively say.

She rolls her eyes and just says unconvinced, "Sure."

I've come to learn a few things about Sadie herself. She's very observant, sometimes a little too much. She's also very open-minded and headstrong. I get the feeling there's nothing I can tell her that she wouldn't be okay with.

Well except for the whole 'hiding my gender' debacle. I'm not too sure how she might react if she ever found out, which I'm counting on never happening.

"Do you want to hang out at the pack house after school this Friday, maybe play some video games?" she suggests.

My eyebrows shoot up and I fight a grin. "You play video games?"

"Of course I do," she proudly confirms.

Now, this is another thing about Sadie I'm grateful for; we have a lot of shared interests. She's not really into stuff that are way too girly, like squealing about boys, and shopping till you drop, and getting 'manises' and 'pedises', or whatever the hell they call getting their nails done. She's down to earth, and real. Under such circumstances, how can we notbecome friends?

"Wait, don't you have a date with Cade?" I check.

Those two always have something planned. It's like they can't survive the day without seeing each other, although that sounds cheesy, and frankly a little sappy.