Once Upon a Wolf

Chapter 6

We strolled around the cabins, near the edge of the woods. The twins were jerking about behind me, snickering behind my back. I glanced a few times back at them. They smirked and winked when I caught their eyes. Fuck! I hoped they weren't admiring my ass, my thoughts making my behind tingle. Suddenly, a hard finger poked my upper arm.

"Ow!" I yelped and saw Mike stand beside me with his cocky but handsome grin.

"Did that hurt?" he asked, eager for my response.

"What do you think?" I said, rubbing the spot on my flesh where he'd poked me. "Yes, it does."

"Really?" he laughed. "Your kind is so weak."

"What?" I asked, baffled, but they chuckled amongst themselves as Zack caught up and walked along my other side. Great! Now I was sandwiched between tall, hot guys. Just my luck. I don't feel like being scrutinized by them. Did I mention, I don't do well with good-looking people. I wasn't used to this shit. Suddenly, they fired questions at me. Weird as fuck questions, like; am I vegetarian? Do I get sick with the flu and how many times a year? How many hours in a day do I sleep? Do I eat raw eggs?!

"Zoey, you seem restless?" Zack asked.

I scrunched my nose. How the heck did he know that? "No," I said. "And if I do, it's because you're asking a shitload of questions."

"Well, we don't get a lot of opportunity to ask it," he said. "You like a mystery to me."

I glanced up at him with a puzzled look. "Okaaaay." Was I that weird? Damn!

"How do you control your emotions?" Mike asked in a serious tone.

I shrugged. "You just keep them bottled up, I guess, and be polite to people. Take others' emotions into consideration. You know what I'm saying." I narrowed my eyes at him, hoping they'd get the message in my answer about good hospitality that they failed to give me.

Mike nodded. "Interesting, it would be a struggle for us to bottle feelings up."

"I've noticed. The people here really show how they feel." I said evenly.

Next was Zack's bizarre question. "How do you find your purpose in life? What's your role?"

I shook my head, dumbfounded. "You choose your own path, for crying out loud." I said, confused as fuck. "You go to school and follow your passions and your dreams, or you can choose a college if you want to further your studies and pick your profession. I'm studying biochemistry and I'm in my final year. I plan to be a scientist."

"Oh, wow," Zack said with his brows furrowed. "I understood nothing you just said. You're so weird."

"I'm weird?" I stared at him in bewilderment.

Don't these people go to school?

I watched Alice and Brett chat with his arm draping lazily over her shoulders, tugging her in.

"And what's your mating rituals?" Mike asked.

"I think they call it dating?" Zack added.

I blinked three times. These guys were dumber than I realized. "It's what your brother and Alice are doing right now. Fucking dating."

"So, what happens after with them?" he continued.

What the hell was this, in touch with the universe moment?

I shrugged. "I don't know. It's up to them. I know for Alice it would be marriage and kids."

"I don't know how Brett does it." Mike thought out loud. "His probably holding so much back, poor mutt."

"Hold what back?" I asked, shaking my head abruptly.

"You know," Mike winked and nudged me more gently on the arm this time. "In the bedroom." He chuckled impishly with a wink.

Is this guy flirting with me?

"Is it true you carry babies inside you for nine long months?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"Obviously, that's the normal gestation period." I said, stunned. "Duh."

I shook my head, trying to get to grips with the oddest conversation I had in my life as we walked back to the lodge, but before I could ask anything; the twins jogged up, hungry for their lunch that apparently, they could already smell from all the way here. I felt uneasy with all their twenty-one stupid questions. I walked close behind Alice, who slowed down till she strolled alongside me.

"So, did the twins hassle you?" she asked with a concerned smile.

I shrugged my right shoulder. "It would take much more to hassle me. They were okay, just asking dumb questions like they had never spoken to a girl before." I said and glanced at her. "So, what do you think of Brett's family so far?"

"They're cool. Just very lively, but I like that."

I nodded. "I'm glad you're happy with them." I said evenly.

"But?"

"They're just a little too lively for me. But I guess it's their way." I said, not expressing everything I felt so far. It was too early for my opinion. "At least we can rule out they're hairy supernatural creatures," I joked.

Alice laughed. "Yeah, that was a dumb suspicion."

More people were out and about on the grounds. They seemed to do chores or some kind of task. Their condemning eyes followed Alice and me. A few stared with scrutinizing looks while others glanced quickly and went on with their business. I felt self-conscience like we were the attractions in a zoo. The people here possessed physiques like athletes. The women were fit, their bodies slender and toned. The men were lean or muscular. Damn, the outside air did them good, or they really disciplined with their pilates. I probably was the slimmest unfit person alive, leaving me in shame for lack of discipline.

We finally reached the lodge and walked inside. 

*

After a full day of exploring the grounds and venturing through the forest I was happy to be alone as I collapsed onto my bed, my stomach content with the delicious spaghetti and meatballs from a rather awkward dinner. I blew out a hot breath, pulling myself up and sauntered towards the window. The sky had already turned into a blanket of darkness, adorned with twinkling stars. The broken-down Ford had been towed to the side of the house, finding shelter beneath a shaded tree. This sight left me uneasy, realizing that Alice and I were now entirely dependent on Brett, even to leave.

I narrowed my eyes at the darkened forest, ensuring no ominous glowing eyes lurked within, still perturbed by the memory. To my relief, there were none. A few men roamed the outskirts of the compound, their presence fleeting as they vanished among the trees.

"What do they do at night?" I murmured.

I couldn't say it was an unpleasant day being out in the sunshine and walking amongst the trees, but it had been a bit strange. The people weren't quite right. Downright weird sometimes. But maybe I was? It appeared they had a way of life here that I was trying to piece together. They seemed isolated, detached from the normal world, and what normal people do.

I shook my head, but who was I to judge... like they appeared to have judged me.