Bloodlines

Dean

It's impossible to have a surprise party for a wolf. The musk of the pack stinks up the house. I walk through the door and with no surprise the pack yells, "Surprise!"

Nonetheless, I smile. Bennett embraces me in a hug and squeezes my ass. "You're gonna get lucky tonight," he says in my ear.

I get a hug off Katie and Matt next.

The music start pumping with Katy Perry's Birthday song. I look for Sara and Anna to greet next but they're not there. Mumbles start up and I spot Anna squeezing herself through the crowd.

The sensory overload is nothing compared to the pain I get from her. She tries to hide it with a smile. I want to ask her but she's trying so hard to hide it. Why is she in so much pain? I hug her and resist picking her off the ground.

"Where's Sara?"

She stands on her toes to reach my ear. "She's bringing her mate to the party."

"Bringing?" I ask.

She nods and leans forward again. "I think he might be an omega."

Someone grabs her arm. A flash of pain goes across her face and ignites inside me. She follows the person before I can ask her anything.

Bennett pulls me in the opposite direction. I try to focus on what Bennett says. He leads me to the kitchen but nothing registers. I need to find Anna. Someone's hurting her and she's hiding it.

I want to rip their head off.

Bennett pulls out the shot glasses and some vodka. I really don't have the taste for vodka right now.

A wolf walks past and slaps me on the back. "Happy birthday."

"Are you doing shots?" another wolf says.

"Hell yeah." Bennett grabs more shot glasses and fills them with the clear liquid.

Bennett slides a shot toward me. "One more year 'till this is legal." We clink the shot glasses with the other wolves and toss them back. He hands me a beer to wash it down.

It doesn't help.

He gives me several more shots after that, but nothing can fog my mind tonight. I need to find Anna.

We walk out of the kitchen where I bump into Katie and a few of her friends. They pull me into a dance. One of the girl's grinds on Bennett. He gives me a thumbs up.

I force myself to have fun. I try to get into the music, but I just can't.

Some wolves play beer pong in the living room. They cheer every time someone gets a ping pong ball in the cup. Anna isn't participating or watching.

Some wolves mix drinks and take shots. They lean on the counters and mix a fruity looking drink. Anna isn't participating or watching.

Some wolves dance on the table, already wasted. The girls grind on them. She's not watching either.

I can't even catch her scent.

I don't feel her.

I stop dancing and look around some more. Katie doesn't notice. I move through the densely packed bodies and try to catch a scent. My wolf inside is just as frantic as I. Where is she?

"Hey, Dean." A female grabs my hand and twirls under my arm. "Happy birthday." She kisses my cheek and goes on her way.

I wipe my cheek from her lip residue. My hand comes back pink. I hope I got all the lipstick off.

Where's Sara? Maybe she knows what's going on. I'd text her but I didn't get a new phone yet. I need to stop breaking my phone.

I move closer to the stairs and that's when I catch it.

Bennett grabs my arm and pulls me away. He says something but I can't hear over the pulsing music. I shove the beer bottle into his chest and walk up the stairs. Her scent grows stronger the closer I get.

My nose leads me to my room. She's not there, but my bathroom light is on.

Her pain registers. I open the door. Her shirt drops but not quick enough. Her stomach is discolored.

"Don't you ever knock?"

"Why don't you just lock the fucking door?" I slam the door and twist the lock. "It's not that hard."

She leans forward and unlocks the door. "I don't like locked doors." She smooths down her shirt and leans on the counter. Her hair is frizzy and she's nearly out of breath. Is it because of me?

Don't get your hopes up. She's nervous.

"Is someone hurting you?" I ask.

"No."

"What was that on your stomach?" I gesture.

"Nothing." She crosses her arms. Her green eyes challenge me. It makes my wolf wild. But I'm losing my patience with her. There's something going on.

"Can I look?" She doesn't answer. She looks away and drops her arms so I take it as a yes.

Her heart beats over the music as I slowly pull her shirt up. Her stomach is yellow and it fades to purple, which fades to black. It's almost as if her skin is rotting. "Who did this?" She flinches.

She doesn't answer.

"Was it an East Wol—"

"No."

"Your answer was too quick." I drop her shirt and walk from the bathroom.

"Dean," she calls after me.

She reaches for my arm but I pull away from her grasp. I slam my door shut in her face and I jog down the stairs, making sure to avoid anyone that can stop me.

Nobody hurts my Anna.