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There are few things more unlucky in this world than being a woman and a werewolf. What I wouldn't give to be human; to worry about school and friends and boys. But instead, I'm left with pack drama, overprotective brothers, and a lack of interest in boys.

"Any boy would gladly bang you, you know." Rosie said, folded up on the kitchen counter like a pretzel. "I mean, even if there was a bigger selection, you'd still be choice number one."

It was funny when Rosie tried to insist upon my level of appeal, considering the fact that she was the attractive one. Tall and thin, blonde and tan, two big blue eyes that could make anybody swoon, she had spent every second of her sixteen years alive waiting for someone she could love as much as other people loved her.

I was the awkward one in comparison. I was a foot shorter than her, my hair the same mixture of mousy and chestnut brown as my family. I wasn't as kind or smiley as Rosie, I was the friend who snorted when she laughed and liked pizza too much to give up for thigh gaps and flat stomachs. Sure, I wasn't horrible, but I was average, something that didn't suit werewolf women much.

I shut the dish washer and hit the start button, turning my gaze to her with a frown. "I don't want to be banged though. I just want to spend some time on me, you know?" I said with a shrug, stuffing my hands in my pockets as I leaned back against the island.

Rosie let out a huff, clearly unhappy about me bringing up my preference on being single once again. "Only one in ninety-seven werewolves are females," she began, placing her hands on the gentle slopes of her hips. "If our race is to continue, Darcy, we've gotta reproduce. I mean, what if your mom didn't marry your dad and have you?"

"Then I wouldn't have been born." I said with a shrug. It wasn't that big of a deal; not being born wouldn't hurt or anything. I simply would have ceased to exist, and while I liked existing, it wouldn't have been the end of the world.

Rosie proceeded to let out a shriek, slapping her hand to her chest as though I had personally wounded her. "You would have been born, Darc. You wouldn't be my best friend!"

"But I was, Rosie, and I'm happy for that." I said, shrugging once again, the movement something I did too often. "You're not going to talk me into this, you know. If I meet a guy that I like enough, maybe I'll shack up with him. And maybe I won't. I dunno-"

"You're insane!" She declared, sliding off the counter, the movement inhumanly graceful, as though it was liquid. Fucking werewolf ballerinas.

I clear my throat at the interruption, turning around as she rounded the counter to the fridge, helping herself to leftovers.  "We're sixteen. We can do whatever we want, be whoever we want. Why should we limit ourselves to housewives and part-time incubators? I mean, fuck it, maybe I'll become a doctor."

"You pass out at the sight of blood." She pointed out, picking up a slice of the ham and forcing it into her mouth, clearly against the idea of utensils or plates. 

"Maybe I'll be a lawyer."

"You're awful at arguing."

"Then an astronaut."

She laughed at that one, licking each finger. "Yeah, put a werewolf on the moon. I'd pay money to see that."

I groan, planting my face against the marble of the counter top. "I don't know yet, okay? But I don't want to have to figure it out now. I want to have some time to be me. I mean, we're lucky we're not like all the goddamn books and movies. We have a choice in our fate, we can be with whoever we want, whenever we want." 

Rosie sighed, opening her mouth to speak when her phone vibrated. She pulled it out of the back pocket of her shorts, her fingers dancing across the screen as she entered the password. She read the screen then glanced up, giving me a devious grin.

"So, Matthias told Kyle who told Faith who told Taquann, who has now told me, that apparently the outer members are joining the pack shift tonight!" She said and clapped her hands together happily.

Every pack had it's central members; they lived with the majority of a pack. Then there were the outer members, who lived elsewhere. Sometimes it was just a few hours away, or sometimes it was on an entirely different continent. It was ideal for those of us who preferred to be among humans rather than wolves, or even those who wanted schooling better than the local options. 

The last time all outers visited was twenty-eight years ago, long before either of us were born, and so we hadn't met many of them.

"Does this mean we're getting dressed up?" I ask with a frown, furrowing my brows.

"Capital duh." Rosie said, turning and b-lining towards my room, ready to tear it up. 

I put the lid back onto the tupperwear and stuck it back into my fridge, trailing after her with a frown. I didn't have anything against wearing nice clothes, but I did have many things against it when it came to the shifting. We came, listened to the Alpha's make a speech, then undressed and shifted. It was pointless.