Wolfsbane: Lucy & Geoff

Chapter One

The day he left for college was a relief for me and when he'd turned eighteen and announced he hadn't found his mate I did have a secret party in my mind at his bad luck. Served him right.

"That's not nice Lucy," my wolf told me. "It would have been awful."

"Ugh, well why don't you go give him a big sloppy kiss and make him feel better?"

"You always look like you want to set that house on fire," Grace laughed.

"He started all of it!" I grumbled.

"Well he's coming home you know," Grace murmured airily as she pretended to inspect her finger nails.

"What?" I demanded.

"Dad had a call from his parents. Geoff completed his degree and he's coming home. They're going to help him get a job at the school."

"Are you kidding?" I groaned loudly. "Why for the love of the Moon Goddess does the universe hate me?"

"I wouldn't go that far," Grace snorted. "Hurry go get changed and meet me at mine, I don't want to be late for training."

With this news under my belt I got out of the car, rushing up to the house to confront my mother. She would definitely have known! How could she have not said anything? She knew how much I despised Geoff. I'd even gone as far as dying his graduation robe pink in his senior year. I had to pay for a new one but his face had been worth it.

I slammed the front door loudly and stormed into the kitchen to find my mother sitting at the table with a magazine and a cup of tea.

"Lucy," she greeted me with a smile. "How was your last day?"

"Fine," I clipped. "Is it true Geoff Collins is coming home and is going to work at the school?"

"Now Lucy-"

"How could you not tell me?" I whined.

"It's not like it's a big secret Lucy," she huffed. "Everyone knows and I didn't feel like it would be earth shattering news. I'm hoping you two have grown a lot in the last few years and can put your differences aside! You're both much older now so please act your age."

"I will if he does," I hissed before storming from the kitchen and going upstairs to my room. "Just great!"

Entering my room I threw my bag on my bed and stared directly out my window and into the window next door. Geoff's curtains had been drawn since he'd left for college and I had a small ounce of relief over the fact that they were still shut.

For now.

I dressed into my training gear hastily; wanting to get to Grace's to see if she had any other information on Geoff's return. For instance – when? I'd like to be prepared and on guard for any kind of shit that could go down. I scooped up my bag and trotted downstairs, shouting out goodbye before leaving the house, slamming the door a little louder than intended.

Unfortunately to walk to Grace's house I had to pass the Collins house. Since Geoff had left these walks had been peaceful but I knew that was going to be over soon so I needed to savor the peace of walking past this house without his annoying voce echoing in my ears.

"Lucy?"

I whipped my head up to the porch where Mrs Collins sat at her wicker table. She was playing Jenga with Mr Collins.

"Mrs Collins," I greeted.

"I'm assuming you've heard my son is coming home from college?" Her smile was so bright and I was glad to see her happy. Even if her son was the devil she was still a nice woman.

"Y-yeah," I called out as I quickly glanced up the road to Grace's house. "Sorry Mrs Collins I can't talk – I'm late for training with Grace."

"Oh no worries," she told me. "You go. I have invited your mother over for tea so feel free to come along."

Yeah that wasn't happening, looks like I would be eating with Grace tonight.

"Sure," I said before I began jogging. "Bye!"

I practically sprinted to Grace's in fear of being stopped by anybody else. A small blonde in her training gear was walking slowly along the footpath, as if training was the last place she wanted to go. In my haste I quickly pushed past her, turning half-way to apologize.

"Sorry – Hannah!" I called out before bolting, not missing the surprised expression on her face.

Hannah was pretty quiet, for a werewolf and petite. Ever since her dad died her family didn't have much to do with the pack – they just lived in it.

Running onto Grace's property I made it to the front door leaning against it heavily before knocking loudly.

Luna Claudia pulled it open with a knowing look on her face, standing aside. "She's upstairs Lucy."

"Thank you Luna!"

I clomped my way upstairs, ignoring the snorts and chuckles coming from Aiden's room and flung myself into Grace's. She was just finishing tying up her laces.

"He really is coming home," I gasped as I tried to catch my breath.

"It isn't the end of the world Lucy," she sighed as she sat next to me. "You guys both pranked each other. It's not like he was the only one involved. Don't be so petrified. He's like in his twenties now, I'm sure he's way above that these days."

"I don't want him back here."

"Lucy you are so obsessed with him, are you sure you don't fancy him?" Her chuckle got my back up and I glowered at her darkly.

"Don't even joke about it!"

"Sorry – really I'm sorry." She held her hands up before picking up her training bag. "Come on let's get a move on, I don't want to be late."

We left Grace's room and she made her way to Aiden's where they silenced immediately when she landed in the doorway.

"Josh, your birthday party is going to be in our basement," Grace told him.

"I half expected," he murmured.

"He's freaking out that he's going to find his mate," Trey snorted and Josh glared at him.

"Leave him alone Trey," Grace snapped. "At least he understands how serious it is."

Here we go, I thought as I looked at Aiden. He looked like he was thinking the exact same thing as I was.

"Don't start lecturing me on it Grace," trey yawned. "In one ear, out the other. Weren't those your words?"

"Truer words have never been spoken!" She hissed as she grabbed my arm and dragged me from the room.

Grace and Trey had one of the most spitfire friendships I had ever witnessed. One minute the two could be laughing and getting along like the best of friends and then in another minute you had to restrain Grace from ripping his head off and stuffing it up his backside. Deep down I always thought it was because she fancied him really and hated how he dated girls faster than he could change his underwear. I'd never air those thoughts to her though; she would kill me in my sleep.

I walked alongside Grace who vented about Trey the entire time but I found my mind drifting to Geoff's impending arrival and what would happen once he got here. I'd have to start shutting my curtains now which sucked, I'd enjoyed the natural light that used to come into my room, now I'd have to go back to darkness like I used to when he lived here.

I promised myself I wouldn't let him get to me. I was way more confident than the fourteen year old he had left behind when he went to college. I was a few weeks off my eighteenth birthday, I had breasts and a great body and my acne had cleared up.

In fact I had gotten hot and I knew it – plenty of people had told me.

For that reason alone I began to get more confident. I was going to make his Summer a living hell.

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