The awakening is nowhere near as pleasant as how they fell asleep.
Jeanne topples out of the bed when her alarm suddenly starts blaring, scaring the shit out of Conrad and Charlotte, who both bolt upright.
Conrad immediately goes on the defensive, her bright eyes glowing as she tries to find the offending object.
Charlotte is snarling, half-shifted.
They're all a little hungover as well, which makes things worse.
Jeanne is tangled in the sheets as she tries to stand up, and by the time she manages to get herself up, the phone with the screeching alarm has been turned off and thrown across the room.
"You never said you had set the alarm," Conrad breathes, pressing a hand to her forehead as she leans against the pillows behind her, trying to calm herself down.
"I forgot I had set one," Jeanne whispers, her face pale as she tries to turn on the lights.
They had gone shopping yesterday once Conrad was deemed alright to leave the hospital, so the girls did have clothes for the day.
Charlotte's doctor had come up before they had gotten totally wasted, and they had arranged to have breakfast.
Conrad had her meeting at the same time, and Jeanne had to go to work.
"Breakfast?" Conrad whispers, and Jeanne somehow gets even paler at the thought of food, feeling rather queasy.
They had put some wolfsbane into the vodka to get their wolves tipsy as well, and they all regretted it now.
"I need to shower," Charlotte whispers, and Conrad finds the energy to leap over her friend.
"Me too, bitch, I'll be out in five," she shouts, zipping into the bathroom.
"Boo, you whore," Charlotte calls after her, her voice croaky.
"Are you okay with that? Do you need to get to work?" Charlotte asks weakly, looking at Jeanne, who's laying face-down on the bed.
"It'll be fine, that was my first alarm. It's not even seven thirty yet, I don't have work until 9," she mumbles into the pillow, causing Conrad to strain her ears to hear what she's saying.
"You bitch, I thought it was eight," Charlotte groans, putting her head under one of her pillows to block out the noise of the shower.
Conrad washes her hair as fast as she can, and while she lets her conditioner sit, she shaves her legs.
She had a bikini wax two days ago in the city, and she's delighted that she did.
She's not expecting to 'get some', as Jeanne had encouraged, but she likes being smooth.
She rinses the conditioner out, squeezing as much water out of her hair as she can.
Conrad pops her hair into a towel, moving on to use the new coconut shower gel they had decided to buy yesterday in the mall.
She rinses herself off, hopping out of the shower and wrapping herself in one of the lovely, soft hotel towels.
She moisturises her face and her legs, walking back into the bedroom in her towel.
"Char, the shower is free," she declares, turning the light in the room back on.
She knows how much of a perfectionist Charlotte is regarding her looks, and if Charlotte doesn't wake up soon, she'll be late.
Charlotte slowly drags herself out of bed, shivering as the cold air hits her legs.
"Is the water hot?" She mumbles, and Conrad grins, patting her friend's shoulder.
"Yeah, it's really nice and warm," she responds gently, and Charlotte gives her a sleepy thumbs up, closing the bedroom door.
Conrad decides on a more casual knit sweater and pleated skirt combination, sliding on her usual heeled ankle boots.
"That's a nice outfit," Jeanne mutters, peering up at her friend as she shades her eyes from the sun.
"I have a feeling he's going to have me running around finding stuff for him to make sure I'm still competent for the job," she shrugs, letting her hair down and drying it gently.
She adds in some leave-in products and some hair oil, brushing through her mane.
Jeanne has fallen back asleep, her soft snores filling the quiet room, mixing with the buzz of the shower in the bathroom.
Conrad begins to blowdry her hair, her arms getting tired halfway through.
She takes a break, sitting on the bed and scrolling on her phone for a little while.
There's another pregnancy announcement on social media for one of her friends, and she smiles fondly at the screen, sending the girl a message before returning to dry her hair.
She's happy everyone is moving on with their lives, and she's excited to see her friends become mothers.
She adores babies, and she's a keen babysitter for her pals, who happily hand her their babies to try to get some sleep.
Charlotte is convinced Conrad has a gift with kids, having seen babies go instantly quiet when handed to her.
Charlotte herself is terrible with babies, every time she has to hold them she feels like crying.
She's great with them once they're over three, but she isn't a fan of the crying-teething-diaper phase.
Charlotte emerges from the bathroom, looking a little more awake.
Steam follows her, and the scent of the shower gel fills the room once again.
"Jeanne, get up, the bathroom is free," Conrad orders and the final girl slowly stands up from the floor.
"Goddess, my back is so sore," she complains, and Conrad quirks a brow.
"Yeah, I'm not surprised. You've been on the ground like a crappy piece of wood for half an hour," she snorts, fixing the way her hair falls until she's satisfied with it.
"The hot water will help loosen out your muscles," Charlotte points out, sliding a robe on as she tries to decide what to wear for the day.
Jeanne closes the bathroom door, and Conrad moves onto makeup, letting Charlotte begin drying her hair.
"I'm gonna go down for breakfast," Conrad decides, finishing her eyeliner and inspecting herself.
"Bring your coat, it might be cold. I'll be down if I'm ready in time," Charlotte smiles, almost finishes doing her hair.
Conrad grabs her tan coat, sliding it on.
She hesitates for a minute, but takes a scarf as well, looping it around her neck.
"Bye," Conrad chirps, kissing the crown of Charlotte's head before strolling out of the room, phone and room key in hand.
Charlotte waves to her, a grin on her face.
She's so excited to see her mate.
Conrad is halfway down to the cafeteria when she can feel someone staring at her.
She turns around, her eyes landing on one of The Society's female members.
It's the one with the buzzcut, and she struggles to remember her name.
Maria, Jane shouts, and Conrad plasters a polite smile on her face.
"Hello, Miss Constantine," Conrad greets, and Maria nods to her.
"I hear you might be working with us again. I look forward to working with you, I read your file, and you will be an asset to us this year," she responds softly, an accent Conrad doesn't recognise cushioning her words.
"Thank you. I look forward to the work if I accept the job," Conrad smiles, standing aside to let Maria walk by.
Maria doesn't walk by, however, and waits for her to continue walking.
"You will be working under Amaretti, I'm guessing," Maria comments, her dark eyes following Conrad.
She hesitates, slightly uncomfortable.
Conrad knows Carlos thinks somebody is spying, and although he believes it's the Nicola lady, Conrad knows that it could just as easily be someone else.
"Yes, I did my internship under him, so I know how he works," Conrad replies, keeping her tone light and airy.
"If you excuse me, I have a meeting," Maria murmurs, vanishing down a hallway.
Okay, that was weird, Jane comments.
I was wondering if I was the only one who thought that. She could be nice, she just seems serious, Conrad points out, flicking her hair over her shoulder.
Conrad walks into the cafeteria, her eyes roving over the number of people there.
It's empty considering that people would be starting work soon. Still, she knows that some of the workers and The Society members don't live here, preferring to have houses in the surrounding areas.
She decides to get some waffles, thinking the carbs could help to keep her stomach in one piece.
She still feels a little fragile after their drinks the previous night, but compared to Jeanne, it's like she never touched any alcohol.
She passed the time peacefully, enjoying her people watching.
Conrad isn't nervous about the interview, she knows she has the job if she wants it; it'll just be a chat about whether or not it would work for her life.
Her phone buzzes quietly in her pocket, and she pulls it out, answering the call.
She knocks back the rest of her juice, and puts her tray onto the cleaning rack, waiting for the person on the line to say hi.
"Hey, Con," her dad booms through the phone as she walks out of the cafeteria.
She doesn't want to disrupt the silence.
"Hi dad," she responds, walking along the quiet halls.
"I thought I'd ring. How do you feel?" He asks, and Conrad ponders on the question for a minute.
"Fine. I'm going to an interview at the moment," she chirps, and Silas makes an excited noise.
"Oh, that's good. Interview for what?" He questions, and she can hear him walking somewhere too, his workboots on tiles.
"I have an opportunity to be a tracker for The Society. A fully-fledged one, not an intern," she replies happily, and he gasps.
"Con, that's amazing! I hope you're going for it!" He exclaims, and the little ball of anxiety she had felt in her stomach about telling her father disappears immediately.
"I'm really excited. I think it'll be fun, I'm definitely going to do my best to take it," she admits, and he can't stop the laugh of delight leaving his lips.
"I'm so happy for you, honey. Your mom is going to die when she hears this, this is such a good opportunity for you," he adds, and Conrad can see the signs for the quarters coming up.
"Okay, dad, I have to go into the interview now. I love you, I'll ring you after this," she hurriedly gets out, giving her statements of love and excitement before hanging up and putting her phone away.
She peers at the signs, hesitantly following the directions.
She doesn't remember how to get to the quarters; it's been almost four years since she was here.
One wrong turn and a nervous glance at the time later, she makes it to the area she could be working in.
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she knocks on the door, straightening her skirt.
Carlos appears at the door, his denim jacket still on.
An expression of surprise takes over his face, but he steps inside and moves over to allow her in.
"I didn't expect you to come down so early," Carlos calls over his shoulder as he walks towards his office, his strides long.
His office is a glass box, up a short flight of stairs in the middle of the room.
He can see everyone and everything.
The rest of the offices are glass as well, built into the walls. The desks of the trackers and assistants surround the circular build-up to Carlos' office.
Conrad pauses just inside the door, her fingers fidgeting along the hem of her skirt.
"I can come back later if you want - I just thought it might be a good idea to come early in case you decided to keep me, I could start this morning," she admits hesitantly, gnawing on the inside of her cheek.
"Con, stop it," Carlos sighs, not even looking at her.
"What?" She asks, her brows furrowing by themselves.
"I can tell you're nervous. Relax. You have the job if you want it, I just need to fill in your application form during the interview," he chuckles, a small smile on his face.
Whenever she gets tense or worried about something, she gets quiet and bites her lip.
He's glad that after almost four years that she's graduated away from her lip and moved onto her cheek.
She doesn't respond to him apart from releasing a nervous laugh.
Conrad follows him up the steps, breathing in nervously.
He can feel the anxiety she has released unknowingly, and he clears his throat, wrinkling his nose up.
The emotions of other wolves don't really affect him, but she's different.
He isn't sure if it's because his wolf is attached to her or if it's because her emotions are sometimes so powerful, but her anxiety is trying to climb into his bloodstream.
He scowls a little as he opens the door to his office, drawing on Blaze for a minute.
As he sits down, his eyes flash the electric blue that his wolf claims.
Conrad takes note of this, an unconscious smile drawing onto her lips.
"How is Blaze doing?" Conrad asks softly, closing the door behind her.
The office is silent apart from their breathing.
A benefit of soundproofing, she supposes.
"He's okay. He hasn't been on many missions recently, so he's feeling a little cooped up," Carlos responds, adjusting his seat.
Someone was in his office last night, he just knows it.
The silence is awkward, and it makes Conrad uneasy.
"Name?" He asks, and Conrad scoffs at him, releasing a giggle.
"You know my name," she chuckles, and he purses his lips playfully.
"I was just making sure there was nothing new," he complains, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
"Education," he announces.
"Bachelors and Masters in Marketing. First Class Honours," she responds, her eyes roving over the empty desks outside.
Nobody is in yet, which she isn't surprised about.
The loud click-clacking of the keyboard fills the quiet.
"Experience? No, I know that one," he mutters, and Conrad tries not to smile.
He glances up, noticing the quirking of her lips.
"Not like that, dumbass," he mumbles, laughing to himself.
Conrad yawns.
"Am I boring you?" He asks with a broad smile, stopping his typing.
"Well, I wasn't going to say anything," she drawls, crossing her legs.
"We're almost done. I can just copy and paste most of your information over from when you interned here, nothing much has changed," he points out, and Conrad nods with a smile.
"Okay. Any new tattoos that I need to document?" He asks, tucking a strand of his hair behind his ear.
I remember pulling that hair, Jane coos.
Conrad ignores her wolf, feeling a blush climb into her cheeks.
She feels like this man can read her thoughts; he can see right through her as it is, but she doesn't want him to know that Jane is still thirsting after him all these years later.
"Um, yeah. There are a few more," Conrad admits, and he raises a brow.
"I thought you were going to stop getting them. You said you were sick of being recognised when you shifted randomly," he chuckles, and she shrugs, rolling up her sleeves.
"Yeah, I remember saying that. I didn't go through with it, I couldn't help myself," she laughs, and he opens his desk drawer.
"Okay, I need to document them," he sighs after a moment, pressing the button on his desk to let the blinds fall around the office.
Nobody is in yet, but he doesn't want her modesty at risk for any of the clowns who work in this office.
Conrad cracks her neck, sliding her jumper over her head.
She knows for certain that most of her back was bare the last time she had the photos taken.
"I have the ones that were on your ribs, and there was one on your thigh back then," Carlos informs her, squinting at his computer screen.
"You need to wear your glasses," she mutters, and he looks at her.
He tries not to react at the sight of her in a bra, clearing his throat again.
He picks up the camera on his desk, standing up.
"Okay. Let's get this over with," he declares, "face the wall and unclip your bra, please, I need to make sure all of the details are documented."
She does as he says, desperately aware that this man is going to be the first in two years to see any part of her without clothing.
You're such a prude. He's seen a lot more than your bare back, if I recall correctly, Jane sneers.
Conrad, again, ignores her wolf, taking a deep breath as she unclips her bra.
Carlos turns the camera on, letting it warm up.
He takes in the detail of her back, his eyebrows slowly crawling towards his hairline.
"These are gorgeous," he comments, and she looks over her shoulder, a smile on her lips.
"I know. I love them," she chuckles, trying to disguise her nervousness.
The camera beeps, and it reminds her of when her straightening iron heats up.
He takes a step towards her, biting his lip.
"I'm just going to put these down," he mumbles, tapping her bra strap.
"Oh, I can do-" she stops speaking once he slowly pulls the straps down her arms.
She secures the cups to her chest, a shiver running down her spine when his fingertips touch against her biceps, sliding against her skin.
"Sorry," he murmurs, and she silently nods, looking over her shoulder ar him.
He raises the camera to his eye, and she looks back to the blinds, inhaling deeply as the flash goes off.
"I need to get your arms," he nervously informs her, and she nods, hesitantly releasing her bra.
She knows he can't see over her head, so she is protected from view.
She raises her arms, letting the ink into view.
He takes pictures of each of her arms, and she can hear him laying the camera down.
"Do you have any others?" He asks, and she nods, her mind scrambled.
Their close proximity is something she hasn't handled in a long time.
"Yeah, I do," she says after a moment of confusion.
He leans down and picks up her bra, shielding his eyes wide his hand as he hands it to her.
She uses one hand to cover her breasts, taking it from his hand.
"So, what cases would we be looking at today?" She asks.
She wants to fill the silence.
She puts her bra back on, sliding her jumper back over her head.
"Today I just want to get you up to speed on everything that's happening. I don't trust anyone in here. I'm only trusting you because I know you can't lie to me," he informs her, and she nods.
She thinks he might be a little paranoid, but she doesn't let that show on her face.
He's right about her not being able to lie to him, though; she's good at hiding the truth, but not with people she knows.
"Where are the rest of the tattoos? Are they as well hidden?" He asks, and she shrugs, unzipping her skirt and letting it fall to her feet.
The lace underwear she has on catches his eyes, but he doesn't say anything.
"I don't like these ones that much," he murmurs, picking the camera back up.
"Neither do I. They're covering scars I have from when I got stabbed a while back," she informs him, and he frowns.
"When did you get stabbed? I didn't hear about that," he comments, and she turns to face him.
"Why would you have heard about it? I'm not dead," she laughs uneasily, letting him take the photos of her legs.
She's confident in her body - well, mostly - but she doesn't fancy being half-dressed if somebody walks in.
She slides her skirt back on, her eyes never leaving him.
"Have you been keeping tabs on me?" She asks after two minutes of quiet.
He opens his mouth, and then closes it again.
"Yes, I have been," he settles on responding with.
"Do you keep tabs on everyone you date? Or am I just lucky?" She asks sarcastically, feeling unsettled.
She knows how he is; he likes to be organised, to have data on everything possible.
"I wanted to hire you, that's no secret. I wanted to make sure you didn't go insane," he informs her, and she glares at him.
"Why would I have gone insane? What the hell are you talking about?" She groans, sitting down again.
He takes his seat, pressing the button to let the blinds climb back up.
He puts the camera back into his desk, writing a reminder onto a sticky-note.
He takes a minute to gaze out across the office, looking for anyone who just arrived in.
"Connie, I knew what was going to happen with Alpha Adamo," Carlos finally admits.
Longer chapter than usual!
What can I say, I guess I'm cool.
I'm totally kidding, I'm so boring.
Lots of love to you all!
Hope you're all doing well, gonna have another update as soon as possible!
- Aoife :) xx