It was a nightmare.
Angelina could only blame herself in this situation.
She should've taken a closer look at the clothes the first time she had pried the suitcases open.
She peered into the luggage again, groaning when she realised half of the things packed inside were stylish miniskirts, off-shoulder tops, and figure hugging dresses. She didn't even want to look inside the stuffed pockets of the luggage. She could see the silk and lace peaking from the slots. She knew her sister was obsessed with pretty under things. She briefly wondered where Rosie had gotten the money to support her clothing obsession.
How the hell was she going to move around in any of these outfits without flashing her crotch or tits?
She settled for a scarlet top with long, wispy sleeves. The hem cut off at her belly button, which was fine. She plucked a pair of Rosie's long jean skirts that had been artistically frayed at the edges. The two items were one of the more modest selections of clothing among Rosie's collection.
She worried about the thigh slit but when she twirled and struck out a high kick, the movement carried out fairly well. She decided the skirt would be fine. At least, she could still kick ass in it.
The moment she descended the stairs and entered the kitchen, she caught sight of Mason and Dani plating freshly made waffles. Dani spotted her first. She had to give the poor girl some credit. She was at least trying to not look awkward. "Uh, you like waffles?" The woman asked her tentatively.
"That'll be great. Thanks." Angelina offered a small smile. They were trying. She would try too.
Dani nodded, returning to the drawers where she plucked out a few forks and knives.
Mason watched her closely, tipping his chin. "Come sit."
Although she spared him a few seconds, she was gobsmacked by how handsome he looked leaning against the kitchen counter in a floral apron. There were swirling letters printed on the front of the piece that boldly stated, 'only real men rock roses.'
She wanted to ask if that really was his but he was still watching her closely.
There was an obvious change in him as he eventually returned to quietly setting up the rest of the table.
She slid into the vacant seat closest to her.
It wasn't long until she felt the floorboards beneath her socks vibrate from the incoming footfalls.
Drake, Casper, and Riley soon filled the doorway, marching straight for the waffles like a bunch of starving children. Hands went everywhere while plates clinked noisily.
"Hey, someone pinched my butt." Drake scowled, eyeing Riley who snatched up a napkin with a cunning smirk.
Riley knocked her hip to his, "You were in the way."
They quickly filled the empty seats around her, piling their plates high with the freshly cut fruit displayed artfully on a crystal platter.
"These are epic Mason." Riley moaned, stuffing a morsel of the warm treat between her red stained lips.
"What's the special occasion Mase? You rarely cook for us." Drake added some whipped cream to his warm pile of waffles. Instead of facing Mason, he was looking straight at Angelina with a small smirk.
She narrowed her own gaze in return.
"I thought we could use some of waffles today." Mason shrugged, taking the seat opposite from her.
They ate in silence for most part.
Dani and Casper were playing footsies under the table, which was kind of adorable if the guy hadn't been knocking her feet first, thinking she was Dani. Riley was attached to her phone while Drake and Mason spoke about their plans for the day.
She whole heartedly agreed with Riley when she tasted the home cooked food. The waffles were amazing, they simply melted in her mouth.
"What will you being doing today Gorgeous?"
It took her a moment to realise that Drake was speaking to her. He had already demolished his breakfast and was now sipping from a cup of hot coffee sitting in the clasp of his big hands. It almost looked like he was role-playing with a child's teacup.
"...I don't know." She replied. She sought out Mason who had already been watching her from across the table, "Were you able to find anything about Evie?"
The Alpha shook his head, "Not yet. We're still trying to piece together the last locations Jack was seen before he turned up at your Pack."
She nodded although she was inwardly disappointed. There wasn't much she could do for now.
She knew Eris wouldn't have gotten too far with his search either. The man was prideful and would attempt to do the whole thing himself.
She couldn't mope around.
"Anything I can do while I'm here?"
This seemed to surprise him. He and Dani shared a look.
Angelina picked at the edge of the table in discomfort when the silence drew on.
It was Mason who spoke first. "Safety of my Pack comes first at all times. This place won't be a prison for you, but I don't need any of my Pack members feeling threatened having you here. I don't want to offend you either by telling you to keep some distance from them until I can fully trust you but I can't sugar coat things for you."
She couldn't blame the Alpha. At this rate, she would probably like this man over Eris.
"I agree with Mason. As you know, our Packs don't get along. There's a lot of tension between the two." Dani spoke softly but her expression was fiercely protective. "We'll try to keep you away from their eyes but we can't guarantee you that someone in the Pack will not hurt you."
"After what happened last time..." Mason laced his fingers together, "...we'll try to make sure no one from this Pack hurts you."
She almost snorted.
Should she have mentioned that she was a dominant she-wolf?
Or that she had a black belt in Taekwondo?
It had been one thing to not fight back while they'd locked her up in their dungeons. She had purposely kept that tidbit to herself. She allowed them to think she wasn't dominant. It had been difficult. Her wolf didn't find glee in the façade and neither did she but needed them to trust her as much as they could. She had a role to play and she was going to stick to it.
Sure she wasn't exactly screaming dominant wolf or acting like one but that was only because she had gotten so used to hiding in the background while Rosie garnered attention in spades from their peers.
She never felt jealousy, anger, or distress.
She was her sisters' protector.
Rosie had been cut out of their mother's womb first, squawking her lungs raw when the Pack Healer attended to her.
A minute later, Angelina entered the world. Unlike Rosie, the Pack Healer had told Arabella that her offspring had been weak, and quiet. So silent, the Pack Healer assumed she had thought she had died.
She had been much smaller than Rosie too, it had been painfully obvious in the side-by-side images she carried in her wallet.
Although somewhere along the way, she had begun to fill out. She hadn't realised she had been the one to receive the dominant strand until Rosie first transitioned into her wolf.
She could still remember the day.
They had both been five, two sides of a single coin. One fair-haired with dark eyes. The other, raven-haired with light eyes.
Her sister was the first to fall prey to the Shiver- a cold fever all wolves experienced before their first shift.
Rosie's Shiver lasted for three days.
Once the frosty cold fled her body and her colour returned, Rosie had morphed into a silken gold wolf the same shade as her familiar luscious locks.
Angelina had stayed by her side although the Shiver hadn't come for her yet.
She still remembered how their mother picked Rosie up. At the time, her sister had been so fragile, she draped limply across Arabella's arms like a sack of potatoes.
"What's wrong with her?" Eris had asked.
Arabella had simply held Rosie by one hand wrapped around one of her hind legs, dangling Rosie carelessly. "We'll give her a few minutes."
After the tense minutes sailed by, it was evident that Rosie hadn't inherited the dominant trait. There was still an immense amount of power she still wielded but she hadn't shimmered the recognisable moonlight shade that deemed changelings a dominant wolf.
But Angelina had.
Not too soon after, her body grew cold, submitting to the Shiver.
Eris and Arabella had watched her with creased brows as she began to quiver. Her teeth began violently clicking together as her blood began to cool. She remembered she just wanted a cuddle to stop the shakes and keep away the sudden wave of prickling ice she felt.
Her Shiver lasted a mere hour.
For that whole hour, her body had glowed iridescently, she had cast the whole room into a feeble light. She was faintly aware of Eris shutting the curtains and Arabella dumping Rosie onto the bed as she now leaned over her trembling body, examining the tell-tale sign marking a changeling as a dominant.
"This can't be right. It doesn't make sense." Arabella had scrutinised her like some kind of freak rather than her own daughter. She could still remember the disbelief engraved on her mother's wickedly beautiful face. "She's the dominant."
"She's the youngest of the two." Eris argued in disbelief.
"Which is why we're not going to tell anyone."
"What? How can we hide a dominant wolf? They can easily manifest their nature Arabella. Wolves recognise when there is a dominant presence in front of them."
"We'll make it known to her that her sister is the dominant. She'll easily believe it. Young minds are easy to shape...or break. If one day she comes to know the truth of her nature, I have confidence that she'll keep quiet. Her sister, nonetheless, twin sister's life relies on her. She won't put Rosie into danger."
"That's a dangerous thing to do."
"You can't be a fool Eris. Angelina is the youngest of the two. She could not have inherited the dominant trait but she has. The scales have tipped for some reason. The flow of fate has changed course and now we have a real threat to this Pack."
"You don't mean-"
"We'll need to suppress her wolf. No one is to know about this Eris, I mean it."
The memory faded and Angelina swallowed the bitterness that crawled to the surface of her emotions.
Arabella was a real gem. She wasn't going to gain any type of Mother-Of-The-Year award any time soon.
"I think it's better if you stay here for now." Mason interrupted her acrid musings. "My Pack will need to adjust a little having you here. I don't want anyone in the Pack thinking we've become soft towards you. We are treating you with the same amount of regard and respect as if you were anyone else we welcomed to the Pack as an esteemed guest."
"Despite my sister being the one you'll wed?" Angelina asked, curious to know.
His expression noticeably blanked. "Despite your sister being my future wife." He stood up abruptly. His plate jerked noisily from the sudden movement.
Angelina felt sharp glares from all corners of the table as Mason exited the room. She refused to shrink in her seat but she did regret raising the question.
"Word of advice, don't mention anything about his upcoming nuptials with your sister. It pisses him off. Frankly, it pisses all of us off." Casper spoke, cutting into the pyramid of waffles he gathered onto his saucer. "I don't know why he was dealt such shitty cards in his life but there's no one like him that can tame and command a Pack like he can."
"I won't do it again." Angelina replied.
"I recommend that if you need some time outside or something, take one of us. There are a lot of people in this Pack who would like to get even with Eris. You being here is going to start a commotion." Riley explained, "We'll be sure to keep you safe."
Angelina turned their words over in her head.
She essentially felt like a helpless lamb trapped in a hole with dangerous wolves strutting circles around her in repetitive loops.
What had she gotten herself into?