I looked over at a wide eyed Jared, his hands shaking in his lap as he frantically glanced around the room, his breathing heavy.
"Hey, Jared, it's fine," I soothed, crouching down in front of him and offering a small smile. "You're feeling this way because this sweatshirt isn't mine, I borrowed it from a girl at Dylan's pack."
"What do you mean?" he mumbled, shaking his head.
"Well, I can't be certain, but judging by the way you're acting from her scent, I think she might be your mate," I said, causing Gia and Matthew to gasp, their shocked frowns suddenly turning into large smiles.
"Congratulations, man!" exclaimed Matthew, making his way over and patting Jared on the back whilst Gia beamed at me.
"I have a mate?" Jared mumbled, furrowing his dark brows, running his hands through his hair.
I smiled at my little brother, joy overwhelming me at the thought of Jared finally having someone to call his own, someone to love and care for him, making it much easier for him once I leave to become Luna of Dylan's pack, seeing as Jared would probably want to remain here.
"What's she like?" asked Jared, scratching at the back of his neck sheepishly, chewing on his bottom lip.
"Um, blonde, brown eyes, has nice teeth," I decided to go with, not wanting to mention how my first encounter with her was more than awkward, knowing full well that Dylan had called her a bit of a brat.
"What's her name?"
"Amelia," I stated, causing my brother's eyes to light up, a small smile making its way up to his face.
"Wow man, she sounds hot!" announced Matthew, causing Gia to slap his chest, growling at him.
"I'll speak to Dylan and organise a chance for you to meet, I've just got to go and have a shower," I said, running up the stairs, taking two at a time, adrenaline flooding my body.
As much as I wasn't too sure about Amelia, I was hoping she had just had a bad day, and that she was full of love and compassion on the inside, even though the exterior seemed pretty hard and tough.
Dylan's POV:
"Alright, great work tonight, we just need to tighten up the formation a bit, but we can work on that tomorrow!" I yelled, dismissing the fighters, many of them nodding at me in appreciation as they dispersed, grabbing their gym bags.
I made my way over to my rucksack, pulling out my phone, my eyes widening as I saw I had two missed calls from my mate. Panicking, I quickly dialled her back, my breath caught in my throat as I waited for her to answer.
"Clara, hey, are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't hear your calls," I said, my voice laced with worry, but it quickly disintegrating as I heard her laugh from the other end of the line.
"It's fine, I was just really excited. I have something to tell you!"
"What is it?" I questioned, furrowing my brows.
"When I got home, Jared started freaking out about this smell, and I think it's Amelia's sweatshirt. I think they're mates."
"Mates? Are you serious?" I asked, scoffing.
"Is there any way we can organise for them to meet so we can be certain?" my mate asked me, causing me to subconsciously nod before she had even finished the sentence, knowing I would do anything she asked of me.
"You know what? I miss my pack, let's spend the night there tonight. Invite anyone you want, I'll organise a get-together."
"Like a party?" questioned Clara, hearing the excitement lacing her voice.
I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Yeah, kind of, I guess. I'll get the word out around my pack, we can leave in a couple of hours. I'll be at yours in five."
I hung up, slinging my rucksack around my back, quickly making my way back to my cabin, enjoying the peaceful walk, thankful it had stopped raining.
After clambering down the steep hill, my cabin coming into view, I decided to jog the rest of the way back, quickly reaching the door, pushing it ajar.
I fumbled around, grabbing a few smart shirts and pairs of jeans, shoving them into my bag before pulling out my phone again, sending a quick message to Ethan asking to get everything sorted, knowing he would be more than up for it.
Clara's POV:
"Time to get your dancing shoes on ladies and gentleman, because we are going to a party!" I announced as I sauntered down the stairs in my dressing gown, smirking at my friends and brother.
"Say no more, I'm in!" yelled Gia, standing up on the couch, jumping up and down.
"And where is this party?" questioned Matthew, raising his eyebrows.
"At Dylan's pack, he's going to make sure Amelia is invited," I teased, gazing over at my brother who swallowed nervously, forcing a smile.
"I have to go and get ready, but message me what time we're leaving and I'll meet you," said Gia, blowing a kiss at me as she ran out of the door, causing me to laugh.
"Yeah, same here!" called Matthew as he exited the house, giving Jared one last pat on the back before shutting the door behind him, sending the room into an awkward silence.
I gazed at Jared, who's head was hanging low, his eyes refusing to meet mine.
"Okay, you can pretend in front of them all you want, but I'm not fooled, what's wrong?" I asked, taking a few steps closer.
"Nothing," mumbled Jared as he wheeled past me, attempting to enter the corridor that led to his room, but I stood in his way, my arms crossed.
"You just found out you most likely have a mate who you're going to be meeting for the first time tonight, and you look like you just got told that your cat died, what's wrong?"
"What if she doesn't like me?" asked Jared, shaking his head. "I know you're probably sick of hearing me say stuff like this, because I said it about Mom, but I can't help but feel like when people see me for the first time, they see someone who's not even a person."
"People don't think that Jared."
"Mom did, she didn't want us," growled my brother, causing me to sigh.
"She isn't important Jared, and that situation was completely different. Please don't let your head get in the way of something that could be so amazing for you," I said, furrowing my brows, shaking my head.
"I knew it was going to happen at some point, I'm just worried she'll reject me because I'm in a wheelchair. I wouldn't be able to protect her if something happened."
"There's no need to overthink things Jared, just go and meet her and see what happens, I'm sure she'll love you," I soothed, offering my brother a smile. "Now go and make yourself look super hot, and make sure you wear a nice shirt!"
After about an hour of fussing over my hair and makeup, I finally settled on mermaid waves, allowing my dark brown hair to cascade down my back.
I pulled on my short denim skirt and black top, pairing it with some gold jewellery and a pair of converse shoes, wanting to go with a more casual style tonight.
I wandered downstairs, smiling as Dylan looked me up and down with dark eyes, swallowing harshly.
"How do you get more and more beautiful each time I see you?" he asked, wrapping his arm around my waist, planting a lingering kiss on my forehead, causing my wolf to howl in delight.
"Enough of the PDA please guys, let's go!" howled Matthew, fist bumping the air, causing me to chuckle.
"Are you ready Jared?" Dylan asked, causing my brother to take a deep breath, nodding.
"Let's go!" cheered Gia, spinning around in her black mini dress and denim jacket, ushering us all out of the house.
"So, what's the first thing you're going to say to Amelia, Jared?" asked Matthew as we all made our way across the pack grounds towards the large gate where the cab was waiting.
"I'll probably start with 'hi'," replied my brother, causing everyone to chuckle.
"I'm sure that'll have her at her knees," said Gia, winking over at me, causing me to gag, shaking my head.
We all jumped in the cab, wheeling Jared into the back, Matthew kindly offering to take a seat with him so he wasn't alone.
"So, how many people are actually coming to this party?" asked Gia, causing Dylan to shrug.
"I told Ethan to not go too overboard, keep it kind of small, but obviously invite Amelia and all of her friends."
"I think Ethan's idea of 'keeping it small' might be a little different to yours," I laughed, shaking my head.
"Well, as long as nobody breaks any of my stuff."
"As long as there are some good looking girls invited, I'll be happy," announced Matthew, causing Gia to roll her eyes.
"Could you just not think about your dick for one second Matthew? God, you're so disgusting!" she exclaimed, growling slightly.
"That's not what you said the other night, love," teased Matthew, causing everyone to burst out laughing, their eyes wide with shock.
"Be quiet you idiot!"
I wrapped my arm around Gia's shoulder, shaking with laughter as she sulked like a child, eventually rolling her eyes and bursting out into laughter with us, playfully growling at Matthew.
"You're lucky we're almost here, because I would have taken your eye out if I had to spend another five minutes in here with you!" Gia teased, causing Matthew to hold up his hands defensively.
We all thanked the cab driver as we exited, the bass of the loud music from the house almost vibrating the floor; excitement racing through my veins.
Dylan took hold of my hand, leading us all through the gate and across the grass, Dylan's large house slowly coming into view, the lights changing colours as the bass boomed throughout the atmosphere, causing Gia to jump in excitement.
Once we reached the house, Dylan rolled his eyes, pushing the door open, knowing full well his plan for a 'small gathering' had fallen through, and Ethan had decided to go big.
"There are so many people!" I yelled over the music as we all stepped inside, searching around for anyone we recognised.
"I'm going to kill Ethan," laughed Dylan, shaking his head, grabbing a few bottles of beer from the table and passing them all of us. "Well, let's make the most of it!"
I smiled, gazing around the room, looking past all the people dancing and grinding on one another, searching for Amelia.
"I don't see her, maybe she's-"
I stopped mid sentence, noticing Jared's furrowed brows as he stared off into the distance, his eyes fixated on a young blonde girl wearing a pair of black jeans, a leather jacket and heels, laughing and dancing with her friends.
Suddenly, she stopped dancing, shifting uncomfortably as she turned around, her harsh brown eyes scanning the room, before settling on my brother, her face cold as stone...
......................................
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