Riley
"You cheated!" Leigh accused, pointing her finger at me. Smiling, I shook my head and gathered up the candies and cookies that scattered at the center of the table. I was playing blackjack with the kids- Leigh, Dale, Adrian, Amber, and William. We weren't gambling with money. I'm not a bad influence, I won't encourage gambling money- even though I do at times. We replaced money with sweets- taffy, hershey kisses, chips ahoy, milano cookies.
I just won the round with 19. Leigh lost majority of her taffy; which is why she's so angry. Grinning, I unravelled the caramel taffy- her favorite. As I chewed it, I kept my eyes on Leigh. "It's so good" I dragged out, taunting her.
She huffed before demanding her brother to deal again. "I'll win back the rest of that" she said determinedly.
I opened up another taffy, banana split. "Not if I eat it all first" I pointed out with a smirk. I wasn't really gonna eat it all. I'm not that mean. We started the next round. Leigh took one look at her cards before smiling. She probably got a 19 or 20. The other four kids busted, so it was just Leigh and I. Peeking at my cards, I saw an ace and a nine. Easy 20. I might be able to win. Leigh was eying her candy as I pretended to think about what to do. "Hit" Dale slid another card over. Ace. That makes 21. "Damn. I busted" I feigned disappointment as I tossed my cards over to Dale. He didn't look at the cards, so no one knew that I was lying.
Leigh squealed, bringing her candy closer to her. She popped a caramel taffy in her mouth. "I told you I would win it back" she said, poking her tongue out at me. I rolled my eyes at her, but a smile appeared on my face.
Looking around the table, I spotted William staring at me knowingly. "You guys surrender yet?" I questioned, knowing that Dale and Amber were extremely bad at blackjack. They nodded their heads, so we all just sat back in our seats and ate what we had won. I tossed Leigh the last of the caramel taffy that I still had in my stack. Grinning, she thanked me. I gave Dale all of my Hershey kisses, since that kid loves chocolate. I also gave William my Milano cookies. The twins always shared their stuff, so I didn't bother with them.
"Wake us up before you leave" Dale said randomly. I quickly nodded my head in agreement as Leigh's eyes began filling with tears. Frowning, I moved over and wrapped my arms around her. "We'll miss you" Dale told me sadly.
Nodding, I brushed Leigh's hair back. "I'll miss you guys too. Take care of each other, okay?" They both nodded in agreement before we all got into a group hug. The twins joined us; and after grumbling about group hugs, William joined in. "Come on. Enough tears" I said, pulling away. Leigh wiped her face, being pulled back into Dale's side.
I didn't want to leave so early. I wish I could stay a week. But I really wanted to show Dave and everyone who doubted me, that I am serious about this 'mission'. I want to prove that I am motivated and worthy enough to be Queen, even if Royal Blood doesn't run in my veins. I didn't just want it for me. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worthy because of Dave. He was risking a lot by even considering me as the next ruler. I didn't want his name tarnished because I couldn't prioritize.
So even if I didn't want to leave my siblings, I had to. Not for myself, not for the werewolf species, not for the kingdom. But for Dave. I had to do it for him. It's the least I could do after everything he's done for me.
***
I woke up before the sun was even up. I changed into a pair of sweats and a crop top since I would just be driving. Dragging my bags behind me, I trudged out of my bedroom. I only got about four hours of sleep last night. But I could survive the drive to Storm Pack if I drank a couple cups of coffee. "Mornin'" I greeted Dave and Lila, who looked equally as exhausted as I did. Lila poured me a cup of coffee and I thanked her. "The Storm Pack is an hour away. I'll drive there and probably sleep before I do anything else" I informed the pair as I sipped my coffee.
They both nodded their head, looking out of it from their lack of sleep. "You guys can go back to sleep. I'll just say bye to Dale and Leigh real quick" They got up from their seats. Lila gave me a hug and told me to be safe. Dave also hugged me and said that I was welcome to use my powers on any "asshats". I grinned at them before going to Dale's room. Knowing he's a heavy sleeper, I dropped my duffle bag onto his stomach.
He woke up with a grunt. "You leaving now?" he wheezed out. I nodded my head in confirmation. "I'll go wake up Leigh" Dale forced himself out of bed and we went into Leigh's bedroom. He took a running start before jumping onto Leigh's bed. "Get up. Riley's leaving" he said, lightly shaking her shoulder.
Leigh groaned and rubbed her eyes as she woke up. "Get out, Dale" she demanded. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as a frown formed on his face. "I'm not wearing pants" she admitted sheepishly. Dale groaned before practically running out of the room. I laughed as Leigh got up and slipped on a pair of shorts. "I did not need my brother to know that I sleep pantless" she muttered, pulling me out of the room.
Don't we all though? I was still laughing at her when we got outside. "Oh, God! Dad! She's doing it again!" Dale shouted once he saw me. When I laugh really hard, I have a habit of forgetting to breath. So basically, I sound like a seal and I get really red because I'm not breathing.
Grinning at me, Dave shook his head in amusement. Unlike everyone else who freaks out when this happens, Dave finds is hilarious. "Riley. Stop that" Lila demanded with a worried look on her face. Obviously someone telling you to stop laughing doesn't automatically make you stop. In fact, I laughed harder to the point where I almost fell over. Nothing was really funny, but I couldn't stop laughing. "Marley died in Marley and Me" Lila blurted.
A frown formed on my face. I caught my breath as tears filled my eyes. I love that movie- more specifically, I love Marley. He was so cute as a puppy, and even better as he grew up. Then he just- "She's gonna cry" Leigh muttered, laying her head on my shoulder. "It was just a movie, Ri" Leigh told me softly.
"But he was so cute" I cried out, a few tears leaking out of my eyes. Lila hushed me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I don't cry easily. But when it comes to Marley, I can never not cry. "Okay. I'm okay" I said, pulling away from her and wiping my face off.
Lila apologized for bringing up Marley. "Always making her cry" Dave said with a shake of his head. Lila glared at him and slapped his arm. "Hey. It's not my fault that you're always bad cop" he defended.
She narrowed her eyes. "It is your fault! Since you can't man up and do it; I have to!" she argued. He didn't have a response. It was completely true. When it came to scolding, Dave could never be mean. It was Lila's job. But she spoiled us more, so it evened out. Dave doesn't know how much she spoiled us, so he still thinks he's the favorite parent. And I'm not saying Lila is. Picking favorites is very bad.
Bay, Thomas, Aunt Nia, Marco, Naomi, Eve, and Asher all met me at the door. I began saying goodbye to all of them. Bay and Eve shed a few tears; something about me growing up. "My cousin, Ross, said that you can stay with him if you don't wanna stay in the pack house" Marco informed me. I nodded my head and thanked him before putting my bags into the back of my trunk. Three full bags- one large suitcase, a duffle bag, and a backpack.
The trunk closed with a slam. Taking a deep breath, I turned back around to my family. "Be safe" Lila told me softly. I nodded my head in understanding. "Call us whenever you have the time" she urged.
I gave her one last hug before I looked up at Dave. "Have fun, chipmunk. Don't make this some mission- make it a vacation. Make friends. Show some people some magic tricks" he encouraged. I smiled at him before wrapping my arms around his waist. "I love you, Riley"
"I love you too, Dave" I pulled away and wiped my eyes. With one last wave, I got into my car and drove away from my family. I watched the castle disappear from my rearview mirror. Guards nodded and waved at me as I drove past.
Honestly, it was my first time leaving the territory alone. If I wanted to visit someone, I usually just transported there. But I'm driving alone to every pack. Scared would be an understatement. New place. New people. New life.
I'm no longer the outsider witch of the Royal family. I'm the traveling witch looking for a mate. A big change. But a needed change. Afterall, experience makes a better ruler. I get to see so many different Alphas interacting with their packs. It could give me a few ideas on how to rule the kingdom better. I'll do as Dave said. This won't just be some mission, it's experience and a vacation. I need to get into that mindset.
Thinking about it now, no one would want a mate who is hellbent on finding someone just to have the throne. I know for a fact, I wouldn't be with someone like that. I would need to open up and have a little fun- let loose. This needs to be a vacation, or I won't be able to complete the mission.
I've been told that I'm an intense person. I can be fun, but when it's time for business, I don't mess around. Business is business. It is similar to busyness- there's no time for fun. This has to be business and relaxation. I have to be able to do both, even if it needs a little getting used to first. It will definitely be different, but I could force it to work until it becomes normal for me.
The past few years, all I've done was work. I helped Lila and Dave with their work so I could practice for when I took over. I read all the books ever written about Royals. I've studied and trained to take over as the ruler of werewolves- no witch except me can say that. It was hard work and I dedicated all of my time to it. That is what's normal for me- work. Honestly, the only fun that I have is with my siblings and cousins. It would need some getting used to for me to get comfortable with anyone in the different packs.
I've never been good with new people. When I first got to the castle, the only people I spoke to were Bay, Naomi, and Dave. The others scared me. But as time went on, I warmed up to them. Hopefully, my people skills have improved over the years.
And if they didn't; then I'm screwed.
_______________
"The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express"
-Francis Bacon
So, I have this story and another new one! So please check it out. It's another werewolf story because, why not? And yeah. It's called When the Stars Align.
Kayyyzzz Byeeezzz
~A.J.