"In my defense," I say to Krys. "I wasn't told when I needed to wake up."
"Of course you weren't," she says mockingly. "God-forbid we wake up Axel's precious Mia."
"He tells you guys not to wake me up?" I can't even hide the smile growing on my face.
She holds the steering wheel with a death grip. "Is that really all you heard?"
"Hey." I put my hands up in defense. "I said I was sorry. It's not like I want you guys to be stuck watching me all the time."
She waves me off. "That's not it. It's normal for werewolves to protect their luna while she sleeps."
"Then what—" I start.
She cuts me off. "We're just supposed to do it from the comfort of our pack house. Not out in the woods all night in the dark and the cold and the nastiness."
I sit back in my seat, trying to process what she's saying. "So... You want me to move into your pack house?"
She gives me an award-winning smile. "There ya go. What a great idea, Luna."
"Wait, what?" I wasn't serious!
She keeps talking. "I'll tell the brothers now so they can help you pack—"
"Stop it." Brittany glares at her from the passenger seat.
"What?" Krys asks.
I stare at her wide-eyed. Is she crazy?
Bri looks back at me and sighs. "We know your family would never allow it, so just ignore her."
I nod, liking the sound of that.
Krys hasn't given up though. "You can take Brittany's bed~" she says in a sing-song voice. "And if we get up at 3, we can do the shaving cream prank on Onai. It drives him crazy."
I furrow my brow. "Why 3?"
"Don't ask," Bri says.
Krys gives me the most evil look. "That's the only time he won't wake up from the sound of you walking in."
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "W-Why do you know that?" I'm almost afraid of what she'll say.
She smiles again, casually. "Oh, no reason. Just many years of research... Wanna know Carson's time?"
Bri smacks her own forehead. "Why, Krys? Just why?"
But I kind of do wanna know actually. I'm about to tell her as much, but it's too late. We're already there.
Krys pulls up to the front of a very large building. I have to move closer to the window to see the whole thing, and even then, it's still hard to make out. I squint against the sun. "This is City Hall?" I ask.
"Yup." Bri unfastens her seatbelt. "I'll walk you in."
Thankfully.
As we walk up the front steps leading to the entrance, Krys screams through the window, "Think about my offer, Mia. Pack House is where it's at!"
Brittany just shakes her head and keeps walking. I, on the other hand, consider it for a moment. Not moving right now, of course. Just eventually. Maybe when it's time to go off to college or something. Do werewolves even go to college?
"Mia," Bri says.
I look up.
She's holding the door for me.
"Sorry. Thanks." I rush through but stop dead in my tracks when I see all the business suits around me. What is this? I look at her. I look at my clothes. "You didn't tell me I needed to dress professional." I'm in jeans and a t-shirt!
"Calm down," she chuckles. "You'll just be here for a second."
She leads me down a set of dull, grey hallways. At every turn, people stop their conversations. "Luna Mia. Beta Brittany," they greet us in a cold, clinical way.
Brittany nods back, addressing them all by name and title. I just say hello and try to parrot any names I hear from her. I feel extremely self-conscious, but when we're alone, she smiles at me.
"If I'm being honest," she whispers. "I only remember their names through mindlink."
I try not to laugh. Now that I believe.
We eventually make it to a large set of double doors. "Here it is," she says. I wait for her to open it, but she doesn't.
I clear my throat. "Well?" I ask her.
"Go in," she tells me, already walking away.
"Wait." I gesture towards the room. "Aren't you gonna...?"
She shakes her head. "I don't do suits."
"Bri," I groan. "What makes you think I do? Don't leave me."
"I'm already late for training as it is. You'll be fine, Luna." She smiles at me like she's not leaving me high and dry and turns the corner.
I'm beginning to hate that title.
I stare at the door like I'm Chuckie from Rugrats. The metaphorical dragon handle is threatening to eat me, and I have no intention of touching it. What does one do with a door exactly? Open it? That doesn't sound like a good idea.
The last time I was in a meeting, all forms of shit hit the fan. These people clearly don't like me, so why should I bother? Are Ethel and Onai really in that room? I doubt it. It's probably just a bunch of old cranky people Bri knew I wouldn't want to be around.
I narrow my eyes at the room. You know what? I'll just wait out—
CREAK
The door flies opens.
I jump ten feet in the air, prepared to book it.
Aiden gives me a flat look. He crosses his arms, leaning against the door frame. "What exactly are you doing?"
Oh here we go. I was almost happy to see him, almost, until he opened his mouth. "I didn't know if I should come in."
He doesn't look convinced. "You knew. I heard what Brittany said."
I roll my eyes. Is there no such thing as privacy? I walk past him and into the room. He closes the door behind us.
The first thing I see is Ethel explaining something at the whiteboard. He points at different sets of numbers and draws connections like Michael did last night. Then I see Onai at the head of the table. It's a grey, rectangular one that would only be appropriate at a meeting like this. Men and women take up all the other chairs except three, the ones at the very front. And on the side that Onai isn't sitting on, I see Mr. Olcan.
My eyes widen. That's a blast from class I wasn't expecting. I suppose now isn't the time to remember that his homework isn't anywhere near done, and it's already Saturday.
I feel pressure on my back.
It's Aiden's hand, reminding me to walk. I hope he doesn't expect me to sit where everyone's staring, but that's exactly where he leads me.
"... So in order to ensure that there will be adequate rations for the next few months in case of conflict, this budget shift is necessary." Ethel turns away from the whiteboard, capping his marker.
One guy shakes his head vehemently. "It's not enough. Half of what I was promised is not enough."
"It'll have to be," a woman across from him says.
He cocks his head back, staring at her like she's the last person he wants to hear right now. "Oh Yeah? Well what happens, Barbara, when someone gets wolfsbane poisoning? Or when they make a new strain of something we're not yet equipped to treat?"
"Then you better find a way to treat it with your reduced budget." She shuffles her papers.
He glares at her. "What would you know about a reduced budget, Mrs. Education Branch? Mrs. Always Getting Priority for Some Reason Branch?"
"Excuse me?" She double-takes at him. "What do I know about a reduced... A textbook was so old it nearly killed our luna," she yells.
I nearly fall out of the chair I'm sitting in. Aiden told these people about that? I glare at him.
He raises an eyebrow. "What?"
"Why'd you tell?" I ask.
He shrugs, no longer interested in the conversation. "It seemed relevant." That's all he has to say.
I glare even harder.
"With all due respect." The man looks at me. "What do you feel more at risk by, Luna? A dusty old textbook..." He weighs one of his hands as low as the table, then he shoots the other skyhigh. "Or a noxious, unidentified gas infecting your loved ones—"
"Calm down, Dr. Jordan," Aiden silences the room.
Everyone straightens up.
Aiden leans back in his chair, eyes scanning everyone. He seems too comfortable. Too casual. Like anything could come out of his mouth, but I, on the other hand, have my mouth hanging open. An unidentified gas? Infecting my loved ones? This seems like it's top priority.
Aiden starts talking, but I stare at him wide-eyed. I don't mean to interrupt, but clearly this is urgent.
"So it's necessary that the full cooperation of every... Of every..."
Everyone leans closer to him. "Of every...?" They look so confused.
He tries again. "That each subdivision bears through these times of... Mia." He snaps his head in my direction.
"What?" I ask.
He looks so irritated. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
I'm so glad he asked. I lean towards him and gesture for him to lean closer. He doesn't of course. Whatever.
I whisper, nodding towards the man. "Maybe we should listen to him."
"Absolutely not." Aiden straightens up, facing the table again. "As I was saying—"
I tap his shoulder.
He breathes in, holding it longer than necessary. It takes every ounce of patience in him for him to ask, "What?"
The man! Doesn't Aiden know that crazy people are always right? "What if he's right and it comes back to bite us?"
"Thank you!" The guy pounds his fist against the table. "Someone understands."
Aiden and the woman from before give him a dirty look. He looks at them innocently.
"Let's say we fund another one of his imaginary gas projects," Aiden says to me. "Where do you want us to take the money from?"
Uh oh. It's another one of Mr. Olcan's situations all over again, and sure enough, the man is watching me like a hawk to hear what I say. I shake my head, paralyzed by the fear of another bad answer. "Never mind."
Mr. Olcan looks disappointed.
Aiden just nods, prepared to speak again, but the woman from before says, "I'd actually like to hear what the luna thinks."
What? My eyes bulge out. I look at her then at Aiden, but I already know he's not gonna help me out. I look at Onai.
He shakes his head. "I don't have the slightest idea. Not my division." He looks at Ethel.
Ethel looks at Aiden, then he gives me a sympathetic look. "Not my call," he says, leaving me to the mercy of these people's wrath. Mr. Olcan isn't any help either. Teachers love to see students fail at real-life application.
Fine. This lady wants to hear what I really think? I'll tell her. "There's no reason to cut this man's budget in half."
###
"There's no reason to not cut his budget in half," I tell Ethel, trying to get the plans from him. "In fact, his budget should be cut altogether."
The women around me cheer, yelling out their own suggestions.
"Cut the hospital pizza room too," the education lady says. "It's a glorified man cave."
"Add the money to the daycare. We're understaffed," a woman in a pencil-skirt suggests.
I nod, more than happy to do as they say. I have a lot of ideas myself, starting with the lunch food.
Ethel looks to the other men for help, but they're being held off by some ladies. Originally we were outnumbered, but we decided to call for backup. The next step is permanently electing them into office, but that's an issue for another day.
"I really don't think I'm supposed to give it you," Ethel says uneasily. His eyes dart between me and the binder.
I cross my arms. "Why not? I'm your luna, aren't I?"
The women voice their agreement.
He clears his throat. "Of course, Luna," he says. "It's just—"
"So hand it over." I hold my hand out.
He turns to Aiden and mouths, "Help me."
"Don't let her intimate you," Aiden growls.
"Stay strong," another man screams.
"You better hand that thing over to your luna," a woman yells over them.
Ethel swallows the lump growing in his throat. "This... wasn't exactly in my job description."
I'm about to tackle him if that's what it takes. Change is gonna happen today.
"Why do you want to do this?" Mr. Olcan asks, trying to reason with me.
I glare at him. A few of the other women do as well.
"I don't know about you," I say. "But I refuse to struggle through another harsh winter just because the firefighters want a game room."
"What winter have you been through?" Aiden asks. "You just got here."
A few men pat their alpha on the back. "Exactly. That game room doubles as a communication center, you know."
"We have mindlink, you idiots," a girl says to them.
I've had enough. I cross my arms, turning to Aiden. "So this is how it's gonna be, huh?"
His cold demeanor doesn't falter. His amber eyes narrow in a threatening way, silver making itself known. He thinks he can intimidate me. Cute. "You're making it this way," he says.
I roll my eyes. I turn to Onai. "And you? You're sticking by him at a time like this?"
Onai seems to muddle it over a while. Eventually he nods his head. "I don't wanna pick sides, but you've seen those kids. If you take away the pizza room, we'll lose the will to watch them."
It's a sad loss for the cause. I nod to Mrs. Barbara and turn away. I can't bear to watch. As the women push him away with the rest of the men, I hold my heart. I'll never forget you Onai. The men on the other hand welcome him with open arms. Aiden pats his shoulder like, "Good man."
I dry my tears and turn to Ethel.
He flinches.
I hope he doesn't make me have to lose any more soldiers today. "Ethel," I say.
He holds onto the binder tighter. "Yes?"
I try the diplomatic approach. "Isn't there anything else you'd like to use the budget for? Anything you think would actually help the pack more than a pizza room?"
Ethel rubs his chin. "Well now that you mention it..."
A man from the crowd gives him a dirty look. "Don't you dare, Beta Ethel."
Ethel keeps talking. "You see? People don't usually ask me what I think. I'm usually just compromising what they want, you know? How's that fair?"
I shake my head, disgusted. "Don't you think it's time to change that?"
A moment passes. "Remember yourself," Aiden says.
Ethel hands over the binder. "Let's get those highways properly lit."
I nod approvingly.
"Traitor," the men cry, but the second the pages are in my hands, I get a round of applause from the ladies.
I smile, readying the pen. "This day goes to the women. And Ethel." I scratch potential gas off of the budget, but before I can get to highway lighting, Aiden snatches the binder from me.
My mouth falls open. "Hey."
He holds it above my head, far out of my reach. "Nice to know who my real allies are." He glares at Ethel.
Ethel scratches the back of his neck.
"Oh please. Give it back." I reach for the binder on my tippy-toes. "You're supposed to be my ally, remember. We need to be a united front for the people."
"Oh now we need to be a united front?" He stares down at me smugly. "Now that you've lost."
Lost? What is this lost he speaks of? I furrow my brow.
He leans down towards me, slowly, painstakingly slowly until his lips are right beside my ear. He whispers, sending a shiver down my spine, but it's clear that he doesn't care who hears it. "You're fired, Mia."
"What?" I cock my head back, turning so that I'm staring into his eyes. "You can't fire me. I've been democratically elected."
I end up on the front steps with Ethel, binderless.
Yeah... Not the longest term a president has served, I have to admit. But hey, I tried my best.
Ethel stretches his legs out in front of us, leaning back on the steps. "Hey, at least they said they'd be waiting for us for the next uprising. That was kind of fun."
I smile, leaning against my knees. "Yeah, it was... I kind of felt like a real luna for a second." I chuckle.
"Yeah?" he asks.
I nod. "...Is that stupid?"
He shakes his head.
I smile again, staring at the parking lot ahead of us. I watch the cars moving this way and that.
"I've never seen Aiden like that before," he says.
"Really?" I ask. "Like what?"
He shrugs. I expect him to say something profound, give me some kind of clear explanation, but he just shrugs again. "He was just different. I don't know"
I assume he means in a good way, but I don't ask. I stare at him from the corner of my eyes. His green ones watch the parking lot until they turn to me. "What?" He smiles awkwardly. I guess he doesn't like to be watched.
I'll just say it then. "I was mad at you."
"Really?" He raises an eyebrow, smile gone.
I nod.
"Why?"
"Because you thought something was going on between me and Onai." I run my fingers along my pants, picking at the edge of the fabric on my knees.
"Because you guys were outside in the middle of the night," he says. "It was weird."
"We're friends. Don't you think girls and guys can be friends?"
"Of course I do." He nods. "But when I asked you guys what you were doing, you should've seen your faces." He laughs, shaking his head. "I thought for sure I'd caught you red-handed, but then Onai explained..." His face falls a bit.
I raise an eyebrow. "He did?"
Ethel nods. "I get it. Aiden gets them too." He looks back at the parking lot. "I'll keep it to myself. Don't worry."
I wanna ask him what he means, but I figure that'd give the lie up.
Onai pulls up in his car right then. It's a nice one. A deep greenish grey. It's so weird to see him driving. It's almost too... I don't know, domestic? I'm just used to seeing him in the forest. He seems more comfortable there. No wonder he didn't choose this division. Too many suits, like Bri said.
"Took you long enough." Ethel holds the passenger door open for me. Then he jumps in the back. "I was beginning to think you forgot about us."
Onai ignores him, whipping out of the parking lot. I brace myself. I hold onto my seat like it's my lifeline.
Ethel gives me a sympathetic look, chuckling. "Yeah. I forgot to tell you. Better hold on."
Onai raises an eyebrow. "What?" Does he really not know?
"Nothing," Ethel says quickly.
Onai shrugs. He speeds into oncoming traffic to merge like a madman with the straightest face ever.
By the end of the ride, Ethel and I are holding onto each other for dear life, begging to be released from the death trap. I never thought someone could drive worse than Michael.
Onai nods when he sees my queasy face. "I hate cars too."
How do I tell him that's not the problem?
Ethel's the first out of the car. Then me. Then Onai. Suddenly we're all standing in somebody's driveway. The first thing I notice isn't that the house is unfamiliar. It's that I can see the brothers' house very clearly from it. It's right there.
"Where are we?" I ask Onai.
He shakes his head and follows Ethel to the front door. I don't like the sound of that.
If I didn't know any better, I'd think this was Suzie's house, but that's not who's staring back at us when we enter the home. It's the school nurse.
"Hey, Auntie." Ethel walks towards her place on the couch and gives her a big hug.
She smiles and hugs him back. "Hey, Ethel. What are you doing here?" Suddenly her face falls. "Is the meeting over already?" She hops off the couch, ready to run.
"No, no." Ethel waves her off, guiding her back to her seat. "It's still going on. Aiden just kicked us out."
"Well did he... kick him out too?" she asks.
Ethel shakes his head. "No. I think he's still there."
She finally breathes. What Ethel said relieves her, but it doesn't seem to make her feel better, if that makes sense. Now it seems like she has a new problem. She looks to the side, searching for words. "Well... How did the meeting go for him? Did he look alright?"
Ethel nods. "He did great. Him and Onai basically turned into Aiden's right-hand men. I went rogue and joined the luna." He smirks.
She smiles, tightly. Forcefully. "Good." She straightens her skirt out, clasping her hands together. Then she seems to remember Onai and I are there. She chuckles a little. "I'm so sorry, Luna. Beta, where are my manners? Hello."
We wave her off and say our hellos, but I'm stuck on what just happened. Because... what just happened?
Things get even stranger when Ethel asks her, "So what are you doing here?"
Is this not her house?
She points towards the kitchen. "Oh, I was just trying to make her some food so she could eat something. But you know Suzie. She doesn't want anything her mother touched."
The nurse is Suzie's mom? I look at Onai, but he shakes his head. It's a clear message. Don't ask.
She sighs and stands up, smiling at all of us sadly. "Excuse me. I think it's time for me to go."
"Are you sure?" Ethel asks.
She nods. "Try to talk to her if you can, though. Goodbye, Luna. Beta."
We say our goodbyes as quickly as we said our hellos, and then she's gone.
Ethel doesn't look at us. What's there to say? It's clearly not something they want to talk about, whatever it is. Ethel starts to lead me towards the stairs.
Onai tells me, "Good luck. I'll be here." Then he sits down on the couch.
I tell him, "Listen for my screams."
He shakes his head, trying not to look amused. He fails.
Ethel leads me up the stairs and I prepare to deal with the inevitable. Suzie. I remember what Michael said. It's not her. It's the situation. The situation is over, and we need her help. I repeat that three times in my head, that I could use her assistance, but it still doesn't sit right with me.
My thoughts dissipate when I notice the pictures on the walls. Along the hallway upstairs, there are portraits of fetus Suzie and the nurse. But not just them. Mr. Olcan too. There's a big family picture at the end of the hall of all of them looking so happy together. That's the girl who's mad at her mom? No way.
Ethel knocks on a bedroom door with the letter, "Z," on it.
I roll my eyes. She would.
"Ethel, I think you let some kind of wild animal in with you. I can smell it from here," she says from behind the door.
I give a flat look. Did I say I needed her? I aboutface, ready to go.
"No." Ethel grabs my arm, giving me a pleading look. I want to strangle him, but I stay. I don't know how, but I find the will to stay.
"I'll make her apologize for that." He opens the door.
I can only see her back, but she's dressed from head to toe in a black robe with feathery ends. Her hair is up in a top-bun, and she's got stacks of eaten chocolate beside her. I don't know what video she's watching, but I can tell it's something on youtube.
Ethel walks up to her desk, gesturing for me to follow.
"Z," he says. "What are you doing?"
She doesn't move, grabbing another piece of chocolate. "Forgetting you all exist."
He shakes his head, taking the chocolate from her. "This has to stop. Come here, I brought Mia so you guys could work it out."
"Oh?" She turns to me. "She's come to apologize?"
I cock my head back. "Apologize for what?"
"I'll take that as a no." She turns back towards the computer, clicking the next video. The saddest violin solo known to man begins to blare throughout the room.
I cover my ears. Ethel sighs. I'm over this. It has to end here. Her room looks like a lair of doom and destruction. A bottomless pit of no return, and I won't be responsible for it. I came here to say something, so I'm gonna say it. I move towards the computer so she would have to make an effort to not see me.
She makes that effort.
"Look at me," I say.
She doesn't, so I just decide to talk. "I'm sorry that things aren't working out for you after your little stunt, but that's not my fault. You only have yourself to blame."
She doesn't say anything.
I keep going. "I thought you were my friend. I felt like everyone else was ganging up on me, except you. And then you stabbed me in the back for a guy."
She doesn't say anything.
I nod. "You made fun of my clothes and my hair and my personality. You treated me like trash, and I still gave you the benefit of the doubt. But you know what? I'm starting to realize I only did that because I didn't have anybody else."
"And now you have everyone." Her eyes dart towards me.
The look she gives me sends a chill down my spine. I actually take a step back.
She looks at me with curious eyes, the ear curling violin music still playing. "What do you want me to say, Mia? Congratulations?" She chuckles under her breath. "Don't make me laugh. You've got my friends. My family. My town. My position as luna." She picks up another piece of chocolate. "You have it all, Luna Mia. But it's still not enough for you, is it?"
I raise an eyebrow. What does she mean?
She takes a bite of the chocolate, savoring every bit of it before saying, "You've just gotta hear me say it, don't you? You won and I lost?"
"That would be a nice touch, don't get me wrong," I say. "But all I want is an apology."
"Now that's something we can agree on," she says. "You can give it now. I'm listening."
My patience ends there. "I don't want to give you an apology. I want one from you."
She raises an eyebrow, seemingly genuinely shocked. "What are you talking about? What you did to me was way worse. Have a sense of agency."
"Agency?" I scoff. "Getting with a guy who never wanted to be with you is worse than bullying?"
She looks like she wants to pull her hair out. "Would you get over that already? For the last time, this isn't about him."
"Then what is it about?" I ask.
She gets up. I back up. She glares down at me, shrouded in her dramatic, feathery robe. "When you questioned me in front of the council, you turned a stupid argument about a guy into a question about my ability to be in this pack."
I open my mouth.
She cuts me off. "No, listen. It's one thing to turn Carson against me. I tried to do that to you, so it would've been fair. But you ruined my job, my life, and my reputation. You made me seem like a threat. Not a nuisance, or someone you didn't like, but a real, genuine threat to this pack. For what?" She puts her hands on her hips. "Just because I tried to ruin your chances with a guy? That's so stupid."
I don't have anything to say to that.
She looks away, balling her fists. It seems like it's hard for her to think whatever she's thinking. "I'm not sorry that I tried to get your stank ass away from my ex. I think you would've done the same thing in my position, but..." She looks at me, staring into my eyes. "But I am sorry that I betrayed your trust and bullied you. That was shitty of me, and... I'm better than that. Believe me, I'm paying for it now." She walks over to her bed and collapses on it.
I feel so bad. I don't know why, but I rush to her side. This is the Suzie I became friends with. This is the real person I knew was in there all along. I still don't trust her, but I don't want to abandon her in her time of need.
Ethel nods with tears in his eyes by the door. "Help her, Mia."
I nod. "Suzie." I touch her shoulder. "There's still hope for you."
"I know that. Get off me." She swats my hand away.
Wait, what?
She sits up with a paper in her hand. "I was just getting my five-step plan."
"Your five-step what?" Ethel and I ask in unison.
She hands it over to me. "Just do these five things and I'll be back in the town's good graces." She smiles. "Thanks, girl. You're the best."
I cock my head back. "What?" I look down at the list. Ethel checks it over my shoulder.
For slowpoke Mia:
Ask for me (as in Suzie) to be added to the shift of people watching you
Beg for me to be returned to my previous position, because what will the pack be without me
Tell the brothers and everyone you know how much we're getting along
Hang out with me twice a day
Only call me as "bestie"
"What the hell is this?" I scream at her.
"You mean, what the hell is this, bestie," she corrects.
I ball the paper up.
She stops me before I get the chance to throw it at her. "Listen to me." She takes a step closer, looking into my eyes. "I really think you should hold onto that paper."
I try to throw it again, but there's something in her eyes that makes me stop. I tighten my grip on it. "I'm leaving," I say, because I really can't stand this girl.
Ethel shakes his head. "Look what you did, Z. You guys were really making progress."
"Yeah, yeah." She puts her hands on his shoulders and leads him out. "Get out, Ethy. Stop meddling in my business." She slams the door behind him, but not before giving me a look.
In the car, on the way to our next stop, I pull the crumpled sheet of paper out of my back pocket. I feel like I'm missing something.
"What's that?" Onai asks.
I shake my head, reading every entry again. I search for a code or key or a hidden message. She's trying to tell me something, I know it.
"A list of stupid stuff Suzie told her to do." Ethel leans back in his seat, crossing his arms. "I can't believe she did that. Give it to me. I'll throw it away for you."
I'm about to hand it over, but there's something written on the back. I pull it closer to read it.
You're not the only one who's onto them. Get me on your guard shift, you stank ass, three-timing boyfriend stealer xo
P.S. How long did it take you to realize something was on the back? Lol, be honest? *laughs and points at you*
I fold the sheet of paper quickly, stuffing it into my pocket.
Ethel raises an eyebrow.
I smile. "I've got it. I..." I try to think of something quick. "I'm gonna show my brother. He won't believe this."
"Oh, ok." Ethel sits back. "Whatever you want."
I try not to stare at him suspiciously. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I don't trust him as much as I do trust him. It's weird. I like him, at least his personality, but... I don't know. I think Michael was right. It's the people I know who hate me, like Suzie, that I can really trust.
I look at Onai. "So where are we going now?"
"To see Axel," he says.
I frown. "Why'd you say it like that?"
He gives me a look. "Where he's at."
My frown deepens. "Where is he?"
Onai frowns too. "You won't like it."
###
Axel is standing in the midst of the storm with three kids hanging off his legs and two gnawing on each arm. He continues to talk to the daycare lady without a care in the world. "Yeah, so it seems Aiden decided to cut the pizza room after all and..." His eyes land on me. "Mia." He smiles.
I stare at him in horror.
He furrows his brow. "What's wrong?" He walks towards me, angling the attached children so that they don't accidentally get stepped on.
I gesture towards them. "They're eating you," I say.
He waves me off. "They're just playing."
But they're not just playing. These demons are eating him. I hug him, leaving enough space for them to breathe. He kisses my cheek, earning a chorus of "ews" from the kids old enough to say anything. When did we turn into the adult couple that grosses kids out?
Is this a milestone or what?
When we pull apart, he lifts one of his arms and two kids hang from it like it's a jungle gym. "Here. Hold this one."
I give him a wary look but do as told. The chosen toddler immediately shifts into a wolf, stretching out in my arms. "It's kind of cute—"
"Not that one." Axel pulls it away just in time. The kid releases its business onto the floor.
I give him a flat look.
He laughs nervously. "Uh, he likes you."
I frown, but before I can say anything else, Onai moves me to the side.
"What?" I ask, almost falling over.
He points down. My eyes follow the motion. It's that little girl again. The one that bit me last time. She just narrowly misses taking another chunk of my leg, thanks to Onai. She frowns. Then she stands back up and wobbles towards me. The cannibal.
She makes grabby hands at me and her teeth look even sharper than before. I'd leave her if she wasn't about to step in the mess the boy made. I brace myself and lift her up before she does. Her big blue eyes take in every detail of me. Then she snatches up my twists. Ow.
"She likes you too," Axel says, taking the boy to a changing table.
"Yeah." I follow him. "Because she just wants to eat me."
Onai follows too, attracting some kids of his own. Ethel stands by the door looking horrified. "What kind of place is this?"
Axel and Onai give him a look. The girl bites me.
###
"I don't want any," I say.
Axel laughs, holding my hand as we leave the place. "Not even one?"
I shake my head. "Nope. Not even one." I move closer to him as the path gets narrower.
"What'll happen to the pack?" he asks.
"You mean, what'll happen to me." I hold my heart. "If I had one biological kid, then I'd definitely have to have two more or it wouldn't be fair to the other two brothers." I can't have just one, but I don't want three, so I figure I shouldn't have any.
"We could adopt?" he offers. "When the time comes of course."
I shake my head. "I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with adoption, but like I said, I don't want any in the first place... Maybe we could get an intern?" I look at him.
He stares at me incredulously, but he looks amused all the same. "An intern?"
"Yeah." I nod. "Like an apprentice or something."
He can't stop grinning. "So we'll appoint our interning apprentice as the next alpha?"
"Well." I smile. "I was gonna say apprenticing intern but—" I look up.
We're currently walking down a wooded path to the car. Onai and Ethel are up ahead. Axel and I fell behind a while ago. I hear shuffling in the bushes. Slowly the distance between our group diminishes.
Then the whining starts. Growls from the woods like before.
Onai waves them off. "Go."
It silences them, for a moment. Then their whining starts again. I smile. The wolves are back.
Onai sighs, waving again. "Go, I said."
Two wolves dart out of the bushes, rubbing against his legs. I wait for the third one, but it never comes.
My heart stops. "Onai."
He looks at me.
I look around. "Where's the third one?"
He looks at the two at his feet, then at me, seeming to just make sense of what I'm asking. "He's fine. He's by the car."
The wolves notice my presence then and come hurtling towards me. It's not as scary as the first time.
I prepare for them to rub against my legs, but Axel gets in the way. He growls. Not like a warning growl. Like a 'take one step closer and I'll kill you' growl. Even I flinch. The poor things run back to Onai with their tails between their legs.
I glare at Axel. "Why'd you do that? It was fine." The wolves are whining at Onai's feet, seemingly tattling about what happened. I take a step closer, but Axel holds me back.
It's not that he has no sympathy for them, but I can tell from the way he looks at them that he's not willing to take any chances on their behalf. He gives Onai the same look. "You let them by her?"
Onai doesn't say anything. Not at first. Not until Axel repeats himself, then Onai says, "They wouldn't hurt her."
Axel looks at him like he's crazy. "You can't guarantee that. What if you're not around one day to tell them not to eat her?"
"They're not gonna eat her," Onai says incredulously. "These wolves don't eat people. You know that."
"And what if other wolves come and she can't tell the difference?"
Onai doesn't say anything else. But I don't think it's because he agrees. He just looks done with the conversation. He turns around to keep walking, but Axel looks far from finished.
He looks like he's about to tell Onai something he'll regret later. I pull on his arm. "I'm not stupid. I know not to go by wolves alone." I pull on his hand so he'll look at me. "But they helped me when I was being attacked before. I know them."
He nods, turning to me. "I know you do, but they're still not like us. They're not safe for you to be around." he tells me.
Onai cocks his head back.
The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. "They kept me safer than you did."
Needless to say, the walk back to the car is awkward and silent. Axel's still holding my hand, and the wolves are still at Onai's feet, but it's nowhere near peaceful. I want to say something, but I don't know what. I feel bad for what I said to Axel, but at the same time, what he said was out of line too. Even if it's how he felt, he shouldn't've said it in front of Onai. He's half wolf for pete's sake.
But still. I don't want to argue with Axel. Especially because he was just trying to protect me. I tighten my grip on his hand. He tightens his grip on mine, but he still doesn't look at me. Great.
When we make it to the car, I don't see the third wolf. Instead, I see a boy leaning against the driver's door. He looks like an identical copy of Onai, just a few years younger. The wolves run right up to him, seemingly forgetting the trauma they just went through. They rub their bodies up against him. The boy doesn't shoo them away like Onai, or just pat their heads. He all but drops to his knees and wrestles with them.
"Get off the floor, Luca." Onai pushes past the boy, opening the door.
The boy stares at Onai for a while, halfway buried by the other wolves, and then he looks at us, cautiously.
Silence. I can already tell he's not much of a talker, but he does as Onai says. He gets off the floor.
"Hey, Luca," Ethel finally says. "You've gotten even taller."
Axel nods. "He'll be as tall as his brother soon." He looks at Onai.
Onai doesn't say anything. He pulls papers out of his car. His backpack. Is he leaving?
The boy, Luca, turns to me. He seems just as distant with me as he did with Axel and Ethel, but he stares at me with curious eyes. It's clear that he recognizes me from somewhere, but where?
Realization dawns on me. "Are you the wolf from before?" I ask.
He doesn't answer. He just stares at me. It's like he's assessing everything about me. Then he finally asks, "The one who saw you pepper spray Onai?"
I nod, cringing at the image.
He tries not to laugh. "Yup."
Before I can say anything else, Onai says, "Don't talk to her."
Luca raises an eyebrow, but Onai just says, "Alpha's orders. We're wild animals."
"I didn't say that," Axel says.
Ethel hesitates then whispers, "You kind of did."
Axel glares at him.
Onai slams the door and throws Ethel the keys. Then he says, "Come on," to his group. The wolves follow quickly. Luca does too, but I get in the way.
"Don't leave," I say.
"Mia, stop." Axel walks up to me. "Let him go if he wants to go."
Onai tries to walk around us, but I move in his way again. "Help me out here, Axel. Just tell him you're sorry. You're sorry aren't you?"
Axel says absolutely nothing. He looks like he wants to, but it's stupid pride.
I look at Onai. "You know he didn't mean it the way you're taking it. Come on."
Onai looks away.
Axel sighs. "I'll just leave."
"What?" I ask.
"Onai can stay," he clarifies. "You feel safer with him, right?"
Omg. These grown ass men are acting a fool. "I never said that."
Ethel hesitates then whispers, "You kind of did."
I glare at him. Axel's face falls.
Omg. I feel like I'm torn between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, I get what Axel was saying. They're wolves. Not dogs or cats or any kind of domesticated animal. They could easily become very dangerous. Maybe I am being a little too casual with them, and I definitely shouldn't have insulted his ability to protect me, but at the same time, his best friend is half wolf. And now Onai thinks that his friends see him as some kind of rabid animal.
I try to think of a way to please them all. I think I come up with an answer. "Onai, you stay," I say, nodding to myself. "It's your car, and you didn't do anything wrong, so you should stay."
Before Axel can complain, I clarify. "We'll go."
He raises an eyebrow. "Just us?"
I nod. Onai's great and all, but I'm with Axel and that means something to me. Plus, I'd genuinely like some alone time with him and a break from all this luna-ing.
That was the plan at least, but once we're halfway down the sidewalk, Onai and Axel look back at each other. They have the most stubborn expressions on their faces, but their eyes give away how bad they feel.
"I'm sorry," they both mutter under their breaths. Then they bro-hug it out.
I smack my forehead. What? What was the point of all of that? But Ethel and Luca don't look surprised.
I don't care. I'm getting some alone time with Axel either way.
---
A/N (4/10/18) - Thoughts on the nurse situation? What do you think's going on there with Janice and Mr. Olcan?
Do you still hate Suzie? Do you love to hate her or hate to love her lol?
How did you feel about Mia stepping up as luna during the meeting?
[NOTE: Cute Axel and Aiden scenes coming in the next chapter]
P.S. Sorry for the late/limited updates. My semester is almost over, so hopefully the drought will end soon. I promise I'm trying my best. Sorry again. Thank you all for the continued support. Have a great week! You guys are the best :D