Thank you, you beautiful people for being so bloody amazing ♥
Chapter 17
Cursing, I sighed and let my frustration out on my hairbrush by slamming it down on the table. I had stood here for twenty minutes trying to control my unruly hair, but it wasn't having any of it. Staring at the reflection of the green eyed, slightly pink cheeked girl, I let out another exasperated sigh.
I had three hours to go before Ray's party and I was still nowhere near ready. In fact, I was still in my camisole and sweats.
"Honey, are you ready?" My mom called from the other side of the bathroom door. Instead of answering, I walked over to the door and opened it, letting my mom see just exactly how far I had gotten in my attempts to get ready.
Her face said it all. "Oh Rainie," She covered her mouth with her fingers. "What happened?" I could see she was stifling a laugh. So much for a mother's support.
I knew she was referring to the crazy, fuzzy hairstyle that I was currently sporting. "It just won't stay down." I moaned, running my hands over my hair trying to get it at least a little flatter and not resembling the aftermath of an electric shock.
Giving me a smile, she pulled me from the bathroom, across my bedroom and sat me down on the chair. "It won't take that long to fix. When are the girls coming over?"
Folding my feet underneath me I fiddled with the hem of my camisole. "Emma's already at Ray's helping him set up and Bella is coming over in," I craned my neck around and looked at the time on my bedside clock, "twenty minutes."
"What's your dress like?" she asked as she pulled my hair and tied the top half up before taking a styling iron to the bottom layer.
Squirming in my seat I locked eyes with her through the mirror I was sat in front of. "I don't know," I shrugged. "Bella picked it out for me." The nerves I had about what kind of dress she chose came back to me. Bella had a... unique style, but I hoped she had just picked a normal, Rainie-like dress.
Ten minutes later I could see some improvement in my hair and by improvement I meant it was half way to being slightly presentable. "Hey mom," I began. Even the thought of speaking to my mom about this had my legs bouncing up and down and me ringing my hands. "What was it like with you and dad?"
Her forehead creased. "When you first met, I mean. What happened?"
Instantly her face brightened and her lips lifted into a full, beaming smile. "We were sixteen and it took him three weeks to tell me." She chuckled as she recalled the memory.
"He told you?" I asked in confusion.
Nodding her head, she let another strand of perfectly styled hair cascade down my back. "You only know who your mate is when your eyes meet with theirs. Until then all you get is their scent and it could be anyone in the room." She explained.
I closed my eyes, remembering that day in my head. How Mason's eyes scanned the cafeteria in search of me. How... full I felt. Full of happiness, full of love, full of lust and pride when I saw him. Somehow I felt complete, as if every part of me was in place now that I knew I had him. Refocusing my eyes back on my mom, I knew exactly why she had a smile that big on her face, it was an incredible feeling.
She continued, not noticing the sudden unshed tears that filled my eyes. "He noticed me three weeks before, but he said he was too nervous to approach me. We didn't have any classes together, with him being a year older, so the opportunity for me to see him never really came up."
I continued to listen to everything my father had told her about the first time he saw her and knew she was his mate. Even now, after all the years they had been married I could still see the spark they had was still there between them.
"I had a free period and I was on my way to the library when all my books where knocked out of my hand by some kids that had ran past me." She recalled." Anyway, your father helped me pick up my books and when I felt his hand brush past mine, well my eyes nearly fell out of their sockets." She giggled like a school girl. "I knew it then, in that one second I knew who he was and that he was made to be mine." Rolling her eyes, she let out a snort. My mom was never the romantic type, unless it came to my father, then she would melt like a bar of chocolate in the sun.
"Of course, his eyes were bulging out of his head and his mouth was gaped open like a fish. He stumbled over every word that he spoke and he blushed like a fool." Her loved up smile returned. "I loved him the second I saw him and every time he pushed his glasses further up his nose, or the way he pulled the sleeves of his sweater over his hands when he was nervous."
With eyes practically sparkling with joy, she let the last tendril of hair fall freely. "Our other half is called our soul mate for a reason, Rainie. No matter what happens, you will be there, to protect each other, to help each other or just to make each other smile." Running her fingers through my hair, she let out a breath and smiled at her work. "There."
Taking my eyes off her and letting them fall on my reflection I beamed up at her. "Thanks mom, I really app--"
A light knock on the door interrupted me. It was Bella. "Your dad said it was okay for me to come up," She smiled and set all of her bags on the bed. "Hey, Mrs Harper."
Leaving a kiss on the top of my head my mom gave Bella a full smile, "It's good to see you dear. Have a great night girls, no drinking and you'll call me in the morning." I nodded in agreement as she walked out of the door.
Walking over to the bags, Bella took out her makeup case and hung both of our dresses on the door; mine still hidden with a black cover. "Your hair looks awesome." I smiled at her compliment, it really did look good. It was styled in slight waves, allowing all the natural highlights to be seen, and fell to the middle of my back.
"Now for your makeup," Holding up her hand before I could say anything she continued. "I know, I know, you don't want too much. I know exactly what I'm doing, trust me."
Twenty minutes later I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, dress on refusing to look at myself. "Oh, come on Rainie," I could imagine her hands flying up in frustration. "What's taking you so long?"
What's taking me so long? The fact I feel like an overdressed idiot might be a small part of the reason. I didn't see the point of all this. It was a house party with people from school, not the MTV awards. Yet here I was standing in a skin tight, deep purple dress that barely reached the middle of my thighs. I felt awkward, so no doubt I looked it as well.
"Come on, Rainie." Bella pleaded through the door. "The dress is perfect for you and you're going to look amazing. Super hot, in fact." The determination in her words was the only thing that had me opening my eyes.
Oh my. The girl staring back at me wasn't the one I was used to seeing. My hair was the same color, but the flashes of red and dark brown could be seen better than before. My skin was the same, but it looked brighter with the light pink blush giving the impression of higher cheek bones. My naturally long eyelashes where even longer with the ultra black mascara that made my green eyes stand out even more than they usually did and my lips looked full with the pale red stain that Bella had applied.
My eyes slowly trailed down from my face to the dress. I had to give it to Bella; she picked a truly amazing outfit me. The deep purple fabric clung to my figure, giving me the perfect hourglass shape. It was still a little shorter than I'd normally wear, but I couldn't help but think it gave the impression of longer legs, something I welcomed gladly. I wasn't short, but longer legs were always a good thing, right? The lace design covered my chest and ran down half way down my arms.
"Damn it Rainie, I'm growing roots here." Bella called impatiently. Taking one final breath I opened the door and watched her face for any hints that I should ditch the dress and wear plan b. Plan b being jeans, converse and a shirt.
"Wow!" Letting out a whistle, she placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side. "I think I've found my mate." I burst out laughing. "Seriously, you look gorgeous."
Smiling, I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear and mumbled my thanks. I wasn't sure gorgeous was the word to describe what I looked like, but I certainly felt pretty, if not still slightly overdressed.
Twirling on the spot, Bella gave me a full smile. "How fantastic is this dress?" She swung side to side, letting the orange fabric swing around her gracefully. The dress clung to her waist, flaring out at the hips and falling to her knees. She had worn a pair of ballet flats with minimal accessorize. She looked beautiful.
Reaching for her bag and handing me the keys she linked her arm through mine. "Ready to go?"
I smiled and nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be."
"It's going to be one hell of a night." She promised. .
* * *
The music was so loud it could be heard from outside the house. Cars adorned the streets and there were a couple of people hanging outside, cups of beer in their hands. Ray was the complete opposite to us. He wasn't the most popular guy in school, but everyone knew him and got on well with him. He was the naturally bubbly, friendly guy that spoke to anyone and everyone.
As soon as we entered the house, I could hear his voice. "Rainie! Bella!" He yelled over the music, his eyes reaching over people's heads to find us. "Here," He said passing us two plastic red cups. The strong scent of beer hit my nose instantly.
Taking the cup I lifted it to my lips and let the cold froth of the beer to slip down my throat. I had tasted beer before and whilst it wasn't my favorite drink, I didn't think it was all that bad.
Ray's parents were away visiting his grandmother for the weekend so we had free reign of the house and he was making good use of it. "Where's Emma?" Bella asked, pulling a face and spiting the beer back into the cup. "This tastes like metal." Her nose scrunched up.
Throwing his arms over our shoulders, he pulled us in the direction of the kitchen. "She ran the store to get ice, she forgot it earlier." He smiled and shook his head. "We've got all kinds of drink Bella, pick whatever you want." With that he kissed our cheeks and headed off into the crowd of bodies.
With her eyes skimming over the counter top which was filled with every different kind of alcoholic drink, she turned to me, giving me a disgusted look as I lifted the cup to my lips. "How do you drink that? It tastes like a cup full of dimes."
Shrugging, I quickly finished off the remainder of my drink before reaching for another one. "I like it." Besides I was always nervous when I came to parties like this. It wasn't like this was new to me, Ray always threw a party when his parents were out of town, but I wasn't exactly the social butterfly. I hated attention and I hated crowds. Not a good mix when you find yourself in a sea of bodies, grinding on each other.
"Come on," I said, grabbing hold of Bella's arm and pulling her back out of the kitchen, "Let's find Nicky. He said he was picking Jude up, they should be here by now."
My eyes widened when they landed on the pool area outside. What is he doing here?! My blood almost instantly boiled at an unnatural temperature and my nails dug further into the skin on Bella's arm.
Breathing deeply, I decided I didn't want any trouble tonight. I didn't want to think about anything I didn't have to. I wanted to have fun and drink with my friends, not obsess over Mason and why he was here, or why Anna was standing between his legs with her arms draped over his shoulders. No. That wasn't my problem.
Yanking my arm, Bella pulled me deeper into the house, causing the Harbor Pack to slip from my sights. Almost instantly I was wrapped in two warm arms, a face nuzzled into my neck. "You girls are going to be making it our job to watch out for you dressed like that." Pulling back I came face to face with Nicky's full smile.
He dropped his arms from me and leaned over to kiss Bella's cheek. "You both look gorgeous." My hand instinctively reached up to push my hair behind my ears. "Right, Jude?"
My head snapped up and met his grey eyes. We hadn't really spoken since the whole kiss-thing and I still wasn't prepared to see him. Nodding, he gave me a small, boyish smile. It was adorable.
Bella's voice broke through the sudden intense tension that had filled the air around us. "Oh stop," She playfully swatted Nicky's chest. "You guys are making me blush like one of those stupid girls."
Laughing, he swung his arm around her shoulders. "What are you drinking?" Instead of waiting for her to answer, he took the cup from her hands and took a swig of it. "Mmm." He moaned licking his top lip, "I need to get me one of those." And with that he and Bella were disappearing into the crowd.
Damn it. I was left alone with Jude. Well, not exactly alone, we had about forty people surrounding us, but still. "So," I began, thought I had nothing to follow that up with.
Oh, good God Ranie, get a grip.
"So," He mimicked me. I could see he was trying to hold back a smile.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I playfully glared at him. "Are you making fun of me, Taylor?"
Taking a step closer to me, he leaned in just enough that I could feel a faint tickle of his cool, mint breath. "Would I do that to you, Harper?"
My heart rate spiked and my breathing suddenly became heavy. "I think you'd do a lot to me." My mouth dropped open. I couldn't believe I had said that. My heart suddenly beat twice as fast as before, but it wasn't lust that was driving it out of my chest, it was utter embarrassment. God, how stupid did that sound?
Just when I was about to pull away and drink my weight in alcohol just to forget about that single second, I heard it. It was so faint that I could have been mistaken, but I was sure it happened. Jude had taken a sharp intake of breath as a moan rumbled in the back of his throat. "Damn right I would." He whispered. "Especially with you looking like that."
My name being called behind me had me snap out of whatever desire that was building in my body and turn my head away from Jude. "Emma, you look great." I smiled and kissed her cheek. My voice was shaky; hell my whole body was shaky. I don't know how I was managing to stand. What the hell is wrong with me?
"Thanks, so do you." She said standing back and admiring my dress. "Got a drink?" I nodded and turned towards Jude, who surprisingly seemed as calm and controlled as ever.
He shook his head, "I'll get one, what do you want Emma?" After taking her order and offering to fill my cup up, he swiftly made his way through the people and out of sight.
"Have you seen who's here?" Emma asked me, her eyes filled with worry. Nodding, I suddenly wished I still had my drink in my hand. "I'm so sorry. I told Ray he shouldn't have let them in, but..." She trailed off looking guilty.
She had nothing to be guilty for. Okay, so it wasn't the greatest thing that he was here, but it was a high school party, of course they would be here. Everyone was here. "Don't worry, Em." I shrugged. "As long as he doesn't go possessive Alpha on me, I don't care." It was true. Yes, my heart still panged at the sight of him, but I had done this over and over and everything just felt so repetitive. I wanted a night away from it all and tonight was it.
Knowing Emma as well as I did, I could see she didn't entirely believe me, but she dropped the subject. "Come on, let's dance."
Well that wasn't going to happen. "No, no, no," I pulled my hand out of her grasp. "I haven't drank nearly enough alcohol to speak to anyone other than you guys, let alone dance in front of everyone." I laughed.
* * *
The slight buzz in my head and comforting warmth that seeped through me from the alcohol had definitely made me more relaxed. "Don't push me too hard!" I yelled over the music. Even in the garden it was still so loud.
Nicky laughed, "You're not going to fall Rainie." He assured me. "Besides that's what those guys are there for." He nodded in the direction of Jude, Bella and Luke, a guy from Ray's biology class.
Biting my lip I sat my drink down on the table before sitting on the old wooden swing that hung from the tree. I was small, but I didn't think it was going to hold my weight. It looked at least a hundred years old. I wouldn't trust a feather on this thing. Gripping tight hold of the rope that supported the wooden seat, I lowered myself down.
Please don't snap. Please don't snap.
The odd creaking noise did not help my confidence in the swing's ability to hold my weight, but after sitting like a statue for a couple of minutes, it didn't seem too bad. "Okay, push me," I said to Nicky. "But not too much!" I added hastily. If he pushed me and I fell off I'd kill him, Alpha or not.
The giggles that bubbled inside of me were welcomed. I felt as if I hadn't laughed for years, and here I was, a little tipsy being pushed on a swing and I couldn't stop myself. I didn't even know what I was laughing at, but it wasn't long before Nicky, Jude, Bella and even Luke had all joined in. The feeling of eyes on me never left me, I could practically feel them burning holes through me, but I ignored them. I refused to look his way.
"That's enough," I could barely get the words out through my laughter. "Bella, it's your turn." Nicky grabbed hold of the swing, bringing it to a slow stop so I could get off. My legs were a little weak from not using them, but I righted myself quickly enough not to end up falling on my butt.
"I want another drink." I said to no one in particular. Laughing and screaming my lungs out was thirsty work.
A hand reached for my arm, "I'll come with you." Jude smiled and there it was again, that spike in my heart rate. I hadn't missed that my wolf wasn't entirely displeased with my body's reaction either.
Glancing from Jude to the floor, back to Jude and then in front of me, it was no surprise I would lose my footing. Stumbling forward, I grabbed tight hold of Jude's arm before I face planted the grass. "Whoa, Harper," Jude chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist to pull me up straight. "Don't fall for me too hard, pretty girl." Flashing me his adorable boyish grin, he winked. That, of course, sent my insides into overdrive.
Hiccupping, I tried to think of something to say back to him, but the fuzziness of my mind stopped me from making sense of the words floating around inside of my brain. "We need to get you some water."
Shaking my head I pulled away from Jude and sat down on the steps. I didn't want to walk anymore, I felt sick. Waving my hands, I grunted when he tried to lift me back up. Sighing, he knelt down in front of me. "I'll go and get you some water, you stay here." He informed me. "Don't move." I made a mumbling sound to show I had heard him and watched as he jogged back into the house.
Everyone around me was dancing, grinding against each other, or making out. They looked as if they were having a pretty good time and I couldn't help but wonder why they weren't feeling sick. I hadn't had that much to drink, maybe five or six cups. I guess I should have listened to Emma when she told me to eat something before I came.
A strong scent suddenly filled my nose. It was a mixture of spice, wood and beer, I found it strangely mouth-watering. Craning my neck around, I couldn't catch who it was coming from, everyone was moving around too much.
Slowly and very carefully I pushed myself up from the stone steps. After all, I didn't want to go toppling over and rolling down the hill. Jude telling me to stay in one place was easily forgotten as I went in search of whatever delicious scent was causing my stomach to tighten. Wherever and whoever it came from I wanted to know.
The sound of the party was left behind as I walked deeper into the forest. "Looking for me, babe?" A deep, slurred voice startled me, causing me clutch at my chest. My vision was kind of blurry, but that didn't stop the guy's face coming into clear view. I didn't recognize him from school or our pack. It didn't take me long to figure out that he must have been from the Harbor Pack.
He stood tall, his blond-brown hair styled perfectly and his dark eyes were hooded with an expression I couldn't quite read. He remained still, his hand tucked into his jeans and a cup of beer in his other, watching me with a one sided smirk on his face.
"No, I'm looking for my friend." I tried to keep my voice strong, and I would have succeeded had it have not been for the hiccupping mid-sentence.
Raising his eyebrow he began to walk towards me. I definitely didn't want that, so with every step he took closer, I took one further away. Having a quick look around I could see that I was too buried in the woods for anyone to see or hear me. No one would think to look for me here and that thought alone made me want the ground to open up and swallow me.
I didn't know this guy, but something told me I couldn't trust him. My wolf was wary too. Her guard was up and she was ready to pounce at any minute. I on the other hand wasn't so clear headed. My co-ordination was all over the place, but I trusted her judgment and that was to get the hell away from this guy.
"Why don't we have a little fun, hmm?" His voice was husky, but cold, lacking any emotion. Tilting his chin in the air, I watched slightly confused as he took a deep breath. "Mmm, well don't you smell ripe?"
My mouth hung open. Crap. "Uh, no?" Damnit. He laughed at me and even that was menacing. What the hell did he mean, I was ripe?
Even if I hadn't have blinked, I would have still missed him soar towards me, bringing me to the floor and pinning me down, his body acting as a weight on top on me.
Twisting a handful of my hair around his wrist he pulled my head back forcing it to tilt upwards. My wolf was furious inside of me, but trying to push against someone who probably weighed three times as much as she did with pure muscle wasn't the easiest thing to do.
My scalp hurt where my hair was being pulled and the tears were only building in my eyes. Trying to stay quiet wasn't easy either and I couldn't stop the whimpers from escaping my pressed together lips.
The tip of his tongue shot out and made its way up the middle of my throat as he breathed my scent in. What the hell was wrong with him? No one had ever gone this crazy over a scent before.
"You're going to be a treat, babe." His voice was raspy, it made my skin crawl.
"Please," I quietly begged. "Please, don't hurt me." I held very little hope that it would work, but I had to try something.
His hand left my waist and grabbed tight hold of my chin, moving my face away from his. "Begging with only make this worse, Sugar." His wet lips pressed against my ear. The sense of a threat behind his word didn't go unnoticed. "Now keep that pretty little mouth of your shut, unless you're prepared to have something of mine in it." Letting his hand drop from my face, he slowly slid his hand down my side to my hip where he dug his short nails into my skin. My jaw ached where he had held it so tightly and I was sure it would leave a mark.
"Don't worry Sugar," The rough voice whispered into my ear. "I'm more than happy to help with your little urges."
Little urges? What the hell is he talking about?
His tongue ran across my bottom lip, but there was no way I was going to let him kiss me. Tears were slowly starting to run down my cheek, mixing into my hair. Those silent tears turned into begging sobs when his hand slowly made its way up my thigh, his fingers slipping underneath my dress.
Please stop. Please stop. Please stop.
I chanted over and over again. I knew it was no use, he couldn't hear me an even if he did I knew it wouldn't make a difference. The sound of the buckle on his jeans brought a new wave of panic over me. Oh god. Why was this happening?
Jude words floated around my head again and I couldn't help but wish I had listened. The buzz of alcohol had all but worn off and I could feel every emotion of my wolf. She was beyond furious. Not only was she angry with him for doing this to me, but she was angry with herself for not being able to fight him off and protect me. None of this was her fault and I told her that over and over, but she was too charged up to understand what I was staying.
Panting, my wolf suddenly silenced inside of me. What happened? I tried to shut out the guys incessant kissing and licking of my neck, and his roaming hand which had climbed further up my dress to concentrate on what had made her so quiet.
That's when I smelt it.
That familiar woody, spicy scent that had a mix of alcohol.
As if instantly my stomach tightened in knots and a burning sensation simmered in my core. Oh my. My whole body tingled with an electric buzz that I almost wept in pleasure. I had never felt anything like this before. Digging my nails into the dry soil that lay beneath me, I breathed deeply, wanting every last drop of that scent inside of me.
I knew it, it was so familiar, yet I could place it anywhere.
My body suddenly went cold as the guy was thrown off me. A loud crack as he slammed against a tree echoed around me causing me to wince as he slumped in a mound of muscle on the floor. The sound of rustling had me whipping my head around and spine tingling growl ripped through the now eerie night silence had me recoiling and bringing my legs up to my stomach and wrapping my arms around them.
I briefly entertained the child-like idea that if I closed my eyes and hid myself no one would be able to see me. It was soon proven untrue when a fury snout nuzzled against my head. I refused to lift my eyes to his for two reasons. One, I wasn't sure I would be able to stop myself from jumping him and two, I was absolutely terrified.
Having no idea who the wolf was didn't matter, I felt safe with him and I knew he wouldn't hurt me. I continued to hug myself and the wolf continued to try and gain my attention.
He was making sure I was okay.
Stretching my arm out I blindly patted what I hoped was the top of his head to let him know I was fine. In return I received a wolfy grunt.
With one final nudge of his head to mine he was gone, the cool pre-summer air replacing his presence. Whether I looked at what was happening or not wouldn't matter, I could hear it.
I could hear the growls and grunts, the snapping of teeth and finally, after what felt like a lifetime, the crack of a neck. Whose neck I wasn't quite sure. Closing my eyes tighter, I silently prayed for it to be the other guy.
My body jerked slightly when I felt a paw land on my waist and without being able to control them, the muffled sobs and tears began. All of the panic and fear instantly left me and was replaced with relief. I just couldn't stop.
Feeling the warmth from the wolf get closer I knew he had lay beside me, his paw still resting on my waist and his oversized snout nuzzled into my hair.
His breathing was steady and heavy. I could smell the copper-like scent of the other guys blood on his fur, but it never dulled the breathtaking scent he possessed. After all the tears had been shed, my eyes became weighted. The soft fur brushed against my bare skin, tickling me and giving my body a new sense.
"Thank you," I mumbled. I had no idea who the wolf was, but I was thankful to him.
But I wanted to know who he was. I wanted to know who saved me and who had that scent that was driving my body to the brink of ecstasy. Lifting my head wasn't easy, it felt like lead, but I wanted to see him.
My eyes were barely open, but I could faintly make out the color of him. I would know that color anywhere.
Smiling to myself, I allowed my eyes to shut fully and unconsciousness to take me.