Pulling up to the pack house, Leila took a deep breath. She didn't want to go inside. Sure it had taken her forever to perfect her look for tonight and even longer to get there. Her nervousness caused her to drive in circles for 20 minutes. The fact the Sammi called, telling her to get her ass over to the house so that they could go for a run before she mated with Riley, was how she finally ended up in front of the house.
Like last time, there were lots of people scattered about the lawn. Their cars lined the front yard. Getting out of her vehicle, she took a moment to look around for a friendly and familiar face. Not finding one, she made her way up to the front door.
When she walked in, she noticed that Sammi was no where in sight. Making her way toward the kitchen, she felt a strong hand grab her arm. Her heartbeat increased.
"Hey. I've been looking for you all night." Leila turned around to face the person that captured her arm recognizing the voice.
"Oh Clinton, are you sure that you should do that," She nodded her head toward his hand on her arm. "I heard that Monica can be a very jealous person."
"That's alright. I like her when she's feisty. It's definitely a turn on." Leila could see the fire in his eyes just thinking about his new play toy. She smirked at him. Scott looked very put together in a light blue button down shirt that was tucked into a pair of dark gray slacks. His styled messy hair highlighted his cocky, toothy grin.
"Oh keep your dick in your pants, Clinton. She's not even here yet." A voice spoke from behind Scott. Hannah stepped from around Scott into view. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her blue Grecian dress that stopped at her knees. She wore silver shoes that had a small heel and a pointed toe. Her blonde hair was pulled to the side forming a loose, fishtail braid. Her makeup was minimal but her long eyelashes that could put a horse to shame, highlighted her soft green eyes.
"Oh hey Hannah. Please, join our conversation. It's not like I wasn't about to get shit from anyone else," he spoke sarcastically looking at Leila.
"Whoa yo whoa, look Hugh Hefner, she was just joking. Normally, you aren't so uptight about us tossing a joke at your bunny." Leila joked earning a glare from Scott while he swept his hand through the air toward Leila, as if to show his point.
"She isn't just some bunny. The shit she does to me behind closed doors clearly says that she is a tigress." He smirked at the girls.
"Oh so now you've figured out that you are supposed to close the door? Well done, Clinton. Maybe Monica is a good match for you." Hannah laughed as she patted Scott on the back.
"You know Hannah, all that teasing makes me think you might be a little bit jealous. You are more than welcome to join us anytime you'd like." Scott tapped Hannah on the nose displaying a satisfied smile. Leila's eyes widened at his statement. Hannah scowled at him.
"Not now nor ever would I even dream of going near that potentially diseased stick of yours. I am so not even into to that!" Hannah visibly shivered at the thought.
"Offensive. I'll have you know my penis is just fine." Scott faked an offensive tone.
"Clinton, Clinton, Clinton. I wasn't talking about your penis." Hannah winked at Leila, who was trying to hold back a laugh.
"And on that note, I think I need a drink. You guys want to join?" Leila walked away laughing at the banter that continued between the two behind her.
When they entered the kitchen, Leila was once again in awe of the massiveness of the home. Except for the shifting parties, the pack house only had two dwellers. What did two men that rarely spent time at their home need three ovens for? She looked at what seemed like the never ending counter covered with foods and drinks finding a bowl of red punch. She poured herself as well as Hannah and Scott a cup. Bringing the drink to her lips, she could smell the fruitiness of the drink. There was definitely a large amount of alcohol in the punch. She could smell a hint of something else. Something that made her senses go into overload. She took a sip and instantly felt the effects of the alcohol.
"Whoa! What the hell kind of voodoo alcohol is this?" Leila felt herself start to giggle.
"Not sure. But I tell you what, I don't hate it." Hannah joked taking a large gulp of the beverage.
"It's called Whiplash." Scott spoke before he took a drink of the fruity cocktail.
"Whiplash?" Leila asked. The taste was so addicting that she took another sip.
"Yeah, it's a mix of fruity juice like watermelon or fruit punch, vodka, and wolfs-bane." Scott spoke as if it common knowledge. "The effects of wolfs-bane hit you so fast that it can make you head spin. Hints the name 'Whiplash.'
"I don't care, I just know that I definitely need another cup." Hannah downed the rest of the contents of her cup and stretched her hand toward Leila signaling for a refill. Leila obliged.
"As much as I would love to take a video of Hannah dancing on the table, I will advise you on being careful with that drink. Wolfs-bane in large quantities can be like LSD. Not that I think there is enough in the cup to make you start talking to walls, but still." Scott reached down the counter for cookie.
With that bit of information, Leila instantly felt herself begin to sober up. She could not afford to spend the night having conversations with inanimate objects. This party was supposed to be a night free of embarrassment. It was also a night that was important for her best friend and she couldn't afford to be outside of her right mind in case things went sour. What would Grayson think of her if she was drunk? Looking hot can only get you so far when your mouth is shooting out nonsense.
"You okay there Leila? You look like your puppy just died," Hannah joked.
"Oh yeah. I'm great. Just remembering some things I need to do tonight. I'm supposed to go for a run with Sammi. You guys wanna join?" She dumped the rest of the contents of her cup down the sink and then tossed the empty cup into the trash.
"Sarah said she won't be here for another hour so I've got plenty of time." Scott grabbed another cookie to eat.
"Eh, why the hell not" Hannah shrugged, "I already went for a run but I love letting my wolf out. I'm sure she'll enjoy the release for a second time tonight."
"Okay cool. Let's go find Sammi. I'm sure she is somewhere around here with Riley." Leila started to make her way through the house.
They found Sammi standing next to Riley in a group of people from work. Sammi turned and smiled largely at her friend. Leila saw her instantly relax. They met halfway between the two of them and hugged.
"Do you realize I was five minutes away from demanding Riley to send out a retrieval group to bring your ass here?! I'm so glad you made it!" Sammi reached out and hugged her friend again.
Leila could only laugh at her friend. She knew that shouldn't have taken so long to get to her but she was nervous to see Grayson. She wasn't justifying her actions to herself, just making excuses. It seems kind of pointless now since she hasn't seen him yet.
"I'm here now and I ran into these nut jobs on my way to you." She pointed to Hannah and Scott who standing behind her enjoying the benefits of the Whiplash. "I wanted to catch you so that you could go for a run with us before you go off and you know..." Leila wiggled her eyebrows at Sammi hinting at the mating. Sammi raised her eyebrow and laughed.
"Yeah let me check with Riley and we can go." She walked over to Riley and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be back." With that she turned on her heel and walked back toward Leila leaving Riley a little stunned. All that Leila could do was chuckle to herself.
"Are you sure you know what the definition of what 'check' is?" Scott asked Sammi as they walked away.
"Check, inform, doesn't it all mean the same thing?," she said nonchalantly.
"I like you." Hannah laughed a little too loudly as they made their way outside.
Sammi looked back at Leila and nodded her head in the direction of Hannah. "Whiplash?"
"Mhmm." Leila nodded.
They all stepped behind trees except for Scott who felt he was good looking enough to strip out in the middle of the field.
The release was great. Leila always loved the feeling off letting her wolf take over. It was a chance to not think. To just be. To embrace her animalistic side. It was wonderful to just relax and be around people that felt the same way as her. There was a bond between the four of them that no regular human would understand. Not only were they connected because of their abilities and strengths, but they were connected because of the pack they shared. As the four pack members ran through the woods and all over the field playing and teasing in their wolf forms, Leila realized that they weren't just pack members. They were brother and sisters. No matter what happened they would all be there for one another because of that. It was almost a magical feeling to realize that even though she was away from her real family, that these people were also her family.