Liam
"You smoking again?"Mum snaps.
I hold back my eye roll and remove the cigarette out of my mouth and successfully put it out.
"Not in the house"I say in a gruff tone.
A tone she didn't like at all.
"You might be an adult Liam but don't think I won't kick your ass"
I don't doubt that a bit. Only because she's my mother and I would never put a hand on her, joke or not.
"Sorry mum"I automatically say.
"Now you wanna talk about what got you all gruff"
"Nope"I reply avoiding her eyes.
"Liam-"she starts but I cut her off.
"Nothing is wrong mum."I say softly looking into her eyes.
I get off the wall I'm leaning on and go to her, give her a kiss on the cheeks and walk off.
I am hold my hands up and say I am the biggest mummy's boy to exist. I love my mum. She is my best friend. But there are things you can't tell your mum. Not because it's inappropriate but because I don't understand it myself.
It was my birthday yesterday. I should be happier that I'm a year older. It was great. Mum got everyone to come for my 23rd birthday, this includes my family from redwood pack. I didn't want to make it a big deal but mum thought otherwise. She claimed it is my golden birthday since I was born on the 23rd. Something I didn't know. Until I walked in the house with everyone shouting surprise.
You can't actually surprise a werewolf. It's not a thing. Especially in moonlight pack. And it wasn't because I could smell everyone a mile away but because Bryce is terrible at keeping secrets. Literally patted me on my back the day before and told me not be late for my surprise party. When he realised what he had done, he winced. I didn't hesitate to laugh and call him an idiot. I promised him that I will act surprised for my mum. Thing is I'm the worst actor. Bryce isn't. He literally jumped six foot and acted surprise for me.
It was great to see my friends from redwood. I don't get to see them as much as I want to, especially with the number of rogues increasing making it harder for us to protect our packs and territory. Unfortunately I didn't get to meet Cameron's mate. Things are not going good for my friend. I could see it from his face. I know what went down, know she's not with him no more. Know it hurt my friend. Know it from his frown, his gruff voice and the dark circles around his eyes but he still came to wish me happy birthday. We threw down some drinks and after I got him a bit wasted, he let loose. Lex drove him home after. He made me promised to call and said some other random things I can't remember. All I remember is seeing the pain in his eyes. I don't know this Ry girl, but I hope she returns to my boy.
My mother was amazing but not a miracle maker. Even she couldn't get the one person I want to come. Not that I would ever admit to it.
The party was great until I realised she wasn't coming. And I wasn't going to get my famous birthday present yet another year. And that killed me.
Flashback
10 year old Liam
"Hey Jacobs!"I turned away from my parents putting our weekend bags in the car and face the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.
Not that I would ever admit it to her. She would gut me, snatch my heart and eat it for breakfast.
She was runningtowards me, her brown hair messy in her pigtails. Her hazel eyes glittering beneath the sun. She worn pink jean shorts and hello kitty shirt. Her toes were painted purple. She had mud stains on her clothes, hair and face but she still managed put on her lipgloss.
When she reached me I noticed she had something in her hands. She was out of breath and panting. Her smile was big and I couldn't help but smile back. She didn't smile at me often and when she did, I drank it up.
She handed me a box.
"It's not something big but I thought it was cool so I brought it for you"she says in the softest voice ever.
It was the most vulnerable I had ever seen her. I took the box from her hands and held it in one hands, the other placed on the lid.
You never know with her. It could be a frog or worms. It would explain the mud stains.
"Open it"she pushes making me hesitant.
"What is in this box?"I ask her.
"It's your birthday present!"she replies.
"Did you-"she cuts me off when she snapped
"No I didn't put anything nasty. I promise. Just open it."
"Swear if it is-"
"Argh you're so annoying! Just open the damn box already!"she snaps.
"Gee okay. I'm opening it"I chuckled.
So I do. At first I wasn't sure what it was so I took it out of the box and held it in my hands.
"It's a kaleidoscope"she told me. "It's in your favourite colour. Hazel greenish"
I don't say anything but look at it.
The excitement drops from her voice when she said "if you don't like it, just say it."
I looked back at her. She wasn't grinning. She actually looked pissed and I didn't understand why.
"You got me a kaleidoscope?"I ask her.
If possible, she started to look even more angry. She went in to snatch it from my hands but I held it away from her.
"Give it back!"she demands.
"No it's mine"
"No it's not. I brought it. I want it back"she told me.
"No you literally just gave it to me. It's mine"
"But you don't even want it"she said her voice shaking.
"I love it Delilah. It's my favourite present so far"I told her honestly.
She retreated her hands. Her icy look melted before my eyes. She blushed. I couldn't help but smile and think that maybe she liked me too.
Suddenly the Delilah I know returns. She holds herself up and replaces her vulnerable sweet look with her famous indifference one. The one she saves specially for me. I hated it.
"Good. I'm glad you like it Jacobs"she said stiffly. "See you in three weeks"with that she turned to walk away but I stopped her.
"Love the Kaleidoscope Delilah"I told her.
She didn't say anything. She walked off.
But for the next seven years, she brought me different kaleidoscope for my birthday.
End of flashback.
This is the fourth year I haven't received any kaleidoscope. And for some odd reason that annoys the hell out of me. I hate that she's took that back. She had to know how much it meant to me. Each year.
Delilah and I have never seen eye to eye. We had countless arguments. I lost count. But that's how we work. We argue then we are best friends again. That's how we work. That all changed because of her ex best friend.
If obsession was a person. She would be it. If disease was a person, again she would be it. She's nasty. Evil.
I still don't know what she said to Dee to make her hate me so much. She always says lies making her hate me more.
My phone rings zoning me out of my thought. I pull a cig from my inside pockets of my leather jacket, place it between my lips and dig my phone out from my back pocket.
"Jacobs"I answer removing the cig from my mouth.
"Hey man"Bryce replies.
From his tone I could tell it wouldn't be something good.
"Talk to me Bry"
"Body found east near riverside"
My heart stopped. I knew something bad would happen when I woke up this morning.
"Human or were"
"Were"
"Be right there. Hold tight"I say.
I sigh and look down at the death stick in my hands.
Looks like I'm going to save you to later.
Putting the cig back and mounting my bike, I ride to the location.
When I arrive, I see the detective there. Normally I would be nervous but I know these detectives. There are part of my pack.
"Alpha"one of them greets me.
"Jones."I greet back.
When Bryce seems me, he pulls the crying female detective out of his arms and heads to me.
"Seriously Bry"I shake my head at him.
"What? She just needed a shoulder to cry on"
I'm sure that is exactly what she needed.
"She's a detective. If she can't handle the job, she should find something else"I tell him, raising my voice so she could hear me too.
I know I'm asshole.
"Yeah but she's sweet and-"
What she is was unprofessional. And this isn't the first time I have seen her pull this type of thing.
"Bryce"I cut him off not wanting to hear it.
"Yeah"
"The body"
"Right!"he snaps and points to the body covered in white cloth.
"I sent pictures to Enzo so he can help identify her."he tells me this while I walk towards the dead body.
"Alpha"another detective greets.
This one is a woman. Been at the job for more years then I'm alive.
"Zara"I greet a good family friend of mine.
Her husband Samuel is one of the enforcer and the most successful trainer for the pack.
"Victim is a woman. Probably late 40s. Killer was a werewolf if the bites indicate anything."
"Bites?"
"Looks like she was bitten. Multiple of times. I'm guessing the bitten on the neck is what did her. It broke her neck."she informs me.
I go down. Zara hands me gloves and I put it on.
Something told me that this wouldn't be good. I lower the cloth to see her face and I am so glad that I don't have a soft stomach.
Whoever killed her had no mercy. Her face was destroyed but still I could still see her face. A face I knew too well. A face that disappears from the redwood pack couple months back without a word.
"You don't need Enzo to identify the body"I tell Bryce not taking my eyes from the body.
"Why not?"he asks.
I look at the dead body again. Praying that my eyes would tell me something different. It didn't. It is definitely her.
"Because I already know who it is"
I look up, my eyes meeting my friend. My brother.
"That's Lindy Shaw."I inform him.