Page 19 of Supernova

I smiled at him as I passed—a real smile—stepping around him and through the window as he moved over a tad to let me through. “Goodnight, Griffin.”

He didn’t move all the way though, so that I was forced to brush past him as he watched me climb back inside. A subtle nod and smirk was his only reply.

My thoughts were scattered as I snuck back into the Bunker and slid into my new bed. I thought about River—how genuine he’d always seemed. I thought about all the moments we shared and how happy we were. I thought about all the secret meetings the pack would have and how much they kept from me. I thought about my training that would start tomorrow. And finally, I thought about Griffin and how he was excited to have me here. And then sleep overtook me.

CHAPTER 14

The next morning came so quickly and before I knew it I was woken up to the blaring sound of a blow horn; the dreaded wake up call in the Bunker. I attempted to ignore it and threw my pillow over my head, holding it against my ears to drown out the incessant noise. Kit peeked over my wardrobe and laughed at me before a second pillow was thrown at me, landing on my chest. I moaned and proceeded to place this one over my head too, hoping the extra barrier would work to my advantage. It didn’t.

“Wake up, Vee!” she sang in a lilted voice. “It’s your first day and I have to run you through how it all works. Plus we need all the time we can get to look as good as we do.” My response was an annoyed rumble. Yes, I was excited for my first day but I loved sleep more and I was so not a morning person.

I heard Billie walk over. “How’s our girl?” She asked.

Kit responded with a huff. “She won’t budge.”

“We could always get the bucket?” Billie suggested.

I flung up. “No, no, I’m up. I’m up.” I exclaimed with my hands up in surrender. They laughed and before I knew it I was squished by a warm body as Kit flung herself at me giggling.

“Trust me, it gets easier.” She gave me a quick squeeze.

“You get used to it,” Billie added with a smile and a shrug.

I propelled myself out of bed, knowing if I stayed any longer I’d fall right back asleep. I was weirdly excited to start my journey here and now that I was up, it was kicking in. Hopefully it would be a good distraction to the tempest raging in my head. After exhausting my tears last night, I was feeling better this morning.

The girls took in my sleeping attire—the oversized black tee and grey track pants that were clearly too big for me but super comfy. “Girl, we need to get you some sexier PJs,” Kitana commented, her eyebrows raised in confusion.

“They’re Griffins.” I admitted, looking down at them. My fingers fiddled with the edge of the t-shirt.

“Oh,” the girls both said in unison. I didn’t miss their surprised expressions. Nor did I miss the underlying excitement and the way they silently communicated when they locked eyes.

“That was awfully nice of him.” Billie’s tone had a hint of humour in it.

I didn’t know what they were getting at but obviously these guys had their own dynamics that I’d understand soon enough. It’s not like I wanted his clothes, but I did appreciate them and I was very grateful for the track pants with the chilly air in the Bunker during the night. I was used to cosy blankets and the body heat of a wolf shifter. So a massive warehouse room would take some getting use to. Clearly these two had adapted to the temperature in here if their lacey sets and tiny shorts were any indication.

“Yeah, he left a few things for me after he showed me around. I packed pretty light and completely forgot pyjamas. It was pretty cold last night so I’ll have to thank him later I guess.”

“Ohh any excuse to shop. Don’t forget you promised!” Kitana literally jumped up and down, clapping her hands.

I laughed at her, “Don’t worry, I didn’t forget. I’m actually excited. Now, what’s first?”

“Showers.” They spoke in unison again. The dread kicked in at what they said. But I threw my hair into a messy bun, grabbed some clothes and followed them to the bathroom. Let’s get this shit over with.

The showers were packed. Bodies were everywhere but most people kept to themselves which I was very grateful for. I guess everyone was used to this. What they weren’t used to though was a new girl amongst them. Sadly that meant there were a few eyes on me but I was so appreciative of Kitana and Billie who covered me as much as they could without drawing too much extra attention to us.

The girls stripped confidently in front of me. I would have been nervous but they were so calm about it all that it somewhat rubbed off on me. We were in the little changing area at the end of the bathroom, nice and close to the shower I used yesterday. The girls knew I wanted the last shower as a form of cover and were super supportive.

“Okay, so we’re all gonna see each other eventually anyway, so let’s just get it done. Things are less awkward if we just take a moment to look at and appreciate each other. Once it’s no longer a taboo thing, it loses its scariness. Promise.” Kitana being the little ball of confidence that she was made an excellent point as she pulled off her clothes. “Ta-da, this is me.” She did a little twirl. God she was sexy and her boldness just added to it. Her whole body was toned from her arms to her legs. She was one of those blessed girls perfectly balanced on top and bottom.

“You just ooze sexiness,” I responded in awe.

“Why thank you.” She flicked her hair back for extra drama. “Billie’s turn!”

Billie went next. She wasn’t as over the top as Kit but she also wasn’t shy. She had the perfect model’s body. Her limbs were long and she was much more defined than Kit—her abs especially. You could tell she spent hours crafting her athletic body. She was a little flatter on top but it suited her frame perfectly. I could picture her walking down runways and posing for Vogue. “Damn girl.” I would have whistled but thought it might be inappropriate in here. “Surely you’ve modelled before.”

“You’re too sweet, Vee.” Billie replied with a blush. “I have here and there but I’ve never really had much free time. Your turn,” she gently coaxed me.

They made me feel so comfortable that I momentarily forgot there were other people in there as I stripped in front of my friends.

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