Page 8 of Fallen Wolf
I could smell her before she even got close to the house and my wolf was buzzing at the scent.The fuck?I couldn’t even describe the smell, it was so good, like I wanted to lick the air and taste it. I could smell a hint of strawberries on the friend Alexis had brought with her. But it wouldn’t do anything for her standing next to Alexis. All eye would be on her tonight, with the scent of a mate.
“Hey, she’s here, I can smell her. Are you sure Ranger thinks she’s his mate? ‘Cause, dude…I can smell and feel that too. Like maybe she’s my mate.”
I was only teasing at first, but then I wasn’t. Because my wolf was called to her scent, like he recognized her as someone important… like a mate.
I could sense a change in Mav, “She smells like that for everyone. So, unless she has over a hundred mates, then it’s just all messed up. We’re not even supposed to smell our mates. That’s just one of those old wolf tales.”
I couldn’t disagree with him there. We watched her from the window as I topped up our red cups with more bourbon. This girl was more than different. She wore dark skinny jeans and a leather jacket. The girl she had come with I recognized from school, she was Destiny’s little sister, the chatty one. But I hadn’t seen her in like a year, she was all grown up now, she looked… hot.Fuck.Did I just think that?
My eyes drifted back to Alexis, she stood there while her friend came inside the house. I looked on as the other guys at the party watched Alexis, she tried to ignore the stares but it was hard when all of them were openly gawking at her. Present company included.
The little blonde firecracker who had come inside didn’t disappoint. Giving orders to Mav like he was her slave. I hid the smile until she started clicking her fingers and I turned to look down at her, she wasn’t super short. Maybe five foot five? But when I looked down at her, her blue eyes sparkled and I could smell her attraction to me.
Oh, hell yeah, this was an in. I could get to Alexis through her.
“Oh, sorry. You and your friend need some water? Let me help you.” I gave her what my dad Nick called my panty dropping smile. He wasn’t wrong it worked every time and I could already see the flush in her cheeks. I could feel Mav beside me, he was amazing at controlling his wolf, but right now he was pissed off at me. Fuck him, if this Alexis didn’t affect him then maybe there was something wrong with his wolf.
I walked little ‘miss strawberry thing’ over to the kitchen, she instantly started chatting, I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t used to girls really talking to me, they flirted yes, but most just got to the point. But blondie here, she was different and I think a little distracted. And I was too distracted by her friend to really listen to her. Until she clicked her fingers again. My eyes met hers and I saw that blush creep up her cheeks. I could smell her attraction to me, I liked that.
“I don’t know if you remember me, I went to school with you… well I still go there. I’m a senior now. My sister Destiny is off at college now and—” wow she talked a lot. I kind of zoned out and nodded. Yeah, I know, I was an asshole. I couldn’t help it, I just wasn’t good at all this small talk shit. I didn’t need to do much of it to get the girl. The girl usually just led me away for a good time without the talking. I wasn’t into relationships, I wasn’t ready to settle down. I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted to settle down. I couldn’t imagine that happening. I couldn’t turn the girl I love into a shifter… subjected her to that, bring her into this secretive world. So I just played the field and tonight the field just got interesting.
This little blondie wasn’t the one I was interested in right now. I was more interested in her friend and yeah that was an asshole move. I wasn’t some prince charming, and I would never claim to be.
As I walked out with her, holding a cup for Alexis, I winked over at Mav as I passed him. He was acting like Alexis didn’t affect him but I sensed his wolf. This girl had got under his skin and I was about to push some buttons. I smiled to myself, I have only seen Mav lose his cool once. With Ranger you could flip a light switch and he would go all wolf in an instant.
As soon as I got close to Alexis I gave her that panty dropping smile, but I got nothing from her. Okay, so maybe she was used to that and I actually would have to put some work into getting Mav all worked up.
“Hey Lexi, this is Saint. He graduated last year.” Ada introduced me; ah it was Lexi not Alexis.
I handed her the cup of water and she turned, tipping it out into the potted plant beside her. I cocked my head confused, did she want to water the plant?
Ada handed her cup to her and she took a sip and returned it to Ada’s hand. Did this girl think I spiked her water? Wow, paranoid?
“I didn’t do anything to it, it’s just water. I swear.” But she just shrugged at my words and didn’t say anything…okay… I ran my hand through my now short hair. I had shaved it shorter only a week or so ago, I was starting to wonder if it was affecting my game. Maybe I should have kept the longer locks.
“So, you go to school here? What do you do for fun, Lexi?” She didn’t speak and acted like I didn’t say anything, this conversation was going nowhere fast, little miss blondie had stopped chatting to me and Lexi was giving me the cold shoulder. But I could sense Mav getting all kinds of worked up and Ranger too.
I smiled and tried to join in the little conversation they were having between each other now. I knew I was just a third wheel. Miss Blondie—Ada as I had come to find out was happy to answer my questions, even if most were directed at Lexi.
“Mother fucker.” I heard Ranger mutter. My smile grew. Being a shifter, I had better hearing than humans, I could hear anything… and I mean anything. Including the girl that Harley was fucking in one of the spare rooms upstairs.
“I'm going to refill our cups,” Lexi told Ada as she moved past me and into the house, where I could sense Mav was still watching us. Ada talked a lot about school, her sister and snails fucking? Wait did I hear that right?
But I was still focused on was the word “leave,” that Mav practically growled at Lexi. I didn’t know what his problem was but I would find out. I liked that she was getting under his skin, was starting to think the guy was a robot.
I could tell Ranger was pissed off at me, so I quickly said goodbye to little Miss Blondie. I actually didn’t mind her chatting as much as I thought I would. She was kind of funny. But others were sniggering under their breath at her. I was glad the girls couldn’t hear them, how could my own pack have so many assholes in it... this was why I kept everything to myself. I didn’t tell anyone what had happened to me all those years ago… that shameful secret would die with me.
I escaped before Ranger could get to me. I loved pushing his buttons, but I didn't want him shifting in front of everyone, so I backed off.
10
Ada
I thinkI totally blew it with Saint, I got too excited too quickly and I couldn't stop myself. Did I start randomly talking to him about snails? More importantly about snails and how they have sex? I wasn’t sure… maybe I did. But I’d had the biggest crush on him for too long and I had never talked to him before. So, of course my nerves got the better of me. Now he probably thinks I was some stupid dork.
I took my phone out and snapped some photos of the party and me, and uploaded them to Instagram. Next to the one I took of me and Lexi earlier before we left. How did she not have social media?
I wanted to look the part, show my followers I had a life. I didn’t have many followers and the ones who did follow me knew I didn’t have a life. I couldn’t even pull off an image of success on the internet or real life. And now my high school crush thinks I was some loser.
