Chapter Four: You Kinky Alpha

“I still don’t understand why I’m your guinea pig!” Sam grumbled.

Meanwhile, Max and I were on the floor dying of laughter.

“We already told you, Sammy! You have the perfect skin for this. Seriously? Are you even a guy?” Alexa asked him. At this point, Max and I were just sitting on the floor clapping our hands like retarded seals.

So, after my lovely breakfast, the girls decided that they wanted to go shopping. Mateo told me that he had something to work on, so he would see me upon my return. I got showered, ready and dressed in a blue summer dress with silver pumps from Val. We headed out with Max and Sam after Mateo gave me his card.

So, we get to the mall and all is well for the first hour. They got me a phone and set it up, sending my new number to the pack members I know, who are basically the highest ranked wolves of this pack. We were really having fun, until Alexa and Valentine reached their favorite cosmetics store, which is the one we’re at now.

Apparently this store lets you go crazy with the cosmetics, which is how poor Sam ended up being the two’s guinea pig. Since Val is Beta female, he has to listen to her and she basically ordered him not to move.

Oh, and it turns out that Max and I really get each other. He’s the brother I never had, like not even with Royce. We like the same things, we laugh at the same stupid things and we just click. I obviously don’t see him in that way, but he’s a cool guy.

“Why couldn’t you do this to Max?” Sam complained.

“Max has manly skin!” Alexa scolded.

“Guys, I think June and Max are dying,” Anastasia pointed out.

“Would the two of you breathe please?” Valentine sighed.

“You guys are the funniest people I’ve ever come across,” I said breathlessly, wiping away my tears.

Max chuckled. “Oh man! I can’t wait to tell the guys about this.”

“Don’t you dare!” Sam growled.

“Sam, I think you lost all rights to being intimidating when they put lipstick on you,” Anastasia teased, making Max and I convulse in laughter once again.

“Really? You’re really going to feed them more reasons to laugh at me?” Sam asked, deadpan.

“You’re just so easy to tease,” Alexa said, pinching his cheek.

“The things we do in the name of loyalty,” Sam mumbled.

“How about I buy you one thing you really want as a reward?” I offered.

“Seriously?” he asked excitedly. I nodded.

“Then I’ll suffer gladly,” he smiled.

“I’m even afraid to ask what I just signed up for,” I said nervously.

“It’s nothing big,” he assured.

“I’ll take your word for it,” I giggled.

“There! Done!” Valentine said just as Max snapped a photo.

“Oh come on!” Sam groaned. Our phones all vibrated.

Max had shared the photo.

“Now you’re just cruel,” Anastasia giggled.

“THAT’S WHAT I LOOK LIKE?” Sam shouted, before my phone started ringing. I was surprised to see who was calling me.

“Hey babe,” I answered.

“Baby doll, why does my Delta look like he’s about to step onto a catwalk in glittery clothing?” he sighed.

“I had no idea you even knew about that kind of life,” I teased.

“Baby doll,” he growled.

I could tell that he was stressed about something.

“Val and Lexi needed a guinea pig and apparently Sam’s got the kind of skin that has them questioning his sexuality,” I explained.

“That doesn’t sound very fun,” he replied.

“He’s complained the whole hour through, if that’s what you mean?” I commented.

“Are you having fun though?” he asked.

“Yeah! We haven’t really started the shopping, so for now I’m still enjoying myself. I have a feeling that I won’t enjoy myself once the two start shopping for me,” I sighed.

“I think I can actually sympathize with you. I have to go check a lead out for something, so I’ll only be back sometime in the early morning,” he informed me.

“Wow, you’re actually checking in with me?” I asked, surprised at the gesture.

“Figured you might want to know why I’m not in bed tonight,” he replied. It didn’t take a genius to know that he was smirking.

I rolled my eyes. “Goodbye Mateo.”

“Bye baby doll! Don’t miss me too much,” he teased.

“Oh go away,” I said before hanging up.

“What the heck is going on between you two exactly?” Alexa narrowed her eyes at me. I guess their stupid werewolf ears heard our conversation.

“We’re in a relationship? Sort of? I can’t exactly explain it as of yet,” I offered.

“Relationship? Mateo? Did you just use those two in one sentence?” Valentine asked in disbelief.

“Uh, yes?” I said hesitantly.

“Wow!” they all replied.

“What?” I asked.

“Alpha Mateo’s never had a girlfriend. Heck, he’s never showed any interest in any woman before you,” Sam explained as he wiped the make-up off of his face.

“Not even once? Like a look-over?” I questioned unsurely.

“Nope! It’s like he used to replace them with walls in his mind so he’d just pass by without looking at them,” Max replied.

I suddenly felt special.

I mean, I know Mateo mentioned this to me, but hearing it from someone else made it all the more real I guess. I mean, what girl wouldn’t like knowing that she was a first for someone as gorgeous as Mateo? It’s a big deal and now I felt pretty special.

Maybe my life is taking a turn for the better after all.

“Well, I don’t know what to officially call it, so I’ll just wait for him to do so,” I replied. I watched them all freeze.

“Uh, how about we leave this store?” Valentine said, sounding very constipated, might I add.

I frowned. “What’s with you guys?”

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Valentine and her circus freaks,” a new voice said before they had the chance to say anything.

“Desiree,” they mumbled.

“Because every pack needs one of these,” I sighed, making Max chuckle.

Only he could get my insult.

“Who’s your runt?” Desiree asked. She was with three other girls.

“We have a runt?” I asked. I knew I was annoying her as her face showed irritation.

“You! Stupid rogue,” she added.

“Oh, I was kind of hoping you weren’t talking about me,” I smiled sweetly.

“What does our Alpha make of you poor excuses for wolves hanging with a rogue?” she sneered.

“You mean the same Alpha who gave me his card for this shopping trip?” I asked, showing her the card.

“Aaaaw, did your last pack not love you that much that you had to steal our Alpha’s card?” she mocked. We all looked at her in confusion.

“Are you stupid or are you just in training? Why would my brother allow a rogue on his land to go so far as to steal his credit card?” Valentine asked what we were most probably all thinking.

“Careful, Val! Wouldn’t want everyone knowing your dirty little secret,” Desiree said deviously. I actually saw fear in Val’s eyes. Alexa seemed to share the same fear and Max and I looked to each other in confusion.

They’re hiding something.

“Just go away, Desiree. We don’t want you anywhere near us, and I’m sure you feel the same,” Alexa said sweetly.

“You’re right! ‘Loser’ isn’t my style,” Desiree said before walking away.

“So, what’s the big thing you’re hiding?” Max and I asked Valentine and Alexa concurrently.

“We can’t tell you here! How about we tell you later once we’re back at the house?” Valentine suggested.

We nodded. “Cool with us.”

“Well then, let the shopping spree begin!” Anastasia said excitedly.

“She’s one of them,” Max, Sam and I said in horror as the three girls squealed excitedly.

It’s safe to say that the three of us were severely tortured while the three of them were having the time of their lives. We managed to finally run away from them and hide in a decor store. Apparently, the guys felt better shopping with me than the three monsters.

“So, what are we here for again?” Max asked.

“Since Mateo’s making me move into his room, I’m giving it some color. I have no problem with the way it looks now, but it wouldn’t kill to have a little bit of color,” I explained.

“So, are you heading towards the pinks?” Sam teased.

“I don’t think I’d like to mess with Zeus like that. I’m going for reds and whites,” I giggled.

“They seem to have a soft spot for you though,” Max smiled.

I bit my lip. “You think?”

“Trust us! We’ve grown up with them and let me tell you - there’s no way in hell that Mateo would’ve carried you on his back if he didn’t have a soft spot for you. There’s clearly something about you that appeals to him,” Sam explained.

“He’s not even this way with Val, his own sister. I mean he loves her and all, but he’s not all playful with her like most siblings,” Max added.

I laughed. “And you think he’s playful with me?”

“Well, maybe not playful, but he is more attentive and, uh, physical? He doesn’t go around letting people touch him and all, but he touches you a lot more than he notices. The fact that he cradled you says a lot,” Max replied, which made me realize something.

“OUCH!” they both shouted since I’d hit them both upside their heads.

I narrowed my eyes at them. “You were spying on us at the lake!”

“We may have been looking, but we didn’t hear anything,” Sam said guiltily.

My devious side was stirring. “Wait until I tell him.”

“NO!” they both shouted, making me laugh.

“We just wanted to see what was going to happen. I mean, we all figured out who you were once you shifted, so we were curious as to whether he was mad or not. We all know that he hates your parents,” Max explained.

“Apparently, I’m the last person to find that out. How bad is this feud?” I asked curiously as we randomly threw awesome looking stuff into the trolley.

“It’s pretty bad. Your father wanted war at some point, but he heard that our pack has no weak links like his, so he would be fighting a lot of highly trained wolves with his average pack,” Sam replied.

I raised an eyebrow. “This pack has no weak links?”

“Nope! Alpha Mateo trains everyone to be brilliant. Even our Elders are kickass! At first, it was difficult because not everyone wanted to be in on it, until we were attacked soon after he had pitched the idea. He was still fifteen and newly instated at the time. After that attack, he worked hard to make us the pack that we are today. He fought for us, physically, mentally and financially. He made sure that our pack flourishes, and that’s why we are all so loyal to him, despite what the rest of the world thinks of him as an Alpha. He’s brilliant and we don’t judge him for his personality or his character,” Max said passionately.

There it is again.

I don’t think Mateo realizes just how much his pack members love him. If the rest of the world had the same image of him, they’d honestly think of him as a saint. One thing I’m sure of though is that I don’t intend on changing him.

I mean, he could use a smile and a laugh here and there, but other than that, he is who he is. His personality and the way he carries himself are the reasons why his pack respects him so much. He’s truly amazing.

“Have you guys ever shown him how much you appreciate him?” I asked curiously.

“Not really! I think most pack members are afraid of what he’ll do if we spring something on him out of nowhere,” Sam chuckled.

“Ah, I see! Well, we’re going to plan something once I’ve been inducted into the pack. From what I’ve gathered, he’s perceived as this ruthless tyrant and everyone feels bad for you guys, while you guys actually adore him. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll manage to get the impossible out of him and actually get him to smile and laugh,” I relayed my wishful thinking.

“Gee, you’re a dreamer, aren’t you?” they laughed.

“Hey, it could happen! None of you thought he would ever be interested in a woman and yet here I am,” I argued.

Sam nodded. “Good point! That did seem impossible.”

“Does everyone know about the curse?” I asked.

“More or less. The whole pack knows that there hasn’t been a Luna in three hundred years because the Alphas have been cursed. At some point, there was a group formed to try and find out why that is, but they didn’t get anywhere,” Max replied.

I frowned. “So they’re accepting of it?”

“Before Alpha Luigi, Alpha Mateo’s father, the Alphas were generally male whores. The Elders will share better stories with you, but from what we’ve been told, the pack didn’t like their Alphas from before. Alpha Mateo’s father was the first Alpha to actually fall in love and settle down with one woman. The pack may not have liked the woman much, but they were happy that their Alpha spent his nights with one woman. At age twenty-three, the pack expected Alpha Mateo to have followed his footsteps too. They’ve been worried that he would never since he didn’t pay attention to the female species, so, in a way, you’re our savior,” Sam smiled.

“What makes you think he’s settling down with me?” I smirked.

They both gave me the ‘you’re kidding, right?’ look.

“Okay, fine! Drop the intimidating look,” I giggled.

“Uh guys,” Max frowned, looking at the trolley before us. It was filled to the brim with red and white stuff. We burst out laughing at our unconsciousness.

“What are some of these things anyway?” Sam asked when he lifted something that had the bottom part fallen off.

“How about we ditch this trolley and start over, paying attention this time?” I suggested.

“Agreed!” they chuckled.

My talk with them made me realize that they’re pretty cool dudes, despite how we first met. I get that it’s a part of the image for them to be scary and all. Their talk also made me realize that I like Mateo, like, like like (ah, gee what?). You know what I mean!

I like him more than a friend, if he ever was one.

We picked up some pretty cool stuff and the cashier kindly boxed everything. They offered to have the stuff delivered, but Sam and Max said it was okay. Apparently, Mateo doesn’t like things being delivered to the house if it isn’t food.

That man is so strange.

Since we came with two SUVs, they took the boxes to one SUV before we went looking for the girls. We found them in the same store we left them in. The only difference was the heaps of clothing they had compiled.

“Where have you been?” Valentine demanded.

“Uh, decor shopping? We didn’t think we would have time, so we did it while you guys were here,” I replied.

Alexa narrowed her eyes. “Decor shopping for what?”

These women are so damn paranoid.

“Mateo’s room! I’m adding my touch to it,” I informed. The saleslady narrowed her eyes at me disbelievingly.

Uh, okay?

“Oh! Well you can give the nice lady his card so that she can process all these clothes,” Valentine instructed.

I frowned. “Are all these clothes ours?”

“No silly! Those heaps are yours, and those heaps are Ana’s,” Alexa giggled.

I’m pretty sure the guys and I shared the same horrified expression.

“Oh, okay,” was all I could say.

“Let’s leave the guys here with the stuff so that they can take them to the car once everything’s been paid for while we go underwear shopping,” Valentine smirked. I could only blush.

“Oh, and don’t forget all those boxes and heaps of shoes,” Alexa told the saleslady. A heap is an understatement.

All these clothes and shoes reminded me of something.

“Baby doll,” he said as he answered his phone.

“Did you by any chance make space in your closet?” I asked nervously.

“Since I’ve seen the way my sister and Alexa shop, I made plenty of space, and even got an extra cabinet and shelf for shoes and drawer cabinet installed,” he replied.

“Well, I commend you on your forward thinking because we’re staring at a nightmare here,” I giggled.

“As long as you’re happy, baby doll,” he responded.

Didn’t take a genius to know he was smirking again.

“I am. See you later,” I giggled.

“Alright, baby doll,” he said before hanging up.

“He loves that term of endearment, doesn’t he?” Alexa smiled.

I blushed. “Be sure to ask him about it.”

“Alright, let’s be gone. Make sure they get everything!” Valentine told the boys. They nodded, although I’m sure they were still traumatized.

The girls dragged me all the way to Victoria’s Secret. I’m glad I owned lingerie like this already, or this experience would’ve been very traumatic and uncomfortable.

Let me tell you something - Anastasia Kendrick, Valentine Santiago and Alexa Aero ARE KINKY!

I have never in my life even heard of half the things they were talking about as they shopped around. They grabbed some of the sexiest and most revealing pieces of lingerie I’ve seen in my life. All three of them couldn’t stress enough just how ‘sexy’ every woman deserves to feel ‘under her clothes’.

I mean...

I don’t even have the words!

They even bought me a short belly dancing skirt with the jingling bits and a matching bra. I just ended up going with it to pacify them, and my inner goddess knew that as awkward as the experience was, I was going to enjoy wearing the goods later.

From there we went back to the clothing store to find that Max and Sam were only then starting to take the stuff to the car. Apparently, there were too many items to fit in the bags, so they just boxed the stuff and put the shoes in one huge bag without the boxes and all. I laughed so much then. I mean, it’s not every day that a store goes through something like this.

The girls really tore through it.

“Are we having lunch now?” I asked. I was hungry since it was now after four in the afternoon.

“Yeah, but I think we should get lunch to go. We can eat it at home,” Alexa suggested.

Upon agreement and order placements, she and I went to get the food while Val and Ana helped Max and Sam. A lot of people were looking towards me and Lexi. It made me feel uncomfortable and I found myself looking forward to Saturday. The sooner I’m inducted, the better. I can’t stand being a rogue in a pack.

Funnily enough, it reminded me of home.

“Are you okay?” Alexa caught me off guard by asking.

“Uh yeah! I’m just thinking about Saturday. The sooner I’m inducted, the better. The stares are a little unnerving,” I admitted.

She smacked her forehead. “Damn, we didn’t think about that! Of course people would be wary about a rogue roaming around freely amongst them.”

“Hey, it’s okay, although I don’t think your forehead is,” I giggled.

She blushed as she rubbed it. “I did hit myself too hard.”

“I’ll be fine after Saturday, so this is okay until then,” I assured her.

“As long as Mateo doesn’t hear about what you’re feeling right now. I don’t think he’d be too pleased,” she pointed out.

“Noted,” I agreed.

We got the food and met up with everyone back at the car. Sam was driving the SUV with everything that was bought, while Max was driving the girls and I back to the pack house. We decided that it would be best to unload everything before eating. After a whole fifteen minutes, Anastasia’s clothes were in her room, and my clothes and the decor stuff were in Mateo’s room. I guess I’d have a long evening ahead of me.

“It looks like Alpha Mateo, Orion and Trey left together,” Sam commented as we sat in the lounge.

“Which means Valentine and Alexa can tell us what dirty secret they’re hiding,” I said as I looked to them expectantly.

“What we’re about to tell you, you can’t tell my brother or my mate. They will cause some serious damage and things will not go down well,” Valentine said nervously.

“I don’t understand why you’re not telling them in any case,” Alexa mumbled.

Oh, so it’s one of those secrets.

“What is it about?” I asked.

“Harland,” Valentine replied. I was confused.

Max and Sam frowned. “Desiree’s brother?”

“The very one; prick!” Alexa murmured once more.

“What about him?” Max asked.

“You guys remember Dixon’s farewell party right?” Valentine asked them. They nodded.

“Remember how Mateo said I wasn’t allowed to go?” Valentine asked before she bit her lip. Again they nodded.

“Well, I was kidnapped into going there. Apparently, Harland has a thing for me and Desiree thought it would be fun to give me to him as a gift, so she and her cronies kidnapped me that night and took me to one of the rooms at Dixon’s house. Little did I know that Harland was already there and he wanted to have a good time. He basically had his way with me. I thought that that was the worst part, except he got it all on tape. A few days later, Desiree showed me the tape and they edited it to make it look like I came onto Harland as blackmail and insurance that I didn’t tell Mateo or Orion about this. Since I hadn’t turned sixteen, Orion didn’t know that I was his mate yet, but since I was always close to him, I would’ve told him in any case. When we mated, he was upset that I’d already lost my virginity, but he didn’t know that it was forcefully taken from me. I didn’t say anything and he didn’t talk to me for weeks. He only decided to let it go once he realized that I really wasn’t going to tell him who took it. We decided to start on a clean slate from then on, but, to this day, Desiree still threatens me with that tape. If Orion gets his hands on it, I don’t even want to know what would happen,” she sniffed as Anastasia held her.

The chair next to the one I was sitting on broke in half from the pressure of my hand on it. They all turned to me with dismayed expressions. I could only see red. I didn’t even know what was going on, but I knew that I was pissed off. How dare someone do that to Valentine!

I wanted to kill Harland and his sorry excuse of a sister.

“June, calm down,” Max begged.

“NO!” I growled.

“Guys, she’s going to shift, and there’s no telling what she’ll do, especially since she’s newly shifted,” Sam panicked. Before I could do anything, Mateo flashed before me with some guy with long black hair.

How did he do that?

“What the hell is going on?” Mateo asked.

“She got pissed off about something and suddenly started shaking. We tried to get her to calm down but her wolf took over, as you can see,” Anastasia explained.

He squatted before me. “Baby doll, breathe.”

“I’m going to kill them,” I growled.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about, but you’re not doing any killing of any sorts, at least not now. You’re going to breathe and you’re going to be calm, okay?” he said softly.

I looked into his hazel eyes and could only see concern in them. He honestly has such beautiful eyes. I reached out to caress his cheek. He’s got such great skin. The tingles were flowing between us and he closed his eyes, enjoying my caress. When he opened them again, they were the darkest shade of black I’d ever seen.

I could only be turned on.

“Are you calm now?” he asked, his eyes unchanging.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“Good! I’m not done with what I have to go and do, but I’ll try and finish earlier. Think you can avoid attacking anyone and shifting while I’m away?” he smirked as his eyes gradually changed back to their original color.

“I’ll try,” I smiled.

“Good!” he said before flashing off somewhere with that other dude.

“I didn’t think he would respond as quickly as he did,” Alexa commented.

I turned to her. “You called him?”

“Yeah! I told him you were close to killing someone. I guess it’s a good thing he was with Domitius,” she smiled.

“Who’s he?” I asked.

“The Vampire Prince,” they replied. Ah, that’s how they could teleport. Vampires are each born with a power, but the more powerful you are, the more powers you tend to have.

“I’ve never seen my brother so gentle and compassionate before. It’s strange, but it’s also a relief to know that he’s not completely dead inside,” Valentine smiled.

“You have to tell them, Val,” I told her.

She nodded. “I will.”

I noticed that she didn’t mention when, so I dropped it.

“You’re pretty scary for a newly shifted wolf,” Anastasia commented.

“Well, she is an Alpha female,” Max pointed out.

“You are?” Anastasia asked, wide-eyed.

“Yes, I am! I’m the daughter of Dayton and Gail Evigan,” I told her.

“The Alphas of Litmus?” she asked. I nodded.

“Wait, so you’re the Juniper Evigan?” she asked in disbelief.

“Apparently,” I sighed.

“How in the hell are you then a witch?” she asked.

“A witch?” Sam and Max asked concurrently.

“Apparently I’m a witch too,” I told them.

“How?” Max asked.

Alexa shrugged. “That’s the part neither of us knows.”

“What makes you say she’s a witch?” Sam asked Anastasia.

“As a witch to another, she gives off that vibe,” Anastasia explained.

“That’s insane! Is there even such a thing as a werewolf witch?” Max asked.

“No! If I’m correct, then June is the first,” Anastasia replied.

Sam looked lost in thought. “So, she’s the world’s first werewolf-witch hybrid?”

“That’s not possible! To be a hybrid, one of my parents would have to be a witch,” I pointed out.

“Maybe you’ve got witch ancestry,” Valentine offered.

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t know my family history and I would need to access it from my parents, which we all know isn’t going to happen,” I sighed.

“Well, how else are we going to find out if you’re a witch or not?” Alexa asked.

“We could ask Mama Deo when she comes back,” Max suggested.

“That sounds like a plan. Well then, I believe I have some unpacking and decorating to do,” I smiled.

“Need any help?” Valentine asked.

“Nah! I want to use the time to be one with my thoughts for a while. A lot has happened since I’ve arrived here and I haven’t had a moment to myself. I want one before Mateo comes back,” I replied.

“Alright! We’ll be around here, so just shout if you need us,” Alexa smiled.

I went up to Mateo’s room. I guess I should get used to calling it our room now. Seeing the boxes waiting for me made me shudder a little. There were two boxes of shoes, three boxes of clothes, one box of handbags and jewelry and two boxes of decor stuff.

It was definitely going to take me a while to pack and set up everything. I needed some music so I went to Mateo’s office and found his iPod and iPod dock on a side table. I took them back with me to the room and fired up the thing.

It turns out Mateo’s taste in music is all over the place. He listens to almost everything from every generation. I ended up listening to Maroon 5’s albums. I changed out of the dress I was wearing, and ended up wearing the belly dancing outfit out of curiosity.

While the girls bought it for the sake of making me squirm, they didn’t know that I was secretly happy about it. While living with my gran, I was watching this one show and the women were belly dancing. I was so enthralled by them that I taught myself how to dance like that. It’s safe to say I rock at it.

It turns out that while I think Valentine, Alexa and Anastasia have an unhealthy obsession with shopping, they really know what they’re doing. They bought me every kind of clothing I would ever need, except for like formal dresses. Apparently, those would be bought when needed.

With my hair in a ponytail, I started my task. The newly installed cabinets were coming in handy. I noticed that Mateo’s clothes were also a little disorganized, so I took the whole place apart and started to reorganize everything. The ornaments on the outfit I was wearing were jingling about with all the movements I made. It was actually a soothing sound.

Well what do you know...

“Star? Are you okay? You’ve been rather quiet,” I nudged my wolf.

“I’m just thinking about Zeus and Mateo’s offer,” she sighed.

“What? You don’t want to do it?” I asked.

“It’s not that. I’m just curious about our feelings towards them and why they chose us. I mean, there are other she-wolves who don’t have mates either. I mean, sure they were born with mates, but still, they’re currently mate-less. Why us?” she argued.

“If you don’t want to do it, then we won’t,” I replied. I even stopped my task at hand. Star is important to me and if she says we’re not doing something, then we’re not doing it.

“That’s the thing June- I WANT TO, BADLY. It’s like as much as we weren’t given a mate and lived a horrible past, everything that’s happening now is how it was meant to be. We were meant to be kicked out of Litmus and we were meant to stumble onto Vistas. Everything just feels right,” she sighed contently.

“Oh, so we’re good with the situation then? Because I like Mateo,” I smiled.

“And I like Zeus, so, yes, we’re good,” she giggled.

Honestly, when she’s giddy, I worry.

“Excellent!” I said happily as I ditched the closet for a while.

I decided to start with the decor. Living with my grandmother taught me a lot of things, one of them being DIY. My grandmother didn’t like to depend on other people, so she taught herself a lot of stuff and, in turn, taught me. I went back to Mateo’s office to look for a toolbox and I found it in one of the cabinets.

I started nailing nails into the wall. I’d bought some stuff that needed to be hung on the walls. As soon as they were in, I hung the stuff up. I was happy with the surprise I’d bought for Mateo, which hung above the bed. There were other things that I bought that didn’t fit in boxes, so those had to be carried alone - the black and red headboard for example. With my new werewolf strength, I managed to install the thing myself.

I got red bedding to add to the current black one. It’s not a major change either since I love the black one. I just added new pillow cases, new continental pillows and new cushions. I also got a red throw for the bed. I bought some photo frames and hung them up, even though they had no photos. I’ll put in photos once Mateo has learned how to smile and we’ve taken pictures (stupid Grinch).

Once the room was fully decorated the way I’d imagined it to be, I was in love with it. I didn’t compromise Mateo’s original design, and I was sure he would be happy with my additions. I went back to the closet and resumed my task in there. I decided to change the music and set it on random.

Soon I was jamming to some serious tunes.

You know there are just some songs that get you in sexy mode (ladies, I’m talking to you, unless you roll that way, guys). Anyway, those songs just make you let loose and dance like no one is watching.

That’s how I felt when Beyoncé’s ‘Baby Boy’ with Sean Paul came on. I loosened my hair and let the music move me. The jingling from my outfit made me smile as I swayed. I was swaying in ways I didn’t even know I could sway as I sang along to the song.

“Thank the gods I let my little sister mess with my iPod.”

I turned to find Mateo standing at the doorway of the closet. He was barefoot in low hanging jeans and a tight black T-shirt. I was caught, and yet I didn’t stop. It was like I was possessed by someone else as I continued to dance, my eyes set straight on him. His eyes were glued to me as they gradually turned black.

Have I mentioned what a turn on they are when they’re like that?

It didn’t help the situation that the next song was ‘Addictive’ by Truth Hurts. It’s one of the ultimate belly dancing songs. I honestly don’t know why my inner goddess chose that moment to come out and play, but I won’t lie and say I didn’t love the experience.

Having Mateo’s eyes fixated on me the way they were was exhilarating. Pure lust was in his eyes and it made me feel wanted, which was a first, well, the way he wanted me, that is.

“Baby doll, you are full of surprises,” he smirked, stalking towards me as the song ended.

“What can I say? Can’t be predictable now, can we?” I purred. I guess my goddess was still there. He wrapped his arms around me, picking me up to wrap my legs around his waist.

“Well, it is fun being surprised like this,” he said huskily in my ear now that he had me in his hold. My breathing was erratic as he put his head at the crook of my neck.

“Do you have any idea just how intoxicating your scent is?” he growled.

That’s when I knew it was Zeus.

“No,” I moaned when he lightly nipped my earlobe.

“You smell like vanilla and strawberries - sweet, juicy strawberries,” he mumbled on my skin. I convulsed with desire.

“You smell like dark chocolate, pine and the smell of rain. I happen to love the smell of rain and melted dark chocolate,” I countered seductively in his ear.

What?

I wasn’t about to be the only one driven crazy with need, especially since he stiffened at my words.

“What are you doing to me, woman?” he whispered in my ear.

“Returning the favor,” I smirked before nipping his earlobe. A lovely rumble emitted from his chest, vibrating through me too. I’m pretty sure he could smell my arousal by now.

“Baby doll, we have to stop now before this turns too heated,” he warned.

“Put me down then,” I giggled.

Instead of putting my feet back on the floor, he carried me to the bed and lay me on it, hovering over me. I was about to point out that the bed was generally a bad idea if we were meant to be stopping, but the look in his eyes stopped me.

While the black orbs were clouded by lust just moments ago, now they were clouded by anger. I was confused by the sudden change until he touched my abdomen, tracing his fingers along the hideous round scar there.

I gasped at the touch and the fact that he was analyzing it so angrily. It covers the side of my stomach and moves all the way to the side of my back on the same side. I could feel my tears freely flowing as I thought about how I ended up getting that scar.

“Who did this to you, baby doll?” he growled.

“Jacob! It happened on that day. It was his last attack on me before the Elders of the pack decided that they’d seen enough. I almost didn’t make it, but my grandmother refused to let me die. I woke up three weeks after that day with a bandage around my body. I don’t know how, but she got it to heal,” I said lowly.

“Wait, your parents aren’t the ones who stopped the fight?” he asked angrily.

“No, they aren’t. If it were up to them, I don’t think I would’ve made it out. They would’ve let Jacob kill me there and then,” I sniffed.

I could tell that he was close to shifting in anger, but he surprised me by fighting it. Instead, he lay next to me and pulled me into his chest, letting me cry onto it. He rubbed my back soothingly and eventually I stopped crying. We just lay there in a comfortable silence. His patterns on my back hadn’t stopped and I rubbed my own circles on his arm.

“I like what you’ve done with the room,” he broke the silence.

“Really?” I smiled, looking up at him. He nodded.

“I’m not going to lie and say that I wasn’t worried that you would completely change it, but I’m relieved. The reds and whites aren’t that bad and they actually blend in really well. I especially like what you’ve done above the bed,” he smirked.

“It was my surprise for you,” I giggled.

The surprise was really just the word ‘ALPHA’ and our initials over and under (his over and mine under) plastered there. So it was basically ‘MDS’, and then below that ‘ALPHA’ and then my initials ‘JLE’. His initials are in black, the word ALPHA is in red and my initials are in white. I bought the alphabets and hung them up there, hoping he would like them.

“You’re full of surprises,” he noted.

“Again, I can’t be predictable, babe,” I said before I winked.

“You’re anything but predictable,” he smirked.

“I’m glad you think so, Alpha Mateo,” I purred.

I had to.

“I’m going to ignore that. What other surprising, uh, clothing, did you get?” he asked.

“Oh don’t worry, everything else is just common. This is the only costume I have,” I smiled.

“I very much like the costume,” he admitted.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you saying you want me to play dress up, Mateo?”

“I’m saying it wouldn’t be such a bad idea,” he cleverly played back.

“You kinky Alpha!” I teased.

“Kinky? There’s a first! I’ve never been described as kinky,” he said, amusement dancing on his lips.

Doesn’t this infuriating man laugh?

I wiggled my eyebrows. “It’s not like you’ve ever embraced this hidden side of yours.”

“True! But I’m serious about the costumes,” he smirked.

“I’ll think about it once you’ve made me your Luna,” I offered.

“Do the costumes come with dances?” he asked.

I bit my lip. “Do you want them to? I don’t think I know how to dance. Belly dancing, sure, but not other dancing.”

“Baby doll, trust me, you can dance,” he replied.

I blushed. “Well, if you say so then.”

“Have you had anything to eat?” he asked.

“Uhm, I ate a couple of hours back, but I guess I could eat now,” I responded.

“Good! Get changed and then we’ll go eat,” he instructed.

“What? Can’t handle me going down like this?” I teased.

“No, baby doll! I don’t want to have to kill people who look at what’s mine,” he sexily smirked. I was flustered and turned on beyond belief.

“His - I like the sound of that,” Starlet purred.

“You and me both,” I giggled.

I ended up pulling on some skinny jeans with a tank top and some flats. I thought he meant we were going downstairs to eat something, but it turned out he was taking me out of the house. He led me to one of his cars; a classy sedan over a sporty looking one. He opened the car door for me, closing it after my entry before coming to the driver’s side.

“Where are we going?” I asked him.

“Have you ever had sushi before?” he asked.

“Uhm, no, but I’ve always wanted to,” I smiled.

“Well, we’re going to eat sushi then,” he replied.

I frowned. “It’s almost midnight! Where are we going to find sushi at this time?”

“There’s this restaurant in town that’s open twenty four hours a day. They specialize in many meals, sushi being one of them. It’s the best restaurant in town, which is how it ended up being open for those hours. Everyone wants something at odd times,” he explained.

“Ah, like us right now,” I giggled.

“Exactly,” he smirked, taking my hand in his. Butterflies erupted in my stomach from the gesture.

We rode the rest of the way while discussing random things. I think there’s hope that one of these days he may actually smile. I’m a naturally random person and I can tell that most of the crap I say tempts him to smile and laugh. I guess I just have to keep trying to get him to laugh.

We reached the restaurant and all I could do was gawk. The place was ridiculously decorated. He wasn’t kidding when he said that they specialize in many meals, if the different country themes mixed into one was any indication. The even more surprising part was how full the place was. I mean, it’s a Wednesday night.

Don’t these people have to work and go to school tomorrow?

Mateo grabbed my hand and we headed inside. I noticed that he’d only put on a pair of sneakers, so thankfully we were both casual. As soon as we walked in, the whole place silenced. Everyone bowed to their Alpha respectfully while they looked at me in confusion, especially since their Alpha was holding my hand.

“Alpha, what an honor to have you with us again,” a very beautiful woman approached us. I didn’t miss the lust in her eyes as she eyed Mateo and I had the urge to growl but thought against it.

No need to draw any MORE attention to myself.

“Hello Naomi! Can I have my usual table please?” Mateo ordered, not even acknowledging her as he looked around the restaurant. Huh, I guess he really doesn’t interest himself with other women. It made me giggle.

“What’s so funny, baby doll?” he smirked.

“I’ll tell you when it’s just the two of us,” I giggled. Naomi looked annoyed by my presence.

“Alpha, you never mentioned that you were bringing company,” she turned to him.

“Because I call ahead every other time?” he asked coldly, finally looking at her. She squirmed under the tone of his voice and I almost laughed. It’s so nice to not be affected by his intimidating tone.

“Well, Alpha, I only meant I’ve never seen you with any company,” she mumbled.

“And how is it your business exactly?” he asked. She was speechless, and so were the people in the restaurant.

I decided to save her. “Babe, can we just sit please?”

She glared at me for that.

What?

“We could if Naomi could lead us to where we’re supposed to go,” he replied as he looked at her expectantly.

“Certainly, Alpha,” she bit out.

On our way there, I couldn’t help but notice the glances that were cast our way. There was a mixture of shock, disgust and confusion. Either way, I was uncomfortable. We reached a booth in the back and Mateo let me go in before sitting beside me, his arm around my shoulder.

“Tell Stuart that we’ll have my usual order, but to make enough for two,” he instructed Naomi.

“Whatever,” Naomi rolled her eyes. Zeus let out a warning growl that had her doing a double take.

“I mean, yes Alpha,” she said quickly, before scurrying off.

“What’s the deal with you two?” I asked curiously.

“She thinks she’s the Alpha female and treats herself that way. Most of the pack members don’t pay any attention to her, but there are quite a few who fear her. She’s very cunning and devious, but she’s never had my attention, which pisses her off, since she would need me to officially be the Luna,” he explained.

I raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t she have a mate?”

“She rejected him,” he shrugged.

“That’s heartless,” I commented.

“I also couldn’t give a damn. You’re the one I want,” he smirked. I felt myself blushing.

“I’m glad you feel that way because I have a major favor to ask of you,” I said nervously. He looked worried.

“Anything,” he said before he pursed his lips.

“I know the original plan was to induct me into the pack on Saturday, but can you just do it now? We can do the other big announcement on Saturday,” I pleaded.

He scowled. “Okay, but why?”

“I’m not comfortable with the looks I’m getting from everyone. Even at the mall it was the same thing. It’s making me uncomfortable, and I’m sure your pack members are also uncomfortable having a rogue in their presence, especially with your record,” I explained. He looked like he was processing my words.

“I didn’t think about that actually. I’m sorry I put you in that position. Are you sure you want me to induct you here?” he asked. I nodded.

“Alright! Juniper Lee-Ann Evigan, do you accept the terms and conditions that come with being a part of this pack? Do you understand that I will be your Alpha and that your loyalty will lie with me and me only? Do you understand that you will be expected to be respectful of your fellow pack members at all times, and fulfill any tasks required of you? Do you accept becoming a member of the Vistas Moon Pack?” he asked me in his Alpha voice.

“I do,” I giggled.

Immediately, I could feel the connection to the pack. From the looks on their faces, I guess the pack members in the restaurant felt it too. They looked very confused though, Mateo included.

“That was different,” Mateo commented.

“What was?” I asked.

“That feeling; none of us have ever felt it. It’s like accepting you into the pack made us all stronger. I can’t really explain it,” he replied.

I raised an eyebrow. “Stronger? How?”

“Our wolves all agree that we’re stronger from accepting you into the pack. It’s like you just shared a piece of yourself with us. I’ve never heard of anything like this before, but I think you’re bound to us and we’re bound to you,” he explained.

“Bound how? Like you can feel my pain and emotions?” I questioned.

He nodded. “Something like that.”

I looked around the restaurant to find everyone staring at me curiously now. They were probably trying to figure out what was going on, as was I. I got an idea and decided to run with it before chickening out. I grabbed the steak knife on the table and sliced my palm. Everyone hissed as they looked at their palms, Mateo included.

None of them were bleeding, but I guess they felt the pain.

“I don’t believe it,” I said, paling.

“Neither do I, but you look like you could throw up at any moment. I think we’ll eat that sushi another day. Let’s get you home,” he said, picking me up into his arms.

While I thought he was taking me to the car, he just ran all the way home with me in his arms. When we got there, the gang was pacing in the lounge in confusion. When they saw us, they looked at us expectantly. Mateo looked to me and I nodded before he put me down.

“What was that?” Max was the one to ask.

“We don’t know either, but the feeling you all felt was from me joining the pack, and the pain in your palms was me cutting myself. I was testing out a theory and it worked,” I explained.

Orion looked to both Mateo and I. “I have another theory, if you don’t mind?”

We nodded and he went to the kitchen. We all followed him.

“The three of us are going to cut ourselves,” he explained, handing Trey and Sam a knife each. I frowned but nodded nonetheless. They cut themselves as they said, but I didn’t feel anything.

“Did you feel that?” Valentine asked. I shook my head.

“Okay, Matt, cut yourself,” Orion said, giving Mateo a knife. Mateo did as instructed and I hissed as I felt the pain in my own palm.

“Like I suspected! So, we’re all bound to you, but you’re not bound to us. Instead, you’re bound to Mateo, but not as a mate bond, but an Alpha to pack member bond,” Orion explained.

“But how come it isn’t that way with the rest of us?” Alexa asked.

“Maybe it’s got to do with who June really is. I mean, she did shift at eighteen and she’s an Alpha female. Maybe the reason has to do with the reason for her late shift,” Sam suggested. I was glad he wasn’t mentioning the fact that I could be a witch. I didn’t want Mateo or Orion to know that yet.

“I didn’t think you would,” he linked me. I was surprised, but flashed him a smile.

“That makes sense, but a couple of things need to happen now. One, we really need to figure out why June shifted so late. Two, we need to figure out how to control this projector thing, especially her emotions. I don’t think the rest of us would like to know when she gets, uh, excited,” Alexa teased, making me blush as they laughed at me.

I’m so going to get her back for that one.

“Where are we going to find answers? The only place that has answers is the one place we’re never going to get into,” Trey pointed out. I knew he was talking about my parent’s pack.

“We may not need to. I can just ask Royce for the information,” Mateo said thoughtfully.

“Except he’s going to want to know why you want it, especially since June doesn’t exactly want them to know where she is,” Val argued.

“And I’m not changing my mind about that anytime soon,” I added.

“Okay, it looks like we’re going to have to deal with this one step at a time. How about for now we see how we can stop June from projecting her emotions. I think we can all deal with a little pain here and there if she hurts herself, but emotions, I don’t even want to think about,” Orion shuddered, making us laugh.

For the first hour, it looked close to impossible to stop my emotions from everyone feeling them. When Val made her brother growl and I got turned on, they all worked even faster to find a solution, which made me die of laughter.

We finally got it right an hour later. Much like blocking a mind-link, all I had to do was build an imaginary wall around my emotions if you will. Why we didn’t think of that in the first place is beyond me. It was nearly 4 a.m. by that time, so we called it a morning (haha).

“I’ve really never heard of anything like this before,” Mateo said as we prepared for bed.

“I don’t know much either. I mean, my grandmother did tell me a whole lot of stuff about werewolves and the supernatural world, but I’ve never heard of anything like this,” I sighed, getting into the bed. He switched off the light before joining me. We could still see each other in the dark.

“We’ll figure it out together, baby doll. Don’t worry about it,” he assured, pulling me into his chest.

“Yeah, we will,” I agreed before drifting off to sleep.