“You might as well start eating,” Mum said with a strained smile. She’d called Adrian multiple times, but he’d yet to reply.‘Probably thinks he’s too good to be summoned so casually,’ Scarlett thought, trying not to roll her eyes.The atmosphere in the dining room was heavier than usual. Scarlett, her mother, and her best friend began to tuck into their food, the strained silence broken only by the scraping of forks on China.She picked at her salad, trying to spear a particularly robust tomato with her fork. It exploded into a mass of green seeds and goo, making her grimace and drop it to the plate.The clatter of her fork grabbed the attention of her mother who looked over with a concerned frown.“Is everything okay?” She asked. She’d asked this question roughly a thousand times since her stepfather Ron and stepbrother Adrian had moved in. Both women sensed the shift in energy. The scent of an Alpha was a powerful thing; something the previously all female household would take time
Adrian was sat in front of the television, playing a first-person shooter, and basically hogging the entire living room. Not that Scarlett was in any position to complain. She had a favour to ask. A huge favour. 'I'll pretend it's not a favour,' Scarlett decided. 'I'll make out as if he's the luckiest guy on the planet.'"So, what did you think to my friend, Sienna?" she asked.Adrian pulled off his headset, flashed her an annoyed looked for interrupting him and asked what she wanted."Did you like Sienna?" she repeated."Your blonde mate?" Adrian asked and made a puking gesture. “Even for a human, she was annoying. I don’t know how you put up with this shit day in, day out. If I had my way I’d tear their scrawny throats out.”"She's the most popular girl at school and she wants to go on a date with you," Scarlett continued with a wide grin, still trying to make the idea sound appealing, though she knew it was a losing battle.His face confirmed he wasn't falling for it."Hard pass,"
"Hello?" the young man replied in the same questioning tone. The first thing she noticed about him was his scent. He was powerful. Not an Alpha but almost as strong. A Beta most likely.The second thing was the shape of his lips—top heavy and downturned. He looked like a young Johnny Depp. Young Johnny Depp was an obsession of Scarlett's. She would watch his films on repeat, despite being terrified of Freddy Krueger.The guy on her doorstep had lighter hair, and his brown eyes had flecks of green, but there was a strong resemblance. 'I need to stop staring like a lunatic,' Scarlett realised."Can I help you?" she asked."Riley, just come on in!" Adrian shouted from the living room.Riley looked at Scarlett with a patient smile, waiting for her to move and let him inside."Oh," she uttered, stepping to the side and holding the door open for Adrian's guest. "D—do you want a cup of tea or coffee? I just boiled the kettle.""Coffee would be great," he said. "He takes it without milk or
Sienna downed the last of her vodka and coke and eyed the bottle of clear liquid with indecision. Getting too drunk before the date was a bad idea. Puking, slurring your words and wobbling about the pavement were not endearing behaviours.'But I'm so nervous,' she thought. The single drink had done nothing to ease the knot in her stomach or the flutters in her chest.Sienna had been on plenty of dates before, but this was different. It almost felt like a blind date. Usually, her dates were with guys from her school—ones who knew her and had a good idea of what to expect. They understood she was at the top of the food chain and they were interchangeable trophies for her arm. She never genuinely cared for any of them besides Tom, and he had trampled all over her heart.Tom had been different. There was just something special about him. A spark. Adrian had that same spark, but even brighter. She was a moth, drawn to his dark flame. His odd choice of style and clothing might an issue, b
Adrian gave Scarlett a final withering stare as they heard a knock at the door. She smiled, took his hand, and thanked him profusely before he pulled the door open and left.With a grimace, she turned back to Riley. "I hope they don't kill each other," she said. It was a major overreaction, but her worries were valid."Oh, you don't have to worry about Adrian." Riley chuckled. "He'll eat her alive and use her bones to pick his teeth afterwards.""You haven't met Sienna," Scarlett said."I've met plenty of Sienna’s," he said, looking her up and down with narrowed eyes."I'm nothing like her!" Scarlett cried. "If my Mum had called me something normal like Rebecca I wouldn't even be in the damn popular group."Riley looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it. She knew what he was thinking: until her wolf made an appearance, she was basically a human girl. A late bloomer her mother said. It wasn’t at all uncommon to remain shiftless until the age of eighteen. Most wo
"Dance for me," he said.Scarlett giggled, but the laughter become soft and tapered off as she took in his facial expression."I can't dance," she said. "I'm... terrible. I have all the style and grace of a greased up, three-legged warthog on an ice-rink."Maybe it was the vivid mental image that made him snort with laughter. He looked her up and down with suspicious eyes."Adrian said you are a cheerleader," he sternly pointed out."Oh God," Scarlett covered her head with her palm. "Only because Sienna forced me. Little Miss Gymnastic gold champion has to take every opportunity to show off her limber frame. Meanwhile, you have me in the background, tripping over my own feet like a hopeless lummox. You’d think I’d have some sort of natural grace!"He burst into laughter again."Show me a routine," he demanded, staring up at the ceiling.When Scarlett dropped her shoulders in defeat, about to begin the silly cheer, Riley sat up on the bed and waved his arms."Woah, woah, woah, sweet ch
After changing back into her regular clothes, Scarlett scoured the internet for memes that were funny or relevant enough to share on her social media. It was a full-time job, taking up more of her time than homework, but somebody had to drudge through the sea of endless posts to pick out the gems.There were a lot of memes about men, due to the trending hashtag #notallmen. Scarlett steered clear, careful not to take a stance one way or another. She couldn't deal with people arguing on her posts. The only valid response was a laughter emoji.It wasn't long before the dreaded message appeared in her inbox. She was going to have to deal with Sienna’s bitching for weeks, maybe even months if she still wanted to hang out here with the same frequency. Deep in her heart, Scarlett almost hoped that her bestie would stop hanging out here so much. Yes, it was a normal teenager thing to do, but sometimes she wished to be… herself. Abnormal. Animal.Scarlett’s brow shaped into a confused frown as
Scarlett closed her eyes and prayed, but it did no good.His response was innevitable, she realised, seeing the cruel sneer materialise across his lips. "I only went out with you because my stepsister begged and pleaded with me," he revealed.Sienna's previously smug face dropped immediately. She slowly turned to Scarlett, eyes smouldering like lasers. Anger radiated off her in waves, almost visible and hot."Seriously?" Damien asked with a mouthful of food, choking on his salad."Yeah," Adrian told him. "She fucking begged on her knees with tears in her eyes because she was so worried her so-called best friend would blame her if I said no."As Sienna stared into the eyes of her best friend, she could see her rage and pain. Little tears formed before she threw her tray full of food at Scarlett's feet and ran from the cafeteria. Everyone turned to stare at Scarlett. The entire student body. She'd never felt so exposed and open. Staying out of the limelight was important--her mother