Last Night Out

Knowing I wouldn't be allowed to leave until I promised to be careful, I gave my parents the reassurance they wanted before retreating to my room to finish getting ready.

Most of my friends were guys, and I usually blended right in with them. Every now and then, though, I enjoyed reminding them that I was, in fact, a girl.

I settled on a cute blouse and a pair of fitted jeans. Dressing up was fun, but there was no universe where I would willingly wear a dress.

After curling my hair into soft waves and applying a light touch of makeup, I examined my reflection.

My makeup skills weren't exactly impressive. Spending most of my life surrounded by boys hadn't given me much opportunity to practice. As long as I kept things simple, I looked decent enough. The few times I attempted one of those dramatic online tutorials, I ended up looking like a circus clown.

Simple was safer.

Satisfied with my appearance, I grabbed my purse and headed out.

The entire group was meeting at the local nightclub. Werewolves officially came of age at eighteen, which meant we could legally drink at wolf-owned establishments. Humans still had to be twenty-one, but special identification and wolf bouncers made it easy to keep everything separate.

Being friends with the future Alpha had its perks.

No waiting in line.

No showing IDs.

And our favorite drinks were usually waiting for us by the time we walked through the door.

As usual, everyone had arrived except Lyall.

We lingered near the entrance, chatting while the line stretched around the building. The moment Lyall finally appeared, we headed straight for the front.

The crowd parted automatically.

Another perk.

Inside, the music pulsed through the walls while colored lights swept across the packed dance floor.

The bartender spotted us immediately and slid our usual drinks onto the counter.

Lyall reached for his without a second thought.

I caught his wrist.

"What are you doing, Roe?" he asked.

I lowered my voice.

"Didn't your parents tell you about the drug?"

His expression immediately changed.

"Oh."

The realization hit him as quickly as it had hit me earlier.

We trusted these bartenders. We knew nearly everyone in the pack. Still, neither of us was willing to take chances tonight.

"Sorry," Lyall said to the bartender. "Would you mind making us fresh drinks while we watch?"

The bartender looked confused but nodded.

A few minutes later, we carried our newly made drinks upstairs to the private patio overlooking the dance floor.

The elevated area had become our unofficial spot over the years. Sometimes we spent the entire night dancing downstairs. Other times we stayed up here, talking and laughing until dawn.

Tonight, staying somewhere safer sounded a lot more appealing.

"Why did you have them remake the drinks?" Mel asked as we settled into our usual seats.

I frowned.

"Your parents didn't tell you?"

"Told us what?" River asked.

"The drug."

Several blank stares met mine.

"What drug?" Troy asked. "There aren't many things that can affect wolves."

Lyall and I exchanged a look before explaining everything we knew.

Unfortunately, it wasn't much.

Unknown drug.

Unknown source.

Unknown purpose.

The only thing anyone knew for certain was that the victims had accepted drinks from strangers and woken up with no memory of what happened afterward.

By the time we finished explaining, everyone looked considerably less relaxed.

"So nobody accepts a drink unless they watch it being made," I said firmly.

A chorus of agreement followed.

None of us had worked this hard for our futures just to gamble them away on one stupid mistake.

"We really can't afford anything happening before college," Lyall added.

The others nodded.

Unlike our parents, our friends had known about our college plans from the beginning.

"Seriously," River said. "How have your parents not figured it out yet?"

I snorted.

Before I could answer, Lyall raised his hand.

"That may have something to do with me."

I narrowed my eyes.

"What did you do?"

"I may have paid the admissions office a little extra to keep quiet."

The entire table froze.

"You what?"

He grinned.

"Legally, they can't discuss our applications with our parents anyway. I just wanted to make sure nobody got tempted because of who my family is."

I smacked him in the chest.

"Lyall!"

Rubbing the spot dramatically, he winced.

"Before you yell at me, I waited until we were both accepted."

Laughter erupted around the table.

The tension that had settled over us eased slightly as everyone took another sip of their drinks.

Alcohol affected wolves differently than humans. We never lost control of our senses, no matter how much we drank. At most, it created a mild sense of euphoria.

Unfortunately, tonight even that wasn't enough to completely chase away the unease lingering in the back of my mind.

"Well," River said with a grin, "if you two are finally admitting you're leaving for college, I have an announcement too."

I noticed the smiles on Mel's and Troy's faces immediately.

They already knew.

Lyall and I leaned forward.

River practically bounced in her seat.

"We're all going with you!"

For a moment, silence filled the patio.

Then she squealed.

"You're stuck with us every single day!"