“Don’t what the hell me!” I snapped back, still heaving from the scare. “You’re the one who jumped out at me! What did you expect?”
“I expected you to use your training! You never know when someone might try to attack you.” Kat sighed, rubbing her forehead. Her serious demeanor quickly melted into laughter, unable to contain herself. “I guess you can just scream at them! Hell, that would make any warrior hesitate. With that scream, you could star in a horror movie. Shit, I’d watch it.”
“Is this supposed to be my surprise?” I demanded, my tone half-amused, half-exasperated, as Ethan and Kieran strolled into the room.
Neither seemed surprised by my outburst, barely suppressing smirks. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I looked at all three of them, realizing Kat was indeed my surprise after all.
“Apart from training, we’ve hardly had any time to just hang out.” Kat shrugged, stepping out of the closet before I could think to lock her in. She shot a narrow-eyed glance at the twins and crossed her arms over her chest. “I didn’t think it would take you two so damn long to send her up here. I got so bored; I was about to start trying on clothes. Were you having a threesome or something?”
“Don’t answer that,” I snapped, cutting off Ethan just as he opened his mouth.
“Are you upset with us, doll?” Ethan asked, unable to resist the urge to let his lips curl into an amused grin.
“No,” I huffed, shooting a quick glance at Kat. “Did you really have to jump out at me?”
“I wanted to see how fast your reflexes were,” Kat shrugged casually, as if it were a perfectly reasonable explanation.
“Well, it seems her reflexes are quite fast. At least, her voice is,” Kieran commented with a hint of humor. “With more training, her first reaction won’t be to scream.”
“She’s got a set of lungs on her, doesn’t she?” Kat chuckled, making Ethan’s grin widen.
“Alright, enough of that,” I grumbled, shifting the topic. “Where’s that food you two were talking about?”
Half an hour later, the three of us were sprawled on the sectional in the living room, devouring pizza like there was no tomorrow. Some reality television show played softly in the background, ignored by all of us. The sliding glass doors leading to the backyard pool were open, letting in a warm summer breeze scented with fresh water and flowers.
My appetite still surprised me, but I couldn’t help eyeing the pizza hungrily even after devouring five slices. Ethan and Kieran each had ordered two pizzas, loaded with toppings that looked both appetizing and somewhat excessive. Kat and I each had our own pizzas, which turned out to be just the right amount.
“I bet you twenty bucks they won’t finish two whole pizzas,” I whispered to Kat, taking a bite of my slice.
Kat paused, eyeing the twins thoughtfully. “Mm, I think they’ll finish two and then eye our pizzas for leftovers,” she replied quietly. “Male werewolves are insatiable when it comes to food and sex.”
Ethan and Kieran’s heads turned towards us at the mention of ‘sex,’ and a blush crept onto my cheeks. Clearly, they had heard us. It seemed that anything related to sex grabbed their attention.
“Such alpha males,” I teased, smirking at them.
“You’re lucky we’re giving you a day with Kat,” Kieran grunted playfully, sharing a look of mock annoyance with Ethan. “Otherwise, we’d keep you locked in that bedroom all day.”
“That sounds terrible,” Kat scolded, shooting the twins a mock glare. “While copious amounts of sex with the twins sounds fantastic, I do want to explore the lake and the surrounding forest. I thought you were on my side, but now that you’ve brought it up, I think she’d appreciate some variety.”
“You’re not helping,” I muttered, sinking deeper into the couch cushions.
Despite my feigned embarrassment, I couldn’t deny the warm rush I felt knowing how deeply Ethan and Kieran desired me. They never seemed to tire of my company. Every person in my life had been transient, either because Lauren forced us to move or because I was always the friend left in the background. I used to resent that about myself, that I was so ordinary that no one found me special. Over time, I came to accept it. I didn’t need to be first in anyone’s eyes; I was first in my own. Having Ethan, Kieran, and even Kat, was a feeling I had never experienced before. I wasn’t left in the background, forgotten until the last minute.
“Aren’t I, though?” Kat giggled, waggling her eyebrows at me.
“You seem pretty invested in my sex life, Kat,” I remarked, arching an eyebrow at her.
A look of mock surprise crossed her face as she pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, Sophia, you’ve caught me. Now we can all be mates,” she cooed, collapsing back onto the couch cushions with a mischievous grin. “Hey, my sex life is non-existent. You have two mates-two! A girl’s gotta live vicariously through you when she can.”
Ethan and Kieran exchanged looks of confusion and slight surprise. Their expressions seemed to say, “Are all girls like this?” Regardless, it was enough to send Kat and me into a fit of laughter, collapsing against each other.
“Alright, alright,” Kat gasped between laughs, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. She shot Ethan and Kieran a cheeky grin before continuing, “We should go swimming after this! Lake or pool?”
It wasn’t a difficult decision. The sun was still high, making it the perfect time for a dip in the lake. Kat seemed just as excited as I was about the idea of swimming under the afternoon sun.
“Lake, definitely the lake,” I nodded, matching Kat’s widening grin. “And then the pool tonight.”
“You’d think werewolves wouldn’t like to swim, but we actually love it,” Kat chuckled, pushing herself off the couch with a hand on her full stomach. “Flying, on the other hand, no way. There’s something about being stuck in a metal box in the sky that gives me the creeps.”
“I’ve never thought of it that way,” I admitted, standing up from the couch as well.
For nearly a quarter of my life, I had no idea I was a werewolf. I had never been on a plane before, but the thought of flying wasn’t frightening. It was unfamiliar yet practical. I trusted Ethan and Kieran to keep me safe from whatever the High Table had planned. They were convinced the plane would never safely land with me on board, but it was hard to believe the High Table would try to kill me without giving me a chance to defend myself.
“Are you two ready?” Kat turned to Ethan and Kieran, hands on her hips as she raised an eyebrow at them.
Ethan was still busy stuffing another slice of pizza into his mouth, while Kieran frowned at his empty pizza box. I knew what they were going to ask before the words even left their mouths, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Can we have the rest of your pizza?” Kieran finally asked, surprising me.
“You owe me twenty bucks,” Kat snickered under her breath, though the twins could easily hear her this time. Both narrowed their eyes at us but said nothing more.
It was endearing, honestly. I loved how, despite being practically warriors, they were also very much human. They had their flaws and shortcomings, but those weren’t things to be fixed or looked down upon.
My face was starting to ache from smiling so much, but it was a pleasant ache. The twins couldn’t feel my emotions, but I hoped my smile conveyed just how genuinely happy I felt.
“Help yourselves,” I chuckled, linking my arm with Kat’s as we headed upstairs to find our swimsuits.
The twins had unpacked my suitcase for me, leaving it fully stocked on the bed. Kat pulled out a small duffel bag from her hidden spot in the closet and grabbed an emerald green bikini. The top and bottoms had a small ruffle that made them look cute rather than overtly sexy.
“I’ve always thought redheads looked amazing in green,” I complimented, flashing her a grin.
“Honestly, I envy your two different eye colors,” Kat sighed, plopping down beside me on the bed. “You could wear any color and pull it off.”
“Or clash with the other eye entirely,” I retorted with a smirk.
I wasn’t particularly fashion-conscious, but there was nothing wrong with wanting to look good. The twins’ mother had picked out most of my clothes, and I found that I loved them all. I wasn’t used to dresses and skirts, but I was willing to give them a try.
As I rummaged through the suitcase they had packed for me, my jaw dropped and my eyes narrowed.
There wasn’t a single pair of shorts or shirts in the entire suitcase. I found only one bikini, light blue in color. The top seemed a bit small for my bust, and I frowned as Kat collapsed onto the bed and laughed heartily.
“They packed your suitcase, didn’t they?” she cackled, her freckles dancing as she laughed. “Oh, they’re good, so good.”
I pulled the baby blue bikini out of the suitcase and shoved everything else back in. There were plenty of skimpy bras and lace underwear, but only a couple of wearable dresses.
“You’re going to be kept busy these next two days,” Kat smirked, teasingly toying with one of the lace bras before I snatched it away.
She groaned playfully, “Oh, the life of a Luna.”