What Has Become Of Me?

Sebastian kept a firm hold of my hand as he dragged me indoors. The other two men follow behind us silently. I’m dragged into what seems to be the living room to find Dom sitting on a white lounge chair that could comfortably accommodate three. On the single armchair at the head of the room sat Nathan. Power seems to roll off his being. Dom smiles to me almost apologetically. He should be apologetic, he left me helpless to those maniacs.

“Come sit with me” Dom tells me, patting the seat beside him.

I take my hand from Seb and sit close beside Dom.

“I’m still not fond of you” I tell him, repeating my line from the car ride.

He just chuckles and pats my knee. Dom’s eyes move from mine to glance behind me. I turn my head to find a staring match happening between the three giants and smaller Seb. Without any cue that I notice, the four launch themselves at the lounge. They wrestle each other out of the way causing complete carnage. Their only goal being the one to sit in the free seat beside me.

Brian, being the tallest and most well built, finally comes out the victor as he slips into the seat beside me. I would have preferred anyone but him. The others groan, they are just a mass of limbs tangled on the floor behind the lounge. Seb jumps up suddenly.

“Dibs the best seat in the house!” he yells too loud causing me to wince at the noise.

He vaults himself over me using the back of the couch. He lands in front of me with a scary grin.

“Too late shorty, I already got it” Brian tells him with a smirk as he slings his arm around my shoulders.

I cringe away into Dom. Sebastian snorts.

“How could that be better than this seat?” Seb asks before placing both his hands on my knees and ripping them apart without warning.

I gasp shocked but before I can hurl insults and punch him down, he spins around and sits with his back against the couch between my legs. Jett cracks up laughing. Brian simply grumbles unintelligibly. Nathan clears his throat earning instant attention and silence.

“You lot finished?” he asks lightly.

Seb nods happily and Brian smiles pulling me closer into him. Jett and the other man, whose name I haven’t learnt yet, sit on the love seat opposite to my lounge.

“Alright, well we are obviously here to welcome Anika” Nathan begins.

“Welcome” Seb chirps.

“You each gave her a,” Nathan pauses and frowns as if grasping for the word to describe it “warm welcome.”

“It could be hotter if you wanted” Brian murmurs in my ear; low enough that even the other’s exceptional wolf hearing doesn’t catch it.

My cheeks turn slightly pink as I gape at him horrified. Is he insane? He just smirks at me then gives me a wink.

“Brian” Nathan sighs “Could you give it a rest?”

Brian grins, “I’ll try.”

“Right, well Anika; you’ve already met Dominick obviously, the others are Brian, Sebastian, Jett and Chase” each of the men nod in turn.

After fifteen minutes Nathan had explained the pack’s hierarchy, their rolls in the pack and when the official welcoming to the pack would be held. There was twenty nine days until I became part of the pack. In those twenty nine days Nathan would have to help me through a Change, and at the end I would discover what I am to the pack. Will I be just another wolf to them? Nathan’s mate? Or the lowest, most despicable option of being a free-for-all breeder?

“To eats!” Seb exclaims once Nathan is finished.

I give him a quizzical look.

“He means lunch” Dom whispers to me with a grin.

“That’s what I thought he said” I respond sarcastically.

The others get to their feet. As soon as Seb has removed himself from between my legs I close them and quickly stand up.

“Good thinking Sebby” Jett says ruffling the shorter man’s hair, “We’ll quiz Anika about herself over lunch.”

Seb glares at Jett causing the others to laugh.

“I dibs taking her in my car!” Chase suddenly exclaims throwing himself to my side.

“Dom dibbed before” I say quickly latching onto his arm, my glare just daring Dom to say otherwise.

Chase rolls his eyes.

“In this room, raise your hand if you heard anything of the sort leave Dom’s mouth” Chase demands.

No one makes any attempt to back up my story.

“Seems it was invalid” Chase tells me with a wicked grin, “You’re mine for the trip.”

“Meet at the same old place” Nathan tells everyone.

“I’m in Chase’s car” Brian says.

“Me too!” Seb exclaims leaping up in his spot.

I grimace. Dom chuckles and pats my shoulder.

“Good try” he tells me before walking outside with Jett.

Nathan ushers us out. Once we are outside he locks the door before making his way to his car where Dom and Jett are waiting.

“This way” Chase says grabbing my hand as he leads me to a glossy black car.

The make of the vehicle escapes me as I am pushed into the passenger’s seat.

“Can I sit in her lap?” Seb asks as excited as a child at Christmas time begging to sit on Santa’s lap at the shopping mall.

“In your dreams” Chase snorts as he makes his way to the drivers door.

The guys all hop in and I bang my head softly against the glass.

“Brighten up, honey” Chase tells me with that same devilish grin as his emerald eyes sparkle with mischief.

The car ride begins on a quiet start. I glance in the side mirror as Chase pulls out of the street, Brian’s bright green eyes meet mine. He smirks to me as I look away to watch scenery flash by. As we approach a red light, I spot some bike riders ahead. Seb in the backseat chuckles darkly and moves his hand to the door handle as the car closes in on the riders.

“No! Not again!” Chase yells and reaches across to hit the automatic locking system.

Seb groans, the car coming to a stop with the riders so close to his door.

“Please?’ Seb asks in a pleading tone.

“Not this time Sebastian, last time they got the police involved” Chase says sternly as he glares ahead.

I glance at both of them confused before I understand. Seb wants to throw his door open and hit the cyclists beside us with it. As we sit at the red light, an elderly woman makes her way slowly across the crossing before us.

“Fine” Seb sighs in defeat, “but you get twenty points if you scare the old woman with a rev of the engine.”

“Alright” Chase grins then revs the engine extremely loud.

The elderly lady nearly trips over at the fright and glances up with terrified eyes. Her look turns to a glare as she overcomes the shock. Suddenly she flips us the bird before continuing her journey across the street. The guys crack up laughing as the light turns green and we shoot away.

“Thirty points to Chase!” Seb declares as we pull up at a small café.

Chase kills the engine before turning in his seat to high five Seb.

We all exit the car and Chase locks it. Most of us look respectable except for Sebastian who is missing a shirt or shoes. Will the staff serve us? Nathan pulls up beside us and the guys get out. I immediately go to Dom’s side, seeking refuge despite his horrible history for protecting me so far this morning. Nathan frowns at Seb.

“How many times have I told you to wear something decent?” he asks.

“234 times this month” Seb replies, then shrugs.

Nathan sighs shaking his head as he walks to the boot of his car. From a small box in the boot he uncovers a shirt and thongs. He throws the items to Seb.

“Put these on” Nathan commands.

“But I can’t” Seb whines.

“Why?” I ask.

“Because if I do then bets will be lost and I will lose my manliness” Seb replies.

“Which is a shame because you don’t have much to spare” Jett pipes up.

Everyone laughs earning a glare from Seb. He looks at the shirt in his hands which will probably be too big.

“Don’t do it man!” Brian says.

“Don’t listen to the man whore” Chase says grinning.

Seb grins then slips it on causing Brian to groan.

“No fair!” he exclaims.

“All is fair” Chase says.

Brian grumbles as he pulls thirty dollars from his pocket and hands it to a grinning Chase.

“What am I missing?” I ask.

“I bet Brian that Seb would be shirtless for two months but Brian bet four months again, finally I win” Chase explains then high fives Seb again.

Seb smiles then grabs my hand pulling me towards the café. I attempt to grab Dom but he backs away a step.

“I want my eats!” Seb whines as he drags me along with everyone in tow.

Each of us sat around the table. A long argument had resulted in me being crushed between Brian and Chase at the booth. Nathan and Dom sat across from us as Jett and Seb sat in individual chairs they had pulled from other tables.

“So Anika,” Chase begins as we wait for our drinks, “lets play a little Q and A.”

I stay quiet realising I don’t have a choice in the matter.

“Full name?” he quizzes.

“Anika Dean” I reply.

“No last name?”

“None that you’ll ever know of” I respond with a smile.

“My turn!” Seb exclaims, “Favourite ice cream flavour?”

We each give him a strange look before I respond with a boring answer of vanilla.

“Music taste?” Jett asks.

“Basically anything but country or rap.”

“Don’t knock the rap” Dom defends.

“It’s awful” I tell him with a smile.

Before he can argue, the waitress returns with our drinks. All of the guys ordered a ‘coca cola’ while I ordered a water. We thank the woman.

Exhaustion creeps over me as I answer the questions. All night I had been roaming wood land as a wolf and twice my body had to completely reassemble it’s structure; this all definitely affected me. Conversation drifted from me to the new movies coming out. I took a sip of my water before screwing the cap back on. My eye lids drooped and I forced them to open again, this repeated several times before I finally lose my battle with sleep. I’m unaware as my head hits Brian’s shoulder and my body slumps against him.

My eyes are crusted with sleep and I crack them open. Everything is a little blurry before I wipe the sleep from my eyes. A blanket is draped across me and I snuggle into it. I moan softly content as I close my eyes and snuggle up closer into the big, warm thing I’m laying across. A low chuckle causes me to freeze and realise I don’t know where the hell I am. I sit up suddenly to find that I had been snuggling against Brian. My head had been in his lap and I had been forcing my face into- ew.

“Hello sleeping beauty” Brian says smirking as he brushes a strand of hair away from my face.

I cringe away from his touch.

“Told you that you’d be all over me by the end of the meeting” he says with that same perverted smirk.

“Ew” I state in a firm, serious voice.

Suddenly I’m crashed back into Brian by a body smashing against my back affectively tackling me.

“She’s alive!” Seb yells excited, “We don’t have to bury her in the back yard after Brian’s had his way!”

The man is wrapped around my body as I’m forced against Brian.

“Where the hell am I?” I ask trying to free myself from Seb and failing.

Lesson number one, never fall asleep around these guys. I just had to learn that the hard way.