Gorgeous Nightmare

"Zacky, why is Kristy the only female wolf? Why didn't Matt change Eios or Jimmy change Julianna?" I asked as we laid on the deck together.
He took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled loudly. "Jules isn't ready to be changed yet. She has too many ties to the human world. I guess they're going to talk about it once she graduates. And Matt's our alpha, so Eios would have to be alpha female, and she isn't responsible enough yet."
I just nodded. I grabbed his Marlboro and let the cancerous fumes fill my lungs. He gave me a skeptical look.
"Since when do you smoke?"
I shrugged. "Since, like, a half hour ago."
"And why is this?"
"Julianna."
He chuckled. "That explains it. You want your own?" I nodded, and Zack pulled out a new cigarette, which I took eagerly.
"How do I do this?" I asked sheepishly.
"Just hold it to your mouth and inhale as I light it. If you don't, it's gonna go out right away."
I followed his actions. I was never the "bad" girl, and the small amount of adrenaline that surged through my body gave me a rush. I smiled as I exhaled.
"What's got you in such a good mood?"
"This, you, everything."
"What about me?"
"You're just amazing. How did I get mated to you?" I asked, taking another hit of the cigarette.
"We're just lucky, I guess." He kissed me on the lips and exhaled. I coughed.
"The hell was that?"
"Shotgun, babe."
I decided to stop giving myself lung cancer and stood up, brushing off my shirt.
"Do you think I could talk to Kristy?"
Zack nodded and took my hand. "She's in her and Brian's room." He led me inside and down a hallway to a purple door. "Knock first. I'll see you in a bit." With that, he kissed me and went back down the hall.
I tapped my knuckles lightly against the door. Kristy opened it within a few seconds and smiled once she saw me.
"Jerrica, hi! How are you?" She ushered me inside the room and motioned for me to sit on the bed.
"Sorry about the mess, I haven't had much time to clean up lately, and, well, you know Brian," she explained with a giggle. I nodded in agreement.
"So, what's up?"
"Kristy, what aren't the boys telling us?"
A look of panic crossed her face. "What are you talking about?"
"I know something's going on. Otherwise it wouldn't have been such a rush to change you."
She sighed and sat next to me. "There's a rival pack coming, and they want our territory. I'm the strongest out of the girls, so Bri decided to turn me first in case this turns into a war. If it does, you'll be turned, and Eios, too. Mari and Jules will go visit their families. Since we don't really have anybody, they turn us and make it easier."
"I, uh, I have a dad."'
"Yeah, so did I. And a mom, and two brothers and a sister. I thought my mom just left me when I was younger, until I found her in an alley in Long Beach with a needle sticking out of her arm, dead. My dad killed himself after that, jumped off a bridge. My oldest brother Shane took custody of me until I turned 18. I left on my 18th birthday, got a job at Starbucks, and lived out of the back of my '72 VW bus. Brian found me when I was 19, and when I tried to tell Shane, Devon, and Anna that I was moving, I got a polite 'fuck you.' So I dropped off the face of the earth. Now tell me your sob story."
I took in a deep breath. "My mom died while giving birth to my baby brother. I was four, and when my dad put Cody up for adoption, I didn't realize that I wasn't going to meet him. My dad said he didn't want the bastard child who killed his wife to be anywhere near him. He goes on business trips now, but I know that he has another family somewhere else. He won't tell me so I don't get hurt, but I'm not stupid. I don't have friends at school, and I get bullied a lot. I'm, uh, sorry about your mom though. Your dad, too-"
She held up her hand to stop me. "I don't want your pity. I got over that a long time ago. It's in the past, and there's no use dwelling on it. It's for the best, after all. I wouldn't be here today if I was still attached to my family. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if you were next," she said with a hair flip.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, darlin', you've got nobody. It doesn't help that the Elders are giving the boys shit over keeping us human for so long. And with this potential war, you become an easy target for the rival pack."
A knock prevented me from replying. "Kristy? I need my girl back," Zack said through the door. "And you need to find Brian. Now."
I left the room with Kristy behind me. Zack led us to the living room where everybody else was.
"So, if they advance on the cabin, we're just supposed to let them?" Brian asked, pulling Kristy into his side protectively.
Matt shook his head. "No. We're staying here to protect our territory. We run and the Sevenfold territory is up fro grabs."
"With all due respect, I'd rather take Jules and hide until their pack makes their way through," Jimmy said.
"Jimmy, what good will that do? Then we become weak. I love the girls to death, but if they aren't wolves, then they can't be here."
Johnny stood up. "So, you're going to send Eios to live with her family for as long as this war goes on for?"
"No, Johnny, I'm changing her tonight. I suggest if you want Mari to stay here, you do the same." Matt flared his dominance and the rest of the boys, including Kristy, put their heads down in submission. Once he left the room, Zack squeezed my hand.
"We need to talk."