Teeth, Claws, Lipstick

Chapter two

My mouth drops into a wide yawn, flashing all forty four of my sharp teeth as my entire body shudders with the intense, wonderful pleasure of a good ‘ole stretch. I roll onto my side and curl up tight.

I don’t think it could be physically possible to feel any more relaxed than I do right now. I’m entirely surrounded by my pack which makes me feel unbelievably – probably stupidly- safe.

My pack is my family. It’s as simple as that. Ignore the fact that the Beta’s actually my mother and I’m betrothed to the Alpha’s son. The rest of my pack may as well be my brothers and sisters.

Fair enough, my ‘family’ may get on my nerves a hell of a lot – but what family doesn’t? There are only three she-wolves in this pack. Me, my mom and Alicia – but Alicia’s a bit of a lone wolf. She’s always off gallivanting to some place or another. She’s new to the pack.

The other six members are all male and all bar two are annoying.

Those two would be the Alpha and Matt. Our Alpha, Jean-Luc is our leader, the man – or wolf – that helps us, keeps us in line, provides for us. All in all, he’s a good man. But made of stern stuff too. Get on his bad side and he’s not going to let it drop any time soon.

Matt, the other not-annoying-wolf, is my best friend and we’ve been best friends for ever. He was a little wolf pup when Jean-Luc found him. A whimpering mess that his mother hadn’t wanted. He’d been abandoned.

So Jean-Luc had taken him in. At first he’d been so sad... but would I stand for it? Hell no. We’ve been best friends ever since.

My pack are pretty rough. They can be mean too, when they want to. But we’re wolves so it doesn’t matter too much. If you don’t play rough – you don’t play at all.

Only the toughies make it as a werewolf and that’s a fact.

We’ve lived here for a while now. Six years. I still remember moving – it’s always such a huge effort because for one thing, there’s nine of us. So we have to find a big enough house. That house has to be near a woodland area and has to be pretty secluded. The town can’t be too small and it can’t be too big.

So it’s all a pretty picky situation, It takes time and a lot of thought. Which is why we’re all so grateful for Jean-Luc. He sorted out this beautiful house with this gorgeous forest... it all works out great with him in charge.

You see, a pack of werewolves can never stick around too long. Either another pack enters the territory and a big fight commences, or people become suspicious... and so many other reasons.

In our last town, we got someone who became very interested in us. We were being watched and had to be damn careful... until finally, Jean-Luc decided it was time to move. More than one person had become interested.

Now we live here... and to top it off we share the territory with Thorntail pack. They came here two years ago. They didn’t want to fight over territory – would leave if Jean-Luc really didn’t want them hanging about... but he let them stay. A ‘truce’ was made. One pack would look out for the other. As simple as that.

Only, the other day I kind of broke that truce by not rushing in to help them against that boy.

All at once I am hit with memories of him again. I feel my stomach coil tightly as I remember his lips against mine, warm and rough. The way he nipped at my lips, growled in such an animalistic way.

The way he marked me with his teeth.

I was surprised as hell when Keegan didn’t notice. It just goes to prove that we’re not really meant to be together – if he cared, he’d look. But he doesn’t and he hasn’t.

I wish I didn’t have to be with such a jerk for the rest of my life.

"Oh Lyraaa..." I hear a low, gruff growl and I roll onto my back, my head shooting up – my eyes meeting bright blue ones filled with a warning and mischief.

Matt. I still remember that little wolf-pup, so small and scrawny. Terrified to be touched in case it hurt. He was such a fragile pup... that soon got knocked out of him. We tried to be gentle with him but it just wasn’t fun like that. Besides, he adjusted soon enough.

He soon turned from this scrawny little kid into a... well, let’s say giant... young man. No joke, he must be nearly seven foot tall and more well-built that a weight-lifter. He’s huge.

Right now, standing before me, he’s in wolf form. His rough appearance is amplified in his wolf form, his dark fur matching his natural hair colour perfectly.

What, you think that if I dyed my hair bright pink, I’d be a pink wolf? No chance. It’s your natural hair colour, halfwit.

The eyes are what gives you away. A normal wolf with normally have a golden gleam to them. Not us werewolves, hell no. Our eyes are a luminous blue, brighter than you could possibly imagine.

Another way – if you’re a Werewolf like me – to tell, would be their scent. Everyone has a scent, a mixture of who they are and what they’ve been doing.

Right now, Matt smells of earth and the forest and the slightest hint of cinnamon. I know instantly the cinnamon was from earlier when he was making his infamous cinnamon biscuits.

I let a warning growl build in my throat as I peek at him with one eyes. It’s standard procedure.

"Hey!" I yelp as he leaps on me, landing on my soft, exposed belly.

Instantly, we’re fighting, tumbling over and over, nipping and scratching at each other. It’s not entirely vicious – it just isn’t exactly nice. He nips my ear and I snarl, teeth flashing briefly. All he does is laugh at me.

And no, before you go asking something stupid. Wolves laugh just as easily as humans do. And no it doesn’t look fake. It looks completely real – mainly because it is.

I shove one of my legs into his ribs and he lets out a bark of surprise.

"Alright, alright you two – knock it off." Says a scratchy, deep voice in a smiling voice.

We instantly pull away from one another, low growls in each of our throats. Then I give him one of my wonderful smiles and he grins back with a wolfy grin.

I swipe a paw at him and then together we walk across to Jean-Luc.

Jean-Luc has got to be the biggest, badass werewolf that ever lived. And that’s just by his appearance! Firstly, he’s giant. Way bigger than me, Matt and Keegan put together. Now that’s saying something because Keegan is pretty damn huge.

Now, if only his brain was a little bigger and we’d be doing great!

Secondly, he’s built like a tank. Thirdly... okay, I’m not going to go on and on about his size. Let’s just get is through that he’s probably the biggest wolf around for miles.

"Yes Jean-Luc." I say, plopping down onto my haunches, watching as the rest of the pack gather around. I watch as my mom makes her way to sit next to him, her pure white pelt, much like my own, gleaming with a purity that makes me oddly proud.

"I want you guys to know there will be a meeting between our pack and Thorntail’s pack tonight at Point Ridge. Be there at six o’clock dead on the dot – otherwise there’s going to be trouble."

We all nod solemnly; something about the way Jean-Luc stands telling us that this is all very serious. It’s never good to have a meeting. Normally it’s to tell us some bad news – and I did so not want to have bad news on such a nice, sunny day. I’d much rather be relaxing, or playing or something to that extent.

"Come on, get out of my way!" An impatient voice growls and a hard shove sends both Matt and I sprawling either direction.

I get to my feet instantly, my body moving automatically. I glare at Keegan. "Why don’t you watch where you’re going you great big lummox?" I snap.

Keegan’s fur is a healthy black, shimmering in the breeze. His eyes are slightly darker than mine and Matt’s, more like his fathers. In human form he’s drop-dead gorgeous. But man, he doesn’t half know it.

Tall and well built, with an insanely gorgeous body that he loves to flaunt, Keegan is nothing more than a big-headed moron. Who just so happens to be the Alphas son. Who I get the pleasure of marrying. Great.

When we were children, we were best friends. He’s a year older than me and at first was like the big brother I always wanted. But then I began to learn things quicker than him. I’ve always been naturally great at sports, basketballs my game... but he hated it that I’d beat him at anything. From games of tag, to board games, races and sport-games.

He hate-hate-hated it.

So naturally, we grew apart. We’ve always known we would one day wed... we just both hoped it wouldn’t be until we were much older. Instead, on my eighteenth birthday next year... we’d be getting married. Fantastic! Can’t wait. Please note my sarcasm.

"Calm down, bride-to-be." He sniggers, rolling his eyes.

"Go dig a hole." I growl.

"I’ll dig a hole if it’s your grave, babe." He grins, flashing white and slightly curved, pointed teeth.

I hate it when he calls me babe; it is definitely the right thing to say to just piss me off because I loathe it entirely. "The whole point of me saying ‘dig a hole’ was so that you’d die in it. How can you dig a hole for my grave if you’re dead? I know you think you’re some kind of God... but I don’t think you’d be able to resurrect yourself." I laugh forcefully.

"Oh shut it pup." He scowls.

"Dirty mutt." I snap.

"Accident."

"Half-wit!"

"Slut-Muffin!"

"Man-Whore!"

"Wow. You guys need to think of some new comebacks. These are just awful. Completely stale."

I turn to see Matt, sitting down and watching us with eyes that opening mock us, brimming with amusement.

"Shut it Matt." Keegan and I say in sync before sharing a look of disgust.

"Hey! Great minds think alike." Matt smirks.

I glare at him. "Don’t compare my mind to his please. I might not be a rocket-scientist or some kind of genius... but I’m way smarter than him."

"Maybe." Matt laughs before I pretend to go for his throat. He ducks his head and growls at me.

"Dude, I’m going. You’re just pissing me off. And you lovely..." He adds the word sarcastically onto the end as he gives me a look. "I’ll hopefully not see you anytime soon."

"Oh bite me." I snap.

"Don’t tempt me." He laughs. "Maybe I’ll go for the throat."

"Hey, at least you want to bite me – I’d have to kill you some other way, you know, considering the fact that I have no idea where you’ve been!" I shout at his receding back. All he does is laugh which simply infuriated me further. I turn back to Matt with a furious glare.

Matt, despite always being my best friend, has always also been a close friend of Keegan. Although he’s closer to me, he’s always been there for Keegan. It’s always ticked me off because if I need to blow off steam and Matt’s the only one there... he can’t always keep that giant mouth of his shut.

"What?" I snap when he just looks at me.

He rolls his eyes at my mood, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, ear pricked eagerly. "Want to go for a run? Clear that noggin of yours?"

I sigh. "Okay, sure. Why not."

"Well, you can’t go running around with that attitude!" He jumps for me suddenly and we fall in a tangle of wolfy limbs.

Even when we finally begin to run, my body relishing in the freedom and focusing on moving... my mind returns to the wolf from before, everything about him. It seems that no matter how hard I try, I just can’t stop thinking about the Rogue Wolf.