A Blessing or a Curse

Chapter Twenty Three: Alabastard

I spent the rest of my Friday night saving numbers, downloading apps and games and on Wanelo after I got home. The next morning I woke up itching to get out of the house. It was May 29th so pools had just opened this week, and the week earlier. I wanted to go swimming.

~

When Ashelle and I got to the local pool it was busy and booming with teenagers, little kids and their parents and some young adults.
“Some of the lifeguards are cute.” Ashelle smiled coyly and took off her dark blue sunglasses and winked at one of the human ones.
“Go make a boyfriend.” I teased her.
“Gladly.” She walked over to the post the one she winked at was at.

I shook my head and chuckled and placed our stuff on a white, tanning chair and sprawled myself ontop of one next to it. I put my tan aviator sunglasses on and started reading some teen love advice BS in a Seventeen Magazine. None of the shit in this magazine was realistic.
“He said he was going to text me tonight.” Ashelle tried to play it cool like she wasn’t excited, but I could tell on her insides she was jumping for joy. She lay down on a tanning bed next to me and began to put on sun screen.
“What’s his name?”
“Logan, he plays Hockey. Isn’t that hot?”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed the sunscreen and applied the thin, white liquid onto my skin. I had gotten pretty pale and I seriously wanted a bronzer glow, so I only put a light layer.
Werewolves had much tougher skin so the UV rays wouldn’t be as harmful or leave nasty sunburn on my melanin lacking skin. Another perk of being a werewolf. I honestly pitied humans.

Suddenly Ashelle’s attention was sniffing something in the air. “D-do you smell that?”
“Smell what?”
“Something really fucking good.” She moaned out.
“Uh, all I smell is chlorine to be honest.” I shrugged.
“No! For real!” she got up and looked around. “It’s mouth watering. I can feel it too. My wolf is really excited right now.”
“Shh! Be quiet before a human hears you!” I hissed at her.
“Sorry.”
“Sit down, it’s probably nothing. Just tan with me, okay?” I brushed off the subject.

“Ashelle? Lolita?” a light voice called. I pulled up my glasses to see Cola, in a cheetah bikini and Juicy Couture sunglasses protecting her amber-colored eyes. Next to Cola was her best friend Alice, a girl who was almost as pretty as Cola. Alice had raven black hair that hovered just above her shoulders, and very prominent cheek bones and boring brown eyes. She was pretty. But just that.

“Hey Cola.” Ashelle smiled warmly at her.
“Mind if we join you guys?” Cola smiled down at us. I moved Ashelle and my belongings from the tanning chair next to me and nodded for them to sit. Alice sat on Ashelle’s side and Cola on mine.
“Heard about that party.” Ashelle started up the conversation first. “Thanks for inviting us.”
“Oh, no problem. You guys seem cool and I never really hung out with y’all, so what better way than to invite you to the party of the year?” Cola was a very enthusiastic girl.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself now, Cola” I warned her in a teasing tone, “What if the party sucks?”
She scoffed beside me “Trust me Lolita it’ll be great! My DJ is fantastic, I invited fun people, and there will be alcohol and weed and no adults. Tell me what could possibly go wrong?” She was also very self-assured.
I shrugged. It was never my taste to talk shit because fate had a funny way of proving me wrong, but hey it’s Cola. Let her say what she wants.
We all continued to talk about unimportant topics; all of us laughing and joking around, but Ashelle’s attention seemed elsewhere. I decided to ask her about it later when Cola and Alice were gone in case it was private.
After around thirty minutes of tanning Alice caught my attention. “Marilyn.”
“Hmm?” I peered at the petite girl through my aviators.
“That really hot guy has been staring at you almost this entire time.” She nodded her head nonchalantly toward the direction of the diving board.
There I saw a familiar chiseled face with broad shoulders talking to a curly-haired man whose back was turned to me. The handsome guy looked all too familiar. Who was he?
“I…I think I know him” I said more to myself then the girls.

Cola and Ashelle both then averted their attention to the guy. Ashelle gasped and took off her glasses and looked up at the familiar face. She looked like she was in a trance. I turned toward the guy again, when I realized who he was.

The man from the woods! The day I slept with Carter! His name was on the tip of my tongue. Andrew? No. Anderson, Aaron, Aaden, Axel, Al…Al…Al… no. Something that started with Al. Alabaster! His name was Alabaster!

If that was Alabaster that probably meant that was Valentino with him. I was right. Valentino then turned and caught sight of me and gave me a large grin. Fuck, what was he doing here?
“I’ll be back.” I muttered getting up and walking toward the other side of the pool.
They both got up from the water shaking their heads drying themselves off like dogs. Touché.
“Sup Lolita.” Valentino grinned at me.
Alabaster’s attention was toward something else on the other side of the pool but I paid no mind to it.
“You have to get off Arctos territory!” I whispered harshly.
“Why? It’s a hot day. Allie and I wanted to stop by at the pool.” Valentino faked a frown and playfully shoved Alabaster. Did this guy take anything seriously?
“This isn’t funny! You need to go! A lot of pack members are here and when they realize you two are here that’ll be a serious problem.” I warned him, my hands planted firmly on my hips.
“You’re glowing.” He looked me up and down and licked his lips. The frown on my face turned into a light blush when he looked me over. “What tanning cream are you using? I must get it.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Valentino-”
“Why are your eyes purple?” he cocked his head to the side.
“Violet!” I cried out. “They’re violet!”
“Nah, I think their more of a tangerine color.” He pretended to have a serious expression on his face.
I gave him a weird look and rolled my violet eyes. “Tangerine is a type of orange, moron.”
He shrugged “Another reason I failed art junior year in High School. You see Carter’s good with colors. He’s an artist you know?”
I smiled at the thought of Carter. “I know.”
“He can draw you like one of his French girls” he winked at me “If you know what I mean.” I snorted at his innuendo to the movie Titanic.
“Go!” I ordered him “You and Ala-” I stopped mid sentence when I realized Alabaster wasn’t by Valentino’s side anymore. “Where’d he go?”
“There he is, with that hot blonde chick.” Valentino nodded his head to the right after searching the pool for him with his eyes.

I gasped at the sight in front of me. He was caressing Ashelle’s cheek ever-so-gently with his dark blue eyes clouded with love and smiling down at her as if were a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. Ashelle was smiling up at him, staring into his eyes; neither of them uttering a word.
“Are they…?”
“Mates?” I finished the question Valentino begun.
“Oh God.” Valentino groaned. “Now I’m going to be the only one without a girl bossing me around.”
I glared at Valentino. The connection between mates was much more than that.
“Let’s go.” I began walking toward them. I didn’t want to interrupt but Valentino and Alabaster needed to get off this territory immediately before someone realizes they were trespassing.
“Ash!” I yanked her by the bicep.
Alabaster’s deep blue eyes instantly, without warning turned darker, fading into black and snarled at me. “Do not grab her so hard.” He growled.
“What?” Ashelle gave me an annoyed glare.
“We should go.” I suggested. “And so should they.” I bobbed my head toward Alabaster who was still glowering at me and Valentino who was checking out some girls.
“No!” Alabaster and Ashelle growled at me. Ashelle ripped her arm from my grasp.
“Ash! I’m not kidding!” I shouted.
“Watch your fucking tone when you speak to her.” Alabaster barked at me.
“Whoa, watch your fucking tone when you speak to me.” I narrowed my eyes at him. Who the fuck did he think he is? Talking to me like that? “I won’t take that bullshit.”
“Guys please stop fighting.” Ashelle whimpered looking between me and her mate.
“Ashelle come on.” I didn’t want to be here any longer and we were starting to attract attention from humans and weres.

I grabbed her hand in mine and began to pull her to me. “Watch it!” Alabaster gnarled. I rolled my eyes. He acted like she was the most precious, delicate, porcelain china doll worth billions of dollars that could only be cared for by him!
Then again, she is his mate. In his eyes that’s what he saw and so much more.

“No Marilyn!” she yanked her hand from me and took a few steps back into Alabaster’s muscled chest. “I’m staying with…with…” she looked up at him a confused look.
“Alabaster. My name’s Alabaster.” He smiled down at her brushing a stray blond lock out of her face.
She gazed up at him lovingly. “I’m Ashelle.”
“I’m Valentino!” the comic chimed in. “You can call my good ole buddy over there Allie, or by his favorite nickname Alabastard.”
I snorted at the corny, but slightly clever nickname. Alabaster glowered at Valentino a lethal look of death in his eyes. “You really test my patience Val.”

“I like your name.” Ashelle smiled up at him, placing her tiny hand on his cheek which caught Alabaster’s attention once again.
“And yours is almost as beautiful as you.” He complimented her. Okay, this guy was perfect for Ashelle. She loved that corny, romantic bullshit. As for me, I dreaded it. It looked awkward and unnatural.
I thought back to Carter. We were never really romantic with each other now that I thought of it. We never even kissed! Maybe we should get more romantic.
“See this is why we call you Alabastard. You say some stupid, corny, gay shit like that!” Valentino shook his head disapprovingly.
I rolled my eyes for the umpteenth time at a remark Valentino made.
“I think it’s cute!” Ashelle defended her mate.
“Faggots.” Valentino mumbled under his breath but Ashelle and Alabaster continued to gaze at each other lovingly.
“Wow…” I stared at the sight in front of me “This is honestly pathetic. All they’re doing is rubbing each other’s cheeks and staring at each other.”
“Weren’t you and Carter all lovey-dovey when you two first met too?” Valentino asked.
That shut me up.

After an awkward moment of just watching my best friend ogle with her mate at each other I harrumphed lightly. When they ignored me, I did it again. They ignored me once more so I pretended to have a full out coughing fit and they still ignored me! “Alabaster! Ashelle!”
“What?!” They clearly had no desire to be interrupted.
“We should go.” I gritted through my teeth. I hated repeating myself and this was like the seventh time!
“I’m staying with Alabaster. You should go.” Ashelle shrugged.
I rolled my eyes and groaned. Jesus Christ, didn’t she see that people were starting to notice that Alabaster and Valentino clearly didn’t belong here? Or was love making her so damn blind she didn’t care?
I turned toward Valentino. “Valentino, do something! Please get off Arctos territory and take him with you! I don’t want you guys getting hurt. And if Ashelle is seen being all lovey-dovey and we don’t do anything to make you go we’ll get in trouble with our Alpha again! Please!” I entreated with the imbecile.

Valentino just rolled his eyes and sighed, “Fine, pussy-pants. Such a scaredy cat.” He mocked me. “Alabaster we should go. I don’t think you want Ashelle getting in trouble with Mr. Alpha.”
Alabaster scoffed and rolled his dark blue irises. “The fuck is the Alpha gunna do?”
Why did all of Carter’s friends insist on being difficult?
“Punish us!” I yelled. “He isn’t the most reasonable Alpha. He let us off with a warning last time but he won’t again. He’s known for his unrelenting and harsh punishments.”
“Enlighten me.” he urged me on.
“No wait,” Ashelle stepped in, hopefully seeing common sense and reason “my Alpha tortures and kills any rogue who so much as steps foot in his territory. And if he finds out we’ve been with you he’ll punish us too.”
A victorious smile sprung upon my face, “Finally!”
“He won’t touch you and that’s a vow.” Alabaster gritted through his teeth. I rolled my eyes. Boys are so protective and territorial.
“You should go.” Ashelle murrmed softly giving him a sad look.
“Or…” Valentino began.
Oh my gosh shut the fuck up. Please don’t speak, I thought to myself.
“Or?” Alabaster looked up at him.
“We can take ‘em back to ‘casa de desajustados’ with us.” He shrugged.
“Yeah, and we’ll bring ‘em back home later on!” Alabaster looked back down at Ashelle who shared the same confused expression I was wearing. “What do you say?”
“The heck is casa de desudo-sesa-dea-desa-doo-err…uhh ugh whatever! What is that?”
“Where we live. It means ‘home of misfits’ in Portuguese. You’ve been there. It’s that tiny neighborhood in the middle of the woods we brought you to. It’s like thirty miles southwest of this territory and on unclaimed lands.” Valentino answered my question.
“I’ll go!” Ashelle exclaimed enthusiastically.
“Ashelle, I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea.” I muttered.
“No one said you had to come.” She glared at me.
I seriously wanted to throttle her right now and make her choke on that fucking attitude she was giving me. I can understand she doesn’t want to depart from her newfound love but the attitude was unnecessary. “Can you stop being a dick?” I snapped.
I heard Alabaster growl lowly behind her. “Can you stop being clingy and annoying?” she retorted.
“Cat fight!” Valentino again voiced his stupidity.
“We’re not fighting!” I snapped at him. “And we’re not cats!”
“Ugh, whatever! I’m going with Alabaster. I think I deserve to spend a little time with my mate thank you very much. You aren’t my mother and you can’t me decisions for Me.” she turned to Alabaster. “Take me to ‘casa de la whatever’.”

And with that they took off.
“You coming?” Valentino asked me ready to head to his car.
I sighed and shook my head. “Someone’s gotta babysit her.”