Rejecting Him

There was a reason I didn't date werewolves. Well, in general, I didn't date a lot but I had learned long ago not to date werewolves. It was rare, in my experience, for the werewolf guys I dated not to become over-protective as the relationship went on. In my teens I had fallen hard for that act. I loved the attention the guy would give me, I loved the way he made sure I was always safe and in good company. Now, though, I hated it, as it wasn't unlike being on a short leash.

As Nick and I exchanged nervous looks, with Warren eying us from his spot in the doorway, I silently hoped Nick wouldn't turn out the same way. Hopefully his interest in sports would be enough of an outlet for his competitive spirit. He was too nice to turn into one of those alpha types.

"C'mon," Nick said, offering me his hand. "Dinner's getting cold. And y'know how hard Tamara worked on it." He winked, and I chuckled despite myself. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me to my feet.

"Yeah, we'd never hear the end of it," I agreed.

"She'd have our hides!"

Nick and I laughed together, but out in the hall, Warren growled softly. I shot him a dangerous look.

"Cut it out, Warren," Nick snapped. I sighed quietly and nudged my cousin.

"Let's just go," I muttered.

***

I was relieved to find a spot between Jen and Alanna at the dinner table, since it meant I wouldn't have to be in too close quarters with Warren. The thought of him next to me, an arm or leg brushing up against my own, made me shiver.

Alanna nudged me, grinning. "So I see you met Warren," she said with a wink. I started.

"How d'you...huh?"

"Oh, come on. I spotted you guys coming downstairs." Her voice took on a hushed tone. "He knows you and Nick are just cousins, right?"

"Of course he does!" I exclaimed. "But, Alanna, I don't like Warren. He's a creep."

I could have sworn she almost dropped the bowl of mashed potatoes that was making its way around the table. A look of shock was scribbled clearly across her face.

"What do you mean? He's so handsome."

"And creepy," I repeated, gently taking the potatoes. We both looked over at Warren. I didn't like the way he was talking with Nick out in the living room. Poor Nick.

"Yeah, but how, though? He seemed like a nice enough guy," Alanna reasoned, now dishing some green peas onto her plate. I set down the potatoes.

"Alanna, I think he's been following me," I whispered in her ear. In my peripheral vision I noticed Dad perking up ever so slightly.

Alanna's face turned serious and she glanced over at Warren. She then turned back to me.

"Are you sure?" she murmured. I bit my lip, nervous to finally be telling such a close friend of mine, but nodded. From the corner of my eye I could see the guys heading back over to the table.

"Yeah. It's been going on since before Dad left for Seattle." I jumped at the thought. "Hey, you don't think--"

Alanna kicked me under the table. Sitting across from us was Warren. He flashed me a smile that, under any other circumstances, would have made me melt with delight. But humans and werewolves have two very different ideas of what constitutes as a rogue, and werewolves aren't the types to mess with theirs.

Usually.

"Would you pass the potatoes, Callie?" Warren asked. I nodded slowly, silently, and handed him the bowl. The emerald of his ring winked under the overhead light. I couldn't help but feel as if I were being mocked in some way.

At the other end of the table from us were Nick and his buddies, Joseph and David. Joe and Dave went to school with Nick and were in Jazz Band with him. Dave played a mean bass, and Joe was a born drummer. Sometimes they talked about starting a band of their own, but I could tell from the annoyance sparking in Nick's eyes that they weren't discussing any future plans for a band. Not by a long shot.

Joe and Dave raised their eyebrows, and all three boys shot identical glares at Warren. I caught Warren following my gaze.

"See something you like?" he said, catching me off guard. He cut me a dry smile. I shook my head.

"Nope," I said in a clipped tone. "We're a close-knit family, but I assure you, Warren, we're not that close."

Warren coolly raised an eyebrow. "You could have fooled me."

I rolled my eyes. Ugh. Gag me.

I caught the wine that was going around and poured myself a generous glass. It wasn't like me to wreck my liver because of a guy, much less at a family function, but tonight I was willing to make an exception. As long as I didn't hug too many people, I was golden.

Well, that, and keep a careful eye on my glass.

"So tell me something," I said when I was feeling a little more bold. "Do you always follow pretty girls around, or am I just special?"

For a split second a look of annoyed confusion flitted across his face, but it was gone as soon as I took notice of it. He smiled and leaned forward, his dark eyes glittering with silent inner laughter.

"May I plead the fifth?"

I refilled my glass as the wine bottle came around again. "No, actually. I'm curious. And I have the right to know." I shot him a challenging look over the rim of my glass.

Warren smirked. He lay his hands flat on the table, fingers splayed apart. "Well, Miss Greenwood, I hope you can live with disappointment. Now, pass me the wine."

***

After dinner, Warren and the other candidate vanished into the upstairs office with Dad for what I assumed was some kind of final pep talk. In the meantime, I went out into the backyard with Jen and Alanna. The three of us had our own glasses filled with a sweet drink called Midori, which was a nice alternative to the wine that had made us slightly tipsy. Though the alcohol already tasted like candy, I had sweetened it all the more by adding some sprite.

We collapsed, giggling, into some plastic reclining lawn chairs. The back area was paved with smooth, flat stones and beside us was a burbling fountain topped with a dancing cherub. Alanna and I used to play out here all the time when we were kids. Even then, she pretended to be a high-flying trapeze artist.

After our giggling died down, I finally allowed myself to ask a question that always nagged at the back of my mind every time I thought of Dad giving up his position as Alpha.

"Who d'you think is gonna be the next Alpha?"

Jen sipped at her Midori. "Hmm...honestly? I wouldn't mind seeing that new guy as Alpha."

Dark surprise churned my stomach. I held back the look that would betray that emotion, instead opting for indifference. "Yeah?"

Jen nodded. "Yup. Sure, Eric's been in this pack since, like, the day he got turned but Warren's got charisma."

Alanna ran a finger around the rim of her glass. "Perhaps, but Eric is obviously the better choice. He knows how this pack's run. We should hire from the inside." She slid me a look, a small nod, and turned back to Jen. I smiled softly. Alanna was on my side.

Jen scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. We need a little new blood. Why not get that now?"

"Alanna's right," I said. "I'd much rather see a new Alpha who's familiar with the way our pack's run than a little 'new blood'. Anyway, Eric's older. He knows better, he's had more life experience. What's Warren, anyway, like nineteen or something?"

"Twenty," Alanna corrected.

I shrugged and sipped my Midori. "Well, Eric just seems like a safer bet."

Anyone but Warren seems like a safer bet.

"Bah. You girls are just too damned cautious," Jen teased. "Live a little!"

"Isn't that how our kind has lasted so long? Caution?" I shot back with a grin. Inside, a cold feeling welled up in my gut. The fact that I couldn't vote frightened me. We badly needed to hire from the inside, as Alanna had put it. I wasn't so sure what that "new blood" would do.

***

I'd only met Eric a few times, but I liked him. He had a quieter self-confidence about him, a calming reassurance. He was smart, too. If I remembered correctly, he was an Italian teacher at one of the nearby community colleges.

Eric was also the opposite of Warren from what I could see. Though young-looking, he was somewhere in his mid-thirties. Eric wore a plain dress shirt, crisp clean khaki pants, and a pair of loafers. His long-ish light brown hair was pulled back into a small ponytail.

When I came in to dump my unfinished Midori and Sprite down the kitchen sink, I found Eric pouring himself a cup of water. The corner of his lip twitched upward into a smile and he turned his wide blue eyes onto me. He always had a look of mild innocence about him, but one look into his eyes and you could tell he'd experienced things no one should ever experience. All werewolves had that.

"You ready?" I said, leaning against the wall. Eric nodded.

"Absolutely," He said. He set the cup down on the counter, his smile fading into a frown. "That new guy is more than ready, I think." There seemed to be a hint of distaste in Eric's voice, which hardly surprised me. Werewolves, from what I'd been told by my parents and a few of my aunts and uncles, were more competitive than usual when the title of Alpha was dangling before them.

I rinsed the glass out a couple times, then filled it with water. "If I could, I'd vote for you," I admitted. Eric's eyes lit up at my words.

"Too bad you can't," he said. Then, "But you didn't hear it from me."

"Hear what?" I quipped. He grinned. "Honestly, I'm not too sure about this guy. He seems..."

"Different?" Eric supplied.

"Yeah, kinda." I shrugged.

A silence fell between us. I finished off my water, watching Eric going over the speech he had written down on note cards. His handwriting was small but neat and precise, just like him. I filled my glass back up again and gave Eric a playful little punch in the shoulder.

"Well, Eric, knock 'em dead."

Eric grinned at me as I left the kitchen. "I'll do my best."

I joined Alanna and Jen by the sliding glass door to the back yard. When Alanna saw me she looped her arm through mine and clung close. I could almost feel her excitement; the scent of it, sweet yet tangy almost, certainly rolled off her in waves.

"Should we start placing our bets?" she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Go ahead if you wanna," I said. "Honestly, I'm not going to get my hopes up."

"Buzzkill," said Jen. Alanna smirked. "Ooh! There he is!"

I looked up to where Mom and Dad stood across from us, in front of the cabinet that housed the TV and their movie collection. Were it not for the reason we had all gathered here tonight, I would have wondered if any of my old VHS tapes were still in there. Now, though, I just watched Warren, who stood to my parents' left. He wore his usual smile, dazzling and charismatic, but with an obvious cockiness behind it. Warren winked when he spotted me. I just looked away.

A wave of relief washed over me when I saw Eric. He calmly took his place to my parents' right and, just as Warren had done, glanced around the crowd. I silently willed him to win the pack over. Losing to Eric wouldn't mean that Warren would leave, of course. If anything, I'd expect him to stay. But I knew I'd feel better if he didn't hold all the power of the pack leader.