Chapter 6
Lila
My door banged open, and I sat up so fast everything went black. When my vision cleared, Dani stood in my room with a bag in each hand, hair pulled up in two little horns, the rest spilling over her shoulders. Mischief sparkled in her eyes, and I instantly knew I wasn’t going to like whatever she’d cooked up. I blinked–And she was barreling toward me in a skin-tight black dress.
“What the hell are you doing?” I screeched as she lunged, hoo-hah flashing me as she bounced onto the bed, laughing like a maniac.
“You’ve wasted enough time crying over that pathetic excuse of a man, and I bring offerings.” She dropped something warm on my legs, the smell of grease immediately filling the air. It was our ritual–when one of us was hurting, we showed up with cravings and crushed them together. One whiff, and I already knew what was in the bag. But even the best food wouldn’t fix this.
“It has been one day,” I deadpanned. Dani was being Dani, and I’d just woken up.
“As I said, more than enough,” she huffed as she brought out the contents. Cheeseburgers were piled on next to a large fry each.
Laughing as tears pricked the corners of my eyes, I couldn’t deny it because she was right.
“Why do you look like a Barbie fresh out of the box?” I needed the topic change, and if she noticed, she didn’t let on.
“Eat. You slept the day away. We’re going out tonight. Luckily for you, I had them stock the closet for you,” she said between bites of her burger. My mouth watered, but I couldn’t focus on that right now. There was no way I was going anywhere looking like this.
“My face hasn’t healed yet. I don’t plan on leaving this room until I look normal. I don’t need everyone staring at me.” Her eyes flashed as she looked at me, but I dodged her gaze, grabbing a burger from the pile and unwrapping it.
“ You aren’t the one who should be ashamed, Lils. You’ve done nothing wrong,” she said firmly.
“I need time to process things. I’m not like you, Dee. My self-image is already low. Being damaged like this doesn’t help.” The whispered truth made me cringe. How I looked was the least of my problems, and yet it was up there on the list of things I was worried about.
“And I know you struggle with this, but babe, you’re a bombshell. You are the only one who can work on how you see yourself. I love you the way you are, but just this once, I wish you were like me. If there was a way for me to gift you my rapid healing ability, I would, but have no fear. We have the power of makeup on our side.” She reached out and squeezed my hand with cheese-covered fingers.
“I know you wield your brush like a samurai wields their sword, but there’s a limit to what you can work with. You can’t reduce swelling.” I took a bite of the cheeseburger I don’t need because it’s only going to add to the fat on my hips.
“Ah, ah, ah. Don’t doubt me. Hot towel press will bring it down a little. I can also make it look smaller and hide your bruises. The night is young, and we deserve this. All that staying up late studying, stressing, and finals. Come on. Tell me you don’t want to go out and forget everything.” My eyes watered. Of course I do. For half a beat, I struggled to voice my thoughts.
“You sure you can make me look… normal?” I whispered.
“Babe. Trust me.”
“Okay,” I sighed, resigning myself to the fate that is Dani.
An hour later, she said she’d worked her magic. I’d had a chance to look around and the room was larger than any apartment I’d lived in. A combination of modern and luxury combined the warmth and rustic charm of the wood theme the pack house held. The walls were paneled in rich, dark wood, with the largest windows that framed breathtaking views of the surrounding forest. The sun was starting to set, and I was in awe of the colors that painted the sky. The floors were made of polished hardwood, and a plush rug ran from under the bed to the other end of the room.
My king-size bed frame was carved with intricate designs of wolves, moons, clouds, and mountain tops. The soft material I’d hidden under was a white duvet. There were more than enough plush pillows and the rest of the room was as beautiful as the bed. I was seated with my back to the vanity, which sat right next to the arched door that opened to the closet. When Dani flipped me around, I gasped because once again, Dani had transformed me. Not only did she manage to make me look normal—minus the slight swelling and cut lip, but she made me pretty.
“Stand up and let’s see the finished work,” she said as she placed her brush down. Standing, she asked me to twirl. I wore a matching mini black dress with black tights. The outfit was paired with all black platform pumps. My hair ran straight down my back.
“Women my height shouldn’t wear high heels. Oh, my gosh!” My eyes almost popped out of my head as I saw my ass in my reflection.
“What?”
“I won’t be able to bend over. My cheeks will pop out,” I groaned.
“I’m failing to see the problem here, babe.” Popping out her hip, she crossed her arms.
“I can’t with you. Why do I even bother?” I fake sighed. She was right. I needed this.
“Well? You like it right? Please tell me you like it.”
“Of course I do. You made me look like I didn’t get my face busted in last night.” She flinched at my words and I tried again. “It looks amazing. Thank you, but when were you able to get this all ready? Do you just have rooms stocked with clothes for when you have guests?”
“Oh, I told them on the drive home.”
“How? You never called them.” I racked my memory and nodded. There wasn’t a single time she used the phone. She was too focused on not turning the car around and making sure I wasn’t going to go back to him.
“It’s a wolf thing. We can link others in our pack. Meaning I can talk to them telepathically. As soon as we got into the forest, I was within reach. Anyway, let’s head out. The guys are waiting for us downstairs.” She started for the door and I followed.
“Wait, wait. So you just have an open… link to everyone in your pack? Doesn’t that get noisy?” I asked as we walked down the hall.
“It isn’t always open. It’s like calling someone with my mind,” she answered, sliding her arm through mine.
“Still weird. And the guys?” My brows furrowed as I stumbled before catching myself.
“Yeah, Jace and Evander from last night. They’re my childhood friends turned bodyguards. I can’t go anywhere on pack territory without them. It’s irritating, but you get used to it.” She said it like having bodyguards was a normal thing.
“How come they didn’t come with you to school?” I asked.
“Uh, that’s where I put my foot down. University is the only time I’m going to be on my own. It wasn’t easy getting dad to agree, but I’m a werewolf among humans. I can protect myself.”
“And can we go back to the bit where you called Jace your childhood friend? He didn’t look like he was just a friend last night,” I teased.
“He’s always been there for me. I didn’t see him that way until my last break. I’m just… I don’t want to ruin things by making them serious, but let’s talk about that another time,” she whispered.
I paused in the hall, unease pricking my skin. Tonight felt different. It wasn’t the dress or the heels. There was a strange heaviness in the air, a pull I couldn’t shake. When we hit the stairs, we separated, and I was grateful for the rail. I needed to hold on. Just six steps down, and my heel caught. I lurched forward, eyes squinting shut as I fell.
Fuck.
Death by high heels.
I hit something hard, but it wasn’t the ground. My face hit against something solid and warm as arms enveloped me. The smell of pine and camp fire hit me first. Peeking up through lashes, my jaw dropped as I clocked who was holding me—the man from last night. My heart was pounding and that feeling ignited low in my belly. He carried me effortlessly, like I didn’t weigh anything. My gaze was drawn to his intense eyes. Red isn’t a natural color, but I like them. He was staring so intensely, as if he was trying to figure something out.
“Thanks for catching me,” I rasped.
“Thanks, daddy! Lils is fragile.” I peeked over his shoulder at Dani’s words and my eyes went round.
Oh. my. gosh.
He placed me on the ground slowly, and I fell against him. My cheeks heated as my body pressed against his firm one. He’s hard where I’m soft. My breathing sped up as the pieces fell into place. Mystery man is Dani’s dad. I spied on her dad. Groaning internally, I closed my eyes. I touched myself in front of her freaking dad .
Kill. me. now.
I hadn’t mentioned what happened to Dani and a tinge of guilt pricked at my chest. But what was I supposed to say? “I snuck down for a snack and ended up rubbing one out as I watched the hottest man I’ve ever seen in my life bang a blonde in the kitchen?” Yeah, no. My skin heated at the memory. Now that I knew their relationship, I didn’t know how I would broach that. “Hey, Dani. Your dad is hot, and I came while watching him like a pervert.” Ugh.
Pulling away took every ounce of strength I had because all I could think of was climbing him like a tree. I took a step back as Dani walked around him.
“Daddy, Lila. Lila, Alpha Grayson.”
“H-hi. Am I supposed to bow?” I whispered the latter to her. She burst into laughter and when I glanced at him, I swear I saw the hint of a smile.
“No, you don’t bow,” she giggled. His eyes lightened at the sound and she stepped forward, hugging him. His attention was on her now and I missed the weight of his gaze.
The fuck?
Let’s not do that.
I cannot like my best friend’s dad.
No matter how hot he is.
As if he could sense the direction of my thoughts, those red eyes locked on mine again. I wanted to shrink back, but I wanted to make a good impression. Holding my chin up, I held his gaze, and his brow lifted.
“Where are you guys headed?” he asked.
“Wolfsbane, and before you lose it, the guys are coming with.” He looked around at her words and I realized he was searching for them. “They’re outside.”
“Hm,” he hummed.
“We talked about this,” she sighed.
“Blood moon is coming. You shouldn’t be messing around.”
“Are you going to take your own advice?” she huffed. That silenced him, but his eyes darted to me for a second before returning to her. And it was my best friend’s turn to soften. Her shoulders slumped and she grabbed his hand. Pressing up on the tips of her shoes, he met her partway bowing his head so she could kiss his cheek.
“I’ll be safe,” she promised before grabbing my hand and pulling me outside.
I’m not going to.
I’m not.
I won’t.
I do.
Looking back over my shoulder, our eyes connected, and I forgot how to breathe. Flipping back around, I nibbled on my lip. It wasn’t until we’re outside that she spoke again.
“I wish he’d take a mate. He’s mourned long enough. I want to see him happy, you know?” Her voice cracked. I squeezed her hand.
“I do,” I murmured before the guys appeared.