Chapter 2 - Nicholas
What the fuck was I thinking?
That was a low blow, even from me. And Donna didn’t deserve that.
Commenting on how she handles her liquor was uncalled for, especially in the company of her human friend.
He doesn’t know she’s a werewolf who burns it out of her system quicker than a fire truck to a raging fire.
Now I’ve gone and made her sound like someone who drinks too much.
I just couldn’t help it; my inner wolf was seething with an unholy amount of anger that shouldn’t be there.
What is this feeling?
Jealousy?
Possessiveness?
Those feelings aren’t warranted when Donna isn’t mine. But I remember a time when I wished she were.
It was back when I first met her, and she had no idea the kind of effect she had on me. All it took was meeting her dark, chocolate-brown eyes for me to be hauled into a split second that seemed to stretch for miles, eons even.
“Nice to meet you. You’re from the pack down in Wells, right?” Donna asked me that first day, and I wasn’t just impressed that she knew where Crescent Moon was based, but I was captivated by the way she simply breathed, her aura filled with the scent of a lavender field in bloom.
Was that one meeting enough to justify what I’m feeling right now, along with the summer she spent in Wells?
I try shaking it off because it’s ridiculous, but it’s still there as I watch them at the bar.
Cecelia comes out first, leaving Donna and her human friend, Toby, inside as if they need privacy.
I shove my free hand into my pocket, my thumb toying with the smooth edges of the velvet box I’m hiding. More irritation coils around my chest like a vice-grip, forcing my attention from Donna laughing blissfully at something her friend whispered in her ear.
That’s when I find Cecelia shooting daggers at me with her firm glare as she approaches us, balancing a tray of shots in one hand while she points at me with the other.
“You need to behave, Nick!” she warns, drawing the attention of the rest of the group. Santo nimbly takes the tray from Cecelia, and Sean is the first to pick up a glass, as if he needs refreshments for the entertainment.
“Behave?” I scoff, shrugging nonchalantly as I remove my hand from my pocket. “What do you mean, Cece? I’m behaving.”
Cecelia rolls her eyes and turns to Dominic, but her mate simply offers her an oblivious shrug.
“It was funny, babe. An inside joke,” Dominic assures her, drawing her into his side with one arm. “I’m sure Donna understood that.”
Cecelia huffs in irritation. “She was embarrassed, okay?” She turns to me, narrowing her eyes. “You embarrassed her, and we all agreed to behave tonight.”
“She’ll be fine, Cece,” I click my tongue dismissively. “Donna is a big girl. She can handle a little lighthearted jest, I’m sure.”
“That’s not how it looked back there,” Cecelia informs me, folding her arms. “Donna seemed very upset. I think she’s trying to impress Tobias.”
Cecelia’s observation shocks me, and I freeze midway to reaching for a shot. Turning slowly, my eardrums fill with ringing, like a warning to signal danger, my inner wolf awakening and ready to be unleashed.
“What…?” The word leaves my lips along with the color on my face. I can feel the blood draining, my heartbeat slowing down.
Cecelia shrugs and turns her face toward Dominic. “Yeah. I think she might have a crush on Toby. That’s why she was so bothered by what Nick said.”
“Well, I don’t blame her,” Arianna chimes in, glancing at Emily for confirmation. “Tobias is cute.”
My eyes widen in horror at my friend’s mate. Not only is she a werewolf, but she’s also a witch, a descendant of a very powerful priestess who sacrificed herself to defeat a dark warlock in a war a few decades ago.
Is she blind, though?
Cute?
I scoff as I shake my head, hiding my contempt with a wry chuckle.
“You guys are funny, you know that?” I smirk as I look around at my friends. “You have absolutely no idea what Donna is into. It’s like you don’t know her at all. A blonde?” I point toward the bar. “Really?”
“You’re saying she doesn’t like blondes?” Tyler chuckles, to which I nod.
“Duh! If she had a preference for blondes, she would have gone for me.”
“Nick!” Dominic scolds with warning in his eyes, but I don’t take it to heart and laugh again.
“What? I’m just stating the obvious,” I shrug. “If Donna were into blondes, she would have picked the better-looking one, don’t you think?”
“Hm…so you’re saying you’re the better-looking blonde?” Sean considers with an arched brow.
“I think it’s pretty obvious,” I shrug again.
“Sounds like you’re just butt-hurt that Donna didn’t pick you,” Tyler mutters in amusement, and I shake my head.
“Me?” I say dismissively. “I could never be butt-hurt. Donna is Dom’s little sister. I could never think about her in that way.”
Everyone seems to buy the lie, letting me off the hook and allowing me to mentally crawl back into the shell where I’d been occupied, mulling over my feelings.
Irritated.
That’s what I am. How can I not be irritated when Donna openly laughs at Tobias’s jokes?
It’s my jokes she should be laughing at, my arm she should be clinging to. The only reason I’m holding myself back from making a scene is that these are my friends.
I can’t tell my friends the truth. Dominic can’t know what happened between his sister and me. He’d kill me if he did.
Swallowing what’s left of my pride, I drink my shot, the alcohol burning my throat just in time for Donna and Tobias to rejoin the party. If I’m supposed to behave tonight, I’ll have to keep my eyes down as the party proceeds, and everyone grabs a plate to get meat off the grill.
But Donna’s presence is overwhelming; she’s everywhere, the sweet, soft scent of lavender choking me and taking my appetite with my dying spirit. It’s getting harder and harder to breathe the same air as she does without looking once her way.
I know it’s for the best, but I hate it, my skin crawling with the dire need to just meet her eyes, even once. But I have to be careful.
“I’m gonna be practicing in the city,” I hear her telling the others, and something inside me dies.
Donna won’t be returning to Nightmist.
Why does that feel so unsettling, like I’m losing her even if I have no right to call her mine?
“I’ll also be in the city, so Donna won’t be alone,” Tobias tells them in a reassuring tone that sets me off.
My hands curl into fists at my sides, fueled by the jealousy coursing through my veins. My blood becomes hotter than ever, boiling, about to burst at the seams of my human body to unleash the wrath of my inner wolf.
Why does he get to be so close to her? Why does his arm brush against hers every time his body jerks with laughter?
It’s not fair. This isn’t how it should be.
Crushing my empty disposable plate and discarding it in the trash can beside the dying fire, I grab another beer from the cooler and march toward Donna. I can’t pretend like she doesn’t exist, like her mere presence doesn’t affect me in unfathomable ways.
“I’m glad to hear that, Tobias,” Dominic says appreciatively. “I’ll have one less thing to worry about if I know my sister won’t be alone out there.”
Donna bites her worrying bottom lip before plastering a smile on her face for her brother’s sake. My eyes narrow as I gauge her discreet reaction.
Is Donna staying in the city to stay out of Dominic’s way?
Maybe I’m reading too deeply into it, but I know Donna well enough to know that she cares too much about her brother.
And now more than ever, with the threat of the dark lord looming over our heads, Dominic has his plate full, just like the rest of us.
Donna probably doesn’t want to add to his worries. And here I was thinking that she was staying in the city to be with Tobias.
I throw my head back and take a huge chug of my beer, hoping the cold drink will cool down my nerves. But as it flows down my throat, I hear Donna bidding the group good night, and quickly straighten my neck to look at her.
“I’m exhausted, guys,” she says with a frown, appearing to keep her eyes glued to her empty plate. “I think I’m gonna head to my tent for the night.”
“Me too,” Tobias chirps in, too eager, too excited for someone claiming to be tired. “Graduation day was hectic as hell.” He stretches his arms over his head. “I’m just as tired.”
“Want me to show you to your tent?” I step forward quickly with the offer, prompting Donna to look up and meet my eyes.
There’s an unmistakable glow in her dark brown orbs, like the earth opened up and revealed every secret of the universe to me.
“That won’t be necessary, Nicholas,” Tobias interjects, rudely interrupting the moment. “Santo already showed us where our tents are.”
When Donna tears her eyes away, I blink and readjust my vision, turning them on Tobias with a snarl building in the back of my throat.
“You sure you can find your way, Toby?” I ask with bitterness on my tongue, as if his name is poisonous.
“Yeah, don’t worry, Nick,” the damned boy smirks. “I’m not that drunk. Neither is Donna.”
“Hmph,” I concede with a short nod, irritation simmering through my bloodstream. Watching the two of them walk toward the resort’s luxury tent area out of the corner of my eye, I grunt when they’ve disappeared out of sight.
“Everything okay with you, Nick?” Dominic asks as he observes my face curiously.
I sniff and straighten up, realizing I’ve emptied another bottle.
“You have any of the good stuff on you?” I ask Dominic, desperately craving something stronger than alcohol, to loosen up my nerves. Alcohol burns out too quickly, and the only thing intoxicating for our kind is wolfsbane in lower doses that aren’t lethal.
It can kill you, but it can also make you high enough to forget that you’re suddenly feeling possessive and territorial over a she-wolf whom you have no right to feel anything for.
Wolfsbane will help me forget. Wolfsbane is the only thing strong enough to fill the void in my chest and take this ache away.