22. Chapter 22
Truth or Drink
When I’m nice and comfy on the couch, Hutch pulls me into his side a bit more, then turns to look at the other guys sitting in a circle around us.
Erik is on my right side, sitting just as close to me as I am to Hutch, CJ is by Erik, but facing towards us with Skylar sitting close to his side by Hutch.
There is a tray of sodas in the middle of us and I open my mouth to ask why they are just sitting there like that, but Skylar beats me to it.
“Alright gents and Red.” I giggle when he starts talking like a gameshow host. “The name of the game is True or Drink. We will take turns asking questions that everyone has to answer. If you choose to skip the question, you have to drink.”
“It's more fun with vodka.” Erik grumbles beside me and CJ pokes his side, making him jump and glare at the smaller wolf.
“If you drink all of your drink first then you lose and you must sleep without a blanket tonight.” Skylar continues explaining the rules of the game as if the thing between Erik and CJ never happened.
“We’ll play rock, paper, scissors to determine who goes first. Erik automatically goes last because he interrupted the rules discussion. ”
I’m laughing so hard I almost miss the evil smirk Skylar shoots Erik’s way.
But seeing it makes me laugh more. My laugh causes Hutch to laugh and somehow, while we were laughing Skylar and CJ played rock, paper, scissors without us.
CJ grumbles and it draws our attention back to the room.
Erik is smirking at Skylar and CJ. Their hands are held out in front of them, CJ is holding two fingers out and apart for scissors and Skylar has his hand balled into a fist to represent rock.
“You know he always wins at that game.” Erik snarks as CJ crosses his arms over his chest.
“Hey!” I jokingly gripe at Skylar. “No fair! I didn’t even know we were going yet!”
“Snooze you lose, Red.” Skylar turns his nose up, but smiles at me. “Now, first question, who is your celebrity crush?”
Erik rolls his eyes then says, “Dakota Fanning.”
“Halle Berry” CJ chimes in.
“Jessica Rabbit.” Hutch leans back and crosses his arms.
“Does that count?” CJ is looking at Skylar who shrugs his shoulders. Guess it counted.
Now all the boys are looking at me, waiting for my answer.
I think about it. I could say something basic, like Channing Tatum or Chris Hemsworth, but I think I want to shock them and say something they won’t expect.
I rack my brain for a celebrity that not many girls fawn over when the perfect answer pops into my head,
“Emma Watson. “
“Nice!” Hutch high fives me, but the other guys have wide eyes.
“Oooookay.” Skylar side eyes me then points to CJ to ask the next question.
“Favorite subject in school?”
Hutch and Erik groan, then together they say. “Gym.”
“Um, guys, gym isn’t a subject.”
My brows are scrunched together and I’m looking between the two like they have lost their minds. Both of them shrug then look at Skylar. He rolls his eyes and gives me a look that says, ‘there is no hope with them’. “Physics.”
“Alright, hmm, my favorite subject is a tie between Art and Home Economics. But the real Home Ec. not the crap class that teaches you how to be a teacher.”
All the boys nod along, seemingly absorbed in my mini rant.
We all take turns asking questions and answering, nobody takes a drink and I’m having so much fun getting to know them and laughing as they poke fun at one another.
CJ is hilarious when he talks and Skylar is scary smart.
Hutch and Erik could be twins by how much they enjoy the same things.
The only time they disagreed is when Hutch said pineapple and ham pizza was the best. Erik told him anything other than a meat lover with double meat is a sin against pizza.
Skylar made me drink when I said I’d rather have a salad or one of those pizza bowls that is just the toppings without the sauce or bread.
“Okay, my turn, time for the real questions. What is everyone’s body count?” Hutch rubs his hands together and glances around the room. I try so hard not to say anything, but the twisted joke pops into my head and I can’t resist. “Like, bodies in my bed or buried in my yard?”
Nobody says a word, or even makes a sound. All four of them are staring at me as I blink innocently back at them as if I didn’t just sound like a complete psycho. It’s Erik who eventually takes the bait. And his response is so fucking perfect.
“Um … both I guess.”
I burst out laughing and that caused the other three to laugh as well.
Erik is still staring at me like he is waiting for an answer.
He truly looks curious to know, and I wonder if he wants to know how many guys I’ve slept with or if I’ve killed anyone.
He is just too much sometimes. He swears he is slow on the draw because of his language barrier, but I think he just enjoys playing dumb sometimes.
I’ll admit, you can learn a lot about a person when you act like you’re too dumb to understand them,
“Well, one of them is three and one of them is zero. I’ll let you figure out which is which.”
“Damn, Red.” Hutch is still trying to catch his breath as he teases me more. “I’m proud and slightly impressed that you managed to kill three people and not get caught.”
“Yeah,” Skylar chimes in now. “But I must advise you, hiding the bodies you kill in the backyard is not a good plan. You need to go somewhere not connected to you and use a rental car under a fake name so they can’t trace it back.”
Hutch and I are laughing again, but CJ looks a bit concerned. “You know entirely too much about hiding a dead body, dude. Seriously, it’s creepy.”
Even Erik is chuckling now. He holds up one finger. Then points that finger at CJ.”Alright, your turn to answer, what's your body count. Just the bed one please, I don’t need to be any more of an accomplice than Assassin Red has made me.”
Hutch is gripping his stomach and wheezing from laughing so hard, but I focus on CJ’s answer. I finally figured out that Erik holding his finger up was his way of saying his number is one. Now I have this urge to know the rest of their numbers.
“Mine is two.” CJ turns and looks at Skylar.
He slowly reaches down and takes a drink. It's the first time any of us has taken a sip because of the game and it drives me a little crazy not knowing his answer. Is it that high? Has he slept with so many people that he is ashamed of it now?
Hutch says five then Skylar changes the subject by asking about favorite positions.
I’m half ass listening to the answers while my mind turns in circles thinking about what his answer could be.
Erik nudges me with his elbow and I snap my gaze to his, just now noticing that I’d been staring at the soda cans for a while now.
“Red, it's your turn. Answer or drink.” when he actually looks at me his face shifts from playful to concerned in an instant. “Red, what's wrong? Are you okay?”
I just nod my head, not wanting to tell him what is really wrong.
They wouldn’t understand. Hell, I don’t understand and it’s me feeling it.
I want to know his answer and I’m a bit hurt that he didn’t just say it.
I also feel like I want to hunt down all eight of the people they’d been with and increase my second body count from zero to eight, plus however many Skylar has.
A buzzing sound is ringing in my ears the longer I go without the answer.
I remember that they are waiting for me to answer but I don’t even remember the question, so I just pick up the can and take a sip.
Then smile when they all give me a hard time about it.
I ignore them and watch Erik watching me.
He didn’t join in with the jokes. In fact, he hasn’t taken his eyes off my face since he asked me what is wrong.
I try to smile, to push the thoughts from my mind and get back to having a good time, but I just can’t get into the game like I was before.
I should have known Erik would ask a question to figure out what's wrong, but I didn’t expect the answer to be the solution to my ill mood.
“What is your biggest secret?”
Hutch rolls his eyes because, apparently, Erik deviated from the filthy path Hutch had set the game to.
But he did answer. “I want to mate for love. I’m not saying I don’t want an Omega, I just don’t want a mystical bond from the gods telling me that I have to be with someone when my heart belongs to someone else.
” Hutch’s eyes fall on me for a split second before he glances away again.
CJ looks stricken and Erik and Skylar look concerned.
I don’t completely understand their worry, but I do know that now isn’t the time.
I cuddle close to Hutch, hoping to provide comfort when he is so clearly upset.
He wraps his arms around me and rests his check on my head.
His scent is floating around me like a ripe summer strawberry and I fight my wolf when she tries to get me to rub my face against his chest.
“It’s fine guys. You know I love our pack and when the time comes, I’ll accept anyone the gods deem worthy of us, it’s just my secret.”
“Don’t worry too much about it. Mom always says that things happen the way they are supposed to and I choose to believe that the gods wouldn’t let you fall in love with someone just to deprive you.
” Hutch nods and CJ looks away from him.
CJ rubs a hand on the back of his head then looks at Skylar out the corner of his eye.
“Okay, my secret is that I don’t want to be lead Alpha.
I’d rather stay home and take care of the pack than lead. ”
He blows out a big breath then looks at the guys as if he is waiting for someone to blow up.
None of them say a word, Erik rolls his eyes and he and Hutch share a look.
Skylar just nods his head once and meets CJ’s gaze.
A silent understanding passes between them, then Skylar picks his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around them.
Resting his chin between his knees he stares at the soda cans as he answers.
“I’m a virgin. I’ve never slept with a girl before.”
My heart leaps in my chest and the weight in my belly disappears. My wolf yips excitedly in my ear and tries to push me towards him.
“Mate. Now. Ours.”
“Not now, you silly wolf!”
Ignoring my wolf, I watch as the other guys gape at Skylar.
Hutch asks if he is serious and when he nods, the guys start exclaiming.
CJ pats him on the back and tells Skylar he is a better Alpha than he is.
Hutch says their mate is one lucky Omega to have an Alpha like him.
Erik just nods his head and says, ‘good on you man.’
Then all of the guys look at me. It’s my turn and I only have two secrets, and I’m only willing to share one of them.
The other one they have to figure out on their own because I’m way too shy to say it outloud first. Charles told me not to say anything to anyone until we figure out what to tell the Council, but he also said I can trust the Alphas in front of me, and I do.
They would never tell a soul about this, and having them know will help me relax even more around them.
I won’t feel like I have to hide who I am.
Plus, if Mandy is right and they are my mates, they should know.
“I’m a Chosen Omega.”