The Pack - On the Run

"Are you going hunting again?” I ask dad as I walk into the kitchen.

It is ten at night, and Mikey is already asleep while mum has dozed off on the sofa in front of the TV. Dad and I seem to be the only two up and about. It happens quite often, in all honesty. But I don’t mind it; I like my alone time with dad - mostly anyway.

Before his hunts? Not so much.

Dad glances at me from behind the gun he is cleaning while I open the fridge and take out the orange juice. I sit on one of the chairs opposite dad’s as he begins to load the clip with silver bullets. I take one in my hand and place it under the lamp, watching it reflect warm yellow kitchen lights.

“What’s with silver?” I ask, curious while I put the bullet back on the table and push it with my finger. It starts to spin with a characteristic clinking sound. “Isn’t it, like, more yielding than the normal bullets?”

Dad catches the bullet and puts it in the clip in a swift, practiced move, leveling me with his green eyes as he does. He always wears the oddest expressions whenever he is preparing himself for hunts. His face seems cold and distant, so different from the usual warm and open one I'm used to. And he always says the weirdest things.

“Some things can be put out only with silver. You remember that well, Josephine.”

* * *

“This is your new room,” stated Louis pulling me out of my memory.

I surveyed the room from my spot at the doorstep while Mikey went inside, his eyes going wide with awe.

“Josie, look! We have a PS5 here!” He squealed, pointing to the console placed under the TV on a shelf. “And so many games!”

I smiled, watching my brother leap at the CDs stacked at the side and gasp as he commented on every title he put his small hands on. It was actually so... mundane it warmed my heart a little.

“Looks like your brother likes it here,” Louis commented playfully, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the door frame.

“Before... erm, everything... he was kind of addicted,” I shrugged, not sure why I felt like sharing. “But, games aside, why did we have to move here? I liked it at Rosalynd’s.”

“Sure you did,” Louis smirked. “But the Inn is used to keep the outsiders away from the Pack, and both you and your brother are neither outsiders nor is it healthy for you to stay alienated from others. You need to socialize if you want to keep your mental health in check. Wolves are gregarious animals after all.”

“That’s just insane. I’m not a wolf, and neither is Mikey! Plus, you don’t even know us. You don’t know what we could do to you if you’re not careful enough.”

"Try. What you could try to do, Josie." Louis corrected, clearly ignoring the first part of my statement. "But that’s why you’re here in the first place - so I-we can keep an eye on you.” He added, giving me a wide, wolfish grin.

I shivered, though not from fear this time. This time it was... excitement. I felt a rush of adrenaline in my veins, the kind one would feel when standing on the cliff’s edge before leaping into the vast ocean. Some part of me - that new and unwanted part it was difficult to ignore more and more - was thrilled. It thrived on the aura of danger and confidence that was emanating from Louis in palpable waves. It pulled me to him...

I unintentionally licked my lips, and Louis’ eyes darkened as he focused on my mouth. Somehow, I knew he wanted to kiss me. And if I leaned a bit closer, his lips would only be so far from mine that I could just...

Wait. What was I even doing?

I cleared my throat, looking away. I felt pink tainting my cheeks, and I nervously brushed my hair at the back of my head.

“Erm... Do you know any place that’s looking for an extra pair of hands?” I asked, trying to get the image of Louis kissing me out of my head. I needed to focus on my to-do list. I had to remember he was bad news.

Louis cocked his head to the side, his eyes still dark but not so... intense.

“Why? Are you looking for a part-time job?”

“Full-time,” I corrected, as the oh-so-familiar weight returned back on my shoulders. At the rate I was going, I would turn into a lifter sooner than I would into a werewolf, if you got the gist.

“But you’re still in high school?” He half-asked, half-stated, creasing his brows in confusion.

“I have to drop out. I need money to sustain both me and Mikey, don’t I?” I laughed bitterly, watching my brother getting fully engrossed in a game. It was nice that he could still maintain some of his innocence, despite all that had happened.

“Don’t worry about it. The Pack takes care of their own,” Louis just shrugged. “Besides, I’m sure Da would find it offensive if he heard that you thought he couldn’t provide for you or Mikey.” Seeing my confused look, Louis added. “It’s an Alpha thing. Alphas make it a point of honor to care for what they think is theirs. Especially if it concerns kids and females. You’ll soon understand what I mean.”

“But I’m not your father’s possession, nor is Mikey. Your dad can’t control me. Nobody can. And if I want to work full time and take care of myself and my brother with my own two hands, I sure as hell will. I don’t need anybody’s help or permission. Definitely not somebody’s who had a hand in ruining my family,” I snarled, exasperated.

“Careful, Josie,” Louis warned, his voice gruff.

“Or what?” I challenged noticing his eyes going light silver.

“Or this twat here will chop my balls off on the training later on. And the other guys’.” A new voice I didn’t recognize suddenly interrupted us. My head snapped to the side as my eyes landed on a younger version of Louis and Jack.

The boy was around fifteen, if I had to take a rough guess, and had messy hair that was a tad bit lighter than Louis’. He also had dark blue eyes surrounded by lashes every girl would kill for.

“I’m Jonah, by the way. This prick’s younger bro.”

“Jonah, manners,” Louis murmured with a sigh.

“You are aware such a word doesn’t actually exist in my dictionary, right?” The boy, Jonah, bit back as I barked out a laugh. “So, what’s your name, pretty?”

“This is Josie. She’ll be staying with us for a while, so behave. That means no running around naked,” Louis lifted his brow at his younger brother.

“You’re no fun, ya know? Anyway, Josie, you don’t even know how happy I am to finally have somebody with a vagi... Ouch! What was that for?” Jonah exclaimed, outraged, clutching the side of his head, whacked only a second ago by Louis.

“Told you to mind your manners. There’s a pup here,” The older of the brothers said as Mikey shyly approached us, hiding behind me, his eyes curiously looking the boy up and down, his nostrils twitching.

“Huh? And who’s that little fella?” Jonah murmured, his nose mimicking Mikey’s. It looked weird, to say the least.

“Mikey, Josie’s younger brother.”

“Josie has a voice, you know?” I interrupted, rolling my eyes. I had quite enough of being spoken for.

“And it’s as se...” Jonah’s eyes snapped to Louis, before focusing back on me again. He coughed. “...I mean as pretty as your face. Say, do you have a mate yet?”

A low menacing growl suddenly filled the hall.