The Wolf Of Penshaw Lake

The idea of clubbing and ‘bar hopping’ as Dee suggested last week quickly became a firm favorite idea of our little group. Sat on my bed, somehow the place to hang out now, the girls were discussing the best bars and clubs of the closest city. Josie flicked her long, red hair over her shoulder as she peered down at Kate’s phone.

“Nope, absolutely not,” she stated. “Last time I went in there I threw up on the bouncer. I’m pretty sure he would still recognize me.”

I couldn’t help the unattractive snort that came out of my mouth, “That’s classy,” I teased.

Josie glared at me, her dark brown eyes sparkling in contrast with her recently dyed, burgundy red hair. Kate had dragged us to a local salon to get our hair done and Josie had decided to be ‘outrageous’. It was nothing compared to the gorgeous, choppy locks of Dee who now sported a classy pixie cut, her once dull, brown waves now shining and beautifully healthy. Kate already had natural, platinum blonde hair, having won the genetic lottery like her brother, and so decided to keep her colour but get extensions added.

“It’s pretty, but so thin,” She would complain, “I wish my hair was thick like yours Heidi.”

I, myself opted to get my thick, long hair thinned out and subtle layers added, I loved the length and refused to get anything more than one or two inches cut off the ends. I wasn’t nearly as adventurous as Josie or Dee. Plus, I loved how Mason would run his hands through it in awe.

The little things, of course.

“Well George Street is usually the place to go, then we can always head down to Vincent Square?”

“Ooo yes, the cocktails in Vincent square are so yum.”

“Don’t we want cocktails first though?”

I could feel myself tuning out of their chatter as talk turned to bar names and clubs that I had never heard of. I had always felt at home in Penshaw Lake, but this was the first time I felt a little bit like an intruder. I was sat on my bed with three werewolves whom had all grown up together and suddenly there was this human girl making their threesome a four. Would they have even been my friends if I wasn’t dating their Alpha? The thought made my stomach churn, I had been so desperate for female friends that I had jumped right into their little group without even thinking if they really wanted me to.

“You alright over there?”

Josie’s voice snapped me through my depressing thoughts and back to reality. I noticed that all the girls had stopped talking and were staring at me, concern etching across their faces. I forced a smile across my face, but I could tell it didn’t reach my eyes.

“Of course, I just had no clue where you guys were on about. I’m happy with anything as long you think it’s good.”

Dee narrowed her eyes, “You realise we are werewolves right? That was the fakest smile I’ve ever seen. Talk.”

“It’s silly,” I protested.

Kate waggled her fingers at me and I watched as they elongated into claws, “Don’t make me pin you down,” She threatened.

I held my hands up in surrender, “Okay, Okay. I just felt a little...” I paused, trying to find the right word without offending them. “Like I was intruding.”

The mouths of all three dropped open in surprise and right then, I knew I had been letting my negative emotion cloud my true judgement.

“What in the name of Jesus, Mary and Joseph are you babbling on about?” Josie cried.

“Well you’re all best friends who grew up together, as wolves, and then all of a sudden this human girl waltzes into town, starts dating your Alpha and you have to be her friend otherwise said Alpha would probably eat you.”

Dee started sniggering, “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Yeah and we went to school with Kate,” Josie added.

Kate gave Josie the finger, “I am actually offended,” She stated.

“Just because we were all friends first, doesn’t mean there was no room for someone else, you’re one of us now you idiot. I actually liked you even before we knew you were Mason’s soulmate, so your Alpha argument doesn’t even make sense.”

I smiled softly at Josie who was trying her hardest to be soothing, her gentle name calling the best way I knew that she was being sincere.

“Honestly the biggest, fucking idiot I have ever met,” Josie continued, shaking her head.

I laughed, “I get it, I get it.”

“Do you?” I could see Josie’s eyes well slightly with tears and I narrowed my eyes at her, her sudden change of demeanor shocking me. “We bloody love you, you stupid human.”

As a tear slid down her cheek, she laughed and I leaped at her in a bear hug, joined by Dee and Kate, turning the hug into a pile on.

“Okay, stupid human who can’t breathe here,” I choked out from beneath Dee who sniggered and pinched my sides for good measure before releasing me.

“Next time, I’ll get the boys to give you a good squeeze after a run,” Dee warned.

I shuddered, “I’d rather not.”

“We should probably start getting ready if we want to hit Vincent Square before it gets too busy,” Kate suggested, changing the lighthearted tone of the room into one of a total panic.

I quickly scrambled off the bed to bag the shower first; washing off last nights fake tan was a necessity considering I was beginning to smell like biscuits dipped in cat piss. I took my time in the shower, lathering up my hair in a delicious mango-scented shampoo and gave my head a slight massage, dipping my head back in bliss as I worked the shampoo into my locks. Hearing a favorite song, I used the docking station to turn it up, bopping my head and using the conditioner bottle as a microphone.

After my hair was done, I inspected last night’s shaving job and quickly lathered my body in a similar tropical-scented body wash determined to smell like some kind of Hawaiian goddess.

“Will you hurry up?” Screeched a voice I couldn’t quite place. “If I drink anymore wine before getting in the shower, I will probably fall to my death.”

I turned the shower off with a shake of my head and wrapped a fluffy, white towel around my body and flicked my hair up into another towel. I stepped back into the room to find that, upon waiting for me, the girls had cracked open the first of four bottles of wine that were lay on the bed.

Josie jumped up and grabbed a towel, downing the rest of her glass before skipping into the bathroom with a wink in my direction. Kate was beginning to curl her locks and she huffed as she wrapped a thin strand around the curler.

“I’m going to be here till I’m thirty,” She complained.

The evening passed by in whirl of makeup, hair and plenty of rose wine. I had transformed my normally wavy, brown hair into shiny, pin-straight locks that fell straight down my back and touched the top of my butt. Dressed in a floral playsuit that accentuated my legs, I slipped my feet into a pair of black and corkscrew flatform wedges, wrapped around my ankle with pretty, black ribbon tied in a bow. I kept my makeup light, focusing on my eyes which I had attached some fluffy false lashes to.

“Are we ready?” Asked Josie, her red hair styled in a half up-half down do and dressed in a black lace bodysuit with denim paper-bag shorts. She looked effortlessly cute and I wished I could pull off such a racy outfit.

“I’ve been ready,” laughed Dee who had swapped her wine for something a little stronger. With her short hair, Dee had gone heavy on the makeup and applied a full-face with a daring cat-eye and purple lipstick. She too was wearing a bodysuit but paired hers with a purple A-line leather skirt.

The birthday girl had curled her blonde hair into thick, bouncy waves that floated when walked. She wore a satin, pink, strappy wrap dress that highlighted her tan and blonde hair, sticking to her curves in all right places and paired it with simple, nude heels. “My god,” She cried, looking in the mirror. “The boys are going to faint.”

“Whose coming?” I asked casually, sitting crossed-legged on the bed with a wine glass clutched my hand.

“You mean, Is my hot-Alpha-boyfriend coming?” Kate waggled her eyebrows at me.

I rolled my eyes, “Well you’re not dolling up for your brother are you?” I shot back.

“No, she’s dolling up for Isaac,” Josie sang, “Who most definitely will be there as he has just text me to say that they’re leaving.”

“Where have they gone?” Dee piped up, checking her hair in the mirror.

“That sports pub on Vincent Square, probably sat in the front garden where they can stare at all the girls going into Amore,” Josie scoffed. “Which is where we are going first as I could murder seventeen cosmos.”

“I’ve never been to a fancy cocktail place,” I admitted.

All three girls turned to stare at me in disbelief and I shrugged, “We never got to do much of anything.”

“You know, whenever you’re ready to tell us about your past, we’re all here for you,” Josie replied sincerely and I nodded gratefully at her.

“I know, but now is definitely not the time, why don’t we head out?” I suggested.

Kate grabbed her phone to call a taxi and I grabbed mine to call mum, who was having another night in with Jane and Julia, Isaac’s mum.

“Hi, we’re leaving now,” I said as she answered the phone.

“Please, please, please be careful. Do not leave the girls and do not drink too much. Do you have to leave Penshaw Lake?” She asked, for what seemed like the hundredth time.

“I promise I’ll be careful. There’s no way Dan could ever find me in the city and I’ve got all the girls and the guys too if anything goes wrong. It’s a fresh start, remember?”

I was faintly aware of the girls listening in to the conversation and exchanging looks between each other, but I stayed hyper focused and alert on my mum’s warnings as she reiterated them down the phone until it seemed as though someone in the background pulled her attention away.

“Okay? I’m going now, I love you.”

“Love you too.”

The girls didn’t say anything and I was thankful for that, I didn’t want to explain why my mum was so protective, or who Dan was. They knew we were running from someone and that was enough for now, I was scared that if I let it all out that I would go back to being scared of my own shadow. At the sound of a horn beeping, we scrambled to grab our bags and check our hair and makeup one last time. Dee prioritized by pouring vodka into a water bottle and Josie gulped the last of her wine, placing the glass down on my bedside table.

The taxi ride was short and I could see the lights of the city just in front of us. As we coursed through the streets, excitement thrummed through my veins as I watched other like minded people walking to the pub or bar, linking with their friends and laughing about anything and everything. The taxi stopped on a road and I could see Vincent Square in the short distance, an actual square with each building a bar and in the middle, seating and picnic benches that were beginning to fill up with hundreds of people ready to begin their night.

Josie clasped my hand as we began our walk. “You ready? I have a feeling tonight is going to be amazing.”

I squeezed her hand, “I’m so ready.”

“Then let’s go!”