Chapter 11: Pack House Party
The next week passed quickly. Brooke and Avery hardly spent any time apart. Brooke slept over at the pack house every night, and Avery brought her coffee every morning without her having to ask, and carried her up and down the stairs to the top floor whenever she needed. Brooke was in a rare low symptom week and reveling in it. Especially when Avery gave her a tour of the property that lasted over an hour. And that was excluding the middle floors that were mostly just different people’s bedrooms. The kitchen and largest living room were on the ground floor, as was the largest bathroom with 6 stall showers. It was around that point that Avery mentioned that the building was originally a school, which explained a lot.
They still hadn’t really had sex. It was getting harder by the day for Avery to resist the urge to mark Brooke, but she was still determined to for some reason. Avery was losing focus, slowly being overwhelmed by instinct. Brooke was more of the mind that she should get it over with. And besides, she wasn’t scared of pain. In fact, if what Alex said about his mate bond with Rachel was true, she was excited to be able to feel Avery’s emotions. But it was important to Avery to wait. So they had. Brooke knew instinctively there was something deeper going on,, but Avery hadn’t opened up about it yet. Brooke would be there when she was ready to.
They hung out with each other mostly, but also some with Alex and Rachel, who still couldn’t seem to take their hands off of each other, or Joseph and Sebastian who seemed to have a difficult time staying out of trouble when they were together. Brooke saw the other members of the pack around, but most seemed to keep an almost reverential distance from her. She hoped the party that weekend might give her an opportunity to actually befriend some of them. It did leave her plenty of time to try, at least.
It was Saturday afternoon and Brooke sat on the balcony outside Avery’s room, sipping a cup of coffee and enjoying the crisp fall breeze, wrapped in an oversized sweater. She watched as the small figures far below her set up for the party that evening. The pack members had already put up a tent near a large fire pit ringed with chairs, where they were busy loading folding tables with massive quantities of liquor, soft drinks, and snacks. There were lights strung around the thick wooden railing of the veranda that stretched down the three stories below her and then fanned out across the large yard, hanging from tent poles, tree limbs, whatever was available. Avery had insisted they all be the kind with paper lanterns around them to diffuse the light so it would be less of a migraine trigger for Brooke. They were every color of the rainbow, placed over the small bulbs at random, lending a bright, festive atmosphere to the clearing.
The anticipation in the Pack House was more than palpable. Brooke had taken refuge on the top floor because the lower levels were a melee of werewolves rushing back and forth, using all their prodigious speed for party preparations.
The sun had just dipped beneath the trees, so Brooke figured it was about time she got dressed for the party. Sighing at the prospect of having to change, she set down her mug and shuffled inside, rummaging around in her bag until she found the dress she’d brought from her dorm. It was light pink, off the shoulders, with a sweetheart neckline and lace overlay. The skirt flowed down over her thighs as she pulled it on clumsily, one of her arms briefly stuck in the wrong sleeve hole. Brooke crossed to the mirror and examined herself. She would have to do something other than a messy bun with her dirty blonde hair, so she pulled it down and gently finger-combed most of the tangles out until it looked presentable enough. She put on some light pink lip gloss to match her dress, dabbed on concealer to hide the dark circles under her eyes, and added a little blush and mascara. She was tired but she looked nice.
Brooke walked back out onto the balcony and sat back down wearily, trying to save her energy. She took sips of her coffee and people-watched until one person in particular caught her eye. Avery emerged from the trees on the opposite side of the clearing, already dressed in black dress slacks and a strappy gold sequined crop top that showed off every inch of her tattoos and matched the color of her eyes. She was talking with a member of the pack Brooke hadn’t met yet, a middle-aged man with graying brown hair and a kind, pinched face. They made their way towards the house, Avery stopping to give directions to several of the people they passed on their way.
“Hey, babe,” Brooke called in a normal tone and volume. Avery looked up at the sound of her voice, her face breaking into a wide smile when she spotted Brooke on the balcony, her werewolf hearing making shouting unnecessary. Brooke grinned. That would never stop being fun. Avery quickly loped over, making a ‘back up’ gesture with her hand. Brooke quickly moved to the rear of the veranda.
Avery gathered speed and leapt 40 feet into the air, grabbing the wooden banister with one hand and slinging her body up and over, onto the balcony.
Brooke smiled widely, hands brushing at her skirt. “Well, what do you think?”
Avery looked her up and down, her eyes glowing brightly. “Come here,” she responded, her voice slightly raspy. Brooke danced across the balcony and Avery met her in the middle, lifting her off the ground. Brooke wrapped her legs around Avery’s waist at once, her fingers running through her thick, lustrous hair, several locks adorned with gold rings. Avery kissed her deeply, as though they hadn’t seen each other in days, when, in fact, it had only been a couple hours.
“I take it this means you approve?” Brooke said, giggling.
“Love, you look edible, not that you could look bad in anything. You ready to head down?” Brooke nodded her head. In one swift motion, Avery swung Brooke’s legs around so she was carrying her bridal style. Brooke wrapped her arms tightly around Avery’s neck, bracing herself. Avery jumped over the edge of the balcony out into empty space.
They landed with a resounding thump on the ground below, the grass nearby shaking. Brooke laughed giddily, her body awash in adrenaline. “That was fun,” she said, grinning.
“You say that every time,” Avery responded, carrying her towards one of the chairs and setting her down gently.
“Because it’s fun every time.” The light in the yard was dimming considerably now. Someone somewhere switched on the string lights all at once. Brooke winced at the bright flash but after a few seconds her eyes adjusted and she gasped, awed, at the constellation of rainbow lights. People were starting to gather unprompted. Brooke reminded herself that they could all communicate telepathically. Looking up she saw, sure enough, that Avery’s face held the look of distant concentration that she had come to learn meant she was speaking with someone in her mind. Possibly several someone’s. Once a large crowd had gathered, Avery hopped up onto one of the chairs.
“You all know why we’re here,” she started, her voice clear but not raised. “Myself and Beta Rachel have both found mates. Get up here you two!” The crowd parted and Alex and Rachel appeared from nowhere, walking towards them, arms around each other. Brooke smiled when she caught sight of her best friend. She was glad Alex was there. She tried to focus on him to block out the hundred eyes fixed on her. Alex wore black jeans, a deep red V-neck tee shirt, and a choker that Brooke had never seen before. It was a thick black ribbon with a red oval-shaped stone set in gold hanging down over the hollow at the bottom of his throat. Rachel was dressed the same as always, in ripped jeans and a shirt with the sleeves cut off to accommodate her thickly muscled arms. “So, we’re having this party to welcome two new members to our pack.” Avery continued. “I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say how lucky we are to have found you, Alex, Brooke. Let’s party!” A cheer went up from the gathered werewolves, and then hushed itself a second later at a reproachful glare from Avery. They cheered again in hushed voices, barely above whispers. Avery nodded approving, and the wolves dispersed, and the party started.
Avery hopped down off of the chair and then over the fire pit to Brooke, smiling widely.
“Come dance with me,” she said, holding out her hand. Brooke looked up at her uncertainly. Dancing was difficult for her. Standing was difficult for her. “Trust me.” Brooke took Avery’s hand and let her pull her to her feet. Avery swept her off her feet and into her arms and spun away from the circle of chairs, her hips swaying. Someone was playing music, a moderately upbeat rock song. Avery moved in time to the music. Brooke would have been self-conscious of the other people around if not for the fact that every one of them had seen Avery carrying her around many times over the last week. Brooke was fairly sure she’d ordered them not to say anything, because none of them had ever so much as given them a second glance. Brooke closed her eyes and let the soft music transport her, leaning her head back.
After a few songs, Brooke needed a rest, so Avery walked them back to the chairs encircling the now-lit fire. Avery surprised her by dropping down into one of the chairs without putting her down, so she sat in her lap. Brooke giggled, then realized they weren’t the only couple there. Alex was next to them, sitting in Rachel’s lap, legs dangling over one arm of their chair. Their faces were close together Neither seemed to have noticed the two of them arrive.
“Hiya, friendo,” Brooke called, snapping him out of his love haze. “You having fun?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Yeah, it’s alright.” Alex grinned.
“What’s with the bling?” Brooke asked, pointing to his neck. “I like it.”
“It was a gift,” Alex replied, one hand going to his throat to stroke the red gemstone. “From Rachel.”
“It looks cute on you,” Brooke said. Rachel shot her a suspicious look. Alex laughed loudly.
“For the last time, Rach, she’s gay, and my best friend, and she has a girlfriend,” Alex said, tucking a stray lock of chestnut hair behind Rachel’s ear. “You’re so jealous.” He brushed the tip of her nose with his index finger, smiling. Rachel’s expression relaxed back to normal.
“You want a smoke, babe?” Avery asked. Brooke nodded, and Avery carefully extricated herself from the chair and headed for the snack table. Rachel and Alex had already returned to their sweet nothings, so Brooke let her gaze wander around the party. In the distance she could see a group of wolves, playing some sort of fighting game that seemed to involve complex wolf acrobatics. One grey wolf jumped up onto the roof of one of the outbuildings and then launched themselves off it, twisting in midair before landing atop a white wolf on the ground below. Both wolves sprang back to their feet, seemingly unharmed, snapping playfully at each other’s necks.
“Kids, huh?” A voice rang out, startlingly close behind Brooke. She whipped her head around and saw a shorter, plump woman, middle aged with thick, coiled hair and rosy brown cheeks. She looked as out of place as Brooke in the crowd. Another human. “It can take some getting used to, but that’s just how they play.”
“Oh, yeah they are pretty violent,” Brooke replied. “I’m Brooke,” she stuck out her hand to the woman. “…but you probably already knew that.” Brooke was kicking herself. How was she supposed to act in this situation as an alpha’s mate? Or any situation for that matter.
“I’m Leia,” the woman said, smiling warmly and shaking Brooke’s hand. “I think you’ve met my son, Sebastian.” She pointed to one of the wolves, a stark white one.
“Oh, you’re Sebastian’s mother?” Brooke said, surprised. “I didn’t expect you to be so…”
“Human? Hawaiian?” Leia finished for her with a chuckle. “I get that a lot. Apparently it’s common for kids with one human parent to have a more… unique combination of features. Jade, for example. I’ve got to say it’s nice to have some more humans around the house, especially as Lunas.” Brooke felt a trickle of sweat slide down her left side.
“I’ll try my best,” she said weakly.
“You’re doing great, sweetie, honestly,” Leia put a comforting hand on Brooke’s shoulder. “There’s actually someone else who wants to meet you, if you don’t mind.” Brooke’s pulse sped up.
“Of course,” she said, wishing Avery would come back already. A small pale face poked out from behind Leia’s skirt. The girl looked about 5 or 6, with white-blonde, flyaway hair, and deep magenta eyes. Brooke relaxed.
“This is Mariah, Sebastian’s sister,” Leia said, gently urging the girl forward with a hand on her back.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Brooke said, reaching out to shake her hand. Mariah’s grip was shockingly strong, making Brooke wince.
“Gentle, honey,” Leia Leia said, shooting Brooke an apologetic glance. “We’re working on it.” She shrugged.
“I’m sorry,” Mariah said, her face downcast. “I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s perfectly fine,” Brooke reassured her, and the girl’s smile returned.
“Do you like the lights, Luna?” she asked excitedly, bouncing up and down slightly and craning her neck to peer up at the paper lanterns overhead. “We made them in school!”
“I love them!” Brooke said, her voice exaggeratedly awed. “You really made all of these? I couldn’t even make one!” Mariah smiled proudly, puffing out her chest.
“We had a race! I could show you how!”
“Sure!” Brooke smiled. “I’d love to see.”
“It’s so fun!” Mariah vanished, reappearing about 3 seconds later holding a wooden chair above her head. She produced a translucent square of violet paper, checked to make sure Brooke was watching, and her mom, and started off. Her small hands were a blur as she folded and creased the paper in a pattern too fast for Brooke to see. The whole thing took her about 45 seconds, then she sped around the chair, holding out a finished lantern about 3 inches cubed and smiling proudly.
“Wow, that was fast!” Brooke said, smiling as she took the delicate 3d origami creation from the small child. “I love it! Thank you for helping make them for me.” The girl beamed, hugging Brooke’s arm for a fraction of a second before flickering back to her mother’s side. As soon as she saw them both in profile, Brooke saw the resemblance between Leia and her children. Neither had any of her coloring, but they both had her bone structure. Both had smoothly sloping noses and strong chins.
” let’s leave the Luna alone now,” Leia said, shepherding the girl back towards the food tables, waving goodbye. Avery reappeared on their heels, carrying two huge plates overloaded with food, a joint tucked behind each ear. Brooke stood, smiling when she saw her.
“Goddess, come up for air you two, will you?” Avery said to Alex and Rachel who were entwined in each other’s arms. Avery handed Rachel one of the plates, laden with fried chicken and crayfish and a huge mound of mashed potatoes. She also handed Rachel the joint from behind her right ear. She set the other plate down on the arm of Brooke’s chair and sat down. Brooke curled up in her lap as Avery lit the second joint from behind her ear and passed it to her. Brooke started to feel less nervous right away, both from the weed and from Avery being so close.
“Oh no, baby, take some hits off of Brooke’s,” Rachel said to Alex as he reached for the joint Avery had handed her. She took a long draw and passed it to Avery.
“I can handle it!” Alex protested. “I’ve got a really high tolerance.” Avery and Rachel both laughed.
“You’re not a werewolf, though,” Rachel said, her tone placating. “It takes a lot more to fuck us up.” She tore into a large piece of fried chicken, ripping it apart with her sharp teeth.
“You should listen to her,” Avery said. “We have a much more efficient metabolism than any human, no matter their tolerance.” Brooke leaned across the gap to pass her joint to Alex, who took it with a somewhat resentful look on his face.
The evening passed quickly. The two couples talked and laughed and smoked as all around them the party raced on. Quietly. Avery had been true to her word. Brooke started to notice more and more people walking around naked, not bothering to replace their clothes after shifting back to their human forms. But it didn’t bother her. If anything, it was funny.
Periodically, pack members would stop by to introduce themselves. After a while the names and faces started to blur together, but several stood out; The older couple who’d been running the farms since before Avery’s father took over, Albert, whose children made up half of the teenagers in the pack, and the roughly half dozen other human/werewolf couples, who were especially happy to greet the two new human Lunas.
At some point Rachel proposed a game. Avery agreed and mentally called Joseph and Sebastian over to play against them.
“You two can be the referees,” Avery said, hefting a folding table over her head and setting it down end to end with two others. The game was a werewolf version of beer pong. The table had to be extra-long to provide them a real challenge. They used ever clear in shot glasses in place of beer in solo cups, and the ball was a large blue marble. Avery carried a chair over, setting it beside the tables, roughly in the center. Alex stood across from her. Since they couldn’t compete, they were meant to decide what counted as a point. But mostly they just spectated.
“We’re gonna smoke you two,” Joseph said, cocky, dressed only in a pair of boxers that he had to keep hitching up every 5 minutes. Rachel and Avery shared a look and then smirked cockily back across the table at the two boys, the one dark, the other pale as a ghost.
“In your dreams, baby brother,” Avery taunted.
“You’re three years older than me!”
Avery laughed heartily and threw the first toss, landing her marble in the nearest shot glass. “Drink up, baby.”
The two teams were fairly evenly matched, they all made almost every shot they took, but Rachel and Avery seemed to be able to hold their liquor better. By the match point Joseph’s speech was slurred.
“You’ll see,” he said, swaying slightly, hanging off of Sebastian to his left. “We’re about to win. Ain’t that right, buddy?”
“I don’t know,” Sebastian replied. “Maybe the lesson of tonight is don’t play wolf pong against the Alpha and Beta at the same time?” He tossed his marble, squinting, his purple eyes hazy. He missed their last shot glass 2 inches to the right.
“Take em out, Rach!” Alex called.
“See I told you, these refs are biased!” Joseph said, pointing a finger at Alex in mock accusation.
“Yeah,” said Sebastian. “We might just need a rematch.”
“Oh, come on,” Brooke said. “They would still win even if your mom was reffing.” They all laughed.
“Will you all shut up so I can focus?” Rachel said, carefully lining up her shot. Before she had the chance to make her throw a loud clink resounded as a marble fell into the center of the last shot glass on the boys’ side. They all turned to look who’d thrown it, to find Jade, standing 10 feet behind Avery, dressed for the red carpet in a stunning plum gown embellished with black sparkles in a spray across her waist.
“I win,” she said, a smug smile tugging at the fine white scars on the dark skin of her face, shocking blue-white eyes sparkling from beneath her thick, dark lashes.
“Not fair!” Joseph and Sebastian called out in unison.
“Hi, Jade,” Brooke said. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Where’ve you been all night, J?” Avery asked, smiling warmly at her friend.
“Oh, you know, here and there,” Jade answered vaguely.
“Come on, Rachel, take the shot,” Sebastian called, pulling one of Joseph’s arms around his shoulders to keep him steady.
Rachel concentrated and threw the marble. It landed in the cup, then bounced out off of Jade’s.
Joseph let out a cheer, but Rachel protested.
“It went in!”
“Rachel’s team wins!” Alex declared.
“No come on, it bounced out!”
“I agree with Alex, Avery’s team wins!” Brooke said, throwing her hands up. Sebastian downed the shot, his face only slightly sour.
Avery ran over and swept Brooke into her arms, kissing her passionately in celebration. Brooke giggled against her kiss, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and pulling her closer. Brooke had no idea how long they stayed like that, locked in each other’s embrace, oblivious to the world around them.
After a time, Brooke’s head started to hurt and she realized the party noise had increased a great deal, the voices becoming shriller. Pulling part of her mind back to the present she realized people were screaming. She tapped her hand against Avery’s chest, but she didn’t seem to notice. It took several hard thumps for Avery to finally look up, and when she did, her eyes unfocused for a fraction of a second while she listened to thoughts, then snapped back to Brooke’s face, her expression stricken.
“Fuck!” she swore, dropping Brooke suddenly and turning towards the source of the commotion. “Lycans.”