Chapter Two
Elle's POV

With hands that now matched Nannas – red and raw from scrubbing potatoes, pale and wrinkled from being submerged as I washed the dishes – I was almost ready to join everyone outside.

Tears caused by onion fumes pricked my eyes, and I resisted the urge to rub them dry as I trudged up the stairs towards my room. I'd managed to hold back the tears, keeping my mascara intact, but there was no telling how my eyes might water if I started poking leftover onion directly into my eyes.

The party had already begun, and I didn't have time to redo my makeup. I'd spent the day in the woods, and going downstairs without a shower was hardly appealing – a tedious task had presented itself. I lowered the showerhead before stepping in, keeping it cold so the steam wouldn't shift my makeup, and staring up at the ceiling, counting my lucky stars and praying they were enough.

I wasn't under the spray for long – just enough time to scrub the dirt and scent of onion from my skin. After getting dressed, I glanced out the window, watching the party unfolding in my backyard.

Finding Kendra was easy. I recognised her pretty floral dress, worn combat boots and olive denim jacket from the pictures she'd sent asking for my opinion. She was by the rusted iron wheelbarrow, which we'd filled with ice and cans of soft drinks, studying her choices before reaching in and plucking a pink can of creaming soda from the ice's cold clutches.

For a reason I didn't understand, she was talking to Lachlan. I had already known he was downstairs – Brent had been kind enough to warn me of his arrival, and I'd been able to hear him all night. His laugh was obnoxiously loud, rising above the chatter like an egotistic guitarist who fought to drown his band out, claiming the spotlight.

Fuming, I snatched a sickeningly sweet perfume from my dresser and spritzed it five times, wallowing in the cloud with a scurried scowl. I was not too fond of the scent, but my sister McKenzie had given it as a Christmas present the same year she had gotten her first allowance, and I didn't have the heart to toss it away. It was so sweet it made my stomach curl – I hoped it would have the same effect on him.

It lingered a moment – my eyes watered, and I blinked through the haze. After a second or two, it settled. I sprayed it one last time, directly on the pulse point of my throat, and slammed the bottle down onto the dresser, marching downstairs with my head drawn high.

My gusto fell with each step I took, and I wondered if I could hide in my room without going unnoticed. I couldn't stand Lachlan – but he wasn't the only werewolf in the backyard, and now the others would suffer due to my rashness.

Kendra was harder to find without the vantage point of the second-storey window. I had to scan the yard for her through the space between the clusters of people. Inching towards the fire, I stood over McKenzie and her friends. They were sprawled on the grass, bent over the glossy magazine cover that featured Colson Rhett, the famous singer.

They pawed at the image, pre-teen lust reflecting in their eyes. Ylisa, McKenzie's most obnoxious friend, giggled, and I watched disgusted as she pressed a kiss to her fingers, squashing it over Colson Rhett's high-strung cheekbones. They twittered in unison, blushing fervently, collectively sharing in the joy of their newest celebrity crush. It didn't matter that none of them had heard of him a week ago. They were in love.

Colson Rhett had been famous for years, but McKenzie hadn't listened to me as I told her, too enthralled by the trashy news article Ylisa had sent her over Facebook. My sister's friend was the reason they were all so in love. Her mother finally relented and bought her a magazine at the beginning of the week, and the girls had been lost ever since.

I watched them with a morbid fascination as they gushed over a man who was ten years older than they were. McKenzie could already quote his songs from memory, and watching her friends, I felt it was a skill they'd all mastered. They were super-stalkers, able to sling facts upon unsuspecting victims, detailing the singer's life with frightening specifics. I was scared to learn what they'd found through reading magazines and what they had found by other tactics.

I must have lingered too long because McKenzie rolled her shoulders uncomfortably. I should have known to step away, but I didn't, and she snarled an angry retort over her shoulder. 'Go away, Elliot!'

A flare of annoyance plucked at my emotions, and I mimed strangling her, wishing it wasn't illegal to set fire to someone's hair. I took a deep breath and apologised in a sing-song voice. 'Sure thing, McKenzie.'

She tensed, still as stone, and then turned slowly, her eyes ablaze, her lips pulled back in a delicate scowl. 'Don't call me McKenzie.'

I bit back with the same resentful tone, 'Don't call me Elliot.'

McKenzie reeled back, winding up to send words flying, but fingers clamped around my elbow before she could, dragging me away from the promised blood bath.

Kendra led me towards a pair of camper chairs set up at the edge of the backyard. We were close enough to hear the party's chatter but far enough to be shadowed in the darkness. It also allowed running for the trees if the need arose.

Collapsing into the camper chair, I watched Kendra pace grimly before me. She threw an irritated glare towards me, a thought crossing her mind. 'You know she wouldn't call you by your full name if you didn't tell her you hated it so much.'

I let my eyes roll back dramatically, turning sorrowfully towards the woodland trees, wishing for a sign that my wolf had returned. It wasn't likely, but it still stung to realise that only the trees hid in the forest's shadows. I sighed, 'Zie knows how to get on my nerves.'

'It's what little sisters do.'

She went to say something else but trailed off, her voice distant. I looked at her, watching her chew the inside of her cheek. The glow of the fire lighted her eyes. I followed her line of sight, glaring at the object of her attention.

My stomach clenched, and bile rumbled in my throat. I felt like I'd been thrown onto a boat at sea, a storm rolling over the horizon, the water churning until I turned green. I could make out Tim through the flames, the hook of his nose exaggerated by the harsh light.

Tim had made me feel sick, even before I'd made the mistake of dating his brother.

If Kendra had noticed that just mentioning his name made me sick, she didn't say anything. She'd had a school-girls crush on him since the fifth grade, but he had never once looked at her, always turning his beady eyes my way when we passed in the hallways.

I shook my head, trying to dispel the thoughts from my head, and reeled her back into our conversation. I scoffed mockingly, leaning stiffly into the chair. 'How about we trade sisters? Then you can see what my sister is like.'

Kendra's eyes snapped back to me, and I stifled a cheer at the victory, the colour returning to her cheeks as she sat down. 'I'd rather not.'

'We should go for a walk.'

Her face grew solemn, though her eyes betrayed her mischievous intent. 'Elliot,' she said gruffly, puffing her chest as she waggled her finger. 'That sounds like a terrible idea. You could get hurt.'

I giggled, slipping my shoes from my feet and tucking them beneath my legs. 'Since when did Jacobi have an accent.' I chastised. Her imitation had moved into a posh British accent, and though it was sourly out of place, it seemed to fit. 'And that is not what he would have said.' In return, I earned a withering glare, and I grinned gleefully, waving a hand towards her expression. 'However, I must say that you have that whole look perfected.'

'I don't know why he complains. He is always the first to jump at the chance of doing something risky.'

I pouted playfully, defending him just as he would have if he had been there to hear us. 'He just likes protecting his girls.'

'Well, I'll give him credit where it is due. If he were here, he would have forced you to walk off that cloud of perfume. What did you do, shower it the stuff?'

I shrugged, ducking as Lachlan's gaze swivelled our way. 'I can't smell it anymore.'

'Good for you, but I still have to suffer.'

***

Avoiding Lachlan hadn't been easy, but I'd done it. I hadn't been within two metres of him all night, and I was silently celebrating the achievement as the crowd started thinning.

I shouldn't have started so early because he was prowling the backyard, his brother waiting by the side gate – he was looking for someone.

Kendra proved helpful as she sprung to her feet, gesturing towards the forest before diving towards Lachlan, pulling him into a serious conversation. He humoured her, but his eyes kept searching. Before they could land on me, I was gone, stumbling through the dark and into the woods.

I didn't mean to go far, just enough to shake my thoughts and give Kendra a chance to shepherd all unwanted guests from the backyard, but as I walked, I lost track of where I was going.

Tucking my hands into my jacket pockets, I curled them around my phone, waiting for it to vibrate in my palm.

There was a sound up ahead, and I paused, staring into the foliage. I wondered if I was the only one who could hear the loud beat of my heart, the hair on the nape of my neck rose with the knowledge that it wasn't likely, and goosebumps pimpled my skin.

I knelt, the hard earth uncomfortable under my knees. But I didn't flinch, bowing my head – it was a sign of respect, and I was either acknowledging an ally or offering my neck to a foe.

It had been something I was taught from a young age, and I didn't think I would ever shake the habit.

I knew it was him when he nuzzled his snout against my cheek, dropping his head to rest in the crook of my neck. 'Hey.' I sighed breathlessly.

I fell as he nudged me backwards, a silent huff on his tongue – he had never liked it when I'd knelt before him. As I fell back onto my elbows, he started to circle me, his nose pressed against my skin, searching for a trace of Lachlan on my body. When he reached the base of my neck, he paused and reeled back, a sharp sneeze erupting from his nose.

I cringed, scrunching with disgust. 'Ewww!'

His nose wrinkled, his fur dancing as he shook his body in shock. He sniffed the air hesitantly, sneezing a second time as he inhaled another cloud of perfume. He targeted me with a look of betrayal, taking two steps back before sitting down with a loud huff.

I swiped at the gloop of snot on my arm, grimacing. I looked back up at the look of irritation still on his face. I threw my hands into the air, narrowing my eyes. 'It's not my fault!' I complained, 'It was my last line of defence against Lachlan. I wasn't even supposed to see you again tonight!'

Slowly, he crept forward, one paw at a time, until he was close enough for me to lay my head against his side. His nose was permanently curled, but he watched me with patient eyes, waiting for me to tell him about my night.

So I did. I told him Kendra and I had pulled off a mission-impossible style feat to get food without drawing attention. I told him Tim had made my skin prickle and that Lachlan had stayed on the other side of the fire for most of the night. I told him that I missed Jacobi. I told him I would have preferred sitting with him in the woods over entertaining fifty guests I couldn't claim as my own friends.

I talked until the words dragged, until they no longer made sense, curled up with my hands buried in his soft fur.