Although Luca suffered several heart attacks in the passenger seat on the way there, the McLaren and I both made it to the store in one piece.

He made me park in the very back of the parking lot, where no one else was parked.

"It's a bit ridiculous to walk this far," I told him, walking through the parking lot. "I'm in heels."

"Cushion protection," he explained.

When we walked inside, we made our way over to where the party supplies were and we found the plates and napkins with relative ease.

"I'm going to get a case of beer," he told me. "I'm sure Mom didn't get any."

"For an eighteenth birthday party? Probably not," I said sarcastically.

I followed him over to the aisle where the alcohol was stocked, standing behind him as he looked over his options.

I turned to see a group of college-aged girls standing by the spiked seltzer, staring at Luca. They were giggling, holding their hands over their mouths as they gawked. I rolled my eyes.

You don't see me standing right here? I thought.

"Damn," Luca said, huffing. "They don't have any Stella."

He looked back at me when I neglected to respond and I immediately looked away from the group of girls.

"Do you have a preference?" He asked me.

I shook my head.

"I'm not really a fan of beer," I admitted.

He hummed, walking down the aisle further.

"Found some," he said, in a sing-song tone as he picked up the white and red carrier of beer that was hidden behind another.

Luca turned to me, eyeing me cautiously.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing," I answered quickly.

A knowing smile grew on his face as he leaned in, lowering his voice.

"Don't worry," he told me. "I'm not interested in anyone who drinks White Claw. I like my woman to drink the real stuff."

He reached around and smacked my butt.

"Stop doing that," I laughed, swatting his hand away.

He laughed as he took my hand in his and pulled me out of the aisle to walk to check out. Much to my chagrin, the girls followed us.

I tried to ignore them, as Luca did.

They came to stand right next to our checkout kiosk, where Luca was scanning items and placing them into the shopping bags. They began to scan their items, elbowing each other as they nodded in our direction.

I could tell Luca was trying not to laugh, but I bit the inside of my cheek.

Who eye-fucks someone in front of their girlfriend?

I was basically pushing Luca out of the grocery store as soon as he had paid.

"I'd say you're a little possessive," he said once we were outside, laughing.

"I am not," I defended, feeling my cheeks heat up.

He just laughed, taking my hand in his as we walked back across the parking lot to his car. I took the beer and bag containing the plates and napkins from Luca and bent down to put them into the floor of the passenger seat.

I heard a honk, followed by a wolf-whistle, standing up to see some white trash man in a truck driving past.

"Honky-tonk piece of shit," Luca muttered, flicking him off. "Like he didn't see me standing here."

I laughed.

"I'd say you're a little possessive," I said, mocking him.

He leveled a hard stare.

"Except I'm not going to deny it," he said.

Luca drove his car back to the pack land and I picked up the remaining Jeep from his house before driving off, following him through a neighborhood that I hadn't seen yet. We pulled around to the end of street to a culdesac, where a single, monstrous house sat a few hundred yards from the road.

We drove down the long driveway, where cars were parked on either side. Bates pulled in right behind us, parking next to me in the other Jeep.

As I got out of the Jeep, I saw a large white tent set up in the backyard, music coming from inside. A pathway of lantern lights extended out from the driveway to the tent.

Luca was on his phone as he got out from the McLaren, the phone wedged between his ear and shoulder as he carried the beer and bag of plates and napkins.

"We're here, you can tell them to come out," he said. "Okay... Bye."

I reached up and grabbed the phone from his shoulder as he juggled the items in each hand.

"Thanks," he said.

I heard a high-pitched squeal and looked over to see the twins emerging from the tent, eyes wide and jaws dropped as they eyed the brand-new cars sitting in their driveway.

"Are you serious?!" They screamed simultaneously, running over to us.

I barely had enough time to take the beer and bag from Luca's hands before the twins had leapt into his arms, nearly tackling him to the ground.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" They screamed, kissing him on the cheek and hugging him tight.

He scrunched his face, but I could tell he was smiling. He held them tight with both arms.

"Enjoy," he told them, letting go to hand them both sets of keys. "Now you don't have to steal my Jeep."

They squealed in excitement, their friends having emerged from the tent to see the commotion, now running over to join them in their new cars.

Luca's mom walked over to us, pulling his face down to hers as she kissed him on the cheek.

"That was very sweet of you," she said, wiping her dark lipstick from his cheek.

"You're turning them into spoiled brats," Philip told him, laughing.

"They're eighteen," Ana said, waving her hands dismissively. "We can kick them out to be spoiled brats on their own."

I smiled as she leaned in to hug me.

"Hello, fiore," she said, squeezing me tight.

She gasped and pulled away suddenly, turning to Luca.

"Did you remember the plates and napkins?" She asked in a panic.

I held up the bag and she sighed in relief, taking it from me.

"You guys can follow me," she told us, walking back towards the tent. "The party's over here."

I held Luca's arm as we walked through the grass towards the tent, trying not fall in my wedges.

An elaborate pink balloon archway was over the entrance, welcoming people into the large tent where nearly a hundred people had gathered already.

There were balloons everywhere, along with gold string lights and streamers. A dance floor was in the middle of the room with a DJ spinning off to the side. There was a long table along one side of the tent with refreshments and appetizers lining the table. Ana walked towards it to add the additional plates and napkins to those that were already laid out.

I looked around, astonished at how grandiose the decorations were.

Everything was pink.

"It looks like Barbie threw up in here," Bates said from behind me, disgust evident in his voice.

I laughed.

I had never been to a birthday party that big before. In fact, I could only think of a handful of wedding receptions I'd attended that were equally as nice.

But it was really pink.

"Should I guess your favorite color?" I asked the twins as they walked into the tent and over to where we stood.

Aubree laughed and leaned in for a hug, Torrey doing the same.

"I see you were able to find dresses," I told them. "You look beautiful."

Torrey spun around in her flowy, long-sleeved white lace dress. Her hair was in a coiffed braid, face accented with minimal makeup. Aubree, on the other hand was in a short, simple white halter-neck dress with her hair straightened down her back, wearing bright red lipstick.

"I've been in this dress for almost an hour and I'm already ready to get out of it," Aubree admitted, laughing.

"Same here," Torrey agreed. "I tried to get mom just to let us wear sweats."

"You wear sweats every other day of the week," someone said behind us.

I turned to see Norah, walking up with Ben in tow.

"You look so good," I told her, remembering how I had to convince her to buy the dress she was wearing while we were out shopping.

"She only changed five times," Ben laughed.

Norah turned to scowl at him.

"And you didn't change your shirt three times?" she asked sarcastically.

"I didn't want to iron anything," he defended.

I just laughed as Norah leaned in to give me a hug.

After she pulled away, I turned to see where Luca had gone. Seeing him surrounded by a group of men who were talking his ear off, I just shook my head.

"I almost forgot who I'm mates with," I said, remembering then that Luca was the Alpha over every person who would be attending the party that evening.

"He hates it," Norah told me, laughing. "Everyone always has a favor to ask or an opinion on the way he's doing something. Some people just want to be nosey. I don't really blame him for never leaving the house."

I watched as he tapped a finger impatiently against the green bottle of beer in his hand, his expression blank, despite the occasional nodding of his head that feigned interest.

"He doesn't care about what people think? I would think he would be open for suggestions and input," I said, my eyebrows furrowing.

"He was at first," Norah told me. "But after a few years, he realized people were only acting with their own benefit in mind. He has over five-thousand people to think about. If he tried to make everyone happy, everyone would be miserable. That's why we have the elders."

"What do they do besides cockblock?" I asked under my breath.

She laughed.

"Luca split the pack into subdivisions," she explained. "Each division has a leader that reports to another leader, who reports to Luca. This system makes sure he stays in the know, but it also ensures he doesn't get bogged down by the minute details. Each elder is able to make decisions for their own part of the pack, but ultimately, everything goes through Luca for approval."

I nodded slowly, impressed by the system he'd set up. Maybe his MBA wasn't as worthless as he thought it was.

"I'll go rescue him," Ben said, laughing.

He walked over and put his hand on Luca's shoulder, who turned to look at him. They began to talk, excluding the others who were standing around them from the conversation.

Looking around the room, I saw Hanna sitting with girls and boys that looked to be her age; they were playing some kind of board game that was set up on their table.

"So what did you think about Cristina?" Norah asked me, earning back my attention.

"She's wonderful," I said, smiling. "I really hope I can help her as much as possible. I meant to ask Luca earlier if he knew someone who would be able to help her with her lawn..."

I looked around Norah to see Bates standing there awkwardly poking at a balloon that hung down in his face.

"Bates," I called for him, earning his attention. "Do you have a lawn mower?"

He looked at me warily.

"I feel like I'm going to regret answering that question," he said slowly.

"Do you?" I asked again.

"No, I cut my lawn with scissors," he said sarcastically. "Of course I have a mower."

"Would you mind lending it to a good cause?"

"If the cause is Luca Ronan, no," he said. "He can hire someone else to mow his big-ass yard."

I rolled my eyes.

"What about a single mom?"

His jaw dropped.

"Are you pregnant already?"

"Oh my God," Norah mumbled. "She's talking about Cristina Amherst."

"Oh," Bates said. "Yeah, I can do that. I can probably go out there tomorrow afternoon."

"Thank you," I told him, smiling.

He nodded and took a sip from his beer, having no doubt stolen the bottle from Luca's case.

Norah, Bates, and I walked over to a small, round table where we sat down. Ben and Luca joined us shortly after.

"Where'd you get that?" Luca asked Bates pointedly, nodding at the bottle in his hand.

Bates smiled sheepishly.

"I took it as payment for driving the Jeep over here," he explained.

"I think I deserve something for rescuing you," Ben told Luca pointedly, holding his hand out.

Luca nodded back over to the refreshment table.

"It's under the table."

Ben got up and walked in that direction, returning with a beer in his hand.

As the night went on, the party only gained momentum. The girls had a blast and danced to their hearts' content. Norah and I talked most of the evening, with Ana stopping by occasionally to join the conversation before being pulled away by someone with a question.

A number of people stopped by our table to inquire with Luca and Bates on different topics. It was funny to watch Bates try to answer serious questions without a sarcastic response.

Later in the evening, when Luca was preoccupied by a rather obnoxious man who was complaining about the cracking pavement on the road outside his home, I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

I turned to see Torrey, a worried expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked quickly.

"Can you come here for a second?" She whispered, watching Luca to make sure he wasn't paying any attention.

I nodded and stood up, Norah following us.

We walked outside the tent, where no one could see us.

"What's wrong?" Norah asked her, repeating my question.

"I need your help," Torrey told me. "I have this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach."

My eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"I think I found my mate," she said slowly.

"Torrey, that's a good thing," Norah reminded her, still confused as to why she seemed upset.

Torrey shook her head slowly, a tear escaping from one eye. She reached up quickly to wipe it away.

"I think it's one of the wolves from your pack," she told me.

My jaw went slack.

"Why do you think that?" I asked her quickly, trying not to outwardly show my internal panicking.

"I don't know," she admitted, holding a hand over her stomach. "I just feel it in my gut."

"What's going on?"

I turned to see Luca standing behind us, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Girl drama," I lied. "It's nothing."

He looked at Norah and then to Torrey before turning back to me.

"Just give us a minute," I said.

Luca nodded slowly, his expression telling me he didn't believe the lie I'd fed him. Despite this, he backed away and turned to go back into the tent.

We waited a few seconds before speaking again.

"What do you want us to do?" Norah asked Torrey.

"Can you get me into the Cellar?" She asked. "I passed there this morning on my four-wheeler, that's when the feeling started. And I heard my dad talking to my mom last week, I know they're being held there."

I shook my head.

"The Cellar is sealed off," I said, remembering how Luca needed to use his handprint to open the doors. "We have no way of getting you in unless we tell Luca."

Torrey shook her head fervently.

"No, please, you can't tell him," she said, eyes wide. "Please, just... ask Bates if he can open it. I'm sure that if I could just be there and know which wolf it was, it would make me feel so much better."

I looked at Norah apprehensively.

Neither of them knew this, but there was only one wolf from my pack still alive. If her suspicions were correct, I knew exactly who her mate was...

We went back into the tent after I told her I would ask Bates about getting us into the Cellar. This promise didn't come with a guiltless feeling, though. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to keep Torrey's secret from Luca.

I sat down at the table, Luca immediately turning his attention to me.

"What was wrong with her?" He asked.

I shook my head.

"Just girl drama," I repeated.

He hummed, though I could tell he still had his doubts.

"I got you a cupcake," he said, sliding a pink plate over in front of me with an equally as pink cupcake on it.

I smiled.

"Thank you."

I reached out to unfold the paper from the bottom of the cupcake, hoping that if I kept my mouth full I wouldn't be able to blab the secret that now weighed heavy on my mind.

As I picked the cupcake up from the plate, I felt the soft touch of fingertips tracing up my thigh.

I looked at Luca out of the corner of my eye, trying not to draw attention to the hand that was now sliding up my inner thigh, pushing back the hem of my dress.

He stared off at the party going on around us, but I noticed the trace of a knowing smile on his lips.

I crossed my legs, trapping his hand and keeping it from venturing farther north.

He bit his bottom lip before leaning over towards me.

"Don't cause a scene," he whispered, his lips almost touching my ear.

"Your mother is standing fifteen feet away," I mumbled through gritted teeth, trying to keep a neutral expression.

I took a bite of my cupcake as Luca pulled his hand from between my legs and slung his arm over the back of my chair.

"How are the cupcakes?" Norah asked me, peeling away the paper from her own.

I smiled, nodding.

"They're delicious, actually. The icing is really sweet."

I heard Luca snicker beside me and I kicked his shin.

"Alpha Ronan," someone said from beside us.

We both looked over to see a man approaching. He squatted down next to Luca's seat and began to talk to him about a loan for a business venture he was planning.

Uninterested, I looked over to Bates.

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked.

He looked at me, unamused, with a mouth full of cupcake.

"Do ah hah to wehd wac how do?" He mumbled through the cake.

My eyebrows furrowed as he held up a finger, swallowing the cupcake.

"Do I have to weed-wack now, too?" He said again.

"Classy," Norah commented.

"I need you to meet me at the training fields tomorrow morning at eight," I told him, my voice low so Luca couldn't hear.

His eyebrows furrowed.

"Why?" He asked.

"Just do it, please," I said quickly, Luca's attention returning to us.

Bates just nodded, still looking confused.

Luca turned around, his arm returning to its spot behind my chair.

"I'm ready to go," he said, sighing.

I could tell he was, he looked exhausted. I was sure he was sick and tired of everyone talking to him all night.

I nodded.

"I'm ready when you are."

I looked at Bates as we got up to leave, silently telling him not to say anything further.

How am I supposed to keep this from Luca?

- - -

Um, you're not sis?

Gosh, I can't wait for you guys to read the next chapter... this is one of those moments when I wished it was a double update day. But, sadly, it is not.

You'll have to wait until tomorrow morning at 8:30am EST (New York time) to read the next update.

But, until then, don't forget to comment and vote on this chapter!!

Adios, hippos!

MaybeManhattan .x