Bit of a shorter chapter but thought I'd share anyway!!!

ENJOYYYYYY

& comment, pleassssseee, pretty pleassssseeee. 

"Excuse me... sorry... oh no I'm okay I'm just getting a drink." Squirming through the drunken bodies of the crowd was enlightening, to say the least. I wonder if this is what I looked like at Micahs party, crazed or dopey or confused as hell. Thinking back, probably all three.

But aside from the clearly inebriated party goers, the scene was actually pretty dope. A DJ was set up on a small stage with a mosh pit forming in front and there were lines and lines of food vendors near a large wall of pine trees. Whoever set it up did a good job and maybe if I was just coming to enjoy myself with Henry I wouldn't be so on edge.

The small I need to return to eventually is stopping that. I know Micah will track me down if I'm not quick enough with my drink, he can't help himself. But truthfully, I'm not even thirsty. I just needed to avoid that conversation, the questioning and faking and Micah's old flame or whoever she is.

I shake my head as I continue to the clearing where the food and drinks are set up. I'm being ridiculous, its this weird bond that's making me hate the sight of that so much. But he just went up and hugged her like he'd missed her, like it was normal between them to show affection and it made my blood boil. More so for the fact that I can't control being irked by it, despite usually rejecting his advances towards me.

I spot a fresh juice stall squished between some pop-up bars and bee-line. When I go back I'll just sit close, close enough to where she gets the hint that we are together. But what if he's told her that it's all shit by now? They're friends right? Everyone else in his friend group is well aware of the reality of the situation.

"Hey there," I break my intense thinking, snapping my attention to a boy with dirty blond hair that sits atop his head like a shaggy mop.

"Hey," I reply awkwardly. I have no idea who this guy is, what more do I say?

He smiles. "Are you looking to get a drink?" He asks and I gape at the vendors around us before noticing that he's a bit older and maybe its obvious I shouldn't be stood here.

"Yeah," I reply, pointing to the fruit covered stall. "Just some juice." Like a three year old.

He chuckles. "Just juice? I can get you something a bit stronger if you'd like. On me." When I don't immediately respond he holds his hand out, a totally human gesture. "I'm Nick."

"Hey Nick!!" The yell from behind me makes me literally jump and he looks just as confused and shocked as me. I turn to find none other than Gia and Finn.

Nick's face scrunches with more confusion. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"You don't wanna know me," Gia says. She's been drinking. That much is clear as day. "And you really don't wanna know her mate."

So this is like the cavalry, here to rescue me out of a potentially horrible situation.

Finn leans in closer. "He's our Alpha, super fucking scary dude. One time, he transformed into his wolf and bit the head off a subordinate... I can't imagine what he'd do to someone chatting up his girl."

The human guy, Nick, stares at the three of us in horror, the colour leeched from his face as he holds his hands up. "I don't want any trouble."

"Then scram!" Gia yells and the guy turns and leaves faster than I thought possible for a human.

"They were exaggerating! Thank you anyway!" I turn and glare. "That wasn't nice guys." They both laugh hysterically and I notice just how good Gia looks tonight, she pulled out all the stops.

"He'll be fine, and think twice before hitting on strangers. He's just lucky it was us and not Micah, he very well might have lost his head."

I shake my own. That's ridiculous, Micah wouldn't bite someones head off.

"Whatever. You look really great by the way," I say, still stunned as I soak in her tight fitted black dress that is cut out in the most revealing of places. She completely rocks it and Finn next to her is dressed fashionably to match.

"You sound surprised," she comments with a laugh, taking a sip from her wolfsbane bottle. "And no offence, but you look like that jumper is suffocating you. I was going to come and grab you before, maybe get you a change of clothes but you seemed pretty trapped in over there with Micah and his croonies."

I laugh lightly and look back through the crowd, barely glimpsing at his face. "I didn't think you were coming on this trip," I comment and she shrugs.

"My parents made me, I figured I would find the best looking human on campus, seduce him and begin an illicit love affair with a college boy. It seems too good an opportunity to miss." Her words are dead serious and I look at her outfit again and get a different reading from it entirely.

She really doesn't care about getting in trouble, hell she invites it.

"Why not?" I comment, making her smile.

"Finn and I were going to go and get some pot from a friend on campus later and have a bit of fun. This human boy who brought me my drink might also tag along. You are welcome to join," she offers warmly and I look back to where Micah is sat, making her groan. "Oh come on, don't think about that big lump of rules. Live it up a little, Thea, you deserve it."

"I told them I'd be back in just a moment, he'll probably come looking for me if I am not back soon. Especially with all his new friends around—I'd just get you into trouble," I tell her and she raises a brow, her attention spiked.

"New friends?" Finn says, grinning next to her.

"Yeah, Elias, Sophia and Lucas. People high up from a neighbouring pack." I realise I don't even know which one.

Gia's mischievous grin soon turns into a scowl. "Elias is there?" She asks, folding her arms over her chest and I nod, making her scoff. "All the more reason for you to join us, trust me, Athena, they are as bland as it gets. And mr goodie goodie, tattle tale Alpha Elias is the worst. You won't be able to have even a second of fun with him around, it'd get reported."

A wince overcomes Finn's face like a memory flashes past him. "Honestly let's just escape while we can. He even sees that wolfsbane and best believe the beta will know about it," he says and I don't doubt that Elias is a rule follower based off of his demeanour but a rat?

Something whirs in Gia's eyes and she smiles smugly, looping her hand through my own. "You know what? Let's go say hi before we leave, I'm sure they miss me."

She begins walking, pulling me with her and Finn runs alongside us, laughing. "The last time he visited, you hot-wired his car and crashed it on your joyride," he says and my eyes widen.

"Hey," Gia says. "Not my fault he wouldn't give me the keys."

We push through the crowd in record time and Micah's expression turns stern when he sees me approaching with Gia, his brows furrowing in disapproval.

"Hello, hello, long time no see," Gia says, swigging from her bottle as Elias whips his head around, his broad body turning fully to stare at Gia as his eyes move over her like she is a holy temple. She finishes the drink in an honesty impressive display of chugging and wipes her hand across her smirking lips before staring in front of her. Right at Elias.

Her drink drops from her hand and shatters onto the ground, exploding the glass around us into a million pieces. "Mate," the words are a whisper from Elias as he stares with pure adoration into her eyes.

She is stunned but I note the struggle to maintain the softness of her expression, the sparkle in her own eyes that exists as she stares at him. A future Alpha. "Mate," she whispers back, softly and he stands up, his shoes crunching on the glass between them before he embraces her tightly, the whole moment so surreal.

"Gia," he says pulling back and I note how she shivers, the dazed look removing itself from both of their expressions as disbelief begins to pour in instead. His eyes rake over her body once more, over the scantily clad outfit that hugs to her like a second skin and then to the bottle smashed on the floor.

"You," she replies, not nearly half as enthusiastic as him and I glance to Micah who has stood up, his body angled towards me like he is ready to pull me away at any given moment.

She staggers slightly backwards, out of his grip and Finn catches her, his hands resting on the bare parts of her body by chance. A deep growl leaves Elias, making fear trickle inside me and he immediately pulls Gia back towards him, using his strength to shove Finn away.

She pushes his hand from her and once again, staggers back but into my arms instead this time. Elias doesn't give me the same greeting he did Finn.

"Fuckkkk," she slurs, clutching onto me tightly. "We should've just gone to smoke some pot." Pure rage takes over Elias features, not even a small sign of concern laying there.

"There you are!" A young man walks towards us, a beer and bottle of wolfsbane in his hands as he approaches the group with a smile, moving towards Gia. "My friend said he's got the goods, you ready to go?" He says to Gia with a sultry smirk and I don't want to be standing in the middle of this, at all.

"Who the fuck are you?" Elias says menacingly and the guy pales immediately. Elias takes the wolfsbane from his hands and smashes it onto the ground.

"No!" Gia protests moving towards the bottle but I pull her back close to me before this gets any messier. She starts laughing and hugs me. "You're a good friend... and I should not have had wolfsbane with those pills."

"Have you been getting her those?" Elias says, pulling the human by the scruff of his collar. "It is against pack and university law to supply underage people with addictive substances, Lucas take this fucking scum to the campus office. Now." The authority in his tone leaves no room for argument and Lucas moves forward immediately, taking ahold of the poor guys arm before pulling him from the scene.

"Hey! Why would you do that?" Gia protests. "That was my friend. Always such a party pooper, my goddess." Her words are so slurred its a struggle to make them out.

"You're wasted," he states, disbelief lining his face.

"Finn! Let's go party," she says before shaking her head. "No, maybe let's just go back to my room."

Finn moves a slight inch forward but Elias steps in front of his path, looking directly at his mate still in my arms. "You are not going anywhere with him. I'm taking you home, this is enough," he says firmly and he moves towards me to grip her hand but I twist around, stopping him and suddenly that rage is directed towards me.

Micahs hand is on my arm immediately and he holds one out to Elias, the only person from our group to intervene aside from me. "Athena let her go," Micah tells me sternly and I furrow my brows, glaring at him with disappointment.

"But I don't wanna go," Gia announces, hugging onto me.

"Gia your mate is here to take care of you, please go with him," Micah says to her and her eyes blink groggily.

"I think she's really sick, Micah. She needs to go see a doctor," I tell him before looking to Finn. "What pill did she take?"

Elias gives up his effort to get her from my grasp and turns to Finn, his composure a threat. "What was it?" He seethes and Finn gapes, sweat beading heavily on his forehead.

"I don't know, we both had two blue party pills and she had a bit more to drink," he says, the words beginning to slur.

"Gia, please go with your mate," Micah reinforces from behind me, trying to pull me back.

She moves her head slowly to Elias and furrows her brow. "My mate? Eli? That can't be right," she says but once her eyes connect with his she smiles broadly. "It is!" She exclaims and she pushes off of me so fast I don't even register it before she barrels into his arms, her short dress hitching up as she laughs. "My mate."

His hands pull her dress down firmly and he holds onto her with one hand and picks his jacket from his chair with the other, his expression solely stern. "You need to take her to see the campus nurse, or to a hospital," I tell him, moving forward only to be pulled back next to Micah.

"I will." He picks Gia up in one swift movement and she laughs wildly at the action. "You better tag along," he says firmly to Finn who nods groggily, stumbling next to them.

"I will contact the beta family personally, I understand you will need to relay this to your superiors but I ask that you give me at least a few hours to try and figure this out on my own," he says to Micah, the embodiment of professional.

Micah nods firmly. "Of course, you have my word. Please keep me informed on how it goes with the nurses," he says and I gulp as the conversation ends with another curt nod. Elias walks off with Gia in his arms and Finn towing not too far behind and I turn around to Micah instantly.

"We should go with them and make sure she's alright." Nerves immediately fill my body at the prospect of Gia and Elias together. She told me only moments ago that she disliked him and now he is the one looking after her wellbeing? Not the people who actually know her?

"She is in the safest possible hands, her mate won't let anything happen to her. Athena, we can't get involved in this." There isn't room for debate in his statement.

"Holy shit," Benny says, Mollys hand plastered over her face as Sophia sits with shock.

"But they hate each other," Molly says, making everyone go silent.

"I guess not anymore," Sophia announces. "The goddess doesn't make mistakes, this is a blessing."

All the wolves nod and I just still. I have never seen two wolf mates meet like that. There have only been a handful of encounters for me but all of them were full of love, adoration and zero illicit drugs.

"She is the daughter of a Beta," James announces, making everyone look to him and he shrugs. "She was bound to be mated to someone higher up. And I'm sure her family will be rejoiced, Eli is a great guy and if anyone has what it takes to rein her in then its him."

He speaks like she's some sort of wild animal, not a person and it doesn't sit well with me. Gia does what she wants, I don't think that makes her a bad person. But maybe that's just my human ideals speaking, she's a normal human but not a normal wolf.

"I think I am going to go back to my room," I tell Micah softly, still in disbelief at everything that went down. I don't want to go to my room, I want to go to the nurses office and see if Gia is okay.

"I'll come with you," he says and I close my eyes briefly.

"No, its okay. Stay with your friends, I'm just tired," I lie and he gives me a look that says he doesn't believe me, one of sympathy for my efforts.

He turns to the group who hears our entire conversation. "Athena and I are going to call it a night. It was really good to see you again, Soph, let me know if you plan on coming to the pack house."

She smiles softly, clearly disappointed in his departure. "Yeah! It'd be great to get back down there. It was really nice meeting you Athena," she says to me and I don't even have it in me to fully smile as they all say goodbye.

Before I can even think of a response, Micah says goodnight for the both of us and promptly escorts me out of there.