A/N: Okay, so I know this is a fast update but I was in bed last night and this idea was just not letting me sleep so I literally finished this in less than two hours and I figured why not. call it writer diarrhea. We get a minor taste of salty Saurus LOL

[12] Pranks and Misunderstandings

The first time Mia stole from Saurus, she vowed to never do it again. It was senior year—a few weeks before prom night to be more specific—and not to mention only a week before her birthday. For this reason, she was in high spirits to join the wolfmen as they went shopping. What girl wasn't in love with shopping? There was a reason she was bestfriends with Sammie. They were most definitely shopaholics in the making.

Stepping out of the packhouse in shorts and a laid-back T-shirt, Mia assessed their travel. The crew was made of two jeeps. Saurus would drive one and Michael would take the other. Of course, as soon as the wolfgirls saw Samuel as the driver, they immediately rushed to his jeep. Ever the perceptive one, Lisa snagged the passenger side. Anything to be next to her biggest crush.

An eccentric wolfgirl by the name of Annie hurriedly rushed into the back, taking the middle seat as soon as possible. Mia had no doubt it was so she could get a nice view of Saurus. According to Annie, he was 'the most beautiful man she had ever seen', and anything he did 'was simply wonderful'. There was nothing wrong the soon-to-be alpha could do in her eyes. Mia had once thought Lisa was bad, but Annie was on a whole other level.

The funny thing was, Annie was nicest. Saurus could make out with another girl in front of her and she'd be beaming with joy because the best wereman in the world found someone worthy of his kiss. Its like the chick lived in some kind of novel and Saurus was her main male character and she was the hype spectator watching with wide eyes his every move.

Beside Annie sat Mandy, who looked content to be by the window if only to enjoy the scenery as they drove. No doubt she was only in the jeep because her twin sister Lisa was there.

"You ready?" Samantha ask, fixing her sandal strap before standing up to her true 5'10 height. She too, looked at the jeeps. "Dang, it looks packed. Michael's jeep is full with the guys and Saurus has only one open spot.

The hot wind blew through Mia's hair, making in her strands billow behind her. She shrugged. "There's always the option of sitting on laps."

Upon reaching the jeep Samantha immediately opened the driver door, pouting down at her brother. "I want to drive." She whined.

Samuel looked down to her dangling purse. "Did you bring your license?"

"Of course!"

Mia giggled. There was no way Sammie would forget her license. She only just got it two weeks ago and was still obsessed with driving everywhere. She didn't own a car, so in the meantime she utilized Samuel's whenever she could.

"Fine." Samuel slid out, switching his seat to the remaining one in the back.

Mia had to cover her mouth to stop laughing. Lisa's eyebrow began twitching, most definitely annoyed she didn't get to sit next to her beloved. Meanwhile Annie was gaping wide-eyed at him, looking like a child who was told Christmas would be starting a whole 30 days earlier.

As if finally noticing her, he smiled acidly. "There's no room for you, guess you'll have to stay," he jeered.

Mia snorted. "Yeah right. It's call lapping it up buddy." Mia entered through the opposite side, about to sit on Annie's lap when she realized...

"Actually, since you decided to be nasty, I'm translating that as you want to volunteer as tribute."

"I'll throw you out the window." He threatened, lowering the glass by pressing the button.

"Wow, you're that excited. I'm glad to inspire such passion."

Samuel grunted as Mia hoisted herself on his lap. Beside her Annie's eyes got super wide and excited, as though she just saw the biggest candy cloud in the world. That's right, aside from loving everything Saurus, she loved everything Mia and Saurus related. She had this weird fantasy idea that they carried so called 'sexual tension' and 'inner passion' for each other—which Mia felt was just straight up ridiculous I mean really. Was this girl reading crappy romance books online? That stuff just didn't happen in real life.

"What are you doing?" His warm breath tickled her ear, she could hear the suspicion in his voice. See the anger in his eyes.

He had reason to be suspicious (and a little angry), Mia had never done this to him before. And it was only two hours ago when she had hugged him and he—as usual—got all antsy and annoyed. Only this time she held cubes of ice in her fists and dumped them into his shirt. Thus, he now assumed every time she touched him she planned to prank him as well. Smart reptile.

"Nothing," she chirped, blinking at him with wide innocent eyes. It was her birthday in one week, and thus she would temporarily get a present from Samuel... He just wouldn't know about it.

It was only a prank, of course. She had sneaked a peak as his bank account accidentally a few nights ago when she was popping over his shoulder to mess up his homework, only to be stunned at the amount he managed to accumulate. If he was her man she would so make him buy her a dress for her birthday. But as this would never be the case, she would scare Samuel into thinking someone stole his card and pretend to have 'found' it. Then watch him be stressed out of his mind and wonder who the heck managed to steal from it.

When the car began to move Mia did her work, taking advantage of the bumps and harsh turns to do her pickpocketing. When the card was safely in her hand without detection, Mia proudly slipped it into her back jean pocket and pretended nothing happened.

Excellent.

On the other hand, Samuel had to force himself to appear suspicious without giving away that he knew exactly what his little vixen was doing. She didn't realize he was hyper aware of everything she did, especially when she was touching him.

He felt as her hands slid into his front pocket, expertly distinguishing his credit card from his debit ones.

So she wanted his money. Unsurprising. Her and Sammie spent their money on strange things. He knew his sister would be clamoring him for another of his cards. If he wanted to, he could bully her into admitting her wrong. However, he would allow her this because as of now, he quite liked her on his lap. He couldn't deny it felt good.

<<<>>>

The cashier woman slide the sleek black card against the register. After it approved, Mia smiled like an happy cat, signing Samuel's signature with smooth loops and curves. It looked nothing like his handwriting, but who really checked that crap anyway? After getting her receipt she excitedly held up her x-thousand dollar prom dress. It was so gorgeous. It just kind of sucked that she had no real date to go with, oh well. Sammie didn't have a date either, and Samuel's ugly-self would be going alone too.

A bummer, because it meant she actually would have him nearby instead of some whatever chick taking up his time and energy. The werewoman always licked his attention dry when he gave the opportunity to talk to him. They held onto him as though he were some sort of oasis and they were thirsty wanderers in a desert. Gross. There were so many better weremen out there. Who cares if he was tall and had some muscular legs. And since when was a six-pack considered the standard? Her cute little one-pack was just as pretty. Clearly they were blind.

From the corner of her eye she caught him staring at her. It made her anxious for a split second, curious if he knew she stole his card, but she easily covered it by sending him an air kiss. Samuel pretended to catch her kiss and made a show of sending it right into the trashcan. He then spilled his half-undrank soda into it, the black sugary liquid 'soaking it'.

Cute. Very cute.

Mia rolled her shoulders back, mentally preparing for her next act. She would have to wait for the perfect opportunity though. Two hours later she found it, right as the others were still busy shopping and he leaned against a wall, seeming bored with waiting. She maneuvered herself a few steps behind Samuel.

"Hey, reptile, you dropped something." She pretended to bend down and grab something, popping up with his credit card in hand.

Instead of taking it, he grabbed her wrist, hauling her to him. "How interesting. I've never been one to drop things." His eyes glinted with hidden knowledge, making Mia's back stiffen.

She cleared her throat. "Well, there's a first time for everything."

From his pocket Samuel pulled out a receipt. Mia's eyes widened as he read the total amount on it. It was the exact amount she spent on the dress and—

"Look, the sign is similar to your ugly handwriting." He pointed out.

Mia hurriedly reached into her bag, only to realize her receipt was not there. "How did you get that?!" she asked, amazed that paper was even in his hand.

He shrugged. "I don't know, it looks like you dropped it. You know, just like I drop my cards." He responded, his voice sarcastic. "I know exactly what you did human."

Mia jabbed the card onto his neck. Unfortunately, it seemed his neck was strong too for instead of chopping his head off the card bended. Bad card. Really bad card. Why didn't they make these cards sharper?

"Whatever, it was a prank." She said, shoving him back. "I'll send you the money." It kind of sucked that he saw through her all along.

"Oh no, there's no need to." He said seriously. "Keep the dress. You can wear it when I call the cops and send you to jail for theft and fraud." His smile widened the more Mia's eyes grew with fear. "Fun fact, I can get you at least one year of jail time. How does that sound sweet cheeks?"

Mia felt the blood drain from her face. "W-wait! I'm sorry! Please don't send me to jail! I promise not to do it ever again! It was a joke!" Mia continued begging, holding onto his shirt for her dear life. The idea of being in a jail cell sounded so dark and sad, it would be a horrible end to her senior year and she did this all to herself by being stupid. It was when she noticed the corners of his mouth slowly rising that she stopped and glared.

Finally, he burst out laughing, so much so that his pearl teeth were showing and he was smiling. Mia pouted, annoyed he played her like that. He shoved the receipt into her front pocket. "Happy early birthday Mia." He said, walking away from her as though he didn't just play her back with the most horrible joke ever.

Present

The wet ground beneath Mia soaked through her jeans, leaving brown soggy imprints in the knee area. All of her experiments failed. From the one with untampered soil outside to the one with fresh soil in the greenhouse. All experiments led to dead plants. Next.

Mia had two seeds left, however she was hesitant of using them so casually without being sure. The experiments did show her something. One, the seeds clearly preferred no fertilizer. This was evident by how the one with fresh soil grew the tallest—but as Lisa said, no leaf or bud ever came to fruition. They just wouldn't grow.

Dead, dead, dead. She thought morosely, seeing them in such wilted state. None of them survived. But why?

Beside her Lisa charted the results, her pen strokes harsh and hard. Her mouth curved in a vicious scowl, like a woman scorned from a lover. She had reason to be. Not only did she witness Mia draped all over Saurus' desk, but yesterday her attempt at initiating conversation with him was not successful. She had gone back to her old tricks of utilizing Sammie, sitting next to her at dinner time in order to be near the alpha. Unfortunately, Saurus did not make much effort in socializing with her. As a matter of fact, he ended up turning to his other side and speaking John the rest of the meal.

Lisa finished her scribbling. "So essentially, your work is a failure. Thanks, I'll defer the message." She clipped. She was turning to walk away, but Mia stopped her.

"Do you want the truth, or do you want to stay in an endless circle?"

Quite frankly, Mia was tired of her rude attitude. Lisa kept coming at her, saying snide comments as though Saurus' inattention were somehow her fault. She needed a nice dose of reality and Mia would be more than glad to give it to her.

Lisa's neck snapped back, offended at her question. "Excuse me?"

After wiping her hands, Mia got up from her spot on the ground. "A couple of weeks ago my college boyfriend broke up with me. He wanted to 'explore other options'. It hurt me to hear that, but it was the truth. I would have been more upset if I hadn't realized the truth and continued something that would have gone no where. So I ask you again—do you want the truth or do you want to continue going in circles?"

The grip Lisa had on her clipboard tightened, so much so her knuckles became white. For a moment, she was quiet before saying, "the truth."

"The truth is Saurus finds you to be a very capable worker. He has full faith on your work ethic, so much so that he only allowed me ten seeds. Not because he wants to piss me off, but because he genuinely believes you did a thorough job. That being said, while he does values you as a worker, when it comes to romantic ties he does not see you in that way. He knows you like him. Sammie knows you use her to get close to him. You're running in a circle that won't lead you anywhere. That's the truth." Mia said plainly.

"I figured." She whispered, a disappointed frown marring her features.

Mia sighed. The werewoman's pain was so clear it was almost palpable. From what she understood, the females naturally gravitated to Saurus because of his alpha-blood. It was in their instinct. They always sought a male to dominate them, and alphas were the most obvious choice. That didn't mean he was the only option though.

"Not for nothing, but there's tons of other wolfmen in this pack. I'd like to think there's at least another wolfman you're somewhat attracted to."

Lisa tucked a wayward strand behind her ear. Pursing her lips somewhat grudgingly. "Well, there is one..."

Mia smirked. She knew it. "We can work with that."

Mia didn't know what had gotten into her. Since when did she volunteer to be cupid's assistance? This whole thing could very well blow up on her face and cause Lisa to hate her more, but she'd like to think that the other guy Lisa mentioned would be similarly attracted to the wolfwoman too. She just had...a hunch. It typically worked that way in the weremen community. If a person liked someone, very often the other person felt that way too.

Unless you're Saurus, in which his alpha blood attracted them quite easily. But otherwise, there seemed to be a general pattern. So far, she searched for Lisa's other interest in the living room and kitchen, bothering to even enter the den downstairs to check. He was in none of them. As she rounded a corner, she saw a familiar tan, muscular built. He was on his phone sending a text message that had his whole attention. He headed in the general direction of his study.

"Hey reptile." Mia caught up to him and tugged his shirt. "I have a question, can you help me?"

"No. I don't help vermin." Samuel smacked her hand away as though it were a pesky fly and walked passed her.

Mia rolled her eyes. She would love to slap the crap out of him but right now she was on a mission. Time to focus and be cordial, even if this reptile did not deserve it. "Okay, but can you just direct me to that wolfman friend of yours, the one called John."

Samuel paused midstep, pulling away from his phone. "Why?"

"I want to talk to him, duh."

In three long steps he was in front of her, towering over her like a vicious wolf. "Why?" He interrogated.

"Because I want to ask him a question?" It was suppose to be a statement, but it came out as a question because Mia really wondered why the heck he was being so defensive. It's like he thought she was planning a secret explosion.

"What question?" he continued. He stepped closer to her, making her continuously step back until she hit a wall.

Mia pinched her nose, growing irritated with his inquisitiveness. Why the heck does he care? Matter fact, she'll pull a mirror on him. "Mind your business." She said, using a snarky voice to say his favorite line.

His shadow over her felt like a dark, ominous cloud. "He's my packmate." He warned.

Oh. So that was the issue. He thought she was trying to click with John in a romantic way. He couldn't be further from the truth, this was for Lisa. Unlike females, males were transparent about how they felt. She was sure she could ask John how he felt about Lisa and he would give her a clear response.

"Well, you can relax. I'm not going to eat him or anything. Gosh, I'm just asking him a question about his feelings."

A low growl escaped his lips. "I told him no."

"Told him no... what are you talking about?—you know what, I'll just go find him myself. Thanks for nothing you idiot."

Mia tried to push past him, but his chest remained a wall before her, unwilling to yield her any progress moving forward.

"Move."

"No." He placed an arm near her head, further enraging her as he made her feel more locked.

Mia grit her teeth, he was acting like a total child. What business was his who she wanted to talk to?

In a rash act of indignance, she bit hard into it. Her teeth hit against hard muscle, but no matter how hard she bit he remained in place. They glared into each other's eyes, none willing to yield.

"Is that all you've got? Your bite is weaker than a pup's." He taunted her by pushing his arm further into her lips, making her almost choke. "I don't care what you do, just remember you will not be dating any packmate of mine. I will not be your alpha."

Mia immediately pulled away, a deep red mark left in her wake. Her individual teethmarks were still evident on his skin. "What the heck is your problem?! I'm going to ask him about his feelings for Lisa, not start a relationship with him you stupid, no brainer, jer—"

"He's in the garage organizing some tools." He pulled off from her, walking away as though he didn't just impede her movement a few moments ago.

Mia gaped at his retreating form. "Ugh, why do these girls even like you!"

A/N: Yayy possible love for Lisa! We cant have the poor girl be so salty all the time. Anywho, I know the 'past' portion was longer than usual in this chapter but hopefully you enjoyed it.

Please VOTE :D thank youuuu