A hybrid, werewolves, and a scooter (gxg)

Ch. 15 - Dinner

My second day of training was as tough as the first one, but my body seemed to be less tired from it.

Before heading home, I went grocery shopping with the list Mason had sent me through text and bought everything we needed.

Cashews, yogurt, vinegar, cinnamon, eggplants, parsley, a huge piece of meat... Yup, all here.

He was probably going to make some kind of smoked eggplant dish that he was dying to try on, and he had the rest of the ingredients home, so this much should be enough.

I paid for everything and then went back to the dorm to shower before heading to Mason's.

When I got there, the other werewolves were already waiting.

"Dana said she and her boyfriend had a date today, so they'll come next time," Mason said. "Can you help me wash the eggplants?"

I nodded and went to do as he asked.

I followed his lead while we cooked dinner, and the others supplied us with drinks. Nothing's better than to cook while having something to drink, at least until someone chops a finger off.

"You remember when we first met?" Alice nudged my arm and I almost dropped the knife I was using to chop some onions. "You were like a goth kid all in black."

"I swear you looked like you hadn't slept in three weeks and had just been beaten up," Avery added to the story and I laughed along with them.

The truth is back then I hadn't slept in three weeks and had just gotten back from a tough mission.

It's crazy to see that in a year away from the Soilés I changed a lot, not only in my way of thinking but also physically.

Even if I was strong before, I looked like I would fall apart if someone pushed me too hard. Silas and the twins courtesy, of course.

"How did you guys meet?" Casey asked out of curiosity.

"We were walking close to the dorms and heard a fight somewhere. We went to see what was going on and found a thug pointing a knife at her and then we scared him off."

I wish I could say that it was all an act, but it wasn't. I looked like an easy target so this situation had happened before. I could easily take care of it, but it was really surprising when my targets showed up and ganged up on the guy.

That was probably the moment I knew that my mission was bound to be a failure.

"I guess it's time for me to thank you guys again."

"You know that you can count on us for whatever you need, Hun." Alice hugged me from behind and almost made me drop the knife again.

She could get clingy when she was drunk, but everyone was already used to it.

"You're making it hard for my sous-chef to chop those onions, Alice." Mason gave her a stern look that only made the girl laugh and place her head on my shoulder.

They kept bantering until Avery managed to get her away from my back, only to be replaced by another werewolf.

"What? If she can do it then I should too," Casey said after I lifted my eyebrows to her action, but instead of supporting her head on my shoulder, she kept it on the top of my head.

Her body was warmer than Alice's and it made me want to turn around and give her a proper hug.

The weather was getting colder those days and the girl was like a walking furnace.

Well, all werewolves are.

And maybe my body heat is slightly lower than a human's since I have a steady but slow heartbeat.

It was always an advantage during fights since I could keep my cardio under control, but it could be annoying during winter when it felt like my hands and feet would fall off.

"Jealous much?" I provoked her, but instead of a smart answer, she lowered her head closer to my ear.

"Very much," she whispered, and I felt my cheeks getting hot.

It was crazy to think about the effect some people have on you even if you don't know them for a long while.

Moments like these made me wonder that maybe, just maybe, it was okay to be a bit selfish and to do something I wanted to do that wasn't involved with fighting the Soilés or training with an old vampire.

Sometimes it was okay to want to lay back and enjoy the simple things like a dinner with your friends or the subtle flirting with someone.

So what if she eventually leaves because she found her mate?

It would be sad, but not worse than how it would be if I didn't act with my feelings for once in my life.

Maybe this one time it was okay for me to open up.

-- -- -- --

After dinner and doing the dishes, we settled for movies, but Casey, Alice, and Mason had drunk way too much to pass the first fifteen minutes of the first one, leaving me up with Avery.

"We don't usually talk about this stuff, but I'll just say that Casey is a nice person," he said in a low voice, knowing that I was listening.

"Shouldn't your boyfriend be the one saying this stuff?" I shifted a bit to look Avery in the eyes.

"I just feel that there's more going on in your life than you tell us, and that's completely fine since you'll let us know if you want to, but maybe certain things may make you think that you're not cut for a relationship. I've been there."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "And my parents weren't so supportive of me back then. It took me a while to get a hold of myself and be the person I really was, the person Mason deserved to be with. We're good now, but I know life is trickier than it looks."

I always saw Avery as someone who got their life together, but I guess no one does.

"I'll keep that in mind," I yawned. "Thanks, Aves. We should probably sleep now though."

"We should," he laughed lowly and yawned too. "And just so you know, we'll help you with whatever you need. Even murder."

I chuckled at his "joke" and turned around to sleep. We were like the other day in my dorm, all stacked up on the floor.

As I felt my mind drifting, I kept thinking about Avery's words. They saw me as someone they'd do anything for, as someone that was a part of their pack, and I wanted them to know that I saw them the same way.

Soon enough I'd make sure to prove it, but right now I was a bit too sleepy for that.

Casey somehow managed to get a grip on my body while we were laying down and I found myself smiling, almost not realizing that the screen on my phone was lighting up.

I decided not to move to check on it so I wouldn't disturb the others' sleep.

It was probably just a spam email anyways.