Twisted Fate

Chapter 61

Astrid

Ms. Hattie is grinning from ear to ear and beaming with excitement as her float makes the grand entrance to the parade. I'm sitting in a lawn chair next to Kane in front of the gift shop when she rounds the street corner, the crowd waving and shouting their approval.

"How come you're not out there shaking some werewolf tail?" I tease Kane, but his face remains expressionless. Out of the Blackburn trio, he's the most serious brother, rarely cracking jokes or smiling. I think I've only heard him really laugh once when Carson tripped face-first into the mud. It was pretty hilarious, though. I'd nearly peed my pants from laughing so hard.

He blows the steam away from his hot chocolate and sips it slowly. "Not my thing." He says, lips into a thin line. Last week at the coven meeting, he all but jumped up and screamed he wasn't taking part in the parade. He took it upon himself to sit out so the others could enjoy the "full experience." I know how Ms. Hattie runs her shop and Kane is allergic to fun- hence our dynamic duo.

Kane searches through his back pocket and pulls out his phone. "Check these hotties out." He nods towards the pack float approaching. We spent all day and night decorating that float and I'm proud of it. I'm laughing the entire time Kane and I snap pictures of the wolves. I wouldn't miss the opportunity to capture this perfect moment forever. In fact, I'm framing it as soon as we get back home.

We dressed the pack up as werewolves (my brilliant idea) for the parade. They're all wearing gray pointy ears, oversized paws, and long tails with their faces painted by me. Arlo and Carson are in the crowd passing out candy, their furry tails bouncing as they rush out to the crowd of children. The others are playing music and dancing on the float. My friends are waving and flipping me off as I get closer to take their picture. I snicker and find my way back to my seat when Nicole chases me away. They look absolutely ridiculous, and I love it!

I'm giggling and making faces at my friends when my heart somersaults inside my chest. Arlo spots me in the crowd and jogs over to the end of the street. He kisses me on the cheek and tosses me a piece of candy. "You're the cutest one I've seen all day." He wraps his arms around my waist, the spice of his cologne filling my nostrils.

My wolf takes over me, and I stand on my tiptoes to kiss him. She's been bugging me about my lack of affection towards our mate, so for now I'll let her have some time. She needs his touch like she needs to breathe. He seems surprised by my actions for a moment, but it doesn't take him long to kiss me back. I don't know what's going to happen when all this is over, but I know my feelings grow stronger for him each day. Every day is a constant battle between my mind and heart.

Kane looks over at us with a smirk, making me feel self-conscious. I'm not comfortable with my wolves seeing us intimately together, so I pull away and leave him standing there alone. They'll freak out and start doubting my loyalty to the pack. I don't need them asking me questions I don't have answers to.

You don't want them to know you're falling deep. So, so deep.

~

It's Tuesday morning when I walk into the gift shop and greeted by a smiling Blair. I stand in the doorway, gaping at her for a few minutes before I run up to her with open arms. "When did you guys get back in town?"

"Early this morning. I was going to come say hi, but you were still asleep," she says.

I do a quick scan of her from head to toe. She looks nothing like the witch I was bathing and spoon feeding a few weeks ago. When Louisa had mentioned that they'd be out of town for two weeks, I assumed shit got worse for Blair. But here, she is looking as healthy as a horse.