On Your Mark

Chapter 2

The backyard of our quaint home is filled with dozens of people just before nightfall. As the family of the Alpha, most pack gatherings happen back here, but it always amazes me how quickly and beautifully the yard can be decorated. Just this morning, Freddy was throwing me over his shoulder in an empty garden, but now, there are tables and tents, string lights and hanging lanterns, chairs and benches, and games for the children.

All of this was for my brother, Isaac. He has always been the most charming and brilliant Graves, not that I would ever tell him that. His confidence could almost always be mistaken for cockiness, but he somehow captured the adoration of everyone he ever met. The pack was devastated when he left just three months ago for training. Many of the juvenile wolves visited the pack doctor with broken hearts the first week, but here they all stand - polished, pampered, and perfectly plucked for the prince.

I stand beside Daniel in the light blue sundress my mother had laid out for me. It clings to my top half and flows over the bottom, making me feel exposed. I tug at the hem, hoping that if I pull at it long enough, it'll somehow grow in length, but it does not. I'm more used to baggier clothes that cover more of my skin. This fabric itches me, although its silk material should do just the opposite, and I realize it's not the dress that's making me uncomfortable, but the attention it brings.

"Stop fidgeting!" Daniel elbows me.

"Shut it!"

"Allie Arla," my father scolds again.

I straighten under his tone, which differs so greatly from his usual even-tempered and loving nature. His eyes soften instantly and a bubble of regret gurgles in my stomach - I have always hated making him yell at me, watching the sadness and instant regret fill his eyes breaks my heart. I smooth out the dress one last time, lacing my fingers in front of me, trying to conceal my nerves. I never was one for good behavior, but with all of the eyes staring at me, I try my best.

Daniel snickers beside me, playing it off as a cough, looking more like our father this evening. My white converse stomps on his foot as I walk in front of him to move beside our dad.

"Here he comes!" My mother claps excitedly.

A hush falls over the backyard as everyone turns to watch his car drive down the winding driveway. A few of the girls gasp and point as he parks the car and gets out of it. In the front seat, sitting beside him, I see another person and another one in the back.

I lean over, whispering in Danny's ear, "what the fuck? Did you know he was bringing others?"

"Alexandria," my mother hisses through gritted teeth, a smile still plastered on her face.

Despite the glower in her eyes of disappointment and her attempts to hold me back, I run towards my big brother, jumping through the air into his arms. He catches me, laughing and spinning in a circle, setting me down seconds later.

"Al!" He smiles at me. His face has changed these last few months, he's leaner and has grown a bit of a beard. His brown eyes have a few wrinkles when he smiles and he seems taller. He looks down at my dress, choking back a laugh, "what the hell are you wearing?"

"Me? What about you," I ask, looking at his skin tight tee shirt and dark jeans.

"What about me? I look sexy as hell." I roll my eyes as he wraps his arm around my neck, his chest vibrating against my ear with a laugh. He walks me back to our parents, keeping me in a tight headlock while he hugs them.

"Isaac," my mother coos over her first born, kissing his face repeatedly.

He engages in a secret handshake with our brothers, doing everything with one hand, unwilling to let me go from his firm grip. He kisses Vee on the cheek briefly before interacting with our dad.

They shake hands, but our father looks over my brother's shoulder with a curious and narrowed gaze, "you've brought friends!"

"Yes." Isaac nods, turning the pair of us around. A tall brooding man steps forward in a tailored suit, earning gasps and whispers from the female wolves behind us. "Mom, Dad, this is Gregory Porter. Greg, this is my father, Archibald Graves, and my mother, Katya."

"Alpha, Luna." The stranger bows his head respectfully, his small eyes landing on me and never leaving. I look away, still being held under Isaac's arm like an accessory and not a person.

"And this is his cousin, my best friend, and the next Alpha," Isaac announces, gesturing to a man with platinum blond hair and pale skin. I push away from Isaac's chest, standing beside him, smoothing out my dress and fixing my hair as I stare at the piercing blue eyes of the boy before me. He smiles and I blush under his gaze, "Samuel Porter."

He approaches my family with pride and a cool kind of confidence one would expect from an alpha, offering my father a handshake, "it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Sir."

"The pleasure is ours." My mother beams, "I hope you'll be staying for dinner!"

"Of course, Luna, it would be an honor." He grins, sneaking a glance at me. He stands tall in front of Freddy, almost matching his height. I watch him narrow his thick eyebrows at him, obviously studying him and the scars that cover my adoptive brother's face and neck. "You must be Frederick. Isaac has told me a lot about you."

"What about me," Daniel asks, swaggering between them. Although he is the youngest of my brothers, he is still quite tall and towers over me. But compared to Samuel and Freddy, he looks like a small child.

"I'm sorry." Samuel shakes his head, squinting at my brother and pursing his lips, "Isaac never mentioned you."

Danny's mouth falls open in shock. He throws Isaac a nasty side eye, the stench of disbelief and embarrassment fills the air. A giggle burst from my lips and my hand shoots up in an attempt to stifle it. Samuel watches me with amusement and wonder.

"Come on, Al." Isaac wraps his arm around my neck again, leading me away from the mysterious and handsome stranger with sparkling eyes. "I'm starving."

I push his heavy arm off of my neck, but he keeps it around my shoulders, trapping me close to him and far from his guests. I look over my other shoulder, offering him a smile before Isaac tugs me into a tent and a swarm of girls surrounds us.