Chasing Tail [Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ x Sʜɪꜰᴛᴇʀs Rᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ]

Part 14

Y/N POV

Spring Break is finally here.

You, Ash, and Cody have packed up your things and are heading into the city to meet up with your friends and start the journey to Kyle's parents' lake house. They're both just as excited as you are, even though Ash, being his usual grouchy sardonic self, is trying not to show it. Cody is grinning and chatting happily with you, holding your hand all the way there.

When you get to the meeting point, all your friends are already there waiting for you. Lexi is bringing her boyfriend Tommy, and Tanya has brought along two friends of hers as well, a tall guy named Vincent and another student with blue hair named Keahi.

Kyle is sitting on the hood of a mini-van and he comes over to greet you.

"Hey, gorgeous!" He pulls you into a hug.

Cody refuses to let go of your hand, which bends your arm at an awkward angle. You pull away from Kyle and try to pull away from Cody, but his grip only tightens as he makes that inhuman growling noise in his throat.

Ash steps between the three of you, blocking Kyle from approaching you again. There's murder in his eyes.

You finally manage to get free of Cody's grip and step up next to Ash, giving him a look that says, settle the fuck down!

Your two roommates have explained to you that their animal sides can make them violently territorial sometimes, but you don't really understand what it is about you and Kyle that makes them both fly off the handle all the time. You're just friends, after all.

"Hi, Kyle," you give him an awkward apologetic smile. "Sorry, my friends are just grumpy because they had to get up early for this trip."

He smiles at you. "No problem, I get it. Here, we rented a van so that we could all travel together."

You do introductions for everyone who doesn't know each other yet, then you all pile into the van. It's a tight fit, especially because Ash and Cody insist on sitting in the back row with you squished in between them.

The drive goes by quickly. The group plays some roadtrip games like "I Spy" and then you all sing along to Kyle's musical hits playlist.

By the time you reach the lake house, everyone is in high spirits. The air is fresh and the view of the lake is super beautiful. The property feels secluded and private, hidden away in the woods that surround the lake.

"Look, there's a fire pit!" Lexi points to a lakeside circle of chairs around a pit of ash. "We should totally have a bonfire tonight."

Tommy grins. "Good thing I brought marshmallows and a shit ton of booze."

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Cody POV

I'm so glad we talked Y/N into joining this little trip. The setting is perfect, and the woods around the lake are the perfect place for a wild run.

The full moon is coming. I can change between my human and dog form anytime at will, but I need the full moon out in order to shift into my much larger and stronger direwolf form. It's been way too long since I got to stretch my legs as a massive wolf. I can't wait to go hunting tonight.

The house is just as nice on the inside as it looks on the outside. The living space is huge and the kitchen is big, which is good because Y/N's friends have brought enough food and drinks to feed an army and get them drunk, too.

One of the girls—I think her name was Tanya—comes down the stairs from the second floor and announces, "We've got a problem. There's not enough bedrooms for all of us."

"That's not an issue, some of us can just share," Lexi says. "I'll double up with Tommy, obviously."

"I'll share with Keahi, that way Vince can have the small single bedroom," Tanya offers. "That leaves two bedrooms, one with a queen and one with two twin beds."

Y/N looks at me and Ash, biting her lip. Only the three of us and Kyle still need somewhere to sleep. Y/N is totally used to sharing a bed with me and Ash, but I know she doesn't want her friends to know that, for whatever reason. I don't care. I'd shout it from the rooftops.

Kyle speaks up. "Well, maybe Y/N and I could—"

"Nope." Ash and I both interrupt him at the same time.

"You're the birthday boy, you can't be sharing a room," Ash continues. "You take the queen bed, the rest of us will share the last bedroom."

Lexi looks between us with her eyebrows raised in interest. "But... there's only two twin beds in there."

"That's fine, we always—oof!" I stop talking when Y/N elbows me in the side. She gives me a wide-eyed look and shakes her head. I huff and add, "I mean, I'll just sleep on the couch or something."

"Sounds good to me," Ash says with a smirk. He grabs Y/N's wrist and tugs her up the stairs. I follow close behind.

Lexi claps her hands together and nods. "Sure, let's all get settled in. Meet us outside later for the bonfire!"

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Hi all, I've got finals this week and next so the updates might slow down for a little while. I'll be back whenever I can manage it.