Little Red

Chapter 29

The pack house is in a state of chaos when we walk in.  People are everywhere -  rushing through the halls, talking in doorways, even wrestling on the floors.  It sharply contrasts the quiet atmosphere I experienced my first day here.  Immediately, I want to turn back around.

Catching my overwhelmed expression, Shauna speaks up.

"Yeah, it's pretty much always like this.  You haven't gotten used to it by now?"  She asks with a tilt of the head.

We both duck as a video game controller whizzes right above our heads.

"Hey!  You cheated!"  A young boy yells, rushing past us into the spacious living room.

"Woah, slow down there!"  Theo calls after him. 

"Um...no.  I've never eaten with the pack."  I confess shyly.

She looks at me curiously.

"Really?  Well, you probably won't want to ever again after tonight." She cautions.

I start to question her, but she walks ahead to catch up with Theo, who we've already lost.

I'm thankful Shauna didn't pry into it.

I follow behind absently, avoiding the curious stares I get from some of the older pack members.

When we enter the dining room, Theo and Shauna scan the area for seats.  

A majority of the pack is already seated, chatting casually amongst themselves.  Children flit inbetween the rows of long tables, begging their parents for this or that and chasing their friends.  

At the head of the longest table is Demitri, staring down at the table as he eats.  Beside him is Samuel, already eating and not looking at anyone in particular.  It's the empty chair across from him that catches my eye.  

The Luna's chair.

My chair.

I'm snapped out of it once again by a curious looking Theo, Shauna beside him.

"Hey, we found some seats."  He informs me.

"Great! Let's go!"  I chirp, eager to be free from their questioning eyes.

They nod, leading me to the longest table.

Oh, crap.

People look up as we pass, Theo leading the way, followed by Shauna, then me.  They both pull out their chairs and plop down, already chatting with the people around us, but I remain standing to unclasp my cloak.  My eyes drift down the table as I do so, to see Samuel staring intently at me.  He holds my gaze before his eyes snap to the chair across from him darkly.  Confused, I follow his gaze to see the thorn in my side perched in my chair casually, chatting to a sullen looking Demitri.

Anger.

Anger consumes me immediately at the sight.  Not only that she's in MY chair flirting with MY mate, but that she has the audacity to take and touch what is not hers.  From the corner of my vision, I see a few surrounding pack members eye her uneasily.  I don't hear what Shauna asks me as I remove my cloak from the back of the chair and walk with intent around the end of the table, my eyes never wavering.

Some pack members look up as I pass, pausing their conversations to watch me stalk forward in determination.  I can only imagine what they see.  A dark haired girl in all black, moving forward like the Angel of Death toward a poor, unfortunate soul.

But she's more than fortunate.

When I get to my destination, I stop, glaring down at Victoria's hand which is now resting on Demitri's shoulder.  He looks up at my approach, the scowl on his face disappearing as he blinks in confusion at me.