As you say

Chapter 11

Sunday was the first official occurrence Ashton and I "went out". The original plan was for my family and I to McDonald's, but recently we've had a situation-changer. Ashton showed up on my doorstep two hours before his Initiation. Saying he was nervous was like saying J.K. Rowling was a nobody: impossible.

"Ashton, sit down," I orded him sternly. I do not know how to deal with a full-scale panic attack, so I will have to stop this before it gets that far.

"Why?" he wheezes.

"So you can stop trying to alert China of your medical condition!" I say, shoving him onto his butt in the middle of the garden.

"Now put your head between your knees," I tell him gently. He complies.

"Ashton," I say softly when he stops hyperventilating. He lifts his head and rests it on his knees. I may be a Morph and have superb hearing, but I didn't know how hard his heart has been working until I took his hand.

His hand was wrapped tightly around mine in nanoseconds.

"Zaili, do I need to be nervous?" he whispers. His eyes portray a terror so extreme that I could barely compare.

"No, you have already been accepted into the pack. Tonight is simply to prepare you for serving in the Pack. Haven't you had an Initiation before?" I try to talk some logic into his mind.

"No, we didn't have that back in Canada. Have you had yours yet?" he asks me.

"No, I am not of age. My Sweet Sixteen is still two and a half months away," I mutter.

"So I'm older than you are? Awesome, I get to be the boss of you," he teases half-heartedly.

"Hey, wow now, or I will have to take you down," I warn him.

"You wouldn't be able to, little girl," he mocks me.

I lunge at him, pushing him out of his fetus-like position. He yelps as his head hits the dirt, though the impact was not hard enough to injure... permanently. He just laughs and starts flips me off. He really shouldn't underestimate me.

"Who's boss now?" I say triumphantly as I put him in a headlock. I didn't repeatedly take self-defense classes for mere self-defense.

"I am," he grunts. Then he does something beautiful. He slams me over his head, my whole body. And does a 180° turn, facing me, forcefully pinning my arms at my sides as he just sits and watch me try to fill my lungs. He throws his head back and laughs.

"You are so amazing, you know that? I mean, I have never met a guy before that wasn't afraid to use his strength on me. Except for you. Thank you, Ashton," my mouth motored away.

Ashton smiles at me and leans over me, pressing his forehead to mine. I don't know how to feel about this. For one, Alpha matched us, we are all but a done deal. For two, no butterflies. At least, not yet. I sigh.

"So do you want to go somewhere? Like... I don't know... A quick McFlurry?" Ashton asks as he pulls me up.

"As long as I get an Oreo one," I agree.

"Wait, how're we going to get there?" I question, seeing the plan's fatal flaw.

"Since I am sixteen, Alpha has issued me with transportation," Ashton shrugs. "I love it here, it's so different from Canada," Ashton says, dragging me through the front door.

"What model is that?" I ask, pointing to a shiny, dark blue motorcycle.

"A Big Boy. Don't worry, it's safe," he tells me.

"Mm..." I mumble, grabbing a helmet and syuffing my head inside. Glad I chose to wear long jeans.

Ashton helped me climb on first, then hopped on himself, all merrily now. Boys.

I wrap my arms around his middle as he starts the death trap. He was merciless at the corners. I was never afraid of motorcycles, but driving them like Ashton does... that was nothing short of tempting fate.

"When we go to Initiation, I'd rather drive," I tell him as I shakily remove arms from his body. He laughs as he easily lifts me off the bike. I love him smiling. It made my chest feel light. No butterflies yet, but more than nothing.

"I told you, I want to survive this night! Now you wait right here, yeah?" Ashton laughs and positions me against his bike. I smile.

When Ashton returned I was in a panic, having realised we had about twenty minutes left.

Rushing down an Oreo McFlurry was like giving a unicorn a single glance before leaving it. It was not right.

"C'mon," I shiver as we dismounted. Alpha would not tolerate tardiness.

"Here," Ashton swings his jacket over my shoulders mid-run.

"Thanks," was all I said before breaking away at the edge of the Center. I didn't get to enter with him. I ran past Tatiana and Rosie, taking my post, undressing in a bush. The food provided great cover, of course. I Morphed and took my place at the edge. Ashton was still where I left him. Alpha stepped into the Center, away from his hammock.

Ashton, be prepared. Your Initiation is here.