Caught in the Middle (Alpha vs Beta)

Surprise!

Chapter 6

Surprise! (X3)

Elle and Cassie arrived at the house pretty early. We got dressed and as usual, Cassie and Elle were fighting over who'd fix my hair and make-up. We finally came to the conclusion that Cassie would fix my hair and the make-up would be Elle's job. Sometimes I seriously felt like I was babysitting those two.

"What time does the party start again?" Elle asked, while she straightened her dark red hair.

"The guests should start coming at around eight and Sam is coming at about nine," I replied, arranging my dress.

"What did you tell Sam? You know, so he comes over to your house for his birthday," Cassie asked.

"I told him he could come over for a pizza, just the two of us so we could catch up. He said he didn't have any plans for his birthday anyway,"

"That's kinda sad," Cassie replied.

"Yeah, it surprised me that Sam out of all people didn't have a crazy idea for his coming-of-age party. I guess the fact that his parent aren't here hurt him more than he lets on," The whole werewolf concept was kind of strange. Werewolves would be able to shift at 16 but be able to find their mates when they turn 18.

"Everyone has a back story, Ash. Everyone deals with something and everyone holds back, even from people they love the most. Sam doesn't like it when people feel sorry for him. I guess it makes him feel weak," Cassie said. She must know a lot more about Sam than I did. Especially since they were both werewolves from the same pack and could read eachother's minds.

"Yeah, of course but come on! If a person is really your best friend and he or she means a lot to you, you don't hold back secrets from them, especially if they can help," Elle replied, putting on layers upon layers of mascara. Cassie and I looked at eachother. Some secrets needed to be kept secret.

"Anyways, lets see how hot we look!" Elle yelled, grabbing my arm and Cassie's and dragged us to the mirror. "I love it!" 

A few minutes later the doorbell rang, signalling our first guests. Soon, the living room was bursting with people, all chatting and getting to know eachother. I thought that the music should be turned on  after Sam arrived, otherwise he's hear it and guess that there was a party going on inside. So, I took the opportunity to introduce myself to lots of his friends.

Cassie even introduced me to some of her pack members which I hoped would soon be mine too. I'd always wanted to be in a pack and have that feeling of unity and being so close with so many people, something I was definately deprived of before. Elle saw some car headlights shine through the curtains.

"HE'S HERE! HIDE!!" She yelled, running into the bathroom. I chuckled and turned off the lights in the living room, so Sam wouldn't be able to see anyone hiding there. I looked from the window and waved when he saw me, before I went to open the door for him.

"Hey," he said, coming in and closing the door, "It's so dark in here."

"Yeah, how are you Sam?" I asked.

"Fine, got some beer," He said, motioning to the six-pack in his left hand as he handed it to me.

"Thanks," I told him and smiled,"Let's head to the living room."

"Okay," He replied shrugging as he walked behind me. I put my hand on the switch and clicked it. Not two seconds later, everyone jumped up and yelled, "SURPRISE!!!" 

"Holy shit!" Sam screamed, as he stepped backwards and put his hand over his chest, attempting to calm himself down. Everyone laughed and some guys went up to him nudging him and telling him happy birthday. Sam's looking so happy already made all my effort worth while. As soon as some of his friends left him alone, I went to talk to him. He grinned when he saw me.

"Thanks for this, Ash. It really means a lot." He said as he drank some of the liquid in his glass.

"Anything for you Sam," I nudged him,"So, when do you actually come-of-age?"

"10 minutes to midnight," He smiled.

"You excited? There are so many girls here, you might actually find your mate today," I told him.

"Yeah, I guess I'm excited and I've thought about that,"

"And? How do you feel about it?"

"You know, I don't really feel ready to find my mate just yet. I'm still immature, which I'm sure you've realized," he said as we both laughed,"But most guys say that and once they see her, everything changes. So, I really don't know what to expect, Ash. What happens, happens." 

"Aw, my Sammy is growing up!" I said as I messed up his hair. He playfully shoved me and fixed his hair. "Anyways, just so you know three guys couldn't make it. Some guys named Mark, Dylan and Logan."

"They would've been the life of the party," he chuckled. "But yeah, figures 'cause Logan and the others are out of town on "Wolf business"," he said, doing hand gestures.

"You're the life of the party, Sam," smiled when I saw Sean talking to one of his friends by the window. "Enjoy the party!" I told him before he went to dance with some random girls.

"Hey Sean," he smiled when he saw him and nodded to his friend as he walked towards me.

"This is one hell of a party, Ash," he said.

"Thanks," I replied, smiling.

The party had been going on for about two hours and people were still eating, drinking and dancing like there was no tomorrow. I was dancing with Sean and felt his arms around my torso.  I bit my full bottom lip, grinning as my eyes fell on his. As my eyes landed on his lips; a smile appeared on them. He looked incredibly handsome. I still haven’t got used to kissing him and the mere thought of it made knees go weak. He put his hands on either side of my face and crushed his lips to mine. I gripped his t-shirt as he kept kissing me. A deep sigh escaped my throat making me part my lips. One of his hands moved at the back of my neck, locking me to my position, while his other hand moved to my lower back.

"Wooh! Hot, steamy make-out!" Some drunk guy yelled, pointing at us, making the group of guys around him laugh as he stumbled but both Sean and I ignored him.

I felt his hand brushing my naked skin underneath my top from the small of my back to my side. I knew he wanted to go further but something was holding him back. I pulled away taking him by surprise and he opened his mouth to protest.

"Let's go somewhere with less drunk people around," I said, grabbing his hand and taking him upstairs to my bedroom. He smirked as I pulled him closer again and pulled his t-shirt upwards. He pulled me into another kiss, never removing his lips from mine. I was right where I wanted to be. It’s been so long since I’ve felt this happy. He was everything I wanted. Everything. His lips moved to my jaw and neck; his hot breath hitting my skin making me ecstatic.

I tried to ignore my heart rate and walked towards the open window. I leaned against the frame and let the slightly cold wind hit my face. I felt his hands hugging me from behind, his lips kissing my bare shoulder. He grabbed my shoulder and pushed me up against the wall, kissing my neck again before looking up at me with such intensity. It looked like he was confused but a few seconds later, he began kissing my neck again and bit deeply into my skin and I'm not going to lie, it hurt like hell. I knew what he was doing because Cassie told me about it a few days back. He was marking me!

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The fact that I was being marked confused me and I was lost in my thoughts through most of it. So...was Sean my mate? I wasn't so sure but I knew that I loved him. Maybe people just exaggerated when they described imprinting and marking one another.

“Ashley?” he whispered huskily. It  felt slightly weird when I heard him call me in that tone of voice. “What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly. "Did I hurt you?" Butterflies attacked my stomach. I knew loved him so much but for some reason, I was confused. I forced a smile and pulled away to face him.   “Nothing and no, you didn't hurt me,” I said and kissed his lips. Our eyes locked and I knew he didn’t believe me but I was saved by Cassie screaming "OH MY GOD" at the top of her lungs. Sean and I ran downstairs to find that she was not screaming with fear but shock and irony. Sam had just imprinted on none other than Elle Jones.

Surprise!