Her Nature

|Chapter 25|

"C-u-n-t," the young boy's tongue wiggled free of his mouth as he sloppily placed the wooden squares on the board.

"Good word man, six points for us." Jake was high-fiving the boy in praise as I stared at the word in horror. The male smiled and nodded his head along with Jake, seemingly proud that he was able to impress him.

The girls I met earlier did not approve and I could tell by the heated glares they aimed at Jake. His congratulatory session was cut short, very short, by Luciano's heavy hand. It thunked the back of Jake's head with purpose, "What are you teaching my pups?" He glared with fire in his irises.

"Nothing, I swear!" Honesty bled from his pupils, but anyone with functioning eyes could spot the shame that crawled up his neck in a blush cloud. "I think they just overheard him talking, Alpha, he's quite the sailor," Hunter eased in a reasonable excuse for his friend. Ha! Like I believe that.

"Hm, I see. Do not let it happen again. And do not use that word, any of you." Luciano let it slide.

That's how the night started. The males and females were split like the Red Sea, a small 'scrabble' board nestled between our opposing sides. Every mattress in the pack house that belonged to the juveniles was packed into the two living spaces like tetris pieces.

The archway adjoining the rooms held an invisible line that separated us. Frilly periwinkle and blush comforters blanketed the floor of mattresses with matching pillows scattered across the giant makeshift cloud.

Dark, steely greys and burnt oranges in the other room were a distinct indicator the males occupied that side. Their cloud, not nearly as heavenly, was patchy with randomly bare mattresses. I never understood how they could sleep without a bed sheet.

On that invisible line, Luciano's mattress, dressed appealingly in its black duvet, cradled the small square board. He sat so close to me I easily breathed in his honey greedily like Pooh bear. The females huddled around me similar to how the males crowded around Luciano, the two of us stuck in the middle of our armies as boarder control.

"Sierra, it's your turn." I nudged her from her conversation. Building from the 'c', Sierra filled in the word 'cozy'.

Jayniana pounced instantly, "Eighteen points, how about them apples!" She pointed mockingly at Jake who rolled his eyes.

"Not fair, you're all girls." His little lip pouted from his mouth as if he was a pup all over again.

Jayniana barked out another laugh and Emma took the opening to join the battle. "Don't be sexist, you're just incompetent." An unapologetic tilt of her head.

"Not at all. It's just too late to be playing brain games, who even does that anymore." He huffed.

"He's got a point. Girls like brain stuff, us men bring on the physicality." Hunter grinned, looking to the rest of the males who nodded in agreement. He is failing these impressionable pups so badly right now.

The snort that forced its way from my nose didn't go unnoticed. Luciano raised one challenging brow. "What is so funny?" The Alpha quipped, the side of his lip twitched ever so slowly into a smirk.

"You all have yet to reach manhood," the girls giggled like my own entourage.

"Is that so?" His voice dropping to a husky timbre fueling my playful attitude. "Yup," I popped the 'p' for emphasis while leaning across the board and into his space dramatically, all my teeth exposed in a grin.

Adrenaline buzzed through my veins like untamed waves on at the beach. They raised with each heartbeat and crashed against the shore with each exhale. This is what it's like to be alive and in the moment.