Chapter 2
Pecan's pov
It was 9:00 pm and the party had fully kicked off, much to my terror and shock. And to worsen it, Noah had somehow succeeded in inviting almost the entire pack. The whole house and yard were packed full of people!
I wasn't surprised that this party was a car cry from the small get-together that he had talked about. Halfway into the party, I was already exhausted because I had to keep greeting pack members, and indulging every single person in one conversation or the other.
I headed towards the punch table to refill my cup with drinks. There was a lot of pandemonium in the house so I decided to head outside to the backyard. I looked around in search of Noah because he had ditched me earlier to hang with Stella and her friends.
I would have tagged along but I didn't think Stella would have appreciated my company much.
Soon, I spotted them by the pool table. Stella was sprawled next to him on the pool chair, grasping onto him like he was going to die any minute from now.
I walked towards them, already anticipating Stella's insecure reaction to me. Honestly, the she-wolf was a real piece of work. It was people like her that gave female best friends a bad name.
"Hey dude! Glad of you to finally join us." Noah said as I approached their group. He got up to clear a pool chair for me. Stella narrowed her eyes as she watched him do this for me.
"So much for hosting a surprise party first and then promising to invite just a few people. It feels like the whole town is here." I told him.
"Come on Pea. What's the harm in having a bit of a crowd?" He raised his brows at me, seeking validation. I rolled my eyes. I looked at Stella and she was staring at me. She had this accusatory look in her eyes. I had no idea what was going on in her mind, but if what Noah had said about her earlier was true, I was just about to find out.
"So Stella, how have you been? It seems you had a glow-up. You look amazing." I told her, trying my best to sound as casual as possible.
She seemed caught off guard by the comment. I guess she wasn't expecting the compliment. I wasn't trying to be sarcastic or anything like that. She looked good. She had on a hot pink bikini piece over white flops. Her skin was tanned and it glowed.
Stella had always had an aura around her. She was so confident and beautiful, the kind of girl that guys fought over. She was your typical high school queen who was rich, popular, bitchy, and felt like the world revolved around her. But then, I could see what Noah saw in her that had him so hooked.
She lived every girl's dream life every day, which was why I couldn't quite understand why she always felt threatened by my very existence.
"And you look like you've spent quite a lot of time out in the sun, with how dark your skin looks." She replied, giving me a once-over.
Of course, she was still a bitch.
"It's called a tan sweetheart," I said, shooting her a sugary smile.
"I know what a tan is."
"Do you?"
"Yo Pea! What's Popping? It's good to see you again." We were interrupted by Olie and Nick who just got out of the pool. Stella was now whispering with Noah and giggling at something he had said.
Olie attempted to hug me with his wet body. I stopped him with my hands pressed against his chest.
"Dude you're wet!" I pushed him off and some water from his hair splashed all over my face. I could barely contain my next action which was a glare and a deadly one at that.
"Sorry, my bad." He grinned. He took a towel and began to dry his hair.
"So how was Europe?" Nick asked as he took a seat next to me.
"Europe was amazing. Great people, good food, lots of places to visit." I said.
He nodded attentively, "What about their chicks?"
"Really? What about them?" I asked dryly. Guys could be so dumb sometimes.
"I heard they're feisty and good in bed." He raised his brows at me and gave me a leering smile.
"How would I know?"
Like how?
Olie came back to join us and they both debated on which country bad the best ladies. I subtly eased out of the conversation, definitely not in the mood to talk about boobs and ass with a bunch of airheads.
Noah was so fixated on something Stella was saying. I knew she was purposely trying to keep him occupied so all his attention would be on her. I ignored them and reached inside the cooler, I was suddenly craving a cold beer but when I peered inside the cooler, there was no ice in the cooler, just beer.
I turned towards Noah. "Noah, there's no ice in this cooler."
He turned his attention towards me. "Shit. I forgot to put ice in that one. Just give me a minute, I'll go get some ice."
"That's fine. Just tell me where it is and I'll go get it by myself." I covered the cooler and got up.
"Okay. It's in the freezer down in the basement. You still remember the way to the basement right?"
"Yup. I'll be right back."
As I walked by, I took a glance at Stella who was glaring at me.
"Could you get me a lemonade while you're at it?" She asked with a forced smile on her face. She didn't wait for my reply and resumed her conversation with Noah.
I rolled my eyes at her and walked past them towards the house. I pushed through the crowd of bodies littered everywhere as I made my way towards the basement.
I had forgotten how many doors this house had. I tried navigating my way through the hall, trying to remember the route that led to the basement. There was a door just by my left. It looked so familiar to me. I walked towards it and opened it. I walked in and searched the wall for the switch. I turned on the light and marveled at the sight of racks lined up with vintage wine. There were several rows of them.
The room was dusty and filled with cobwebs, almost like it had not been opened in years. I heard a creek and I instantly turned around and came face to face with Paul Regan. I was startled by his sudden appearance in the cellar.
He was looking straight at me and we locked eyes. My first instinct was to look away and give some sort of excuse. But I discovered that I couldn't. It felt like I was transfixed. Almost as if I was drowning and his eyes were the anchor to hold me above water.
My wolf rose to the sight of him, clawing at the walls of my chest, desperate to mate with the man who was standing right in front of me.
The thought sent a shockwave through me, Mate? No…it couldn't be! And where the hell did that come from? Wait, was this the reason why I felt so uncomfortable around him earlier?
Oh, goddess.