"Ouch!"
I slap at another mosquito flying around my head and end up whacking myself in the neck.
There are like, a million of the little bloodsuckers out in the woods.
I've only been walking for ten minutes and I'm already dotted with bites.
The woods themselves are lush and green. The ceiling-like tree canopy provides a shady, damp environment for moss and fungi to thrive. Big, gnarly roots rise from the soil, curling back around on themselves like giant snakes. The trees are as tall as skyscrapers, with vines draped around them like lights on a Christmas tree. The landscape is peppered with boulders more and more as I head toward the base of the mountains.
I have a bit of time before I'm supposed to meet Katie, and I'd much rather spend it out here drawing than back in my cabin with my wrestling roommates.
I spot a boulder up ahead that looks tall enough and dry enough to sit on. I have to scramble a little to reach the top, but once I'm there I try to get comfy. With my trusty pencil in hand, I start to sketch the landscape.
A breeze drifts through the forest, rustling the leaves and mixing with the buzz of insects and the chirping of birds. I let myself get lost in my drawing. And then…
SNAP!
A loud crack, like a branch being stepped on, startles me. I spin to see where the sound came from but turn too quickly and lose my balance. Before I know it I'm falling backward.
With a strange panicked noise, I squelch-land in a puddle of mud. I lie there and wish the earth would swallow me whole.
Then I hear laughter.
"So graceful, bonehead," a voice says––a voice that sends shivers of anger rippling through my veins.
I look up and find his stupid face staring down at me. The jerk from the city. Is he here for the festival?
So he's a wolf after all! I knew it! That's why he sent my senses tingling.
I stand and do my best to wipe some of the mud off my chin.
"You don't have to be a jerk, you know," I say. "You could have helped me up instead of laughing."
The jerk stops chuckling. "Watching you struggle is much more enjoyable."
What an asshole!
"You know I only fell because you surprised me. What are you doing sneaking about out here anyway? Shouldn't you be mingling with all the other braindead campers?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"I needed some air," I say, wiping more of the mud off my face. "And privacy. What's your excuse? Are you some kind of asshole stalker?"
The jerk raises an eyebrow.
"I was just minding my own business, when you started flailing about like a ridiculous chicken."
Again, he snickers and my face starts to burn. "Stop laughing!"
"I'm sorry," he says, about as genuinely as a gas station greeting card. "It's just...you looked really funny and…," he sniffs the air and scrunches up his face, "...you totally stink."
"What?! I…" I sniff at my clothes and realize he's right. The mud pit I fell into was more than rank. And I'm coated in the sludge.
"This is your fault!" I shout.
"You'll never find a mate smelling like that," he says. "There are showers back by the cabins. You should probably think about taking one."
"You're such an asshole!"
"Whatever," he says, shrugging. "See you around, bonehead."
Without another thought he saunters away, leaving me dripping mud onto my trainers.
"You still owe me a phone!" I shout.
"May the Moon Gods light the path between souls," he calls out sarcastically, without turning back.
Man, that guy is such an asshole! There is nothing else for me to do except grab my sketchbook––which has suffered only a couple drops of mud splashed on the cover––and trudge back to the cabin.
The march from my cabin to the shower block feels like an eternal trek. I'm greeted with more than a few strange looks. What a great first impression!
At least the jerk made one good point. No wolf in their right mind would want to be my mate. At least that's one consolation.
I'm running late to meet Katie by the time I've managed to wash the mud out of every nook and crevice on my body and cleaned up my clothes the best I can.
With my unruly hair refusing to settle in any style I ask of it, I hurry to meet her.
Katie's alone outside the main cabin when I get there, bathed in twilight, looking delicate and radiant in a lilac dress. It's the prettiest she's ever looked. There's even a matching flower in her hair. Next to Katie I look like a toddler who's been allowed to dress themself for the first time.
"Sorry, I'm late," I say, breathlessly. "You...look amazing." "Thanks," she says, blushing and biting her bottom lip.
"I bet you could find your mate tonight looking like that!"
"Don't be a moron," she says, giving my shoulder a playful shove. "You ready to go in?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
She links her arm through mine and we make our way inside.
The Alpha's Hall is grander than I imagined it would be. As long and wide as an Olympic swimming pool, and lit by a massive chandelier, made from at least fifty sets of deer antlers. Wooden columns line the room, supporting a second-level balcony that runs around the perimeter. Paintings, at least twice my height, hang on every log-lined wall. And at the far end, two large staircases descend from the balcony.
To the right of the entrance, a string quartet is playing elegant welcoming music; wait staff in white shirts and waistcoats wander through the sea of wolves offering trays of canapes and glasses of champagne––or sparkling cider for those of us not old enough to drink.
The room is full of werewolves all dressed to impress. Girls in colorful cocktail dresses and guys in suit jackets and crisp white shirts.
I tug at my grey button-down, which I've paired with a pair of light blue skinny jeans and sneakers.
"See those lug-heads over there?" I point to Todd and Simon who I've spotted across the room.
"The ones seeing who can eat the most tiny sausages in one go?" Katie asks.
"Those are my roommates."
"Gee, I'm sorry," she says, laughing. "They're sort of cute though, don't you think?"
"Sure, if you're into the walking dead."
We wander further into the room and I grab us a couple of mini quiches from a passing server.
"Oh my Moon Gods! These are delicious!" I exclaim, spitting crumbs.
Every new tray of hor'dourves that passes, I grab as many tiny, delicious snacks as I can and shove them in my mouth.
"At least the food is great!" I try to say but Katie is unable to decipher my words through all the chewing.
I keep my eye out for the jerk in case I need to make a swift left turn but he's nowhere to be seen. Maybe he's not much of a joiner. That would explain the solitary walk in the woods.
"Hi, guys! Enjoying the meet and greet?" Katie and I are suddenly confronted by a peppy Eleanor, looking very formal in a black dress with a white Wednesday Addams style collar.
"Yes, thank you, Eleanor," Katie says, ever the diplomat.
"I heard the alpha's son is supposed to turn up at any moment now," she says, looking like she's about to burst from excitement.
"Really?" Katie says with the highest eyebrows I've ever seen. "That's great."
"My father works for his father," Eleanor continues, beginning to ramble. "Well, actually it's more like they work together, my father's kind of important."
"Oh, is he Beta Castillo?" Katie asks. "I'm sorry I can't remember your last name."
"Oh, haha no!"
"Is he a gamma wolf then? On the security council?" I ask, swallowing a mouthful of devil's egg.
"No, he doesn't have a rank. But he's one of the alpha's closest advisors, actually, they're more like friends. Best friends. They go way back."
"That's great," Katie says, clearly running out of things to say to this manic, cheerleader.
"Anyway, have a good night!" Eleanor says, beaming. "You too," Katie says.
Eleanor spins around and heads off to harangue some other unsuspecting partygoers.
"She's a lot," I say.
"She's probably just nervous," Katie says.
I'm always in awe of how understanding my best friend can be. I'm more likely to judge a book by its overly peppy cover.
"Oh hey, I forgot to say you'll never guess who I ran into earlier…"
I'm about to tell Katie about my recent run-in with the jerk from the city when the music stops. The room falls quiet and the doors on the second floor open.
Three people step out onto the balcony but it's hard to see their faces from where we're standing.
"That's Jasper Apollo!" I hear Eleanor whispering excitedly to a boy
nearby.
All eyes are on the heir as he and his accompanying guests make
their way to the top of the staircase.
They stand at the top of the stairs and take in the crowd beneath
them.
My eyes go wide. My mouth falls open and my stomach drops out
from under me.
I can't believe what I'm seeing. It can't be true, it just can't...
Standing above me, in a sleek black suit, is Jasper Apollo, only that's not how I know him…
To me, he's the jerk from the city. The guy who broke my phone, laughed at me when I fell in the mud and won't stop calling me bonehead.
Thejerkwho'sbeentormentingmeisJasper Apollo...
...the alpha's son!