Transparent by Soccerluv4 (: (100 books to read in a lifetime .txt) 📖

mouthing “sorry” to me.

Reece followed their eyes over to me, curious as to what they were looking at.

My breath caught in my throat when my eyes connected with his. He was looking at me with a smoldering gaze, his eyes dropping from my face to survey the rest of my body. Apparently, what I was wearing was enough to drive him into a lust filled craze, because next thing I knew, he was standing before me, covering me with his body.

“What the hell are you wearing?” He bit out, his eyes switching back and forth from black to liquid gold. He was clearly fighting with his wolf between anger and lust.

I was shocked, to say the least, but quickly recovered, tilting my chin up high.

“Clothes,” I stated, turning around to pick up my drink. I sipped it slowly, acting as if he wasn’t even there. My hands shook as I grasped my glass, still freaked out about seeing my brother’s old friends. Reece being here didn’t help ease my nerves either. And on top of it all, he was being a jerk about what I was wearing. I rolled my eyes in distaste and clutched my drink with white knuckles.

“Damn it Cassandra,” he swore, running a hand through his thick hair. I ignored the way my body shivered when he said my name, and continued to stare at my drink, poking it absentmindedly with my straw.

Glancing up, I noticed my best guy friends approach, looking between Reece and me with curious glances. I ignored it and tried my best to smile at them, though it looked more like a grimace than anything. Fighting my nerves off, I lifted myself off the barstool and gave them a hug.

I heard two growls simultaneously and stepped back in shock.

Keith and Zack both looked up, slightly perturbed as well.

Looking behind me, I saw Reece glaring at them, and just behind him, Ellie was doing the same.

“Uh, Ellie?” I questioned, looking at her confused. I followed her gaze and noticed that Keith stood rigid, looking at her with a look that I knew all too well.

I groaned, happy for them, but at the same time, sick of all the mate occurrences I’ve been dealing with.

“Go you dummy!” I urged Keith, pushing him towards Ellie. He walked over to her slowly, grabbing her waist and leaning down to her neck, inhaling her scent.

I looked away, glancing at my mate, who seemed to be watching them with an intense look.

I turned away from the whole scene in front of me to see Sage step down and loop her arm around Zack.

“How’ve you been Cassie?” Zack asked, wrapping his arm around Sage and kissing her on the cheek.

“I’m okay,” I answered.

“Where have you been all this time? Sage decides to hide my best friend from me just so she can have you all to herself,” I joked, crossing my arms and pouting at the couple. I was good friends with Zack since freshman year of high school. He was one of my brother’s good friends and we bonded instantly, despite him being two years older. He practically lived in our house, and that’s how he met Sage. The two were mates and have been together ever since.

“Oh please, you love me more than him anyway,” Sage countered back, rolling her eyes and letting go of Zack to hug me. I hugged her back, chuckling when I saw Zack pout at us.

“No way babe. She clearly loves me more,” he argued, hugging me as well.

“Okay shut up you two, I love you both equally alright?” I laughed, squeezing them.

Pulling apart, Zack nestled his arm around his mate once again, and began grilling me with questions.

“So Sage told me about your little, uh, situation,” he murmured, nodding to Reece behind us.

I’d almost forgotten he was there. He seemed to be talking to Keith and Ellie, sitting on the barstool that used to be mine.

“Yeah, that. You understand why I can’t, you know…” I mumbled, glancing at my brother’s friends on the other side of the bar. I was glad they hadn’t noticed me. They probably didn’t even know that I was back. At least I escaped them when I went to New York for school, but now, I wasn’t so sure I could run from that incident anymore.

“Um Sage? Can you come with me?” I gulped, a sudden wave of nausea hitting me. She excused herself from Zack and ushered us over to the bathroom. That was the best thing about Sage. She always knew exactly what was up before you even could.

We pushed past the horde of girls primping themselves in front of the mirror and down to the stalls. I slipped into the handicapped one, Sage following behind me and shutting the door.

I leaned against the stall wall and closed my eyes, willing myself to breathe calmly.

“We can leave if you want Cassie. You don’t have to be near those bastards anymore. They can’t hurt you okay?” Sage whispered soothingly.

I thought back to when they stepped inside the bar. The horrible feeling I had in my gut, seeing their smug faces. Albeit attractive, they were absolute monsters inside, and I wish they knew how messed up they made me all these years.

“No, it’s okay. I need to, uh, calm down a bit,” I whispered back, bending slightly and resting my hands on my knees.

Sage rubbed my back, calming me slightly, until I straightened up again and nodded at her.

We walked out of the bathroom and rejoined with the group. My brother had found his way over to the bar and was chatting with Reece.

When I walked up to them, Reece noticed me first, hardening his previously happy face and getting off the barstool. I ignored the stab of pain I felt and took his seat.

“Hey Alex,” I greeted, watching my brother toss back a drink in one gulp.

“You okay?” I questioned, placing a hand on his back.

He just looked straight ahead, ignoring my question.

“Alex?”

“Just leave me alone Cassie. I’m not in the mood,” he finally answered, gulping another drink quickly. He swiveled in his seat to face the middle of the room, where Ellie and Keith were dancing. He had his arms around her waist and she had hers around his neck. They leaned in and started making out, pressing themselves impossibly closer to each other.

Coincidentally, both Alex and I looked away. Putting two and two together, I decided to broach on the subject further.

“Alex, did you like Ellie?”

He just huffed in response, turning completely away from the dance floor and back to the bar. He gestured at the bartender, who quickly began fixing him another drink.

“Damn it, Alex, that’s enough,” I scolded, taking the drink away from him.

“Now can you please tell me why you’re letting this annoy you so much? You knew you both weren’t mates, and you knew one day she was going to find hers. Why are you acting like this?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” he answered, staring down.

“Believe me, I have an idea,” I muttered, glancing at Reece, who was busy talking to Sage and Zack.

“I know that you really liked her Alex. I mean, it was obvious. Even in high school, I saw the way you looked at her whenever she came over. You really wanted her to be your mate, I know that. But please Alex, don’t be upset. You’ll find your mate one day and she’ll make you forget any other girl you’ve ever liked.”

“When?!” He shouted, glaring at me, “Damn it Cassie, I’m tired of waiting. I’m almost 24. I’m expected to take over the pack soon, but I don’t even have a Luna to do that!”

He ran a hand through his hair, and closed his eyes.

I leaned over and gave him a big hug, hoping it would make him feel slightly better. I really felt for him. He was in the same position as I was, except that he didn’t even know his mate or met her yet, but both of us were just stuck.

“Hey, I haven’t found my mate yet either,” I said, feeling a pang in my chest, stupid wolf, “but we will find them sooner or later. We just have to keep hope.”

He sighed, and pulled me into a hug.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I just – I just got all emotional seeing her with him. It just solidified the whole mate thing, and I guess I kinda freaked out,” he laughed dejectedly.

I patted him on the back and hugged him again; it was all I could do to. I knew what it felt like not being able to be with the one you want, except it was my fault.

“So, when are classes starting for you?” I asked, eager to change the subject. He needed to get his mind off of Ellie and Keith.

“Next week. You’re coming too right? All that post-grad stuff?” He nodded at me.

“Yep. Can’t wait! I haven’t seen the school, but I’ve heard it’s great. Not sure about my professors though. One of my classes has no listed professor so I don’t even know what to expect with the grading,” I shrugged, signaling the bartender to fix me another drink.

“What class?” Alex asked back.

“One of the ‘disguised special wolf training classes’ that we’re required to take because of mom and dad,” I shrugged, rolling my eyes and sipping my drink.

“Oh you mean ‘Anthropology of the Dark Ages’. Yeah, Alpha Parker’s teaching that class. Part of Mom’s rules. She wants you to learn from your trainer, so he’s going to be teaching that class in order to keep an eye on you and help you with understanding your training,” Alex chuckled, ruffling my head, “Sucks having a babysitter doesn’t it?”

I almost choked on my drink when I heard what he said. I swallowed painfully and composed myself as subtly as I could.

“Shut up,” I retorted, pushing his hand off of my perfectly done hair. I felt so stupid. How did I forget what Mom told me before? She was explaining all this in the car when I came back and I completely forgot.

I couldn’t have Reece teaching me in school. That would make things so much worse. I was already extremely unstable with my feelings around him, and now I had to see him at school too?

“Why does he have to teach? What does he even know about our werewolf heritage? I was expecting one of the elders to teach us,” I grumbled, stealing a glance at Reece, who was still with Sage and Zack and currently laughing at something Zack said to him.

“Um, because he’s an alpha?” Alex laughed, “Obviously he knows about our heritage. Plus, he’s training you anyway. This would be a good way to keep tabs on you.”

“I’m not 5,” I retorted, rolling my eyes.

“You sure about that?” He chuckled, getting off of the barstool.

“I’m gonna go catch up with some friends. Wanna come say hi?”

I tensed up immediately, until I looked in his direction and saw they were just some of Alex’s buddies from the football team. I really wasn’t up for social time, so I declined and watched him walk over to his friends before joining Sage and Zack.

I could see Reece’s back tense even before I got to them, and felt a pang of guilt.

“Hey guys,” I greeted them. Reece barely glanced at me before taking a sip of his beer and looking out towards the mass of drunk, dancing people.

“What happened over there? I saw Alex chugging drinks like no other,” Sage asked.

“He’s just upset. You know how it was obvious that Alex had a crush on Ellie? Well, he wasn’t handling her whole mate thing too well. I mean, I’m happy for Keith and Ellie, but poor Alex,” I shook my head, looking back at him with his friends.

“Don’t worry, he’ll recover soon enough when he finds his mate. Once he does, no girl in the world will matter but her,” Zack stated, nuzzling his head into Sage’s neck. She pushed him back playfully and blushed.