My father told Robb about the past two months, producing two pictures. Pausing, Charlie glanced at me before putting them on the table, explaining the deaths of Bill and Michael. I couldn't look at the photographs. The day they arrived, I'm sure I stared at the photos for over an hour. Bill and Michael, eyes glazed over, each with a bullet hole in their throats. The destruction on their chests was viewable too. The photographs were gruesome. I'm sure it was worse in real life.
Silently, Robb examined the pictures, and listened to my father. He looked around the room, reading the emotions of everyone in the room. Our eyes met and he eyes twitched around my face. I wasn't letting anything seep through.
Robb cleared his throat, "I'm sorry you lost two Pack brothers. The violence doesn't make sense to me."
The door to the apartment opened and the overwhelming smell of pizza came into the apartment.
"Food's here!" Brandon called. He tossed the pizza boxes onto the counter, already opening the boxes.
"We should pack these up and take them in the cars. It's starting to get late, and I'd like to introduce Robb to the others before they dispersed for the evening," Dad said, "Robb, you can ride with me."
Robb's jaw moved an inch, and I knew he was nervous to get into a car with him.
"I can take Robb, actually," I said, "Scott and James are less intimidating than you and Aaron, dad."
In the kitchen, some of the men began chuckling.
Charlie sighed, "Fine. Scott is driving though."
I nodded, a submissive smile on my face. Scott grabbed two boxes of pizza and called for us to leave. I flipped Drew off as we walked out the front door.
Entering the parking garage, Scott held his hand out for the keys. Rolling my eyes, I tossed them to him. I think they forgot it was my car sometimes.
"If anyone gets pizza sauce on my seat, I'll kick your butt. I'm talking to you Scott," I warned, accepting a slice from James.
"Good to know you have faith in me."
The apartment was not too far from the highway 401 on-ramp, and we were on the highway quickly. Putting my sunglasses on, I leaned forward between the seats and turned the radio up. The train ride may take forever. On the other hand, the car ride was soothing. My head dropped back against the seat and I let my eyes shut.
"Is it true the winter sun can get so bright, that you have to wear sunglasses?" Robb asked.
I held in my snort of laughter. It was an adorable question.
James chuckle, "yeah. Sunglasses are a year-round thing here."
The tone in James' voice didn't encourage conversation. Scott was going to have to work to not bore Robb.
"What's the Abilities community like here?"
I opened my eyes enough to look at Robb beside me. I was almost surprised he hadn't asked this question sooner. Since my brothers and I had begun showing off our independence and modernizing the Pack, it was what the whispers around the world were based on. The werewolves around the world found it surprising, some were even disgusted.
I met Scott's gaze in the rear-view mirror. His eyes said that he was expecting the question too. However, I shut my eyes and let my head lean back again. Scott cleared his throat, understanding I was passing off the answer to him.
"With Charlie being a lawyer, we interact with the others often. It's all peaceful. No one fears werewolves in Canada anymore. Ashlyn and her brothers have done a good job at weaving us into their world."
I glanced at Robb as I felt his eyes on me. He gave me a tight smile, but I could see the examination in his eyes.
The houses had completely disappeared as Scott turned onto the road we lived off. As the trees got thicker, I wasn't feeling tired anymore. I hadn't been to Talia Grove in two months and excitement rose inside me.
Talia Grove was an old mansion on a property that could take over two hours to run the perimeter as a human. Within the past few years, a cottage had been added to the property too. Tyler, Aaron, and some of the others lived there. The house may be three stories tall, but there weren't enough bedrooms for all of us. We didn't have a neighbour for miles. The Pack owned the property for over a hundred years. The Alpha family always lived there. Other members lived wherever they wanted but could stay at Talia Grove whenever they needed.
The car came to a stop behind my father's and Tyler's at the front gates. On the top of the brick wall, a young girl sat. I rolled my eyes, seeing she wasn't wearing any shoes as she gracefully leapt off the twenty-foot wall and pushed the gates open. We rolled forward a few feet and waited as she shut the gates. A thump sounded through the car as the child leapt on the trunk to catch a ride back to the house. Glancing at Robb, he seemed curious but didn't ask.
On bad days, I would walk the length of the driveway to clear my head. The environment was like a Brontë novel. A child's mind to go wild out here. Appearing through the trees, was the Victorian house. Scott stopped the car at the base of the porch, while the others put their cars into the barn-covered garage. From the trunk of the car, I leaned in to grab my bags. James smacked my hands away, but I smacked back. He chuckled quietly as I stuck my tongue out at him. I didn't need a Prince Charming all the time.
Charlie walked over, putting his hand on Robb's shoulder.
"Robb, this young girl is Sarah. She's the youngest Pack member. Still human but getting close," Charlie introduced.
I put my arm around Sarah's shoulders, "budding early, just like me."
Sarah grinned up at me then stuck her hand out to Robb, "I'm guessing you're the British dude."
Robb chuckled, "feel free to call me that."
Sarah let out a little giggle and I knew she was already smitten with him. I nudged Sarah for her to follow me up to my room.
Making our way up the staircase, Sarah told me all about her life in the fifth grade, and how she could write in pen continuously. It was an exciting achievement. I listened to her every word, adoring her simple challenges. Sometimes my heart hurt for Sarah and how her life has gone so far. Her father died of cancer, a common disease for werewolves, when she was three. That left Sarah with her human mother. Charlie kept in close contact with them, knowing one day her mother would need us. When Sarah turned eight, puberty hit, and her temper got worse. After Sarah broken her bedroom door and bedframe during a tantrum, her mother called Charlie, insisting he come deal with her. Bringing me along, we met with Sarah, and it didn't take much to confirm she had the werewolf gene. Feeling like it was too much and that she could not raise a werewolf daughter alone, her mother begged us to take Sarah. Her mother hadn't been around much since that day.
My bedroom was in the converted attic, overlooking the backyard. Drew's bedroom was on the other side of the floor, but since he was away, it had converted to a spare room. Standing in my doorway, I sighed. It was a simple space. I hated clutter. Bed, desk, bookshelf, two different chairs, chest of drawers. The small walk-in closet was next to my ensuite. I dropped my bags on the hardwood floors. It looked the same as when I left it two months ago.