She doesn't say anything. But then, you don't expect her to. You walk away to rejoin the rest of the party. When you glance back at her shadowy corner, it's empty. She's gone.
"Hey." It's the Alpha. He's got Sergi slung over his arm. "I'm heading out."
"Already?"
"The kids need to get to bed."
"And Sergi?"
"He needs to get to bed too."
"Hey," Sergi squints at the Alpha, a drunken frown dragging down his brows. "Unfair! I'm not drunk. Just tipsy. Buzzed. Lightly plastered."
The Alpha ignores him.
"Are you staying?" he asks.
"Of course," the Alpha grins. "There is room for one more in the van. Are you sure though? You're young. I'm sure there's plenty of trouble you can get up to here."
You lift an eyebrow. "And by 'trouble' you mean...?"
Sergi snorts. "You know exactly what he means."
"I mean," the Alpha says. "You're not old like us. You can stay and have more fun."
"You're not that old," you say.
His lips curl in a small, rueful smile. "I have two sons with a third on the way. Trust me, Gideon Mercer. I'm old."
"If you're old, what am I?" Sergi slurs.
"Drunk," the Alpha reminds him before turning back to you. "Are you sure you want to come with us?"
He nods. "Let's get out of here."
He hauls Sergi towards the stairs. Minjo follows, the kids trailing along behind her. JiAn and Nik look tired. Izzie, somehow, is still a ball of energy.
"I drank all the juice," she says as you join the back of the procession. "Did you drink the juice, Gideon Mercer? It was yummy."
You smile and follow her down the stairs.
Next