Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen
Now that I’ve made my mark into womanhood, allow me to introduce myself.
My name’s Natalie Danielle Hale. Known at my pack as the girl that murdered her own mother. I was born in the early hours in winter. I hear it was a difficult delivery. My mother had a choice to save herself or let me die. She chose me. I can never understand her sacrifice. She had Scott too, didn’t she think about him? And what the hell was so special about a kid she’d never met anyway. My mother, they say, was the packs herbalist. A staunch Christian. And also a no-nonsense kind of woman.
My brother and I took mostly after our father, Charles, was not a man of many words. A womanizer. He’d sleep with multiple women on the heat. He has a track record, broke most girls virginties than any other male on the pack. A complete opposite to his mate, the last time dad went to church was for his wedding day, a decade before I was born. My parents broke up at least twice a year, thanks in part to my father’s sequel innuendos.
I have a twin brother that looks exactly like me but is nothing like me, he is my best friend.
My brother inherited the family business. We aren’t exactly poor but we make a comfortable living. I have enough stashed away that if I wanted I'd run away to live on my own.
I can be pretty when I want to be but I’m insecure and tend to walk on egg shells with everything I do. Which brings us to why I only started dating when I was old enough to mate already and gave my time to a guy I saw about five times a year. Yes there were a lots of guys that wanted me, some I knew were serious and genuine but urgh, I’ve always feared being in a position where I’d have to let a stranger into my life with no reservations.
I don’t keep friends, don’t want them. Friendships are messy in the wolf society. I can’t be friends with someone who can turn around tomorrow, be in heat, then fuck my mate. Nah. Thanks. I’ll pass.
I’ve only been working six years and I love my job, demanding as it is, it’s what I’ve always wanted to do.
In the years I’ve tried to go look for my father at least once every three months. He lives in the wild and so can never track him to one place at a time. He may be an animal but he’s still human. He knows people could find him by his scent and so he makes it a point to cover as much ground in the woods as possible. His scent is all over.
When I wake young my father worked himself crazy with thoughts of my mother. But I know why he did it, he wanted to turn rogue so that he wouldn’t be forced to look at the person responsible for his wives death.
I’ve smelled him around the restaurant more times than I’d like to admit. He always goes there when I’m not at work. Seems pretty convenient.
He probably only wants to see Scott.
Which reminds me, I have to fill him in on the past two days.
I call him two times before he answers.
“Need I remind you that we promised to answer each other’s call within the first ring?” I ask, chuckling. No greeting, it’s rubbing off. “Gosh I miss you.”
“Someone broke in and stole all our vampire blood and human meet,” he says. I know he’s not joking. “If you have any savings, now would be a great time to help a brother in need.”
“Of course,” I say. “Anything for you.”
“For us,” he says, and laughs a bit. “It’s our responsibility. Not mine, you lazy fart.”
I expected that but I know he’s not saying it in a bad way, just in his crazy way.
I decide not to tell him about my graduation from being the girlfriend of a waitress to that of a dragon owner in two months. This we will have to do over vampire blood.
Carl is out at the Royal palace, he said he had to go see one of his brothers before coming back. It’s still early in the day and I’m tidying up the house which turned into a mess because we spent pretty much all of yesterday in bed, cuddling and talking and eating and sexing.
I’d really love to go back to my house this afternoon though. I have work tomorrow and it’s the last day of the month, after that I’m on night shift for the whole of next month. I’ll miss him and this house.
I ’ve been here for only three days but already it has a homely feel, and groceries and a microwave and a bed that doubles as a witches layer. I shudder.
I ’ll cook him a fine meal before I leave.
He arrives just as I start peeling and chopping.
He smiles. “I’m only hungry for my kind of food”.
He says this as he runs his hand under my skirt, up my thigh and presses me on the cupboard.
Seriously, I’ve had enough sex in the past 24 hours, anything more his sperms will shoot straight to my womb.
I manage to distract him with something and he ends up leaning on the cupboard watching me do all the labour.
“How’s the brother?” I ask.
“He’s good, he just can’t handle his women and now we all have to suffer,” he says, grimacing.
“Women?” I ask.
“Yes, his girlfriends were fighting at his place and one of them broke his windows. And tried to torture the dragon”. He is shaking his head as he says this. “Of course the beast retaliated and torched everything in its wake.”
I’m looking at him, frowning but I find this all funny I must say.
“Which brother?” I ask.
He stops scrolling his phone, looks up at me and stares for a second.
“Jackson, I don’t know where he finds these women,” he says and goes back to whatever he is doing on his phone.
“Well, I ’ll try to torture your beast too when you start being naughty,” I say
He smiles and walks over to me, grabs me from behind and peeps at what I’m stirring in the pot.
“I can’t even imagine my dick fucking anybody else but you,” he says in the most ridiculous tone. “I only ever had sex with you. Not about to start whoring now. I waited too long for you.”
“But I found dirty underwear in your closet.”
He chuckles. “And you thought I slept with Alice? She left it here when we broke up. She thinks I’m gay as I refused to go past making out.”
I’d think he was gay too.
“Anyway, what time are you going to be able to take me home today?”
He frowns. “Take you home? Why?”
“Because I have to go to work tomorrow. And I need to do some things because I’m starting night shift on Tuesday.”
“Night shift? What are you? A security guard?” he says.
I guess they behave like this after they get what they want don’t they? They get comfortable and start thinking they're funny.