Chapter Two

Meeting with the Pack

The knock on the door woke me, though I could hardly say I'd been sleeping. After the talk with Jeremy Danvers and Elena Michaels last night, Elena had shown me to a room. It was obvious that a guy used to use the room, but I didn't mind. Jeremy had said I could redecorate any way I wanted. I didn't even want to bother with it. I didn't plan on getting attached.

"Tiffany, its time for breakfast." Elena called through the door.

I sighed, getting up and out of bed. I hadn't bothered getting unpacked last night. By the time the conversation between Elena, Jeremy and myself had finished, I had been exhausted and mentally numbed and just wanted to lay down. I had ended up dozing off, but now I wished I hadn't. My mind had been caught in that strange place between awake and asleep, where even the slightest creak seemed terrifying.

I went over to my suitcase, unzipping it slowly. I didn't want to get any of the clothes caught in the zipper, because some of my mom's clothes were in there. It was the last thing I had of her, besides a few pictures and a small urn with a handful of her ashes. I dressed in a pair of jeans and a black tee shirt before pulling on my high top converse. I pulled a brush through my brown hair, looking in the mirror.

I seemed to have aged ten years in the past week. I used to be a typical carefree seventeen year old, a smile always lighting up my eyes. But today I was pale, with dark circles under my eyes. I swore I was getting frown lines around the corners of the mouth, and my entire face had a sad cast to it. It surprised me how much my expression mirrored how I was feeling. I used to be so enthusiastic, yet now I couldn't even force a smile to my face.

Another knock on the door. "Tiffany? Are you alright?" Jeremy this time, from the sound of it.

I sighed, going over to the door and opening it. I didn't say anything, just stood there with the door open to show Jeremy I was fine. He smiled patiently down at me, standing only an inch or two taller than me. I didn't want to play this game; the one where he tries to cheer me up by making useless small talk. I just wanted to get breakfast done and over with, so I could then return to my room and hide from the world.

Jeremy didn't say anything else, just gestured with an arm sweeping gesture towards the stairs. I sighed in frustration, all but stomping down the stairs. I heard Jeremy chuckle behind me, which just made me more irritated. I had lost my mother, been torn from my siblings and the only family I had known, and practically thrown at Jeremy Danvers and a bunch of other people I didn't know. My entire world had been turned upside down, and Jeremy Danvers seemed to think it was funny.

However, I was surprised when I entered the kitchen. It was large but built in a way that gave it an otherworldy rustic feel. I didn't want to admit it, but with what little of it I had seen I adored the house. It was everything I had ever dreamed of. But the man at the stove gave me pause. He was large, taller than me and it seemed the tallest person in the house. He had shoulder length hair and some scruff of a beard on his face. His expression, though, like he was both tortured and angry. I wanted to turn tail and run the other direction.

Elena was sitting at the table, talking to another man. This one was taller than Elena, though his height was a mystery until I could see him standing. He was thin, almost wiry in comparison to the man cooking. But he seemed to exude confidence and sex. I made a mental note to avoid him at all costs. On the table there was quite the spread, from pancakes to sausage to bacon and toast and even bagels. My mouth watered just looking at it all.

"Take a seat, Tiffany. We will eat shortly." Jeremy said gently and quietly.

This got the attention of the others in the room. All three turned to look at me, their eyes telling me three different stories. Elena seemed glad to see me, but there was compassion and what could have been pity in her eyes. The man sitting next to Elena seemed curious, but happy to see me. The man cooking looked me up and down, as if sizing me up. I could imagine him wondering when or if he would end up killing me.

I must have whimpered, or someone had read my mind, because I watched Elena turn to the man cooking. She had a smile on her face, and she looked at him tenderly before she spoke. "Clay, dear, stop staring at her. She's frightened."

And just like that, I noticed a difference in his face. It relaxed, brightened, and he seemed to be a completely different person in that moment. I was surprised, shocked, mesmerized. I couldn't believe my own eyes. But there it was. The man, Clay, turned his attention to Elena and smiled slowly. It was obvious the two of them loved each other, in that special soul deep way.

I wanted that...

But reality was cruel, and I knew I would never have that. I didn't know anyone here, and even before things had been turned upside down guys just weren't interested. I was too plain, and I knew that. It had never felt important, though. So I don't know why the thought suddenly came to me that I wanted love and affection and romantic attention.

"Take a seat, Tiffany." Jeremy said, smiling. "This is Clay," Jeremy nodded towards the one that had been cooking, but was now just smiling down at Elena. "And this is Nick." He nodded now to the one that had been sitting next to Elena.

He was standing now, and I was surprised with his height. Jeremy was what appeared to be five ten, which would put Clay at six foot to six one. But Nick was taller, looking to be at least six three, if not six four. They made me look short in comparison, at a mere five five. Honestly, I felt like a midget in those few moments.

Nick got up, moving with more grace than I would have given him, and came around the table to pull my chair out. I blushed a little; no one had ever pulled a chair out for me. Nick had a charming smile on his face, but as I sat down Elena started laughing. I looked around, wondering if I had just walked into some sort of joke or prank. I found Elena was still laughing, and Jeremy and Clay were smiling with amusement at Nick.

So it wasn't me that had caused this, but instead it was Nick. I smiled nervously, not certain why they seemed so amused. Nick just smiled back at them, which further confused me. No one said anything, so I was left in the dark. Unless I wanted to bring it up, ask about it and possibly make myself look like a fool. I wasn't willing to do that.

It took Clay about two minutes to finish cooking and join the rest of us at the table. I was about to start eating, but I noticed everyone else was watching Jeremy. I looked at them with confusion. Did they say grace? My family had never practiced any set religion, mostly it was a combination of them all. But who was I to say that their beliefs were wrong or bad?

I set my silverware down and watched Jeremy as well. No one moved, or made a sound, they just watched Jeremy with an intensity I didn't understand. Jeremy took a bite of sausage, chewed it with a look of appreciation before nodding to the others. Only then did they all pick up silverware and dig into their food.

Now I was even more confused. I wanted to ask what that was all about, but I didn't dare. I didn't want to make a fool of myself, and I felt certain that I would if I asked the questions that were bouncing around in my mind. That was one problem with me. I'm a very proud teenager, sometimes people tell me I even have a superiority complex, but I hate to be made a fool of or to feel like a fool.

Clay seemed to notice that I seemed distant and confused, and spoke up. "Jeremy is the alpha. We don't eat as a pack unless he tells us we are allowed to." He explained.

That just made me even more confused. They acted like a wolf pack, but then that shouldn't have been too surprising to me. We were all werewolves. But was this really the way they worked? Every meal, waiting for one person to give them the okay to eat? I couldn't understand why it was like that, but again, I couldn't bring myself to ask why. Apparently that wasn't the only thing they had planned to teach me that day, either.

Jeremy spoke up after swallowing what was in his mouth. "After breakfast, we are going to help you blow off some steam. The whole pack is going for a run." He said, giving me that gentle smile that meant what he was suggesting was supposed to be a good idea.

To me it felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. I hoped, prayed, he meant running as humans. The last thing I wanted to do, yes, even less than making a fool of myself, was to transform into the wolf again. The very idea terrified me, though no one else seemed at all concerned about it. Which begged the question.

Where had I been sent to?