Make A Wish (Dandelion #1) (13 page)

“So… When do I meet the fam?”

And so it begins.

BEAU

“Hey Griff. I need you to prepare Room Two. Gather the top eight and have them ready and waiting. We have a new assignment and it needs to be top priority. Send Eve to my house; she’ll be needed.”

“Yes, Alpha. As you say, so shall it be.”

I smiled at the formality of my pack members words and then hung up. It took no time at all before Saylor began firing questions at me.

“What’s the top eight? Where’s Room Two? Who’s Eve and why is she needed?”

“Calm yourself. Has anyone ever told you that you ask way too many questions?” I sighed. Saylor sure knew how to test my patience, though I knew she meant well.

“Well? I’m waiting.”

“The top eight are among the strongest and most intelligent of my family.” I continued on before she had a chance to interupt again. “Eve is one of the friendliest and most audacious girls I know, and I figured you two might hit it off since you’ll be hanging with my family a lot. It won’t hurt to have a friend.”

“What is this? Like a friend version of a blind date? Seriously?” Her eyebrows rose in question, but her voice gave away her usual playfulness. She continued to twirl her light brown hair around her pointer finger while leaning her head against the window, watching the hustle and bustle of the city begin to fade into a rural land of nothingness.               I continued driving with the occasional glance in her direction, wondering what exactly my pack would think of her, or worse, what Saylor would think of them. It was more difficult than I would’ve thought to explain them to her and I knew I didn’t do the smoothest job of it.

My pack was much more than just my
family
but in the moment, that had seemed like the best description I could muster up on a whim. I couldn’t very well tell her that we’re all shape-shifting werewolves that walked the earth protecting humans from themselves.

Yeah, that would have gone over well.

I sighed to myself, once again thinking that I hadn’t truly understood what being an Alpha meant until I was one. Sometimes I felt like I was in over my head and other times, it was like a cake walk. It was hard enough trying to calm the battle that raged within me, but it was my job to sort through the wreckage of all the battles that my pack members carried as well. Everything ranging from territories, training and boundaries, to matings and infertility. The job of an Alpha was never done.

Sometimes I thought of what my life would be like if I’d never agreed to become the head honcho and then I’d be overcome immediately with guilt. While yes, my job was trying, it was also rewarding. Others looked up to me and aspired to be like me. It was an honor even though a lot of times it brought more pain than anything, a fact I absolutely hated.

SAYLOR

“Gahhhh… Are we there yet?” I whined, sounding more like a petulant child who was used to getting their way than an adult.

“That we are,” Beau replied without elaborating as we finally managed to turn onto a dirt road surrounded with trees.

I took in the scenery, shifting in my seat to get a better look out the open window, eyes wide with anticipation and excitement. The reservation looked every bit as Juliette had described, almost exact as to what we’d dreamed up as kids. It took my breath away and for a rare moment in my life, I was actually speechless.

“So yeah, this is home.” Beau motioned to the houses and buildings up ahead.

“And every house is occupied by your family?” Not only were my eyes wide, but my voice even shook as I spoke. Never in a million years could I imagine having a family so large that they needed their own little community.

“Well, like I mentioned, we aren’t all blood related, but yeah, they’re all family to me.” Beau shrugged as if it was the most normal thing in the world. He pulled into the driveway of a large castle, or at least that’s what I classified it as.

Beau climbed out of the car and went around to the passenger side, opening the door for me to climb out. My eyes scanned every inch of the scenery in front of me and I barely managed to take a step before almost stumbling, the shock taking even longer than anticipated to wear off. Before I realized it, my legs were leading me past a path of stepping stones and climbing the few stairs to the front door.

The moment Beau unlocked the door with his key chain stocked full of keys, a tall, petite girl bounced up to us, her straight cherry red hair shining under the light of the sun.

And just when I thought I couldn’t be more surprised, I was wrong.
The girl was literally one of the most stunning people I’d ever laid eyes on, which was saying a lot. She had the look of a pixie, with layered red hair that reached past her shoulders. Eyes were a soothing white-ish grey that nearly blended in with the whites of her sclera, with eyelashes like long feathers. When she smiled, it accented two very small dimples in her cheeks, which caused an even more prominent twinkle in her eyes.

I envied her alternative, rocker-chic style and already found myself ogling the girl’s clothes. White ripped shorts hung low on her hips, a red and black plaid flannel tied firmly around her waist
—
just past her bum
—
along with a white cami and a tight black leather jacket. Topping off the ensemble was a gray slouchy beanie and knee high laced up leather boots.

“Saylor, Eve. Eve, Saylor,” Beau spoke, motioning between me and her. “I have to go help Griff set up Room Two for our meeting. Eve, can you bring Saylor there in about twenty minutes?”

“Sure thing, Boss.” Eve winked as she ushered Beau off. “So have you known Beau long?” she asked, once he was completely out of earshot.

“Not really. He has a thing for my best friend.”

“NO WAY!” She gasped so loud, it caused me to jump. “Beau? You’re talking about the guy that just walked off, that Beau? He has a thing for someone. Really? He never likes anyone. He’s usually all work and no play.” Eve began tugging me in the direction of a small playground that was a few houses away. “You
must
tell me everything.”

We sat on the playground swings and chatted as if we were the closest of friends. I felt at peace finally getting to relax and hang out with someone other than Jack and Beau. Though they were great guys, with Juliette gone, I really really missed some girl time. Eve was sweet and had a fiery spirit. She reminded me an awful lot of Juliette. I knew that once Jules met her, she’d like her too.              

With the world that we’d grown up in, experiencing so much heartache and suffering, friendships were rare. I would take it where I could get it, and at that moment, I needed it more than I’d realized.

BEAU

I decided to prep the pack beforehand about the fact that Saylor was human and had no prior knowledge of our existence. I forbade anyone from phasing or performing at full wolf capabilities, so as to not attract questions that we couldn’t answer.

This was the first time that I’d ever brought a human into one of our investigations. We were treading in uncharted waters, so to speak. We all had to watch ourselves, thinking of the move we intended to take before we took it.

My pack was advised that Saylor would get the simple and easy tasks
—
so as to ensure she felt like she was helping. They, on the other hand, would get the ones that involved more dangerous situations and scenarios. It was my job to protect her as a human guest in my territory, so I would. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

SAYLOR

Eve and I walked in ten minutes late and paid no attention to the frustrated vibes radiating from the men scattered around the meeting table.

With one look at the group, I suddenly felt lightheaded. Never once had I been in a room with so many gorgeous males. It was one of my deepest fantasies but I never thought it’d actually come to pass. I had to hold onto the table to brace myself from losing my usually stable balance.

“Guys, this is Saylor. Saylor meet the rest of the team.”

They went around the room, as each man stood and announced his name.

“I’m Griffin,” the guy closest to Beau said. He had straight black hair that was slicked up into a faux-hawk, small stubble peaking up from the base of his jaw line. Even with wearing all black, his muscles stood out against his tall, wide frame. He wasn’t as tall as Beau, but he was close, standing at his eye height. His eyes stood out the most against his tan sun-kissed skin, two piercing cerulean blue orbs stared back at me, as if he was looking into my very soul.

I shivered.

The rest of the introductions went in a blur, Shane, Jaxon, Alec, Joffrey, Vincent, Leo, and Nick. Each guy as handsome as the one before him, yet so very different from each other.

It seemed that I’d barely spoken a word since arriving at the reservation. Well, not as much as I usually did. Suprised silence had become a real thing, no longer just an expression. I finally understood it’s meaning.

They all finally took their place in their seats and got comfortable, after piling plates full of the multitude of snacks that were placed in the middle of the conference table.

I giggled to myself as I watched each man take three or four plates, every single one of them overflowing like those volcano models that children make out of paper mache.

To my utter surprise, I was placed in between Eve and Griffin.
Just. My. Luck.
I’d hoped that I would be able to focus on the words that were now spilling from Beau’s mouth, instead of the guy sitting beside me. But it just wasn’t gonna happen.