Chapter 4: Meeting My Cousins

I soaked in the tub until my water started to get cold and then hurriedly washed my hair and body.   I dried off with an oversized turquois towel, and quickly got dressed in a pair of black leggings and an oversized gray hoodie that said, “Not All Who Wander Are Lost.”   I loved clothes with inspirational quotes on them!  

Once I was dressed, I pulled my towel off and hung it up on a hook in the bathroom and quickly French braid to the side so it fell over my shoulder and let some of the shorter strands in the front fall loose.

Once my hair was decent, I found some cute gray flats in the walk-in closet and threw those on before heading out to the main part of the house.     

It was getting close to dinner time and the smell of roasted chicken cooking had my mouth watering.  I was just about to step off the last step to the first floor when I heard a group of teenagers coming through the front door.  

I froze.  I wasn’t expecting there to be kids my age in Grandpa’s house.  Oh, God.  I wasn’t ready for this.  Maybe I could just sneak back up the stairs and they wouldn’t know I was here.  

I slowly turned and started to creep back the way I came, but the stupid step creaked under my feet giving me away. 

The boisterous laughter stopped abruptly, and a light voice called out, “Is someone there?”  Damn it!  Stupid step!  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before slowly turning around and making my way back down the steps and walked out into the foyer.  I was greeted by 4 pairs of curious eyes.

I clasped my hands in front of me to keep from fidgeting and rocked up on my toes before settling back on my feet.  “Hi,” I said meekly and did a stupid little wave of my hand.  Seriously, what was wrong with me?!

I looked up and really looked at the 4 teenagers in front of me.  There was definitely something in the water.  I have never seen so many beautiful people in one place.  Gah, can I just crawl under a rock and never come out?  There were two boys and two girls standing in front of me.  One of the boys and girls looked like they could be siblings, twins maybe, and the other two Iooked like maybe they were their friends.

The light voice that spoke before reached my ears again as the brunette stepped forward with her hand out like she wanted to shake my hand.  “You must be Divina.  It’s so nice to finally meet you. Grandpa Adrian has told us a lot about you and Rima.”  

She smiled broadly and her cheeks were adorned with deep set dimples.  I can only imagine how much trouble she was able to get out of just by flashing those adorable dimples.  

I have always wanted them, but I got a splattering of light freckles across my nose and cheeks that were more prominent in the summer instead.  

“My name is Bren and this is my twin brother, Brandon.”  The much taller male version of Bren stepped forward and flashed me an equally adorable, dimple laced grin and shook my hand heartily.  

Bren continued, seemingly the spokesperson of their group, and introduced me to her friend, Gloria, who had auburn hair that was a mix of wild curls and waves and hazel eyes.  She also had a bit of freckles adorning her nose and cheeks, but they seemed to work for her, making her look like the girl next door type.

She was tiny and dressed in bright colors that were just as wild as her hair.  I reached my hand out to shake her hand, but she shocked me when she leaped forward and threw her arms around me in a huge hug.

Wow, for such a tiny thing she sure could give a bear hug!  She stepped back just as quickly and started talking a mile a minute.

“Oh, my gosh, I am so sorry!  I didn’t mean to invade your bubble!  I am just so excited to meet you!  I mean, it’s not every day that we get to meet the long-lost niece of our Alpha!”  Gloria rushed all this out without taking a breath. 

Wait, what?  Niece?  Does mom have a brother and what did she mean by Alph…?

“Hey, I'm Greg.  It’s nice to meet you.”

Ice blue eyes stare back at me as he shook my hand.  Greg was taller than Brandon and built a bit leaner.  Both boys were well over 6’ tall and even with my 5’ 8” height, I had to look up.  His hair was longer than Brandon’s, falling around his shoulders, but just as dark.  His blue eyes were a stark contrast to his dark hair and his skin was lighter than twins.  

“It’s nice to meet you all.  I wasn’t expecting there to be other kids here at Grandpa’s house.” 

They all stared back at me like I had two heads.  Gloria broke the awkwardness with a giggle and said, “Oh, this isn’t Grandpa Adrian’s house, this is Alpha Zane’s house. He is your Uncle.”  

“Gloria!” Bren glared at her and raised her chin with her lips set in a thin line.  Her eyes were telling her to shut up, but Gloria seemed to not notice.  

She grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the kitchen talking my ear off the whole way.  I looked back at Bren and she, Greg, and Brandon were all exchanging uneasy looks.