Chapter 4

GINGER

My twin sister Paige finished twisting the last bit of my hair around her curling wand and sprayed it down with hairspray. "I miss this." She let out a deep sigh, sitting back on her heels, her body collapsing a bit. We had gathered on the floor of her bedroom while getting ready for the evening—the bedroom that wouldn’t be hers much longer. She would be the last to flee the coop, leaving our parents to an empty nest—something our mother couldn’t stop being melodramatic about. Her wedding was in a matter of days, which was the reason I had flown back to Vermont with my mate Tyce.

"It's not that much different from when I was in school," I replied, my stomach squeezing a bit, but needing to put a positive spin on our situation.

"Yeah, but you were at least home for the entire summer then. Now I'll probably only see you a week a year or something like that."

Nonchalantly, I blurted, "Maybe the family can move to Alaska." At first, I meant it as an offhand remark that I knew wasn’t possible, but then, I thought, why not? I straightened up with the confidence of a great idea.

"Funny," Paige responded, her face the opposite of being humored.

"No, but seriously. Why not?" I said more enthusiastically. "I'm stuck in Alaska because Tyce is alpha of his pack. But what's really keeping all of you here?"

"Are you serious?" Paige squinted at me.

"Yeah, I’m serious. I hate not having you guys out there."

"They don't even allow female warriors in your new pack," Paige responded. "And Dad would probably have to start all over. You know how warriors are with newbs. Even if Tyce put him in as a senior warrior, you know they'd never really respect him coming in as an outsider. And what about Heidi? Are Hunter and Evan going to move to Alaska with Kelli?" Paige brought up the big, fat family secret. While Paige and I were both informed of the fact that our older sister Heidi and her best friend Kelli were mates, everyone else in the pack, including our parents, thought they were actually mated to their husbands, Hunter and Evan.

I blew out a breath and slumped my shoulders.

"Have things at least improved with the in-laws?" Paige asked.

"I don't know. Not really. They still think I'm a fat cow with a fucked-up wolf."

"Oh, Gigi." Paige threw her arms around me.

"Please don't," I shrugged her off. "I'm fine. Everything's fine. Things between Tyce and me have never been better and that’s what really matters." I forced a big smile on my face. "And tonight's going to be fucking awesome!"

"Yeah," Paige responded, biting her lip, clearly not as excited about the impending event as I was.

"What’s wrong?"

"Lucy caught wind of the bachelorette party and basically took over planning the entire thing. Jasmine said it was just easier that way, especially since she's been so busy with being luna and with her twins. She was really apologetic about it. And said if it sucks she'll take us out for dinner or something."

I burst into laughter. "Oh my goddess. I was there when Lucy found out too! That girl is nuts. But that just means tonight's gonna be better than I was expecting."

"What, you think Jasmine can't plan a fun party?" Paige defended her best friend, putting her hands on her hips and giving me a pointed look.

"Paige, I love Jasmine as much as you do. For a lot of things, she'd be perfect. Like tackling big bad wolves—perfect. Squat competition, also perfect. Help with calculus homework—there's no one I'd trust more. But bachelorette party? I think we need to acknowledge that is not one of her strengths."

"But Lucy is such a train wreck!"

"Yeah, she is. That's why tonight's going to be so great." I laughed, already imagining all her probable antics. Because I’d be getting married a few months after Paige, Jasmine took on the task of hosting a joint bachelorette party for us. Of course, I could understand why this may have been a hufe undertaking. Being the luna of her pack, the female leader married to the alpha, along with having a couple of babies that were only months old, would certainly be sucking up a fair amount of her time.

I pulled out a portable mirror to apply my tinted moisturizer and Paige took a seat in front of her full-length mirror, applying her own makeup.

After some time, I broke the silence. "So how's the marking situation going? Are you going to make it to your big day?"

Paige snorted. "Goddess, I hope so. The wedding is literally five days away. But now I totally get what Jasmine meant. I'm going to die if I don't mark him soon. What about you?"

"Tyce has been biting my ass sometimes. Honestly, it feels kind of good." I giggled. "I think it's the venom in his fangs. You should try it!"

"What is wrong with you two?" Paige pushed me on my shoulder. "And we don't have venom in our fangs. We're not weresnakes!

"Then why does it feel so good?"

"Probably his drool." Paige giggled.

"He does drool all over my ass."

"Okay, I think I've heard enough about your ass and Tyce for the night."

"I'm only getting started." I smiled slyly at Paige.

***

We met at the pack entrance gate as instructed by Lucy. Heidi was already waiting with her mate Kelli when Paige and I arrived, her belly straining against a coat that looked bulky everywhere else. I threw my arms around her, so happy to be reunited with my other sister. "Where'd you get the coat?" I asked.

"It's Dad's old coat. It's the only thing that fits anymore."

"I thought it looked familiar." I gave one of the sleeves a tug.

"Paige! Gigi! You're here!" Lucy popped out from, seemingly, nowhere, with Jasmine trailing behind her. "Don't worry, our ride's on the way. They just got a little lost. But I've got it handled." She pulled out her cell phone and walked away.

"Any idea what she has planned?" Paige asked Jasmine, who stayed behind with us.

"You think she told me?" Jasmine laughed. "Like I said, if things get too crazy, we can always leave early."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Paige bit her lip.

"Lucy's been better behaved lately. I will give her that."

"I don't need well-behaved!" I butted into the conversation. "I need the train-wreck crazy version of Lucy to host my bachelorette. I need a night that I'll remember and smile about when I'm kept up all night by Tyce's screaming little brats. I need male strippers, lines of coke, and so much penis paraphernalia that I become dicknotized!"

"Gigi!" Paige exclaimed. "Have you ever even done coke?"

"Well, no. But my bachelorette party is the perfect night to lose my c-card!"

"I'm not going to be your sober babysitter tonight," Heidi said. "I'm too far along for that. If you pass out in the bathroom while coked out of your mind, you're on your own."

"So much for having a sister's back!" I replied.

We all stood in a group laughing and catching up. Jasmine and Heidi pulled out matching veils and sashes for Paige and me. As we were in the middle of taking cute pictures, a bus with tinted windows pulled up to the pack gates. Lucy lugged a huge cooler and waved us onto the bus.

"Wow! This is nice!" I exclaimed as I entered, taking in the black and fluorescent lights and plush leather seats. I plopped down on one, bouncing a bit. "What's in the cooler?"

Lucy gave me a mischievous look and a wink. "Once everyone's seated and we're on our way, you'll find out."

"It's probably just her special punch," Paige loudly whispered to Jasmine.

"Okay, that is in there," Lucy admitted, rolling her eyes. "But that's not all."

"Does coke need refrigeration?" I snickered.

"No drugs," Jasmine chimed in. "It's part of the list of ground rules I gave to Lucy."

"Goddess, you're so boring!" Lucy whined. "But I followed them, okay?"

"What else was on the list?" Paige asked.

Lucy pulled a paper out of her small purse and cleared her throat. "No drugs, no strippers… Please, Jasmine, you think Blake cares?" She rolled her eyes again and continued. "Nothing illegal, no crossing international borders, no jello or mud pool fights, no white t-shirt contest, no topless mechanical bull riding, no nudity in general, no tattoos, no happy ending massages, no orgies, no driving any vehicles of any kind after drinking, no asking police officers if they'll use their handcuffs on you or going in the backseat of their cruiser, no asking firemen to use their poles or hoses, no pantsing, no mooning, no pornography."

"So sex clubs are okay?" I asked, giggling.

"Add that to the list of nos!" Jasmine exclaimed.

"Too late!" Lucy smirked. "I've already paid and it wasn't on the list."

Jasmine narrowed her eyes and appeared as if she could have been readying herself for a fight.

"I'm just kidding!" Lucy said. "Geeze, no reason to get your granny panties in a twist."

"Okay, so what can we do?" I asked.

"Well, I'm so glad you asked!" Lucy bounced up and gave her long blonde hair a shake. She flipped open the large cooler. “I think we can all agree that no good bachelorette party starts without some drinking!”

She fished out a large pitcher and began pulling glasses down from a cabinet in the bus.

“I guess we should help.” Kelli glanced at Jasmine. Jasmine nodded in return. The two of them stood up, clearly putting aside whatever disdain they held for Lucy.

“Hold the glasses while I pour. And, Jasmine, put these straws in them.” Lucy shook a bag in front of Jasmine’s face. Jasmine took the bag and opened it to peek inside, her face reddening in response to whatever she discovered.

“Not only did you have to get penis straws. But you had to get the biggest, veiniest one possible, huh?” Jasmine rolled her eyes, holding up a purple plastic phallic object that looked more dildo than straw.

“I figured we’d all want to succeed tonight. Suck. Seed. Get it?” Lucy burst into laughter. She then grabbed the straw from Jasmine and shoved it into the glass she’d just poured. “Here, you start, PJ. You and Blake don’t have any problems in that department, right? Why don’t you show us how it’s done?”

Part of me felt a little bad for wanting to laugh at Lucy’s quips considering Jasmine was my friend and Lucy most definitely wasn’t. But it was entertaining to watch the two of them bicker. They both clearly had some deep-seated resentment that had never gotten properly resolved.

Once all the drinks were passed around, we all settled into our seats, and Kelli hooked up her phone to play music.

“So, are you going to reveal where we’re going?” I asked.

“I figured we’d do something different and go into a human town. This one is super cute, very New England, and gets all decorated for Christmas. I found it online. And it’s not too far from us.” It was typical for werewolves not to venture outside their pack much. Most felt more comfortable among their own. I was the exception and had spent most of my teenage and adult years in boarding schools and away at college because I had lost my wolf when I was only twelve. I thought I was facing a future of being wolfless until my mate Tyce helped me get mine back over the summer.

I had grown up in Vermont but had moved to Alaska not long after I turned back into a werewolf since he was an alpha and had an obligation to lead his pack.

I sucked a big load of my drink into my mouth, wanting to savor the evening. I knew I likely wouldn’t have many more nights like this with my sisters in the future. It took almost an entire day to travel to Vermont from Alaska, so it wasn’t worth the trek except for special occasions. I glanced over at Heidi, who was rubbing her rotund belly while sipping on a mocktail. My stomach tightened with the realization that soon we’d likely all start having families, meaning we’d begin to be pulled further apart from each other.

“You’re going to suck that cock dry!” Lucy teased, waking me from my melancholy thoughts, and bringing my attention to the fact that I had already sucked almost my entire drink down. As usual, Lucy was quick to refill my cup. She was a good hostess like that. In reality, she probably just did it for the plot, but who could blame her?

I willingly put my cup out for more booze, taking full advantage of the fact that I was no longer a lightweight in comparison to my fellow werewolves. Paige and Jasmine, as expected, nursed their drinks. Heidi had, obviously, opted for a mocktail, and Kelli followed suit in solidarity. I was suddenly thankful I had Lucy here, even if she was an unwelcome guest, because at least she was reliable for a good time.

After my third drink, I was feeling it, my head a bit light and my vision beginning to become a bit unstable. Whatever this secret recipe Lucy had for her cocktail was no joke.

About a half hour or so after we left, we arrived in a cute little downtown area, that was all done up for Christmas, with the colonial-style houses, buildings, and trees decked out in evergreen garland, large red ribbons, and string lights. As if on cue, small snowflakes drifted down from the sky as we pulled into a parking space. While this town was super cute, it didn’t exactly scream bachelorette party, and now I was suddenly questioning what may have happened to Lucy between the time I left Vermont and came back. What happened to the crazy girl that had flashed an entire nightclub just months earlier?

“Okay, this was not what I was expecting,” Paige said to Jasmine. “Maybe you’re right. Lucy has calmed down.”

“This sucks,” I blurted out to the two of them.

“You do realize you’re about to become a luna,” Paige responded.

“So? My pack isn’t here. This is the perfect opportunity to act crazy for one night.”

We filed off the party bus onto the sidewalk, trying to avoid the particularly slushy parts so that we wouldn’t get our white sneakers wet.

“Please tell me we’re at least going to a bar!” I shouted. “Not just doing some Christmas touristy stuff.”

“Who do you think I am?” Lucy glanced back at me as she led the way down the festive street, bringing us past cozy-looking shops and restaurants, the lights of their interiors spilling out onto the wet sidewalk. Before long, we found ourselves in front of a towny-looking pub, the vast majority of the populace inside being middle-aged men downing tap beer.

I glanced over at Lucy.

“Okay, I really thought the people out tonight wouldn’t be so… old,” she said.