The Young Luna

Chapter 24

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People were dancing around me but I wasn't in the mood to join in. I sat on the couch and sipped a

very strong alcoholic punch. The end of school party was being held at Rich Yarkel house – Rich Yarkel

was a guy at my school who I didn't know, or maybe I did I just didn't realise. But it didn't matter who he

was, because I was popular now so I got invited to end of school parties.

But, no matter how much Shawna had tried to cheer me up, I wasn't having a good time. After my fight

with Seth, he'd stormed out and stayed at Josh's house for the evening. The Beta had phoned me to

ask if I was alright, since Seth wasn't talking to him, and I had broken down in sobs of tears. Within ten

minutes of the phone call both Shawna and Dean were at my house, looking after me.

I didn't tell them what the fight was about, because I was too embarrassed. I was a bad mate. Seth

knew everything about me because he'd been paying attention to me, even when I didn't realise it, but I

hadn't been paying enough attention to him. I could defend myself that it was because I was young, in

a new pack and slightly overwhelmed. But that was all bullshit. I hadn't paid attention because I hadn't

cared enough to.

Not that I didn't care about Seth, because I did, but it was more the fact that I was happy with how our

life was going so I hadn't tried to push on. But when I realised that I did want more – it was already too

late.

So I didn't mention anything to Shawna or Dean, just went to bed and felt sorry for myself. And at

school, all the next day, I was quiet and kept to myself. And even when I'd let Shawna dress me in a

flowy black dress and pumps, and pull me to the party, I was still no happier.

I'd convinced Shawna I was fine and she should go and have fun. She'd stayed with me a while,

drinking the punch, before she was asked to dance. She was slightly drunk so stumbled onto the

makeshift dance floor with the guy. I kept an eye on her but I knew she was sensible enough to look

after herself, even with the alcohol pumping through her bloodstream.

"You look like you could use a drink" a voice said to me. I turned to see a human boy, who I didn't

know, sit on the couch next to me. I raised my red solo cup slightly.

"Got one" I mumbled, taking a quick sip. The guy chuckled – he was average looking, ashy blonde hair

with bright green eyes.

"I can see that. It was actually just a conversation starter" he laughed. I gave him a hard look but didn't

say anything. "Ah, so not much of a conversation starter".

"What do you want?" I asked. I knew he was flirting with me, he may have not been the best looking

boy at the party but he was still way out of my league.

"See, my buddies and I were having a little debate" he began, and I noted the devilish glint in his eyes

and I got a bad feeling. He nodded to a group of boys in the far corner – I noticed some of them from

the Football team but I didn't know their names. They smirked, laughed softly, before the guy next to

me carried on talking.

"See you seem to have half the school running after you, despite the fact you've been at school for a

few weeks. So we were trying to work out why that is".

I snorted unattractively, "yeah and what is the theory?"

"Sex" he blurted out and I almost choked on my own spit.

"Excuse me?" I hissed, offended and confused all in one go.

"You see, you're not exactly pretty and you're not exactly clever or over confident. Sure you got the

coach getting a hard on over you because you can shoot a bow, but really there is no reason that you

should be so popular".

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I was speechless as he tried not to laugh, his eyes full of mocking. He was insulting me right to my face

and he thought it was hilarious. It hurt but I was more angry than anything – he could say what he

wanted but I knew that, despite our arguments, I still had Seth and he wanted me regardless.

"So I realised that you must be popular because you're good in bed. If you fuck really well then all the

boys will be around you, which they always are, and the girls will want to befriend you because all the

boys are around you" the boy laughed.

I gave him a hard look, "you're a fucking tool. What is the point of this bullshit conversation?"

He smirked, although his eyes held slight shock at my words. "Well my friends and I realised that you

can't be completely popular unless you're in with the Football team. So we were thinking that maybe

you, me and the guys all go upstairs and find a--"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Cormack" a voice growled from my left. I turned to see Javier next

to the sofa, beer in hand, eyes narrowing at the boy next to me. I gulped with the dark look he was

giving Cormack and he looked worried himself.

"Come on, Estervers, I was just having a laugh with the girl" Cormack laughed, waving his hand at us.

"Yeah, well it's not funny" Javier growled – I'd not seen him so angry before. "No one disrespects May

like that and gets away with it. No one ". His lips peeled back as his teeth bared in almost an

animalistic challenge.

"Oh yeah and you're going to do something about it are you, Estervers?" Cormack shouted, jumping to

his feet.

"Yeah I just might" Javier replied, stepping up to Cormack and getting into his face. Within seconds the

party quietened to see the two boys face to face. Cormack's friends rushed over as did many Pack

members. I gulped, realising there was going to be a fight unless someone did something.

"Yo, Estervers, let it go man" one of Cormack's friends said. Javier was on the Football team as well, so

I assumed that Cormack's friends were also some of his friends.

"He needs to learn to watch his mouth" Javier growled. I stood up, planning to get involved and defuse

the situation, but an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back. I crashed into a large chest

and turned to see Rafa smirking at me – watching his cousin and Cormack face off.

"I didn't say shit" Cormack snorted, "all I said was that the new girl was probably only popular because

she was dynamite in the sack. Not my fault she got upset when I offered for the boys and I to fuck her.

It was obviously a joke...we'd never fuck a girl like her".

A girl like her . I visually flinched and I saw Rafa watch my reaction in shock. His words were like a

knife to any confidence I had. All he said was; a girl like her . But what I heard was; boring, plain, ugly,

the only non-curvy Latina in the world. A girl like her .

"You piece of shit, you fucking take that back" another voice growled. The voice belonged to Myles,

another Pack member, as he got into Cormack's face.

"I ain't taking shit back" Cormack snorted, "she's--". Cormack never got to say another insult towards

me, because Myles slammed a right hook into his face. Cormack went flying, smashing into a coffee

table on the edge of the room. There was a moment of shock before Cormack's friends dived on Myles

and Javier. Seconds passed as other Pack members dived passed me to help Myles and Javier. Soon

everyone was chanting 'fight, fight, fight'.

I looked around for Shawna, not seeing her anywhere, before Rafa grabbed me and pulled me out of

the room and out to the back garden. "I need to find Shawna" I told him, as the cold night air pushed

against me.

"She's a Werewolf, she can take care of herself. It's you we need to get out of here". He pulled me

through the back of the house and around back to the front – I could still hear the fight loudly inside. I

was worried for my Pack members, but I knew they wouldn't even get bruises when fighting humans.

But, still, they were my members and they were defending my honour.

Rafa led me through the cul-de-sac where the party was before we walked our way back towards the

pack. "It's a long walk home" I commented.

"I know a short cut". He led me through a small back alley before we reached the edge of a forest. Rafa

was quiet, as I was, as we walked through the forest. I scuffed my feet on the dirt track. The forest was

dark and felt too quiet.

"Are you sure this is the way back?" I asked, after a few minutes of walking. Rafa was silent as we

walked a little more. "Rafa? Rafa, are we lost?"

"No" he grumbled, but there was something in his voice. Almost nervousness and regret. My heart rate

sped up and my hair stood on end. I gulped deeply, stopping, wondering what Rafa was up to.

"Rafa? What are you doing?" I could hear my heart beat in my ear, my hands shaking. I didn't know

that anything was wrong, but it felt wrong. The forest we were in – it wasn't part of the Equinox territory

and something told me it wasn't a short cut home.

"Why are you freaking out?" Rafa asked, turning back to me.

"You haven't called me duendecita" I realised, "something is different with you. What is it? Rafa what is

going on?" The trees rustled to my left and I spun, heart pounding in fear. Rafa stayed slightly away

from me as I backed up a few steps. "Rafa, please, tell me what is going on?"

"He just wants to talk to you, May. Just don't freak him out or get him angry" Rafa replied.

"Who wants to speak to me? Don't freak who out?" I asked, voice as panicked and scared as I felt. The

trees rustled again and I saw a large sandy colour Wolf making his way through the vegetation to me. I

didn't know the Wolf and I instantly knew he wasn't of our Pack. "You traitor" I hissed at Rafa.

Iwas in serious trouble.