Light the Fire (Jackson's Hollow #1)

Chapter 60

Was everyone at the party a werewolf? She should've checked with Ryker. Jo stood beside Aaliyah, watching Lexi as she made her rounds and talked with everyone, very much the life of the party whether she wanted to be or not. While she had protested against the big party, she seemed to be handling it well.

"That's a lot of presents," Jo said,glazing over at the overflowing pile. There were tiny boxes, huge bags, dozens of cards, and a poorly wrapped dirt bike that Jo assumed was a gift from Malcolm because who else would dare to get that for her? Lexi didn't seem like a daredevil to Jo, but maybe dirt bikes were her thing? There was still a lot she needed to learn about Lexi, Brett, Aaliyah and everyone.

"It's pretty normal for a werewolf's eighteenth birthday," Aaliyah said. She was handing Talon little goldfish crackers one at a time, and he was sticking them into his pockets. "People tend to go overboard for it."

"Why do you think it's only after eighteen that werewolves recognize their mates?" Jo asked. The question had been nagging at her on and off. "It's sort of an arbitrary number, right? Why that exact age?"

Aaliyah shrugged. "Must have something to do with whatever controls werewolf biology." She and Brett were both more likely to blame it on science than magic.

"I guess," she said, "But I can't help being curious. Does it ever happen earlier or later for someone?"

"It's hard to tell if it's happened later, since everyone meets their mates at different times," Aaliyah said, "But no one's ever had it happen before eighteen, or at least I've never heard of it."

Jo nodded, momentarily satisfied even though she still had questions. So many why's and what's and how's. But she supposed getting all of that answered at a birthday party wasn't a good plan, especially when said party might be crashed by grumpy antisocial werewolves from a misbehaving pack, to put it mildly.

She met Ryker's eyes across the backyard and offered him an encouraging smile. He was stuck with a group of older men and women, all of them looking rather serious. Most likely they were the higher-ups from the Monroe and Callahan packs, especially since Malcolm, Marcus, and Brett were over there too. While she wanted to go over there to him, she didn't think intruding on werewolf business was a good idea, at least not until she was officially part of the pack. Which, speaking of, was something else she needed to talk to Ryker about. How was she supposed to be a member of a werewolf pack when she wasn't a werewolf? No one else seemed terribly bothered by it, but then again, not everyone in the pack knew yet...

Lexi moved away from the group she'd been talking to and stopped in front of Aaliyah and Jo, cheeks flushed with excitement–as much as she hadn't wanted a big party, Jo could tell Lexi was enjoying seeing all her friends here. Even if it meant having to suffer through the occasional exchange of pleasantries with the older adults. Jo felt oddly adrift in that sense, knowing one day these people would be her family, but not yet...

"Having fun?" Aaliyah asked as Talon reached for his aunt. Lexi hoisted him into her arms, pressing a kiss on the top of his head.

"I guess," she said, then she smiled. "But it looks like I'm safely mateless."

"Is that what you were worried about?" Jo asked, bemused. Was that the whole reason for not wanting a big party? That she didn't want to meet her mate for some reason?"

Lexi shrugged. "I mean, maybe part of it. I'm just not ready to be tied down, you know?" Catching the look on Jo's face, she hurried to add. "Not that I think you and Ryker are tying each other down, nothing like that. Just...not everyone is like you guys."

Jo understood–after all, she definitely hadn't planned on finding her soulmate her first year of college. Honestly, she hadn't ever planned on finding one, not after discovering her powers. She thought spinsterhood as the crazy old hermit lady in the mountains would suit her just fine.