The Black Sheep

Chapter 12

Riley

"Let's go eat somewhere else"

I rolled my eyes, still standing beside the driver's side door. Yoseph knew the woman inside was his mate; and he had spent the past five minutes trying to convince me to drive elsewhere. "Get out the freaking car, Yoseph!" I groaned. He shook his head and childishly locked his door. "Fine. Stay in the car then." I closed the door and marched into the pizza parlor.

I scanned the restaurant until my eyes landed on the blonde woman. She kept her eyes on me with a blank expression on her face. I couldn't sense if she was part of a pack or a rogue; but the two men sitting with her made it clear that she was a wolf. The three were all fit; but the men of course had a bigger build than just an ordinary human. They had broad shoulders and muscles that bulged under their sleeves without even flexing.

The group was all tense while I walked up to the table. The blonde woman was still watching me with no emotions showing. I stood next to the table and smiled at the three of them. "Hello. My name is Riley." I said, holding my hand out to the lady for a handshake.

She glanced at my hand for a few moments. Don't crush my hand. Don't crush my hand. Please, don't crush my hand. I chanted in my head. She slid her hand into mine then slowly and gently shook it. "Clarissa. This is Collin and Andre." Each man nodded their head at me when his name was said.

I gave them a smile before turning back to Clarissa. "So, my friend in there is going to hate me for this..." I started, nodding towards the car. Clarissa's attention turned to Yoseph and she got fixated on her mate. "But here's my keys. Please don't steal my car." I put the key on the table in front of her.

Her eyebrows furrowed, but she muttered a 'thank you' and took the keys. As she walked away from the table, Andre spoke up. "You're a witch. How'd you know?" He questioned. I shrugged. I only lived with them for over half of my life. "What's with your friend?" Andre asked, motioning to the seat that Clarissa was sitting in. I looked out the window, seeing her and Yoseph talking outside of the car. From this far, I couldn't tell if it was a good conversation and I couldn't guess how long this conversation would take.

I slowly sunk into the seat and pushed my hair back. "He's just very pessimistic." I said, choosing my words carefully. "Are you guys in a pack?" I asked, attempting to draw their attention away from the pair outside. They looked hesitant to answer me; but Andre nodded his head.

"Alright!" A cheery voice broke the silence at our table. A huge half pepperoni half cheese pizza was placed in the center of the table. "Here's some plates for y'all. Can I get you folks anything else?" the waitress asked.

Both men looked to me expectantly. "Can I just get a glass of water please?" I requested softly. She nodded and skipped off towards the kitchen.

I awkwardly fidgeted with my hands in my lap while the two men began to devour the pizza. Collin swallowed a mouthful before speaking up for the first time. "Might as well eat. Don't know how long they'll be out there" he suggested. Pushing the tray of pizza towards me. Andre nodded in agreement and I hesitantly slid a piece onto my plate. "So what's a witch doing with a wolf? Who kidnapped who?" Collin wondered, grabbing his second slice.

Of course one of us had to be kidnapped or held against our will. God forbid we just be friends. I finished chewing my food, like a polite being. "He just follows me around like a lost puppy" I answered with a shrug.

Collin choked on his pizza and Andre rolled his eyes. "You know we're not just dogs" Andre shot back with a slightly upset tone. "We're bigger and stronger and faster and-"

"And more annoying" I finished with a smile on my face. Andre glared at me, and I decided it might be smart to stop messing with him. Come to think of it, maybe it wasn't smart at all to joke like that with someone I don't know. "I was joking. Yoseph is an acquaintance. He's helping me get to the Shadowed Warriors Pack." I admitted.