Four Paws

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty One 

We stay at the pack house all afternoon and into the beginning of the night. When the sun set, Embry, Quil and Paul set out to do their night patrol which Jared was incredibly pleased about, saying he now planned to stay at home with Kim. We don't usually have more than two doing patrol, but since Embry had his shift last night, he's doing it again tonight so he has all of tomorrow and Monday off.

Bargaining for no patrol days is one of his favourite things to do.

"Having dinner out two nights in a row huh?" Emily teases, leaning against the kitchen bench. She and Sam invited everyone over for dinner but only Seth and I decided to stay. Jake has gone off to scout around Bella's, something he does everynight, and seeing as Jared went straight to Kim's, it's just us four. Seth and Sam sit on the couch, playing this first person shooter on the television

"Thanks for having us, it's very kind of you." I say gratefully.

"Awh it's alright, you're family."

I smile brightly at her, glad to have her think of me like that. "A family of wolves." I quip.

She chuckles and her black hair falls into curtains around her face. "I suppose we are. Oh! What time is it?" She looks around the kitchen for the clock.

"Ten past seven." Sam calls from the couch over the sound of the loud rapid gunfire emitting from their game.

"Shoot, I better get started on dinner." She smiles apologetically at me as she ties her hair back into a ponytail.

"Need any help?" I volunteer, despite having no skill in the culinary field. Maybe I can wash the dishes or something? Or butter the bread? They both seem quite safe.

"I'm all good but thanks anyway. Go and join in with the boys." She says, already rushing over to the sink to wash her hands. I hop down from my stool and walk over to the couch. The game they're both playing is quite intense from the looks of it as the two boys have their eyes trained on the screen. I take a seat beside Seth who is furiously smashing buttons and moving the joysticks with his thumbs. He risks a glance and smiles at me, pressing pause.

"Want to have a go?" He offers, holding the remote out.

"Yeah, why not?" I grin.

He explains the controls to me and the basic idea of the game. "So you need to wipe out as many of Sam's guys as you can and at the same time, you have to try to find his banner."

"So it's like capture the flag, but with guns?"

"Exactly."

"You ready?" Sam asks.

"Yep." As soon as he un-pauses the game, hell breaks loose, and within a matter of seconds I find myself blown up by a grenade. "I hate this." I chuckle, falling back onto the couch.

"Have another go." Seth grins. And so I do.

*

"Dinner's ready!" Emily calls from the kitchen. We have only been playing it for around an hour, well when I mean we, I mean them. After my third attempt I gave up on the game and decided my time was better spent doing literally anything else. That's how I ended up reading a book with my legs draped over Seth's lap, listening to the roar of gunshots and explosions.

I swing around onto my feet and follow Sam to the table, Seth at my heels. We take a seat opposite Sam and Emily, and dig into our food. Emily has made a roast dinner, consisting of beef, vegetables and gravy. I pour Seth and I a glass of grape juice from the jug that sits centre table, whilst he pours gravy onto both of our plates. The house seems strangely empty and silent with just the four of us.