True Nature

6

"No, no, I can't go. I'm meant to be babysitting tonight." I told Tessa exasperated, as I stuffed my pyjamas into an overnight bag. One of my old high school teachers lived across the street from us and she always paid good money for me to babysit her kids during the evenings. Granted, I really didn't want to have to spend my Friday night looking after two of the most mischievous troublemakers known to man, but money was money and I needed it. 

Huffing under her breath, Tessa stood in the doorway her arms folded, looking at me in indignation. "Oh, come on Ivy! When was the last time you went out at night to have fun, huh?"

"Hmm, let me think... must have been around the time you dragged me to that totally legal forest party a couple of months ago. And look how that turned out." I stuck my tongue out at her. I really should have known by then that when Tessa says, 'It'll be fine' she actually means 'It'll be fine as long as we don't get caught'. I learnt my lesson that night running from police sirens. She stood scowling at me for a few more seconds before suddenly sending an evil smile my way and opening her mouth. "Annieee." 

"Oh no, don't." I groaned hearing the stairs creak as my aunt made her way upstairs.

"Yes dear?" Our Aunt hobbled into the bedroom with a laundry basket under one arm and a bottle of detergent in the other. Her wavy brown hair framing her cheerful, oval face was streaked with grey and her eyes were crinkled at the corners in her usual, lovable smile. I definitely got my optimistic outlook on life from my aunt's incessant positivity, I thought fondly.

"Josh and I invited Ivy for a night out with some friends, but she refuses to cooperate." I rolled my eyes at Tessa's whining. "I've been trying to convince her that she needs to spend some time socialising but she's not listening to me. You think she should go out too right?" I raised my eyebrows at her use of words. She made it sound as if they were inviting me out to an innocent friendly get-together instead of a nightclub.

"Ivy." Annie sighed, putting down the washing basket and giving me a reproachful look. "I am very proud of you for working so hard darling, but it's important to take breaks and have fun too when you can."

"I promised Carla I would look after the kids tonight." I muttered looking down at my half-full backpack, torn.

"Och, I'm sure she can find someone else to look after them for tonight." she said reassuringly. "I'll talk to her."

"Annie you are the best." Tessa gave her a warm hug. "Oh, and we'll probably stay over at Josh's tonight if that's ok."

"Don't go too crazy." She gave a little chuckle as if the idea of me going wild was absurd. Humming under her breath, she left, shutting the door behind her after laying down a pile of freshly folded, clean clothes on the dresser. I narrowed my eyes at Tessa's smug look before sighing resignedly and emptying my half empty backpack back onto my duvet.

__________________________________

The three of us arrived at 'The Circus' just before midnight. There wasn't a lot of evening entertainment for young people in town so the one nightclub we did have was almost always crowded on a Friday night. Luckily, Tessa had turned 18 in March which meant we wouldn't need to bluff our way inside like the last time. I fidgeted with my hair which was about an inch shorter than I was used to, courtesy of Tessa who had curled it into ringlets. I had let Tessa pick my clothes too, something I was now sorely regretting as the cold evening air hit my exposed arms and legs, poorly protected by a too short denim skirt and sleeveless halter top.

The distant echo of booming music got steadily louder as we made our way blindly through the darkness of the club and headed towards the flashing lights of the main hall. Bodies crushed up against one another as humans and werewolves mingled and danced, the scent of sweat and excitement in the air. We grabbed drinks at the bar first and then found a relatively clean looking table overlooking the dance floor to seat ourselves. Chatting made almost impossible with the noise, Tessa got up to dance almost immediately after a cute human boy worked up the courage to approach our table and ask her shyly, whilst I attempted conversation with Josh until an acquaintance of his, a pretty, dark haired, shifter I'd never seen before, came to sit at our table, stealing his attention. The two of them talked in hushed voices sending each other secret, surprisingly intimate, smiles. I tightened my hold on my glass, suddenly feeling engulfed in loneliness. 

Glancing over to the bar in need of a distraction, I jolted in my seat as my gaze latched on to a pair of familiar, vivid green eyes from across the room. In one of the last places I expected him to be, Tobias lounged casually against the bar, his expression unreadable as he watched me in his usual intense way. Despite wearing a black leather jacket and jeans, similar to what many of the other guys in the club were wearing, he did not blend in at all, an aura of power and danger setting him apart from the crowd. My wolf was instantly disgruntled at the amount of female attention he was receiving and the urge to go over and lay claim to him was nearly overwhelming, though somehow I managed to resist. I fisted my hands in my lap, perturbed at my feelings of possessiveness towards him. 

It did not look as though Tobias was here for that kind of fun though anyway. I watched as several of his pack members surrounded him, their bodies alert as they scanned the crowd discreetly, almost as though they were trying not to draw attention to themselves. My eyes moved to slide back to his, only to find Tobias was now facing the entrance. His posture had changed too, his eyes narrowed and jaw tight, body tense as he half-stood in his seat. Frowning, I glanced towards the doorway curiously, trying to catch what had bothered him, but there was nothing I could see that was out of the ordinary. Flickering my eyes back to the bar, I blinked in surprise when I noticed he and his pack members had vanished from view. I stood up from my chair abruptly, drawing the curious gazes of Josh and his friend. 

"Just going to grab another drink." I muttered, catching their confused looks as they noticed my still half-full glass of wine on the table. Making my way through the crowd of bodies to the bar and sitting down on the only available rickety old stool, I subtly glanced to my left and right trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of Tobias and his pack members. Half-consciously ordering another drink at the barman's request, I stubbornly avoided asking myself why I was so interested in his whereabouts and why my heart continued to beat so hard after our prolonged eye contact earlier.

"Hi gorgeous." A light touch on my arm had me glancing over into the face of a shifter, a guy I didn't recognise with blonde hair and twinkling hazel eyes. He sidled up to my side, dropping off his empty glass on the wooden table. "Do you fancy a dance?" His smile was suggestive as he gestured to the writhing bodies on the dance floor. "Just one." He insisted at my hesitation, holding his hand out like a gentleman. I gave in with a quick smile, momentarily charmed and seeing no harm in sharing only one dance. A distraction would be good. "Ok." I downed the rest of my drink and stood up, slightly unsteady on my feet. 

He grinned and his dimples immediately made him 10 times more enticing as he took my hand and lead me out onto the mobbed dance floor. I tried to focus on the music but found myself still constantly scanning the crowd for any trace of Tobias and his crew as we started to dance. For a split second though, I lost myself in the melody and felt myself properly relax for the first time in ages, the alcohol fully kicking in. Tossing my head back, I closed my eyes and let my hips sway to the music, a slight smile on my face. I realised, only now, how much I had needed this. Needed to just let go. 

My good mood was briefly interrupted when dimple boy suddenly settled his hands on my hips and stepped closer. Enjoying myself, I tried to ignore him but when his hand slipped slightly under my top, I came back down to earth instantly and grabbed his hands just as he stepped even closer, his breath hot on my neck. Uncomfortable at his proximity, I tried to push him away when, without warning, he was jerked away roughly by the back of his jacket.

Tobias was glaring down at me in anger, holding dimples' jacket in his fist tightly, his expression like stone. Shadows from the moving lights shifted across his face as he slowly released the breath he was holding. "You should go home now. It's not safe." He ordered, voice tight as though he were cutting his sentences short and stopping himself from saying anything more.  He turning to dimples who immediately lowered his head respectfully. "Alpha" he murmured quietly.

"Find someone else." Tobias growled coldly, releasing his jacket. We both gawked up at him in surprise, before Dimples sent me one last fleeting look and wordlessly vanished back into the crowd. Tobias left as fast as he appeared, departing before I could even get a word out to ask him what on earth he thought he was doing. I stood there, alone, bewildered, and out of breath, as they both disappeared from sight.