Chapter 8

        "I am being held here against my will by that monster over there," I said as I nodded my head in Jen's direction. Sally was sitting across from me and just shook her head at me.

        "Oh come on! You can't say that it's your birthday around Jen and not expect a big celebration. Although, I'm kind of worried about the guys." Sally looked at Jen, who was dancing with someone who's name I'd forgotten, then turned back to face me.

        "Which guys?" I asked. "Your mates or the clueless nonwerewoves dancing with Jen?"

        "Both."

        Jen had gone way over with this "party". What happened was that Jen had somehow known that I would be the mate of Percy without a doubt by the looks of it. She had thrown the equivalent of a girl's night out and forget about being with someone party. She obviously didn't tell the male mated werewolves about this or the poor human boys would be...well, dead. Mated werewolves are very protective of what's theirs, and VERY jealous. 

        She had driven Sally, a few other mated girls, and me to a dance club, that was decorated with pink and black streamers, balloons, and a huge banner saying, "Happy 18th Birthday, Crystal!" on it. It seemed nice at first, but then half dressed guys with ties came out onto the dance floor and asked all of us to dance. The DJ started playing "DJ Got Us Falling in Love" and Jen and the other girls picked their guys and started to dance. There were lights flashing everywhere with a huge disco ball hanging down from the ceiling and fog machines in every corner of the room. The bar was only serving sodas and waters because I was still underage and that was perfectly fine by me. Sally had made Jen not to serve anything alcoholic and thankfully, Jen listened.

        The girl's mates were back at the mansion having no idea what was going on because everyone had put up a wall between their connection or whatever. I had no idea what they had meant by that but I guess I'll soon find out. 

        I took a sip of my water when one of the shirtless guys came over to where I was sitting. "Would you like to dance with the rest of us on the dance floor, Birthday Girl?" He had light brown hair and amber eyes. He had a wicked smile on and I was just about to turn him down when Jen walked over. 

        "Crystal, you have to dance. Come on!" Jen yelled over the thumping music. Just then Katy Perry's E.T. blasted from the speakers, and Jen grabbed my arms and hauled me over to the dance floor. 

        'You're going to dance and that's final!" She yelled. I looked around and saw that Sally was dancing with Monica, a young mated werewolf and two shirtless guys. Amber eyes came over to where Jen and I were dancing and started to dance next to us. When Jen screamed her own lyrics to the song while dancing, I couldn't help but laugh and actually jump and dance. 

        "You're so hypno-something, could you be the devil? Could you be an angel? Your touch is something good, feels like going floating, leaves my body glowing!" Jen's crazy singing just made me laugh harder. 

        "They said I'm afraid. You're not like the others, futuristic werewolves', different DNA, they like to command you!" By now , Sally has come over and was dancing too. We were all coming up with our own lyrics and it was amazing.

        After a while, E.T. fades out and Rihanna's "Stay" starts to play. Suddenly Sally and Jen were nowhere to be seen and I was left alone with Amber Eyes. 

        "Now I can finally dance with the Birthday Girl." He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him. I tried to break free of his hold, but he had a rock hard grip and wouldn't let me go. It seemed like the more I struggled, the more tightly he held on to me and pulled me closer. 

        "Um, this is too close for me!" I yelled over the song as I tried to wiggle free.

        "I know this is cool for me too!" he yelled back. 

        "No! Let go of me!" I placed my hands against his waxed chest and tried to push him away from me.

        Apparently, he didn't hear me that time and because he pressed my body right up against his. His touch felt like it was burning my skin. Only one person could hold me in his arms like this and it was most definitely not  Amber Eyes. 

        I didn't want to but I kicked his shin as hard as I could but he still wouldn't budge. It seemed like my kick didn't register any pain or even a "Yo! Buddy! I don't want to be dancing with you now if you would just let go!". 

        All of my struggling must have made him think...well I don't know what the heck he was thinking because he started to brush my hair away from my neck and started to kiss the base of my neck. 

        I don't know what came over me but I saw everything in red and went into a feral "Get you're flipping hands off of me or I'm going to kick your a$$" mode. 

       The something that came over me said that this was not my mate and Amber Eyes shouldn't be touching us the way he is.  As he started to trail his kisses up my neck, I grabbed one of his hands that was wrapped tightly around the bottom of my back. I yanked his arm up and swung him over my head. He flew into the air and crash landed into a nearby table. He looked up at me in shock but I wasn't finished with him yet. I grabbed the little black tie he had on and yanked it up so he was right in front of my face.

        "Don't ever touch me or any girl like that again. If I ever see you do anything like that again, I won't go so easy on you and you'll go flying into a wall." I unclasped his tie and let him regain his breath. 

        Right around then Sally and Jen pop up out of nowhere sodas in hand. "Woah, Crystal! Your eyes! They're glowing. Like a dark blurple color," Jen said as she handed me a bottled water.

        "Blurple?" Sally asked.

        "Yeah, you know that blue and purple mixed together? That's what I meant."

        "Jen's right, Crystal. Your eyes are glowing. Like they are seriously glowing," Sally said.

        "Well, we all know that she's one of us for sure now if you know what I mean." Jen winked.

        "I  need to leave. Now." That's all I said as I walked out the door of the club.

        Once I got outside, I took a deep breath of fresh air. It seemed to somewhat calm this beast inside of me. I guess I really do only have a drop of werewolf blood because I have no idea how I just flipped a guy over my head like they did in cartoons. I didn't have to turn around to know that Jen, Sally and the other girls came out of the club. I hopped in the car and sat still and quiet, looking out the window all the way back to the mansion. 

        And the day wasn't even past one yet. 

~~~

        I was pacing the room back and forth. I couldn't sit down. I couldn't stand in place. I needed to keep moving. Jen and Sally were sitting on the edge of my bed looking worriedly at me.

        "I don't know what to do!" I half-yelled at them. I had told them everything. And I mean, everything. Jen was shocked that I would accuse her about my tattoos, but Sally just nodded her head and said, "Yeah, that's something Jen would do."

        "Are sure the mental connection hasn't opened yet?" Sally asked.

        "Yeah, I'm pretty sure! I can't hear anyone esle's thoughts besides mine, and mine are freaking out right now!" 

        "Look you just need to calm down. There has to be a logical explanation, and we'll find it. Maybe you need to see him again for the bond to fully develop, now that your wolf has been awakened and your marks have appeared." I was so surprised that I stopped pacing. Even Sally was taken back, because it was Jen that had just spoke.

        "Did you really just say something that didn't involve anything naughty?" I asked.

        "Well, you didn't let me finish. Once the bond is fully opened, then you can ride him all the way home," Jen said with a wicked smile.

        "Ah, there's the sexual reference. Thanks, Jen." Sally said as she threw her hands up into the air. 

      "Guys! Tell me what I should do. I mean, he probably never wants to see me again. I basically rejected him. Then he yelled at me to leave."

        That's when Jen cracked up. Like uncontrollable laughter that caused her to roll of of the bed and onto the floor. Even Sally started to giggle. 

        "What?" I aksed. "Was it something I said?"

        "Crystal," Jen said as she picked herself up from off the floor. "It was everything you said! If you only knew what I, Sally and even Jacque went through when we found our mates! Jacque was kidnapped so she couldn't be with her mate, Sally wasn't a wolf yet she was attracted to one and she thought she was nuts, and I had a special case that no one's ever seen before! You think we were like, 'Well, that's it. I had an argument with the one I'm supposed to be with forever, and now I can never see him again. Well darn.' Heck NO! We knew that there were going to be many, many things that are going to happen that would try to tear us apart and we would get through them, together. Now you can march your butt up that hill to that pond and forgive and forget, because I have my daughter to call in college so if you'll excuse me." And with that, Jen left the building.

        Sally turned to face me. "It's your decision, Crystal. You can go and see if he'll meet you there, or you can stay here wondering." She stood up from the bed and closed my bedroom door behind her. 

        I walked out to my balcony and took a deep breath. That's it. Jen's right, I thought. He's my mate, and I think I'm falling in love with him. I'm going to go see him whether he wants me to or not. 

        And just as I turned to close my balcony doors, I heard a voice call my name from the ground. 

        "Crystal."