His Unidentified & Untouchable Mate

Arrival

Zahraa POV

When we arrived, our first priority was to reconvene with Alanis and Tanis. They’d arrived a full half-hour before and had already chosen their poor unfortunate target of the night – some unmated gamma with rippling pectorals who was, very impressively juggling Alanis on one arm, with his drink, and Tanis on the other, his fingertips delving beneath the waistline of her black leather mini skirt. They were grinding in a densely crowded courtyard, swaying to music that sounded far too loud.

“Looks like they’re busy,” I remarked, unable to hide the amusement from my voice. Alanis was a vampire with no restraint when it came to feeding. Tanis was a naga, and though she didn’t need blood, she enjoyed the taste of it on Alanis’s lips.

They were the textbook definition of wild.

“Hey girls!” Alanis purred, pulling herself from her more-than-willing victim just long enough to give us hugs. Mine was too tight as usual – whatever I was didn’t seem to have the strength werewolves and vampires enjoyed.

My back cracked a little and she released me. Placing a steadying hand on my stomach, I politely tried to hide my discomfort from her as she beamed at Ingrid. “You two look hot! And this party is already off to a great start.” She offered Ingrid a sultry wink, and Ingrid laughed.

“I can see that.” She offered a welcoming hand to the gamma. “Ingrid. You are?”

“Kolton,” he replied stiffly. I could tell by the wince on her face that he shook with a bit too much force.

When he looked at me, I offered a pathetic half-wave. “Zahraa.”

He nodded, then returned his attention to Tanis and all her exposed skin.

“There are drinks inside – oh! And they have this cool little game set up. You’ll probably like it, Ingrid.” She looked at me with a mixture of unsurety and apology, “Last I checked it was spin the bottle, but there was word of truth or dare. You might enjoy that.”

“I’ll give it a shot,” I shrugged. “I mean, if nothing else, I can do some mingling.”

Tanis raised her brows. “How very adventurous of you.”

I smiled. A weight had been lifted from me by telling Ingrid the truth, and I wanted nothing more to use that confidence to attempt to have some fun tonight. “I am feeling a little adventurous. In fact, I think I might try a drink.”

Alanis put a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t overdo it, okay? And you know the drill – anything goes wrong, you call my phone and I’ll be there in a blink.”

I believed it. Alanis might’ve been the flirtatious type, but she was also fiercely loyal. The men she enticed, she always had a full-disclosure meeting with – they were there for the fun, but the only one her heart belonged to was Tanis. And when it came to her friends, they were always, always more important.

“Thanks,” I said. “But I’m going to try to have one good relaxing night. That meeting is over and it’s time for me to let all that stress go.”

“Amen,” Tanis said, with minimal inflection as usual.

Ingrid offered an awkward wave before excusing us. We passed through waves upon waves of dancers, avoiding the thickest parts. I flinched every time someone came just a little too close. As if Ingrid knew, she reached out and grabbed my hand, tugging me aside to a little garden path where the dancers gave way to more intimate slow dancing couples.

I found it interesting how anyone could slow dance to bouncy pop music, but who was I to judge?

We made our way to the pack house, which was much less crowded. The kitchen area sported several options for drinks, and without hesitation, Ingrid went for a very suspicious smelling punch. She grabbed a second cup and hesitated before pouring. “Are you sure?”

I nodded, my attention drifting from the drinks to the people. They were all vibrantly dressed with beautiful makeup and perfect hair – all searching for the birthday boy. I heard his name whispered about in every conversation, saw the lingering stares.

I sipped the drink Ingrid offered me and wrinkled my nose. It was a unharmonious blend of bitter spirits and a drink mix that somehow managed to be both too sweet and too watery.

“Swirl it in your cup a bit – the second drink is always better,” Ingrid advised.

I followed her suggestion. It still tasted faintly of rubbing alcohol, but I must have gotten used to it a little bit, because I didn’t hate it as much. “Looks like they’ve got something fun going in here,” Ingrid muttered to me as we left the kitchens. We hovered in the entrance of that same room – the one just down the hallway from Jacob’s office. There were wolves everywhere, perched on every seat, leaving some to sit on the floor in the interim. On the coffee table, they had an empty beer bottle. They spun it and it pointed to a slim boy with slicked back hair. On the second spin, it landed on a pretty girl dressed rather plainly.

Ooos and Aahs followed as the two approached each other. The boy’s hands hovered over her hips, as though he didn’t know where to touch and was feeling too watched to make a quick decision. The girl had no such hold backs; she grabbed his collar and pulled him in for a kiss that quickly ended in a full on make out session.

“I hate games like these,” Ingrid huffed. And, of course, with her history, she would.

“Let’s move on then,” I suggested, curling my arm around hers. “Look – there’s another game in the next room.”

We slid past a group of gammas already growing unruly to get to what appeared to be a second den. Inside was similarly packed, but there was no bottle.

A girl who’d perched on the coffee table hummed thoughtfully. “Allison,” she finally called. “I dare you to steal someone’s tie.”

Allison groaned in response. “Just anyone?” she asked, pushing off her bar stool.

She shouldn’t have asked – already the wheels were turning in the darer’s head. “No… how about Jacob’s tie?”

The girls in the room cheered, and there were a few hoots and howls from the guys as well.

“Fine,” she sighed, passing us with resignation. Two of her friends followed behind, and Ingrid grabbed my arm, pulling me until I took one of the recently vacated bar stools. “Oooh! New meat. Hey Ingrid,” the girl greeted. “And you must be… Zahraa.”

I could sense the chill in her voice – I’d heard the same judgement in so many wolves’ voices by now, that it barely phased me. I offered only a nod in response, sipping on my drink.

“Well,” she purred, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Since Allison is going to be a few minutes – how about we start with the newcomers?” She didn’t wait for anyone else’s input before she zeroed in on me. “Zahraa, truth or dare?”