Fated To The Lycan Brothers
Chapter 32

Suri Nightingale

A party. I'm going to a party. A real one where teenagers who are more or less the same age as me drink, play some stupid games, drink some more, probably take some illegal substances, replace an empty room-or just the corner is probably fine-to make out and more, and then wake up and regret it all in the morning.

Well, that sounded more exciting in my head about five minutes ago when I agreed to this whole thing, but now that I'm staring at my closet, once again intimidated, I have no idea why I actually said yes to Keith after ignoring Atlas' death glares on me. Oh my god. Is it too late to take back my answer and just stay in and binge watch some shows? Can I just pretend I still have more schoolwork to do even though I already finished it earlier? Crap! I did not properly think this through.

All I knew was that the stupid face on Atlas made me so tempted to annoy him that before I could even think about what going to a party for the first time meant for me, it was already too late.

I have already signed my death certificate.

While I was doing some more research on what outfits I could/should wear to parties like these (also known as rich people's parties), my phone started to ring and the caller ID said it was Polly. I quickly picked it up.

"Suriiiiiii!" Her energetic greeting can almost be heard in outer space. I had to pull my phone away from my ear.

"Hey, Polly. What's up?" I answered back in a less eardrum-destroying way.

"Where are you at, girlie?! Don't tell me you're in your pajamas getting ready for bed." Not only can I imagine the disappointment on her face, but I can also hear it in her voice all the way from there.

"I mean... It is like almost ten in the evening. We have classes tomorrow." I tell her, not yet exposing the fact that I'm actually getting ready to go to a party.

I don't know why, but I didn't want to let them know that I was going to a party because then they'd wonder why I didn't invite them. I doubt the answer 'I agreed to go to a party just so I could piss off Atlas' would sound very convincing to them and I didn't want to lose my new friends.

"And you? Aren't you supposed to be in your pajamas, too?" I asked her while grabbing the clothes I decided would be the best choice to wear.

Clothes.

"If you mean a cami top and a mini skirt, then yes, totally in my pajamas." She giggled right before I heard someone in the background shout, "Is that Suri? Tell her to get her cute b**t over here!"

Wait, who was that? It sounded a lot like Elleana and now that I listen to the background noise more, there is music and chattering around her.

Was she already at a party?!

"That was Elle," she exclaimed before clearing her throat. "I hereby order that Suri Nightingale stand up from her bed, put on some cute clothes, and get her cute b**t over here to Raquel's party." "Wait, wha-" Before I could finish what I was going to say, Polly cut me off.

"Sorry! It's a Princess order, so you can't refuse. See you soon! Au revoir!" She hung up the call before I could say anything else.

During that entire minute when my phone was in my hand and I processed the call that had just happened, I realized two things.

One, Polly and Elle were already there at the party.

And two, thank god they were already there. I guess it won't be so bad after all.

I smiled to myself at the thought of having friends and not feeling so left out and with that thought in mind, I quickly took off my pajamas and put on my chosen clothes, which was a cropped graphic shirt that had 'Bad Habits' on it and a light denim skirt, then finished off with my black boots.

I was grabbing a cow print handbag (so stinkin' cute) when I heard a loud banging on the door and a clearly pissed off voice on the other side.

"Can you get any slower?! We're leaving you if you're not out in fifteen seconds!"

Hearing Atlas' voice irks me, but at the same time gives me chills. I still don't know if it's the good or bad kind.

Atlas is counting off while I look in the mirror for the last time, making sure I was dressed and made up decent enough, and in his last five seconds, I pull open the door.

His hand was hanging midair, getting ready to knock loudly on the door again, but there was obvious surprise in his face as he was probably not expecting me to come out yet.

Tough luck, buddy.

I don't know why, but it also feels like it's not just the surprise of me showing up that has his mouth wide open. From the way his eyes are practically burning through my clothes, it almost makes me wonder if he's... checking me out.

"Close your mouth. A fly might come inside." I teased him and he quickly shut it closed and another low rumble sounded off in his chest.

Jesus, why is that so hot to me? For goodness sake, Suri. Get your head straight.

"The only dirty insect I see around here is you," he ridiculed, and I wanted to punch that grin off his face so badly.

He turned around and I internally thanked the universe for it because, if not, I didn't know if I was going to end up punching him or kissing him. I need to get a grip.

"Hurry up, sis. Your chariot awaits." He said in a mocking tone.

I rolled my eyes as I followed him closely from behind, still wondering if I had made the right choice or not.

I just really hope nothing crazy happens at that party. I mean, don't rich people have to keep some kind of image? That means that they're not going to be that wild, right? Right?!

I let that thought calm me down, repeating it in my head over and over again like some kind of reassurance that this night would be over before I knew it.

When we're outside in the driveway, I see the same black Jeep that Dev and I rode to the mall the other day. My heart almost did a backflip at the possibility that he might be there either as the driver or a passenger.

If he was, then this night just became so much bet-

Someone honks the horn two times before a head pops out of the driver's seat. A head that is obviously not who I was expecting nor wanting to appear.

Wes.

"Seriously? I said ten f*****g minutes and you come out, what, thirty minutes later? What the hell?!" He shouted out to Atlas and I realized that he was not reacting to my presence, probably because he hadn't seen me yet. Atlas is so much bigger than I am that his body is able to cover mine easily.

"Don't look at me, idiot. I was already good to go, but somebody just had to tag along. Looks like we're on babysitting duties tonight, brother." Atlas said, making sure I didn't miss the fact that he said 'babysitting duties', before he stepped to the side and that's when Wes saw me.

His stormy blue eyes replace themselves thoroughly looking at me, like really taking me in, and I suddenly regret choosing the denim skirt as my legs felt way too bare. Damn it.

"I am not a baby," I answered back at Atlas, but he could barely give a shit, merely giving me one quick smug-and annoyingly attractive-smirk before hopping into the front seat. "Whatever," Wes shook his head, breaking his gaze on my body. "Hurry up and get in the car," he ordered right after.

When I get inside the passenger's seat, disappointment drowns me like a wave when I replace nobody else there. That concludes that Dev really isn't here, which makes me wonder, where the hell is he? Shouldn't he be here too? I mean, isn't this a big first day party thing? I'm sure if his brothers are going then he's bound to make an appearance, too.

Or maybe he has his own life and doesn't need to be around his brothers twenty-four seven, Suri. Did you think about that?

"Get comfy, meat. The drive is almost an hour to the shore area." Wes says in an almost 'kind' tone. Save for the part where he called me that godforsaken nickname again, but still, something in the way he said those words didn't seem so hostile. It was kind of... refreshing.

Atlas on the seat next to him was the complete opposite though, as he scrolled through music on his phone, acting like I wasn't even there.

A few seconds later, Beggin' by Maneskin came on while the car was driving out of the lair. Not too long after, the huge mansion is no longer in view and my stomach starts to feel queasy.

This would be so much easier if Dev was here next to me. Something about his presence just made things much more... comfortable for me.

"Can I ask a question?" I said, not particularly to anyone, but mostly to Wes because, out of the two of them, he seemed like he was likely to give me an answer, since he was actually acknowledging my existence in the car.

"Ask and ye shall receive," Wes replied with a soft chuckle.

I'm not sure what that was all about, but that soft sound he just made, I think my stomach reacted a little too much to it. Damn these boys and their effects.

"Um..." I gulped nervously. It was now or never, Suri. How bad could asking it be?

"Wh- where is... Dev? Is he coming to the party too or...?"

When I managed to finally ask the question that'd been running in my mind this whole time, I saw Atlas visibly stiffen at the mention of Dev. Wes glances at him for a quick second before focusing on the road, and why do I have a feeling that there was some kind of underlying message in that look?

I just know that the silence in the car would be so deafening if not for Atlas' music playing.

What we doing? What we chasing?

Why the bottom? Why the basement?

Why we got good s**t, don't embrace it?

Why the feel for the need to replace me?

You're the wrong way track from the good

"Don't know," Wes says, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Probably with his little Princess."

Oh my god. Of course. Why didn't I think of that? Stupid idiot.

"Why? Do you miss our baby brother already?" Wes twists around, his blue eyes-that look devastatingly gorgeous even in the dark-mocking me.

I heard Atlas chuckle lightly and I could see a sly smirk form on his lips from where I was seated.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, little sis. Devon will never go for a girl..." His head tilts to the side a little and I see his smirk getting wider, meaner. "Like you."

Red flooded my face from embarrassment and annoyance. "What the hell does that mean 'a girl like me'?!" I shouted back, my fists clenched tightly.

He moves his head left and right slowly before stopping to say, "Look in the mirror, meat. You don't belong here. You will never belong here. You may think you've got Devon wrapped around your finger, but if he had to choose between a Princess and a pauper, then you would also be lying to yourself if you think the answer is the latter."

I didn't say anything. I can't say anything. Suddenly, my tongue is tied, and my brain can't come up with what to say to retaliate. I feel so mad, and frankly, also very ashamed because as much of a dick Atlas is...

He was still freaking right. I am a pauper, and Dev, sweet Dev... he deserves better than that. He deserves the Princess. Something I will never be.

Atlas increases the volume of his songs so much that I can barely hear my own thoughts. In a way, I guess I should be thanking him because, right now, I don't want to hear said thoughts. I need a drink. A lot of it.

"You are such a dick." Wes tells Atlas and the only way I can figure out what they're saying is through reading their lips.

When I was a little girl, my mother often kept me inside a closet for my own protection. When her then boyfriend came home late at night, obviously drunk, she knew that they would get abusive, so in order to keep me safe, she would hide me.

Sometimes it would only be half an hour, but oftentimes it would last more than that and I would even wake up still inside it the next morning. Eventually, I decided to learn how to read people's lips. Being cramped up in those small spaces and not knowing what was going on made me feel anxious and it took me months, but eventually I got the hang of it.

When I did, I quickly realized that it was a terrible idea and I wished I hadn't known what they were talking about. I wish I had just stayed oblivious, but it was too late.

There are a lot of things in my life I wished I hadn't done, but before I could realize that, the consequences of my own actions had already been set into motion.

"You didn't have to be so harsh. Keith will kill you if she tells him what you said," Wes continued, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I'm surprised that he is somewhat taken aback by what Atlas told me. I would have thought that he would agree with him, but apparently not.

Atlas just scoffs. "She can tell him whatever the fuck she wants. See if I fucking care."

What an a*****e.

But even with how much of a prick he or all of them will be towards me, I'm not going to waltz into Keith's office and tell him about it. I'm not like that. I at least hope they will give me the benefit of the doubt on that part.

But then again, these are the Wolfe brothers we're talking about. They don't care about anyone but themselves.

And the one brother I thought I could have on my side? Yeah, well... I thought wrong.

It's just me and you, self, like it's always been.

The boys continue to talk about their sports and whatever boys like nowadays. I stopped trying to figure out what they're saying, uninterested and frankly, annoyed, too.

I hate them. I hate that their entire MO is to make me feel left out even when I haven't done anything wrong. At least, as far as I know, I haven't, but even if I did, why can't they just tell me? Why do they have to play all these bull shit mindgames and riddles? For all of their money and prestigious education, they can be really stupid and immature.

For most of the drive, I focused on looking outside and letting my thoughts get lost in whatever song was playing, because I really didn't want to think about anything.

A few minutes later, I smelled it from the slightly open window on Atlas' side - the saltiness in the air. We're by the ocean.

And then I started to hear the loud music and people screaming even louder just as bright lights and a tall gorgeous beach mansion came into view.

Then I thought to myself.

Even though these two idiots in the car with me could be a real nuisance, I can't help but think that my life is so much better than it is now.

King-sized beds that felt like heaven to sleep on, bathrooms that don't reek of sewer water, chauffeurs that drive me to wherever I choose in a car that I've only ever seen in movies, an exclusive academy with state of the art amenities, and now this? High school parties in a mansion right next to the beach? There was so much more that the Suri back then would never have thought she would ever experience in her lifetime, but here she was, doing all of that and in cute, expensive as f**k branded clothes, too.

I was living what most would call 'the life'.

And I'm not letting two snotty rich boys take that away from me. No freaking way.

Over my Chanel and Prada-cladded body.

We had just hopped out of the car when the wide doors opened and a group of already drunk highschoolers came out. Behind them, there were two servers dressed in black and white holding a tray with red cups filled with what I could only assume was stupidly expensive strong alcohol.

Servers at a freaking high school party? You definitely see something new every day around here.

They walk towards us, the two seemingly mid-twenties ladies already eyeing up Wes and Atlas, fluttering their eyelashes, and while Wes is easily captivated, Atlas doesn't even bat an eyelid. He only grabs the cup from them and then glares at me like he's sending me warnings.

I took that opportunity to make him even more pissed off, grabbing a cup before he could stop me.

"Don't you dare get all drunk and sloppy and embarrass our name," Atlas' voice is serious and I know I'm supposed to be ticked off, but all I can think about is how annoyingly sexy he looks with his half wet and half dry hair. Damn it.

I didn't answer him. Instead, I raise my cup to my mouth and down the alcohol in one go.

Holy fuck, that thing is strong. My throat and organs feel like it's on fire, but I shrugged it off, not letting Atlas see that it was affecting me in any way.

He stares me down and my cheeks start to feel flushed. Suddenly, he leans closer and whispers into my ear.

"Don't provoke me, meat."

I moved away from him and gave him a broad grin.

"Are you easily provoked, Atlie?"

His eyes widened and his cheeks turned slightly red.

Hook, line, and sinker, baby.

I said that out of a whim, not sure if it would have any effect on him. I only saw the name at the back of one of the boys' pictures in Keith's office, but seeing as he looked relatively pissed, I got him good.

"You-"

Before he could finish what he was saying, I heard my name called and Polly and Elle came out of the door.

Let the fun begin.