Love, hugs and yellow skittles ♥

Chapter Fourteen

"Black or red?" Bella asked, holding both dresses against her body. The black dress was short and flared with a figure hugging waist and cross over straps; the red was just above the knee, 3/4 sleeves with a heart shaped neckline.

"Red." Emma and I said together. Bella didn't have much of a tan, so the red would have looked perfect on her. Emma had chosen a green knee length dress with a plunging neck line and off the shoulder sleeves, teamed with silver heels whilst I still hadn't found anything I liked and was seriously considering turning up in jeans and a t-shirt.

"You're up next Rainie." Emma pushed me towards the next store. I groaned, why people got so dressed up for a house party was beyond me. "I'm thinking black or..."she trailed off, her eyes darting to every square inch of the shop floor in search of my dress.

"Purple." Bella added. "You could definitely pull off purple." I didn't care what color my dress was, I just wanted to pick something I could look half decent in.

Internally cursing I took a seat whilst Bella went to find every different style of purple dress that was available in the store.

"So that's all he said?" Emma asked as she pulled out a white, floor length dress from the rack.

Jude didn't say anything else after that, whenever it came even close to talking about himself he would change the subject, he didn't want to get into it so I never pushed him. Though that doesn't mean I won't later on. I knew he wasn't telling me the whole story, but it would only be a matter of time before I found it out. "Yup."

Her features twisted in confusion before she shook her head and turned her attention back towards the line of clothes. "It's a little strange he's living at the Harbor house. I mean, why didn't anyone say anything about it?"

I understood where she was coming from. I wondered the exact same thing. "I have no idea." I admitted. "There's definitely more going on between him and Mason though, I know it."

"I don't know Rainie," She said whilst taking the seat next to mine and setting the bags to the side of her so they rested against the chair leg. "It could be true and it wouldn't be the first time. Remember Amber and Louise?" I nodded.

Amber Barnwell and Louise Kensington were two girls from our school; they were best friends from kinder garden, but Amber stole Louise's doll and ripped the arms off before painting it green. They never spoke after that and still don't. "Well that was stupid, but they still don't like each other because they're two complete opposites now."

Okay, so she had a point. Jude said they were just two different people and maybe he was right.

He was lying. My wolf stated confidently with the hint of disgust on her tongue. She wasn't a fan of Jude - not that she had been much of one anyway - since the kiss. She was angry that I let someone other than my mate touch me. I can't say I was too pleased about it either; after all he only did it so I would stop moving, not because he actually wanted to kiss me, the idiot.

As stupid and hopelessly romantic as it sounds, I held the tiniest amount of hope that he did like me. That was until he stuck a pin in my balloon and told me the real reason why he did it.

"Rainie?" Emma's voice broke through my thoughts. "Did you hear anything I just said?" She asked while trying to hold back laughter. "You really are a daydreamer." I playfully scowled and pushed her away, trying to keep the smile off my face. "Anyway, I think Jude was telling you the truth, we both know the nice guy and the jerk never get on, it's as simple as that." She shrugged.

"Simple as what?" Bella stuck her head around a rack with a dress in either hand.

Emma scrunched up her nose and shook her head, "Whether to believe the guys don't get on and you've already picked your dress, stop looking for another one, it's Rainie's turn."

"Hottie and Douche?" Her eyebrow quirked. "And I'll have you know not many people can pull off wearing this color orange without looking like a freaking sunflower," Pointing to herself, a smug grin settled on her face, "And I, my friend, do not look like a sunflower." She was right, only someone like her could wear that without looking like a complete idiot.

"Yes, Jude and Mason and Bells you've got blonde hair, so obviously you're going to look like the rising sun."

"Shut up." She scowled, reluctantly hanging the dress in question back on the rail. "Mason's a douche and Jude's a sweetheart, so of course they wouldn't hang out." Holding up her finger to motion for Emma not to cut in, she continued, "But Jude did lie to us the little horn dog, so that kind of makes him just as bad."

"He had his reasons for not telling us." Emma said defensively, who was completely 'Team Jude' as she put it. I had no idea why 'teams' came into it, neither of them were the least bit interested in me. God only knows what they would say if I told them about the kiss. I mean, I had thought about it, what girl doesn't tell her friends gossip like that? But knowing Jude didn't do it because he liked me kind of stopped it from being a romantic tale to tell and more of a pity party for one.

Bella snorted. "He reasons were lame and you know it."

"Maybe he was nervous."

"Nervous?" Bella snorted. "He's the most confident guy I've ever met, with the exception of Mason I-suck-at-being-a-mate Vermont. Anyway what does he have to be nervous about? In case you haven't noticed Em, we're the fury kind of creatures too."

Shaking her head, Emma stood up. "You can say whatever you want, I think he's a nice guy and he suits Rainie perfectly. He's told her the truth so we should just forget about it." With that she gave us her back and started to walk towards the cashier.

Emma was right, Jude was a great guy, but somewhere inside me, no matter how hard I fought to push it away, I had a feeling Bella would someday soon be saying 'I told you so.'

* * *

It was déjà vu. I stood like a coward behind the bushes whilst Richard and Nicky went to the Harbor pack house to inform them we were here again for training. This time it wasn't Mason who came to the door, but Jake, one of his best friends. Jake, out of all them, was actually nice. Even before he was mated, despite being a playboy, he wasn't as bad as the other guys. Yeah, he slept with girls like they were going out of fashion, but he never led anyone on or broke their hearts. A specialty for the other guys.

I didn't bother listening in to what they were saying; I just wished they would hurry up because my wolf was itching to be let free.

Rainie, come to the house. Nicky linked.

What, why? There was no way I was going anywhere near that place. I knew he was in there, I could feel him and even worse I could smell him. It was only a faint hint of his scent, but it was still there and it was enough to keep me at this distance.

Alpha Peter wants to speak to us. He said.

Huffing, I peeked over the top of the leaves. Can't you guys go without me? The begging tone of my voice wasn't hidden. He probably only wants to talk to you anyway.

You're my Beta Rainie, Nicky replied in a 'duh' voice, he wants you there too.

Crap, I hadn't thought of that. Maybe I could just run in, get this over with and run out, with no harm done and definitely no sight of Mason. Urgh, fine.

Each step closer to the house was painstakingly slow and I could feel my heart hammering against my chest in a protest to get out. I didn't want to go in there and I didn't want to see him, hell I didn't want to see anyone from their pack. They were all like manikins in a store window; too perfect to be real.

"Hey Rainie." Jake greeted when I finally made it to the front door, his broad shoulders were squared. "It's good to see you." He sent me his million dollar smile which was as genuine as it usually is. His tall, lean, but muscular frame towered over me and his warm blue eyes settled on my face. I gave a slight nod of my head, a small smile and mumbled a 'you too'. "Come in, Alpha Peter is in his office. I'll let him know you're all here."

Sweet mother of God.

Their house was freaking huge. On the outside it already resembled something you'd find in the Hollywood hills, but seeing the inside of it made me realize just how rich this pack was in comparison to ours and probably a lot of other packs in America. The wooden stairs curved up the wall on either side of the hall, it was decorated with dark oak furniture with a few burnt orange canvases hung on the caramel colored walls.

Too lost in my thoughts I jumped when Jake's voice echoed around the hall. "You guys can go in." He smiled before walking off down one of many corridors that led from the hall.

Alpha Peter's office was just as grand. A large ebony wood desk took pride of place in front of the floor to ceiling length glass windows. Two large, deep red chairs were placed in front of the desk, whilst a third was placed behind for Peter. The dim light that lit the room was in contrast to the streams of white sunlight that beamed through the window. There was a wall of books, holding everything from historic non fiction to literature. It was the one thing in the whole house I was truly jealous of. Overall, it was a pretty amazing room.

As Richard and Nicky greeted Peter I was left alone with a thought that hadn't left me since I walked through those doors. This could have been my house. If Mason hadn't of rejected me, I would have been called this, this mansion my home.

Holy crap on a stick, I thought as I let a heavy breath out. An image of Mason sitting, confident and strong behind that desk, shuffling important pack papers and looking incredibly hot, with his piercing blue eyes, sweeping, mused hair and his killer smile. I could practically feel the drool dripping from my wolf's mouth at the image I had conjured up. Shaking my head, I tried to forget said image and concentrate on what was going on around me.

"Sorry Alpha, she tends to daydream a lot." Nicky mumbled, casting a glare my way.

Peter chuckled, "Don't worry about it, Nicky. Reality isn't always the best place to be." There was a hint of seriousness to his words despite his lighthearted tone.

Nicky came and stood next to me. "Alpha Peter Vermont, my future Beta, Rainie Harper." He introduced us.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Rainie." Peter said warmly, holding out his hand for me to take. It wasn't the first time we had met, but it was the first time after I was announced to be Beta so the formalities had to be in place. No matter how stupid they were.

"You too, Alpha Peter." I placed my hand in his and gave a slight bow, a show of respect for the position he held within his pack. "You've got a lovely home." I smiled.

Giving a light chuckle, he motioned for us to take a seat. "Very nice of you to say Miss Harper. Would anyone care for a drink?" I shook my head, gesturing no. A drink would only make this take longer.

As he walked around his desk and took a seat, I couldn't help but notice how much Mason resembled him. From the tall, broad, muscular body to the strong jaw line and eyes that felt as if they bore into your soul. The only difference was the slight signs of wrinkles showing around Peter's eyes. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, I understand training is important and I appreciate you taking the time out." He said with his eyes firmly settled on Richard. "As both of our packs share a territory it is important that, when necessary, we support each other."

I had a bad feeling about where this was going. "I have spoken to Alpha Tom and we have decided it would be a great idea to train the packs together."

My heart stopped at his words and my mouth went dry. There was no way I was training with the Harbor Pack, it just wasn't happening and by the look on Nicky's face, he felt the same. "With all respect Alpha, we have different routines, different ways of working. How would that possibly benefit either pack?" Nicky spoke confidently, sounding exactly like a future Alpha should.

"Obviously there would be certain training each pack would not be privy to, such as the majority of Alpha training, but in terms of running and building stamina, we think it would be a great idea." Peter answered.

"I agree with the kid," Richard leaned against the wall, his hands neatly tucked inside of his jean pockets. "Although we share land that is where our pack's common ground ends. If were to come into battle in the future, both packs would be at a great disadvantage."

Peter seemed to think about this, rubbing his chin he looked around at all three of us. "I understand your concerns Richard, but we think the kids would benefit from a little healthy competition. Any important attack training that would be used in battle would be done in private."

I don't like the sound of this. I thought, watching Peter closely as he kept his eyes firmly on Richard.

Nicky's voice filtered through my mine. Neither do I.

Makes three of us, kiddo. Richard said, sounding just as unsure as we were. I was having enough trouble dealing with Mason at school; I didn't want to have to practically start hanging out with him. But if the Alpha has agreed... He trailed off, not needing to finish his sentence. We all knew, whether we liked it or not, if the Alpha's had decided this was a good idea, we would be doing it.

"Rainie, Harmony is waiting outside, she will show you out." He motioned towards the door. "Richard and Nicky will be with you shortly." Oh, great. Sending one final goodbye smile to Peter and a pleading one to Nicky, I opened the double wooden door and stepped through them.

Stepping out of the office I immediately came face to face with a small, light blond haired girl with big, sparkling hazel eyes. Her perfectly sculptured cheeks held a natural blush; she had plump pink lips and a golden tan. Harmony Grant was incredibly beautiful and even more so up close. "They shouldn't be long, but do you want a drink or anything?" She gave a friendly smile, one that I wasn't expecting. Harmony was definitely considered a popular girl and ever since the beginning of high school we hadn't spoken two words to each other.

"No, thanks," I said, a small smile gracing my lips. "I think it's best if I wait outside." Her perfectly shaped brows pulled together, obviously not understanding why I wanted to get out of that house so damn quickly.

"Are you sure? Alpha says it won't take long, but he can be a little bit talkative when he gets going."

Shaking my head, I held my hand up. "I'm fine." Every breath I took was filled with his scent and it was choking me. I hadn't meant to be rude, but I couldn't help it. "Is this the way out?" I asked pointing to the left. I had no idea which way was out in this maze of a mansion.

"Yeah, go straight down the corridor, then turn left." She instructed, motioning her hands. "There's a painting on the wall, it's of a wolf you can't miss it, turn right, then another left. Keep going and at the end of that corridor you'll get to a room, that's our living room, turn right, go through the door and you'll get back to the hall."

I didn't understand a freaking word, but instead of hearing her explain it again I smiled and nodded. "Sounds easy enough," I lied, "thanks."

This place was like Aladdin's fricking cave. Every corridor had at least six doors leading off and easily two or three right and left turns. How the hell anyone knew where they were going in this house was beyond me.

Whispered voice's echoed in front of me and I knew whoever they belonged to was just around the corner. Inhaling deeply I caught the strong scent of fresh pine mixed with cologne. It was a guy, maybe two.

Slowly a tall, very muscular guy with black hair and tattoos covering his arms came into view. "Well what do we have here?" He asked. I didn't know him from school and he looked a little bit older than me, maybe eighteen or nineteen. "Cole, is this a friend of yours?" He asked, just as the second guy came round the corner.

Cole's eyes flickered up from the floor, catching my gaze before a smirk formed nicely on his lips. Smoothly flicking his dark brown hair from his eyes, he strode towards me. God, was that something every hot, popular guy knew how to do perfectly? "I wouldn't mind her being a friend." His lips curved into a smug smile as his eyes travelled down my body. Feeling more self conscious the longer his gaze was on me, I pulled at the hem of my shorts, trying to bring them lower down on my thigh. "Definitely wouldn't mind that at all."

I closed my eyes tightly wishing I had worn something different. I hated it when guys looked at me like that, like I was a piece of fresh meat. Pulling my tank down so that it covered more of my stomach and covering my chest with my arm, I lifted my chin, "Which way is out?" I asked the older guy. I didn't like Cole and asking him for anything was the last thing I wanted to do. Cole was the stereotypical player in our school, like Mason. He had incredible looks, a charm that would knock the skirt of a girl and an ego bigger than a continent. Yeah, just like Mason and I hated him as much.

"Why are you here?" Older guy asked, completely ignoring my question. "You're not from our pack, so you must be a Shadow Pack member." I nodded, but didn't say anything; instead I just stood there feeling Cole's eyes blazing into me. Shuffling nervously on my feet I looked around, praying no one else jumped out on me. The last thing I needed was to see more people from school or even worse the devil himself. "One of us can show you out." Older guy said, the corner of his lips lifted slightly.

"It's fine, I just need to know where that wolf picture is." I said, glancing behind them. "I can figure it out from there." Of course it was a complete lie, I had absolutely no idea where I was going, but I didn't want to be around Cole longer than I had to. He had probably already informed Mason through linking I was here making me want to high tail it out of there even more.

Letting out a low chuckle, older guy pointed his finger over my shoulder. "That picture is on the other side of the house. You've gone right out of your way, haven't you, darling?"

He has to be kidding. "How is that possible? I followed the directions Harmony gave me!" Turning on my heel I walked back the way I'd come leaving the two guys staring at my back, only to reach the end of the corridor and come face to face with yet another one with even more freaking doors.

"Urgh!" Sighing in frustration I turned back towards the two idiots who stood there with smirks on their faces. "Okay," I groaned, "Which way do I go?"

"Straight ahead," Older guy said, jabbing his thumb behind him, "Last turn on the-"

"Right." Cole interrupted, his gaze falling on the other guy for split second before it landed back on me. "Take the right, it'll be quicker."

Cole must think I was born yesterday. I knew he was sending me the wrong way on purpose and I wasn't going to fall for it. Snorting I pushed past the guys and headed straight for the end of the corridor, throwing a smirk over my shoulder before turning left.

Only an idiot would have gone right.

Or so I thought.

The more I walked the more buried I was in this