I winced as I heard her voice. A small part of me seemed to remember her complaining about not being able to get into the special level of the gym while we were in the locker room a few years back.

Oops.

"All those cookies and cakes Papa gave you starting to catch up?"

Nicole looked at me. I think she was looking for permission to kick her ass from the way she was slightly waving her fists near her face but I mouthed out not yet.

"Self defense class."

She laughed. Her black hair swaying into her face and her dark eyes wrinkling at the corners.

"That's precious. Finally get enough of me, Lucy?"

"I-I"

"You cannot talk to her like that."

"Nicole-"

"Excuse me, Luna, but it is unacceptable for her to speak to you that way," Nicole turned back to her," I demand you apologize this moment."

"I'm shaking in my leather boots," Jazz looked at me one last time before shaking her head and laughing. She walked into the gym with a bag slapping the back of her legs.

'Luna. Priceless,' I heard her mutter under her breath. I had to grab Nicole's arm and jerk her away from the building to keep her from reacting again.

"She's not worth it. She never was."

___

We went to the ice cream parlor to grab some cold deliciousness before heading back to the pack house. Once there Nicole went back to her post. She's a warrior that was assigned the job of watching me while I was "still human".

Catherine was up in her room with Jack. I went up the steps gently, knowing full well that everyone in the house was already fully aware that I'm home. I'd learned that Jack and Catherine's room was at the end of the hall so I knocked on their door.

"Come in."

I stepped inside to find Jack asleep in bed with Catherine sitting next to him reading a book. I held up the bag of peanut butter ice cream to show her my offering. A small smile came onto her lips as she set her book on the end table next to her and thanked me before taking a small bite of the softened ice cream.

"How was your training?"

"Harsh," I played with the end of the blanket rather than sharing what happened with Jazz.

"It will be," she wiped her mouth with a paper napkin while nodding," It'll be easier when you get older. Especially so when you're turned."

"Maybe I don't want to turn."

"I wish you had that choice, dear. Really, truly I did."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the moon goddess- you were told about her, correct?- when she pairs a wolf with a human she knows they aren't compatible. A wolf needs to mark his mate and he needs to have pups. A human can't do these things. Eventually, if the human refuses to change, something happens to force the wolf to bite the human and turn them into a wolf as well.

"It's not by choice," she patted Jack's leg," It's just that us wolves have a hard time living without our mates."

I gave her a sad smile before Jack stirred a bit in his sleep.

"Talking about me again?"

"Go back to sleep, you."

He grinned foolishly at his mate. Catherine pulled his blanket higher and asked me to let him get some sleep to which I stood to leave.

Could Mike and I be like that?

Not him on his deathbed. I meant happy. 

Could Mike and I be happy?

Maybe for that I would consider turning into a werewolf.

Holly and Kian were in the gameroom when I ventured down there. An old movie was playing and they offered me popcorn. 

The soft voice of Marilyn Monroe singing and the sight of Tony Curtis in his pearls brought back memories of my mother, grandmother and I with the black and white TV set and an old movie collection. Every Tuesday after school.

Kian and Holly went upstairs about halfway through, but I stayed on the couch. Taking the opportunity to stretch out on the soft furniture and fall into the glamorous world of the 1950s. It's been my favorite era for a long, long time. My grandmother could never remember much of it, however. She was always telling me to stop asking.

"Arrêtez avec vos questions. Il y a Internet pour l'amour de Dieu."

"Okay, Grandmama. I will."

Monroe's voice got softer as she drank in the bathroom with the boys and I found my eyes starting to close when she was singing at the hotel. Such a pretty song. 

So wonderful.

___

The game room was significantly darker when I opened my eyes. The only light was emanating from the bar a yard or two away, near which was a dark figure with a bottle in it's hand. The figure poured the contents of the bottle into a glass before taking a long drink. 

I pushed myself further back into the couch in an attempt to hide from the figure. The light was neon blue and wasn't nearly enough to show who was at the bar, the only thing I could make out was a crinkled white shirt.

Slowly, my hand grasped for something to use to protect myself in case the visitor wasn't very friendly. What if it was a vampire? Or another hybrid? Didn't someone say that rouges are bad, too?

The only thing I could actually find was a glass bowl on the table. Holding it high, I took small steps towards the figure who picked up the glass again and refilled it before downing the contents.

"Put that down before you hurt yourself, Lucille."