(18 years 11 months)

Raven walked up the steps and glanced at the dominant standing outside the door.

He looked the pair over with a raised eyebrow. “Where are you two from?”

Jesse moved forward. “Midfield.”

“Wow.” The dark haired man smiled. “The alpha’s son is joining our little get-together. Is your fiance coming? I don’t know if he’d approve of two subs being here all alone.”

Raven noticed that the his roommate’s hands were shaking. “My brother is coming later. He had a meeting.”

The dominant nodded and stepped to the side. “Come on in.”

“Thanks.” Raven slipped by with Jesse right behind him.

Eyes followed them as the subs entered the house. The floor was vibrating from the with the beat of the music. The pair walked into the living room and Jesse pressed into his roommate’s back.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” asked Raven.

“Yeah,” Jesse breathed. “It’s kind of exhilarating, to be honest. Nauseating, but fucking exhilarating. Look.” He grabbed Raven’s wrist and walked through the crowd to a table filled with drinks. Jesse started to examine all the bottles.

Peering over his shoulder, Raven noticed that everyone was keeping their distance. “Have you drank before?”

Jesse shrugged. “My dad lets me have a small glass every once in a while.”

“I’ve never had any before.” Raven picked up a bottle and read the label. “This looks strong.”

“It has to be. We’re werewolves.” Jesse poured some in a cup and mixed in a little soda. “Here.”

The long-haired boy took it and had a small sip. “Woah.” It burned his throat. “That’s different.” He licked his lips.

With a grin, Jesse quickly drank half. “This is the good stuff.”

Raven led the way into another room which had a mixture of people talking, dancing, or making out. He turned around to see that Jesse was gone. The sub panic for a second until he spotted the boy at the bar getting another drink. Swirling around the content of his cup, Raven frowned. Alcohol didn’t taste very good. He took another sip. Maybe the taste was something he had to get used to. He wandered through the house and heard yelling coming from the kitchen. Raven glanced around the corner to see a drinking game of some sort going on. He moved closer and was bumped into as a girl flipped her hair back and forth. The sub stumbled, causing his drink to spill on the person standing nearby.

The boy cursed and lifted his arm.

Raven froze. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s fine.” His eyes grew wide when he saw the sub. “Raven?”

The boy brushed his hair behind his ear.

“It’s me, Josh.”

“Oh, hi.” Raven smiled. “I’m so sorry I spilled on you.” He motioned to the dance battle between two drunken girls going on behind him.

“Don’t worry about it. It’ll dry.” The dominant led the way to a less crowded space. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think that wonderful brother of yours would let me come to a party.”

Raven bowed his head. “He doesn’t know.”

Josh tried not to smile. “You’re putting me in a tricky spot. He’s going to be my alpha.”

“Well if you keep my company, I’m sure he’ll be more than thankful.”

“You’re not the same shy boy that was scared to wave at someone back at the academy.”

The sub scoffed. “That was Daven’s faults. He was so hyped up for no reason at all.”

A herd of people rushed by them heading for the backyard. Josh pulled the sub out of the way before he was run over and once again, Raven’s drink splashed onto the dominant’s shirt.

“Oh my god.” Raven frowned. “You’re going to be soak by the end of the night at this rate.”

Josh laughed. “It’s fine. Come on. Let’s go find somewhere a little less crowded.” He took Raven by the hand and led him through the house.

Raven spotted Jesse sitting in a chair with a drink in his hand. He looked rather relaxed even though there was plenty of upper ranks wandering around. Josh led the way to a nook in the kitchen. The pair sat down.

“Well, how have things been going?”

“Fine,” said Raven. “You?”

“School mostly. I’m ready for the summer. I’m going on a cruise with my parents and some friends.”

Raven perked up. “Oh, your parents are a gay couple, right?”

He nodded. “Yep. My dad actually comes from a pack that your dad merged with, Bloodhound.”

“So he’s traditional?”

Josh nodded. “You remind me of him. Traditional subs tend to be a bit different than the ones that were raised civil.”

“I’ve tried to explain that to Jesse but he never gets it. His uncle is even a traditional. Then again, his uncle is more in tune with his wolf side than me,” laughed Raven. “What’s your major?”

“Accounting.”

“Oh god, I’m getting a minor in accounting. Some days I regret it.”

“I like numbers, so it’s not too bad,” said Josh. “What’s your major?”

“Photography.”

“I’m not seeing how the two go together.”

Raven finished the rest of his drink. “Photography is for me and accounting is for my pack. I may not have the strength but I figured I can help run the books.”

“That’s awesome. You definitely have the brains for it. You won the scholarship to go a year abroad.”

“Yeah,” Raven sighed.

“Do you want another?” Josh motioned to the empty cup.

“Um… I guess.”

Josh took it. “Just promise me you won’t spill this one on me.”

Raven sucked in his lips. “I’ll try not to.”