Kale-

I toss my bag into the trunk with a little too much force. It’s not like there’s anything in there that’ll get broken or anything, just clothes for a few days. A few days longer than I’d like. A few days longer than what’s needed for me to be there.

Lucca sets his bag in the trunk next to mine and closes the hatch with a soft click while I’m climbing into the backseat. I shoot a short glare at the back of my dad’s head before looking out my window, at our house. The SUV pulls away down the driveway as soon as Lucca gets in the back with me and I let out a long sigh.

This is going to be a long three days from home, in a huge house full of stupid cats.

After a few hours of driving and not even halfway to where we’re going, I begin to feel my mind going numb from just how damn boring this drive is. I glance over to Lucca and he’s happily playing a game on his phone without a care in the world with a grin plastered on his face.

With another deep sigh, how many I’ve lost count of them by now; I pull my phone out of my jeans pocket and attempt to do the same. Maybe I’ll beat my Angry Birbs score before we get to the pride house.

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The drive around the edge of Glendale City takes us another two hours, just because of how large the city is. Finally the drive is near its end when we pull off the highway onto a street that slightly resembles our own, with rows of finely manicured trees and shrubs, and a few statues of felines all in different poses. It makes me gag.

Once we drive over a hill, I’m hit with just how big their mansion is. Three damn floors. Maybe twice the size of ours. Of course they have to try to make their shit look better than us.

We slow down while pulling up the driveway until we come to a stop behind some other vehicles. I can smell werewolves nearby so I want to assume the vehicles in front of us belong to them. Then someone walks up to my dad’s window. They speak quietly for a moment, a little too lowly for me to hear and when I look over to Lucca he just gives me a shrug and goes back to his game.

Dad steps out of the SUV and walks around to the back then pops the trunk. I guess we’re leaving the SUV here? So I get out too, Lucca follows suit and we get our things, then follow dad up to the building. We’re greeted by a man in a posh black suit and he…smells of cat. A growl tries to fight its way up my throat when I look at this guy. He’s only standing there, but still. Cat.

He notices but acts like he doesn’t give a shit, he just gives me a bored glance and looks back down at his clipboard. Yeah he probably doesn’t care because he knows nothing will happen here.

I try not to look at the guy at the door when we’re ushered inside. I know having to walk by him is going to piss me off, so I keep my eyes facing forward and try not to breathe.

Lucca bumps my shoulder and gives me a smirk. He looks back behind us at the guy at the door and I’m feeling instantly disgusted. He’s my best friend, my soon-to-be beta, but he’s one of those guys that’ll fuck anything with legs; and it’s even worse now that I know he doesn’t give a shit if it’s a cat or not.

Hallway after hallway, we follow behind another cat to where I assume is the room where we’ll be staying. Hopefully multiple rooms because I really don’t want to have to share one with my dad. Or Lucca. Because Moon Goddess knows Lucca will be bringing in some guy, or girl, or whatever, later on tonight; and I’d really like one decent night’s sleep before all this shit finally goes down tomorrow.

Then we’re taken to a stairwell and I’m instantly irritated because this means I have to carry my damn suitcase up the stairs, I’ll have to take stairs to get to the room, stairs to come down for dinner, stairs if I want, or need, to go outside from all the way up from the room. I hate stairs. Actually, I’m slightly scared of them.

I pause at the first step and Lucca stops with me. He grabs my bag and takes one step up, waiting for me to follow. With a deep breath I take the first step of many, and ignore the look that the cat that’s taking us to our room, gives me.

And that’s when I see him walking down the stairs towards us. That posh bastard, Makksi. He glances down the stairs as he walks towards us and his eyes narrow when they land on me. He keeps glaring at me as he walks by and I’m left with remembering the talk me and my dad had earlier this morning.

Yeah, I fucking hate you too, Makksi.