As I suspected, as soon as Dad leaves to pick up his suit for the party, Ramsay knocks on my door and enters before I invite him in. It's not surprising to me, since I do the same to him all the time. He sits on my bed and grabs my book from my hands, closing it and throwing it aside.

"Hope you remember your page number," he says, tossing me a card. "Do you know where we're going tonight?"

I look at the card and smirk when I realize it's a fake ID. Both Ramsay and I look like we're in our twenties so it should be easy to get in without question. We used to have fakes but Dad confiscated them when we were both seventeen and got into a liquor store.

Since the two of us are supernaturals, it's really hard for us to get drunk unless we use hard liquor and a lot of it. At best, we can get a bit of a buzz from normal alcohol, but even that takes a bit of effort.

"Where are we going?" I ask, putting my book in its spot on my nightstand.

"Vampieress' Dungeon," he cheers.

My heart beats a bit faster. Vampieress' Dungeon is a club that is frequented by supernaturals. The owner is a huge advocate for peace between vampires and werewolves. Her club is open to everyone, but thankfully humans don't usually come around because it makes all of the supernaturals fidget because of the scent and vampires have to rush to put in colored contacts so their red eyes don't give them away.

Even though the club is dark, there's always a risk.

Most humans may not have confirmation we exist, but their sixth sense tells them to stay away from the club. Some of the people Dad works with frequent the club and Joseph has told us it's a fun place to meet people, though he doesn't go often. When we had our original fake IDs, Ramsay and I never went because they were confiscated by Dad barely a week into having them.

Tonight, however, we have one goal and it's to get into that club. We still have a few years before we turn twenty one, but I'm turning eighteen and I want to have fun. Besides, they're almost guaranteed to have supernatural liquor so we'll actually feel something.

"Dad better not catch us," I say, looking at the ID. "If he does, we'll be on lockdown until we're into triple digits."

Ramsay scoffs. "Please, we'll be fine!" he says, but of course he's being overly optimistic and I don't really believe him all that much.

The prospect of a fun night out at a club is exciting, though, and I know Dad is only tough because he cares. So, if we get home safe, there's really no concern since he'll never know. No one will recognize us because we don't frequent the place and it's not like we're going for a meeting.

When Dad returns with his suit, Ramsay and I try to act as naturally as possible. As in, arguing over stupid shit, fighting over who's cheating in Mario Kart, and making Dad eventually banish us to sit out on the porch because we're irritating him.

"I'm hungry," I whine as we sit on the porch swing.

Ramsay tries the front door again but it's still locked. "Well, go hunting then. I'm sure your wolfy instincts will kick in."

"Go fuck yourself," I growl, feeling my eyes ache a bit as they flash the gold of my wolf form. "I can't only eat every few days."

"How unfortunate for you."

I scowl, laying across the porch swing so Ramsay can't sit down. Of course, he doesn't let it faze him and he sits down on the ground right beside me, leaning his head against the swing.

"Is it bad that I kind of want to be a werewolf's mate?"

"Since you're asking a werewolf, I think it's wrong if I say yes. Why, though?"

Ramsay shrugs. "I mean, you know who your mate is once you turn eighteen, right? Like if you're around them you can sense it and, like, that way at least I'd know who was meant for me."

"You know about as much as I do about werewolves, Ramsay. I know stories Dad has told me about the moon goddess and being rejected and that stuff, but I don't know too much. Why wouldn't you want to get with a vampire, though? It'd be easier on you and your reputation."

Dad is well known within the vampire community and he is greatly admired by a decent amount of them. My siblings are known as well and they all have growing reputations. It's more Raina and Joseph who are known because they're older, but Ramsay is invited to the fancy dinner parties that Dad attends. He rarely attends because I'm almost never invited.

The group of vampires who don't like Dad is really due to my existence. They can't fathom a respected vampire taking in a werewolf pup unless there's some benefit to it, which there wasn't for my Dad. I was abandoned and he kept me safe.

"I don't care about reputation. You don't."

"I don't really have much of a chance to build a reputation within this community."

Ramsay frowns. "Some people like you. Besides, if I was with a werewolf, then you'd have a built-in friend!"

I like his enthusiasm, but I don't know how that would work out for either of us. Most werewolves who aren't mated to other wolves end up rejecting their mate for the favor of their pack. If Ramsay is somehow the mate of a werewolf, I hope they don't reject Ramsay.

Even if he wouldn't feel the rejection pain as much because he isn't a werewolf, Ramsay feels things really deeply. Plus, I'd probably lose it a bit and chase down the werewolf who rejected him and I know I'd be grounded for it.

"You two can come in now," Dad says, opening the door. "Keep it down, though. You're both old enough to know better."

Dad always looks strict and tense but I know he cares about us. Well, it's implied he cares about my siblings, but he even cares for me as his own son even though I did nothing to earn his favor. He's nearly six hundred years old but he acts much older and that has won him respect in the vampire community.

As soon as I'm inside, I rush to the fridge and take out a Tupperware container of leftover pork and mashed potatoes. I ignore the label on top that says "Joseph" even though I know he'll probably scold me for it later. I heat up the meal and eat it so quickly that it burns my stomach.

"Ew," Ramsay says, pouring himself a glass of lemonade before lowering his voice to imitate Dad. "Composure, Lennox."

I roll my eyes but slow down and stop acting like this is my last meal. I'd be pretty disappointed if my last meal was leftover pork and potatoes. Once I finish, I wash my dish and steal a drink of Ramsay's lemonade, which makes him pout but he doesn't get too broken up about it.

We decide to hang out in my room; I'm reading an informational book on the seventeenth century laws that were laid for vampires in Europe in order to regulate human slavery while still staying hidden from human society. Ramsay is on his phone, looking at Twitter and complaining about the discontinuation of his favorite Pop Tart flavor.

"Boys?" Dad asks, knocking on the door. "I'm leaving and I'm not going to be back until tomorrow. There's frozen pizza, drinks, blood, and red meat. Don't do anything stupid."

Ramsay and I make eye contact.

"We won't, Dad," he says, sounding irritated. "You have no faith in us."

"You two like to get into trouble," he deadpans.

As if we needed a reminder. Regardless, we assure him we'll stay safe (I make sure not to promise we'll stay home because I don't like to blatantly lie). After a quick hug and wishing him luck, Dad leaves the house. Once he does, Ramsay rushes to my closet and pulls out a black plastic bag.

"What's that?" I ask, because I don't recognize the black plastic bag that was apparently living in my closet.

"Your closet is the best hiding place. Dad always checks mine when I'm acting suspicious, but you're smooth so he doesn't question you. I got us clothes for tonight!"

I open the bag and take out two pairs of tight black pants and tight fitting shirts. Humans find it weird when guys wear this kind of stuff, and I think werewolves feel the same as well. Shifters are a bit different, as it depends on their species.

However, vampires always try to make themselves look gorgeous regardless of sex. It's a species thing that I follow along with because I was raised with them and I don't think it takes away from me being a strong Alpha to wear tight clothes.

Ramsay is leaner than me, so it suits him better. He's the same height as me, but he's thin and has the same curly dark hair and mocha skin as Dad, Raina, and Joseph. His eyes are a dark maroon color as opposed to a brighter red which gives him a mysterious aura, but he's honestly an open book, filled with humor and energy.

It's obvious I'm not related to them. My eyes aren't red, for one. They’re a dark blue color, like a stormy ocean and my skin is tan and not as dark as theirs. I also am much more built than my siblings due to my werewolf genealogy. I look more like a distant cousin than a sibling.

"We'll leave at eleven thirty so we can actually celebrate your birthday there," Ramsay tells me after he hands me my outfit and takes his. "So you should take a nap."

Yeah, I'm definitely jealous that he doesn't have to sleep. I lay down and it feels like my head barely hits the pillow when Ramsay wakes me up. He's super excited, which I expected, and he immediately sits me down and starts makeup.

I don't wear makeup that much, but a little highlighter never hurts. Especially since Ramsay is a professional when it comes to this; even Raina asks him to do her makeup sometimes or she asks for tips because he's technical and is able to always help with a good look.

"Alright, you look great!" Ramsay says once I'm dressed. "We both look good. They'll let us in, no problem!"

"That was a concern?" I ask, grabbing my fake and sliding it into my pocket.

Ramsay shrugs. "Not really because we're both naturally good looking and we have fakes, so we'd be fine, but now we look like we really fit in." He runs his fingers through my messy hair to fluff it up. "There! You're going to turn a lot of heads."

"Isn't the point of this to have fun but also keep a low profile?" I ask.

Ramsay leads me to the car that we share and slides in the front seat. "All of Dad's fancy friends are going to those dinner parties. We'll be fine. This is partially for your birthday, so the goal is to have a good time." He starts the car and hooks his phone up to the speaker and starts humming to the music.

The drive is only twenty minutes to the club and we park on the street. The city of Portland is a big one but it's not as busy with humans as it was fifty years ago. When vampires were killing people in the streets, rumors circulated and a lot of people left the city. This led to a lot of supernaturals moving in but it also led to a lot of unrest in the vampire community because even though they're supernaturals, they shouldn't be killing humans in the streets.

We both keep our composure as we stand outside of the club in the line. If we look too overexcited or nervous we'll be caught and that would be way too embarrassing to put up with. I do feel a bit nervous because I can smell the mix of supernaturals around us much more strongly than Ramsay can.

"IDs," the bouncer says gruffly. This guy could definitely snap us in half; he's a werewolf from his scent and an Alpha at that.

I try not to tense up and hand over my ID as Ramsay does the exact same. The guy looks suspicious, looking between the two of us before handing them back and letting us inside.

We leave our coats at the front before we head into the club. It's already packed and full of life and the amount of powerful scents hits me all at once. Usually I stay away from the city so being in a big group of people is a lot for me.

Ramsay pats my shoulder and guides me to the bar. He orders us each some pink colored drink that is really strong and almost makes me cough when I take my first drink. I finish it way too quickly and order another, earning a concerned look from Ramsay.

"You okay?" he asks, his voice raised so I can hear him over the music.

I nod. "I'm fine!"

We take our drinks upstairs and lean over the edge, watching the main dance floor and all of the bodies writhing together. There are couches upstairs that escape the music where groups are hanging out and drinking, but the primary focus is dancing and rubbing against other people.

"Wanna go down there?" Ramsay asks, finishing off his drink.

I nod. "Yeah, sounds good."

I finish my drink and as I turn around, I feel a strong scent hit my nose. My mind goes a bit fuzzy and I realize that I'm recognizing the scent of my mate. Before I can control myself, I rush toward the scent, trying to determine who it's coming from when I slam chest to chest into a vampire, drenching us both with his drink.

He snarls at me, his fangs popping out. "Watch where you're fucking going!" he snaps. He smells like liquor and I can tell he's not sober enough to make good decisions.

His comment pisses me off, though, and I stand up, growling at him.

"Why don't you watch it?" I ask, grimacing when I realize I smell like liquor now. "You fucked up my shirt."

The idiot winds his arm back, clearly ready to start a fight, when someone grabs his elbow.

"Get out of here," the newcomer says, and I'm surprised when the drunk asshole leaves immediately.

Ramsay appears behind me, grabbing my shoulder. "Dude, what the fuck? You disappeared on me!" he exclaims, looking between myself and the other guy. "What's going on?"

I breathlessly look up at the man who stopped the other guy from beating the shit out of me. "He... he's my mate," I whisper.

Ramsay's grip tightens on my shoulder from shock.