Chapter Four - Part Two

"In case you didn't know, my dad is a member of the Leadership too, and he happened to find out some pretty interesting news recently. Now supposedly, your grandfather is making you a Pack Leader - and you don't even have to be voted in. Is that true?"

"Yes, ok?" I replied, with a scowl. "And for your information, I don't have to be 'voted in' because the Eldership is my birthright. Besides, why do you care?"

"You know damn well why I care, Naomi. So, you accepted, right?"

My eyes darted back to the head of the bar, where Lucas stood, still rooted firmly to the same spot. And though he made no attempts to mask his curiosity, I knew that even with the wolf's keen hearing, Lucas couldn't hear our conversation from above the din of the music and the crowd."

"The Elder is going to announce it tomorrow." I said coldly. "At the gathering."

"Well, did the Elder tell you that you could have a Champion?"

"A Champion?" I repeated skeptically. "What's that?"

"A Champion is an Elder's - or a potential Elder's - second in command, Naomi. "They would protect you, and advise you. And should anything happen to you - god forbid - they would take your place on the Leadership."

Ethan's words were coated in honey and sugar, and his sincerity urged me to trust him.

"Right, which means that I would be putting you in the perfect opportunity to have a shot at the Eldership one day, right? Wow, I guess you've never heard of doing something just for the sake of being nice, have you?"

"Oh, I could be nice to you all night long, Naomi." Ethan replied coolly, continuing to lean against the wall as he observed my rising discomfort. "But I'm offering this to you, because I know it could be a good thing for us both."

With my curiosity effectively piqued, I took a single, cautious step forward.

"Go on."

"My family has a lot of pull in this town." he said in a low voice. "And you can make that capitalize on that just by appointing yourself a reputable Champion."

"I could ask Addy." I said obstinately, and feeling furious when this only caused Ethan to chuckle.

"Don't be naïve." he said with a grin, although his tone was quite serious. "The Leadership won't be impressed with Adelle, you'll only annoy them. C'mon, think about it - I'm your pick."

I surveyed him with a deep, burning mistrust, but I was relenting nonetheless. Because what he promised could actually prove beneficial, providing I worked the circumstance to my advantage.

"Ok, fine. Ethan, you can be my Champion." I said, in miserable defeat.

Immediately, I was swept into Ethan's tight embrace. In his triumph, he twirled me on the spot, and I gave a sharp, unfamiliar squeal of laughter. He set me down, dizzy, and I leaned against the wall until the world was back in focus. And when it had, Adelle was sudden there again. She was standing before me, tucked beneath the arm of a cute boy in a letterman jacket with bedroom eyes for Adelle.

"My adorable new friend here has found us a house party." Addy said to me, ignoring Ethan. "Free drinks. You in?"

Briefly I looked to Ethan, and he flashed me an extremely sexy half-smile.

"Um, yup." I said, feeling warm again.

"Then let's go." she replied, and she and her date headed for the bar's exit.

"You can ride with me." Ethan said, throwing his arm over my shoulder too. But as he steered me to the exit, I couldn't help but throw one last look behind me to Lucas. He looked back at me with that same, puzzling frown, looking for all the world as if he needed to say more... but he didn't.

So I left.

* * *

I sat next to Ethan, in the dark proximity of his spotless Mustang, as we followed behind the lights of Adelle's vehicle. I waited, but he didn't speak for the first mile, clearly leaving it up to me to open the conversation.

"You know, making you my Champion is about as much trust as I've shown anyone in a really long time." I said, without looking at him, because I knew that he was already staring at me. "And I really don't want to regret that..."

"Then don't." he said, and though I looked at him sharply, I didn't see any of the scorn that I had expected to be present.

"To be honest, I don't wanna regret this either. And I want you to know..." he faltered for a moment and looked away, hiding whatever it was that he didn't want me to see. "From here on out, Naomi, whatever I do is only to benefit us both. I promise, no matter what, I will always have you in mind."

"Thank you." I said softly, feeling a hundred different ways, but admitting none of them.

* * *

Our destination was a loud party on a quiet street on the outskirts of Harbor. Most of the dark, suburban houses here had empty windows and dark stoops. But the lights were blazing at this particular house, and dark figures moved continuously beyond the light curtains of the windows. And since the street in front of the house was crowded with other vehicles, Addy brazenly drove her car over the sidewalk and parked square in the middle of the lawn. And without missing a beat, Ethan followed suit.

Ethan parked and I got out of the car quickly, catching up to Adelle.

"Collin says they've got a game of Flip Sip Strip going." Addy said excitedly, linking arms as we crossed the lawn together. "And supposedly, one of the rooms upstairs is filled with foam."

"Mmm." I said, feigning interest as Collin and Ethan walked us dutifully to the porch. Collin took the lead and opened the door without bothering to knock. Immediately we stepped inside, to be swallowed by a sea of young college students. Whatever song it was that had been playing ended now and we were greeted by the opening tones of Cobra Starship's song You Make Me Feel. Meanwhile, I looked around, absorbed in a sea of dancing bodies and red cups.

"Come with me?" I said to Addy, nodding towards the kitchen, where I knew the alcohol would be.

Addy nodded but Collin whispered something in her ear, leaving me to lock eyes with Ethan. And now that we were here, I knew the things that could happen, and the thought of them had me considering making a run for it. But looking in his eyes, and seeing that innocent smile, I knew wholeheartedly that Ethan wanted me to stay.

Addy tugged my hand, and with a last look at Ethan, I followed my friend to the kitchen, where the music was less audible. But this meant that we ended up in the midst of a loutish, crude conversation between a group of college jocks. They were standing in a tight ring around an island that stood in the center of the kitchen, but only one of them seemed to notice us. This one broke slightly from the group, letting his gaze follow us with that familiar primordial hunger normally associated with drunken frat guys. Rolling my eyes, I opened the small fridge and removed the closest, cold beer.

"Ok, spill." Adelle said, planting herself firmly in my path. "You almost looked happy with Casanova before we left - I saw."

"I don't know. I guess I'm just wondering why I'm doing this to myself." I said miserably, and taking a sip of my beer. "Ethan is clearly a player, and yet I still like him. Why?"

"Because you're young, dumb, and full of cum, honey." Adelle replied sympathetically, brushing a few stray wisps of hair from my face. "But, so is Ethan. And, as much as I would really love to see him skinned and then boiled alive, there's obviously some serious chemistry between you two. And maybe you should explore that. After all, if you don't do it now, he might leave you always wondering..."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right, Addy." I said, drumming a finger against the side of my can. "But I don't need a guy clouding my judgment. Feelings overcomplicate things."

"Babe, who said anything about feelings?" Adelle said, lowering her voice as she laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I was talking about good old-fashioned sex, ok. And trust me - you don't need good judgment for that. That's what makes it so easy."

Addy and I exchanged grins, and I felt a little better for it. After all, what was it that I was really saving myself for, a knight in shining armor? Because those didn't exist anymore. But Ethan - he was here, and he was real. And that was enough for me.

"I told Collin I'd bring him a beer too." Adelle said, opening the fridge as well. "You good?"

"Yeah," I said. "Go ahead. I'll catch up."

"And what about Roger Rohypnol back there?" Adelle said.

Over her shoulder, I locked eyes with the frat guy who'd watched us the entire time as his friends clowned around him. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, opening them again to give Addy a grin.

He was human.

"Don't worry. I can handle him."

So I stayed behind to drain the rest of my beer, and build up a little liquid courage for handling Ethan. Crushing the can, I tossed it into the overflowing trash, and was about to make my way from the kitchen when the frat finally decided to make his move.

He stood several heads taller than me, and happened to be the biggest of his friends. His small eyes were red and glassy, and set above a nose that looked as if it had been broken once or twice. Alcohol had turned his pale complexion ruddy, and he smelled heavily of sweat and cologne. He leered down at me, with only foul intentions - the bravest of his pals, but also the dumbest too.

"So I was talking to my friends over there." he said, slurring slightly. "And, see, I think that you are definitely hot enough to be one of the Kappa chicks, but my buddies think you look like too much of a bitch to actually put out like one. So, what do you say we find a room and you help me prove them wrong?"