they were waiting to try to kill the vampire instead of removing the mark.
“Yes, sir,” Joseph said with a smile. Gary, Mason, and Nick were standing by with their arms folded over their chests giving him the evil eye. The Alphas were standing behind Dad, and I realized that many of the other pack boys were inside as well.
“Bye, everyone,” I called as I opened the door and ushered Joseph out. Once we got into his small Honda I said, “I’m really sorry about all of them. They aren’t used to me dating yet.”
He laughed. “I could tell.”
“Do you have any siblings?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. I’m an only child.”
“Must be nice,” I muttered.
He shrugged. “So, how did you end up with Thornton and his adopted kids?”
“He was friends with my parents. They were murdered when I was in elementary school, and Thornton adopted me, raising me with the others he’s adopted.”
“So, he just finds random kids and adopts them?” Joseph asked.
I shook my head. “No, most of the guys were brought to him because they all share a similar trait. I was just lucky enough to know him.”
“Do you like it there?”
“Yeah. The guys are great. We’re all great friends. I mean, it’s like I’ve been growing up in a fraternity or an apartment complex really. Only one of the guys really treats me like his sister, the rest just treat me like I’ve always been their friend.”
Joseph thought about this a moment and asked, “Are you dating any of them?”
This was not what I wanted to talk about. “Um, I went on a date with one, but I don’t think it will work out. I do have a date with one of the other guys, but I don’t know how that will go.”
“Since you’ve known him forever.”
“Yeah,” I whispered.
He parked in the visitor area of the lot and then grabbed a basket from the back seat. “You ready?”
I stretched my legs and smiled. “Yes! I love this state park. Though I have never had a picnic here before.”
We headed down one of the trails, and I saw a flash of gray fur to my right. Dad was here.
We hiked in silence, enjoying the smells and sights of nature. I ran my hands along one of the trees and noticed Joseph doing the same.
“I wish I could speak to the trees,” I whispered. “I would love to hear the stories they have.”
Joseph smiled. “I’d think a lot of it would be boring.”
I laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t ask them for their life story, just stories that are interesting.” The path started climbing upwards, forcing me to dig in as we walked. I loved the strain and turned to Joseph. “Race you to the top?”
He smiled, and we both started running up the slope. He reached the top first, and I laughed happily as I looked out at the waterfall just over the edge of the mountain.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked softly from beside me.
“Yes, it is.”
“Want to go for a swim?” he asked.
“What?” I frowned. It was warming up, but I doubted we were supposed to go swimming.
“Come on,” he said with a smile as he took my hand and led me down a smaller path that looked like a trail used by animals more than humans. “I know the perfect spot.”
I followed along behind him, feeling slightly uneasy as he led me farther and farther away from the trail and up the mountain.
He showed me a small pool and smiled. “We can go swimming if you want.”
“Not this time,” I said. “I didn’t bring my bathing suit. But I’d love to take a raincheck.”
“Okay,” he said, his smile not falling at all.
We walked back to the trail, and I felt my unease disappear. I wasn’t sure why I felt uncomfortable with him. He was perfectly nice.
He led the way to a flat area, and we sat down to eat.
After a few hours of small talk, we took a walk, and then he took me home. Overall, it was a nice date and I enjoyed it, but I’d felt nervous most of the time. The sun began to set as I sat on the back lawn, staring at the forest and the pack running around. As sad as it made me to realize, I didn’t think I could be with a human. They weren’t strong, and I knew they couldn’t protect me.
So, I marked humans off my mate qualifications list.
“Come play!” Charlie called.
I smiled. “Coming!”
I ran after Charlie