One Day (de Luna Wolves Book 1) Page 2

  “Just sit anywhere,” Mr. de Luna, uh, I mean Marvin, calls from the kitchen. I look at the enormous table in shock, but eventually take a seat in the middle figuring it’s a safe enough spot. While the patriarch of this family doesn’t strike me as the overly strict one from my upbringing, I’d rather not push my luck. My father made it very clear that only the man of the house is allowed to sit at the head of the table no matter the meal or the circumstance.

  My hands stay folded in my lap, determined to wait until everyone’s at the table. Mom notices and gives me a small nod, letting me know it’s okay to go ahead and start eating. I glance at the other side of the table and notice Victoria is also waiting until everyone else sits down before eating. Robbie and David, however, are eating as they make their way to the table.

  I give Robbie a small scowl when he sits next to Angela. He’s only two years younger than my twenty-one but has been showing my fourteen-year-old sister far too much attention today. I have to hide my smirk when she makes a face at him before she gets up and moves to sit on the other side of Vic. Angel is the most… blunt of us all and will have no problem kicking that young man straight in the family jewels if he even tries to get out of line. I’m probably just worrying over nothing due to the skeeze-ball I just left. It’s seriously a tossup between him and my father as who represents the worst men have to offer.

  “Is this seat taken?”

  I choke on a chip at the voice next to me but look up at Pierce and nod before gulping down my canned soda. Sadly, the carbonation only makes my coughing worse.

  “Come with me,” he says gently, taking my elbow. He leads me to the kitchen and pulls a glass out of the cabinet, filling it with water before handing it over. “Slowly,” he says as I start to chug the water.

  I clear my throat and take a small sip of water. “Thanks,” I murmur once I’ve finally quit choking on my food and my embarrassment.

  “My name’s Pierce,” he says, holding out his hand.

  I pass him the glass while replying, “Tonya.”

  He glances at the glass in amusement making me realize he was trying to shake my hand. I am the utmost in dorkus.

  “Do you have a boyfriend?”

  While my head jerks in shock, I’m saved from embarrassing myself further by the youngest of the de Luna clan running through the kitchen and up the stairs. “This isn’t good,” she cries on her way.

  Pierce’s crooked smile reflects the irony. “I’ll be right back.” He turns and freezes at the sight of the dog at the foot of the stairs. I scowl at the shaggy yellow and gray dog, trying to determine if it’s a Husky or a Labrador or what. The poor dear’s pitiful whining makes me realize breed doesn’t matter.

  “Hey there, sweetheart. Are you wigging out because you’re not used to wearing people clothes?” I croon quietly, while wondering when the kids had time to play dress up with the de Luna’s pet. At least I assume this is their dog since it’s in their house.

  “Tonya.” Pierce’s quiet voice carries a warning, but in a rare show of spine, I ignore it. Animals are my soft spot and this one is scared shitless. I can’t leave this poor creature, not when I might be able to help.

  I slowly approach the young animal. “You’re just scared. You won’t hurt me, will you?” I say gently before dropping to my knees a few feet away from the pup.

  “Use those senses Mother Nature gave you, pretty baby. You’ll see that I mean you no harm,” I say softly while the poor dear continues to whine in fear.

  I sense Pierce taking a seat on the floor just past my right shoulder. “She’s right, sweet pea. She won’t hurt you.”

  The pup dashes the short distance and buries her head in my neck. “I got you, little homie,” I comfort while stroking the fur on her head. “What scared you, little one? Should we send the big and scary Pierce to diss it?” I scowl when it sounds like the dog is laughing, but its body is relaxing against me. I mentally shrug and figure I should just roll with it. “Are you laughing because I called him scary? Should I call him a teddy bear?”

  I glance over my shoulder at the man in question who’s sitting there, smirking in amusement. I mouth ‘sorry’ for talking about him when we don’t even know each other, but he shakes his head. While a part of me feels ridiculous talking to the dog like it’s a child, it seems to be working and Pierce hasn’t said that I should stop. The puppy yelps and jumps out of my arms. I blink in shock. One second there’s a scared dog and the next, there’s a girl. The youngest of the de Luna clan to be exact.

  “Righteous,” Robbie laughs as he comes into the kitchen and loads yet more pizza onto his plate.

  I look from Pierce to Robbie, wondering why they aren’t freaked out that their little sister was a dog mere moments ago.

  “Am I in trouble?” the little girl asks, her lip trembling as she looks from me to Pierce. It’s her nearly falling apart that keeps me from losing my cool. What little there is, anyway. I’ll just freak in silence.

  Pierce smiles softly and holds his hand out to his sister, pulling her into a comforting hug. Looking up at Robbie, he says, “Go get Mom and Dad, please.” He strokes the back of his little sister’s sandy-blonde head and murmurs, “It’s okay, Christine. We’ll figure it out.”

  I stand up when the heads of the de Luna household come into the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry, Mommy,” Christine sobs, wrapping her arms around her mother’s waist. “I was feeling funny and then I changed. I tried to come find you, but the nice neighbor lady was here. She made me feel better and then I was me again.”

  Joan smiles kindly at me. “A wolf’s first shift is often scary. I’m glad Tonya was able to help you through yours.” She looks down at her little girl, “We’ll work on helping you control your shifts later tonight. Do you feel like you’re going to shift again?” Christine shakes her head. “If you do, it’s okay to run home without saying anything to anyone. Just remember the rules. We’re allowed to be friends with anyone who’s nice, but we can’t tell them the truth.”

  Christine looks over her shoulder at me before looking back at her mom. “I know, Mommy. I won’t tell anyone else on purpose. I promise.”

  “Don’t worry, they don’t bite,” Marvin grins, no doubt in response to my wigged-out face at the conversation Joan is having with her little girl.

  “Don’t tell those loser movers that,” I smart off without thinking. I slap my hand over my mouth as soon as my words sink in. “I’m so sorry,” I mumble from behind my fingers.

  Joan throws her head back as she laughs. She pats my arm before turning to her husband. “Come, Marvin.”

  “Come? Really, Joan? I’m not the family dog,” he retorts before whispering something in her ear, making her swat his arm.

  Shaking her head, she continues, “Let’s round up the children and finish unloading the neighbor’s belongings before the…” she pauses to wink at me, “loser movers come back at five. We’ll leave Pierce here with Tonya to answer the questions she no doubt has. Oh, I made the kids leave your plate alone, so it’s still on the table for whenever you’re ready.”

  “Thank you,” I reply absently, having completely forgotten about my food.

  Chapter 3

  Pierce

  I hide my smile when Mom mentions Tonya’s food. The woman obviously forgot all about her food in the excitement surrounding Christine’s first shift.

  “Do you want to eat, or would you rather stay here?” I ask softly when the woman continues to stand in a daze.

  She doesn’t say anything, but robotically heads back to the dining room and sits in front of her plate. She makes a face when she takes a drink of her RC Cola.

  “Flat?” When she nods, I trade drinks with hers.

  “Thanks,” she murmurs, taking a sip. She sets the can down and takes a deep breath. “So, I’m guessing I have to be turned so you can be sure I’ll keep your secret?” Her voice is quiet, and she refuses to look at me.

  I laugh. “Humans can’t be turned.
That’s Hollywood bullshit. Dad’s human. Always has been and always will be.”

  That gets her to look at me in shock. “So, I won’t have to rearrange my life around the full moon. That’s good,” she says with a sigh of relief. Before I can tell her the moon has nothing to do with our shifting abilities, she continues on. “Your mom’s the… uh, what do you call yourselves?”

  “We just call ourselves wolves.”

  “Can I really ask anything I want?

  I smile and prop my arm on the table, determined to make my mate feel at ease. “Ask me anything your heart desires.”

  “How old are you?”

  I jerk in surprise but answer, “I’m twenty-five.”

  “So, not much older than me. I’m twenty-one. Do you shift at a full moon, like in the movies?”

  I roll my eyes. “There hasn’t been a movie yet that accurately depicts us. You saw Christine. It’s the middle of the day and she wasn’t a snarling, mindless monster, hellbent on chaos and destruction.”

  “So, how do you become… a wolf?” she asks, taking a bite of her pizza.

  “It’s genetic. If both parents are wolves, the kid has a higher chance of being a wolf also, but even then it’s not a guarantee.”

  She nods. “So, are you and all your siblings wolves then?”

  I shake my head. “No. Up until Christine shifted, it was an even mix of four wolves and four humans. Now we’re ahead, five to three.”

  She scowls. “There’s eight of you? I thought there were only six.”

  “There’s me. Then Em and Becca who are the first set of twins. They’re in college. I believe you’ve been dealing with my hell on wheels brothers, otherwise known as Robbie and David. Michael and Jenny haven’t quite hit their teenage drama yet, but it won’t be long. And then Christine, who’s the baby of the family.”

  “So, you don’t change when you hit your teenage years, like in Teen Wolf?”

  I shake my head. “Mother nature was kind to us. We shift a few years before puberty. Can you imagine having to deal with learning to be a wolf combined with the hormones of puberty?”

  “Ugh!” Tonya laughs. “So, who’s a wolf and who’s human? Wait, is that how you say it?”

  I smirk even as I’m amazed at how quickly her mind works. “Yes, that’s how we say it. How about you guess, and I’ll say if you’re right or not.”

  She grins and turns in her seat so she’s facing me. “Well, Christine is obviously a wolf.”

  I grin and nod.

  She squints at me. “You keep saying ‘we’ when talking about wolves, so I’m going to say you are also.”

  I nod again, all the while curious how she’s going to make her decision.

  “Robbie and David seem incredibly strong, but that could just be because I have sisters and have no idea how strong teenage boys can be.” She twirls her brunette ponytail around her finger. “No, I’m going to say they are wolves because they heard their names being called from the other room and Joan didn’t have to raise her voice. Wait, are super senses part of the deal?”

  “While hearing and smell are typically the most enhanced, it’s rare to see a wolf in glasses.”

  Tonya giggles. “And with those few lines, Red Riding Hood makes so much more sense. Can I see your wolf?”

  While I would love nothing more than to strip and let my wolf out to play, I don’t think she’s quite ready for that. Especially since shifting makes me horny as hell. Her cheeks turn bright red when I raise an eyebrow. “Smooth move, ex-lax,” she mumbles under her breath. To me she says, “That was wrong. My bad.”

  I shake my head. “It’s just odd to find someone who’s so quick to accept who we are.”

  “Dude! I have just spent the morning with hella bodacious people who dropped everything to keep my mom from being screwed over by a waistoid and his cronies. I’ve recently learned that you need to take the time to learn what’s at the heart of a person before deciding they’re good or bad. Your entire family is proving themselves to be… I can’t even think of the words to say how amazing everyone’s been to us.” She’s about to take another bite of pizza but puts her slice back on her plate. “Why did you ask if I had a boyfriend earlier?”

  “Depending on your answer, my next question was going to be if I could kiss you.” I deliberately keep my voice nonchalant to see what her reaction is going to be.

  Her hand freezes on its way to her pizza. “You want to kiss me? Why? You just met me. Plus, I’m a total dweeb.”

  I dance my fingers over her ponytail. “Whoever told you that, obviously doesn’t know you.”

  Tonya’s looking at my lips when David comes in. “Dad says quit vegging and come help.”

  “I’ll motor in two,” Tonya replies before taking a quick bite of her food.

  “Not you, goofwad. Talking to my dorkus brother. You gonna finish that?” David asks, nodding towards Tonya’s second slice of pizza.

  “Damnit, David,” I scold while Tonya slides her plate forward. These two have apparently already formed a strong friendship. I start to growl in jealousy at my teenage brother. How dare he be so familiar with my mate!

  David, pretending to be not the least bit intimidated, snags the slice while grinning. “Sorry, bro. Her rockin ’tude trumps your scowling mug.” He stuffs half the slice in his gaping maw as he walks towards the door.

  I shake my head. “He’ll have the slice inhaled before he even makes it out the door.” Daring to kiss Tonya’s temple, I tell her, “Take your time.” Without giving her a chance to respond, I head next door.

  “Where do you need me?” I ask as Robbie and David exit the moving truck with a dresser.

  Robbie nods towards Beverly. “It’s her crib, so she’s in charge. Currently, she’s been having us take everything inside and put it in the right room. After everything’s in the house, we’ll put it where she wants it.”

  I look down when a small hand tugs mine. Just like when I served them all pizza, I’m amazed at how each one looks like the other. I smile, imagining this is exactly what Tonya looked like at this age. “Hello,” I greet the youngest of the neighbor children.

  “We didn't get to talk when you gave me the pizza. Thanks for getting cheese. Are you Christine’s brother?” she asks.

  I hold out my hand. “My name is Pierce. You are?”

  “Gabriella,” she says, returning my handshake. “All our names end in A because Dad’s does too, but only Tonya goes by her full name. Victoria is Vic and Angelica is Angel. I’m Gabby. Mom says it’s because I’m gabby. I’m ten, just like Christine. We’ve already decided we’re going to be friends since we live next door to each other and will be going to the same school.”

  I laugh as the description appears to be quite spot on. “Do I get to call you Gabby since I’m Christine’s brother, or do I have to call you Gabriella?”

  The little brunette girl wrinkles her nose. “Only Mom calls me Gabriella and that’s only when I’m in trouble. I guess I should say everyone calls me Gabby, huh?”

  I have to laugh at the gregarious little girl. “Miss Gabby, I have a good feeling you’re going to be good for Christine.”

  “Actually, we were hoping Christine’s calmness would rub off on Gabby,” Tonya chimes in, coming over, giving Gabby a wink. Gabby sticks her tongue out at her big sister which Tonya returns with a laugh.

  Before I can say anything, Gabby pipes up. “Do you like cats? We have a fat orange one because Angel is scared of dogs.”

  “Why is Angel scared of dogs?” Robbie asks, coming out of the house.

  “She got chased by one and was in a tree for a super long time because Dad didn’t…”

  “That’s enough, Gabriella. If Angelica wants the story told, she’ll tell it.” Beverly’s scowl has the girl clamping her mouth shut. Turning to me, she asks, “Do you want furniture or box duty?”

  I shrug. “I’ll do whatever you need.”

  “Boxes are labeled with which room they belong in. Master is d
ownstairs, just off the kitchen. All other bedrooms are upstairs. The girls have their names on the doors. Oh, and don’t open the bathroom door in the master. The cat is in there and I don't want him running off.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I answer before climbing into the back of the moving truck.

  “If you don’t mind handing off the lighter boxes, we’d sure appreciate it,” Tonya says as she follows me into the darkened interior.

  Rather than answer her, I call out, “Hey, Dad!”

  “Yeah, son?” he answers from one of the upper bedroom windows.

  “You still have that moving dolly in the garage?”

  Dad smacks his forehead. “I can’t believe I forgot about that monstrosity.”

  “Hey, now! That monstrosity won me first prize at the science fair,” I laugh as he ducks back into the house.

  Tonya’s eyebrows wrinkle in confusion.

  “It was one of my engineering courses at college. We called it a science fair because we had to improve an existing device. I had worked at a moving company the summer before and hated the moving dolly they made us use, so I created a new one,” I explain as Dad comes in with a bright orange dolly with extra wheels.

  I laugh at Tonya’s scowl. “Trust me. Those crazy looking wheels make it where even Gabby can haul the heaviest of boxes up the stairs.

  “I’m going to stick with using these guns,” Michael says as he flexes, only to be punched by his twin sister for his trouble. “What the what?” he cries, rubbing his arm.

  Jenny shrugs and grabs a box. “Big sisters pick on little brothers. It’s the law of the world.”

  “Six minutes does not make you my big sister,” he complains as he grabs a box and scrambles after her.

  Tonya laughs and shakes her head. “Your mom says they’ve bickered like that since they were in the womb.”

  “Yeah, Mom was sick her entire pregnancy with those two,” I chuckle as I start loading the dolly with boxes destined for the kitchen.