Chapter 35

"Okay, so, what're we watching? Romcom, horror, sad sappy slow stuff?" Darcy asked, flipping through streaming options on the TV.

They were all scattered about Jo's living room, spread out on sleeping bags, cushions, pillow, and all the blankets in the house. Most of the pizza boxes were in the kitchen, but one had migrated to the living room, where it was sitting on the coffee table beside multiple red plastic cups and a couple wine glasses filled with virgin daiquiris.

"Anything but the last one," Jo said, settling further into the corner of the couch. It still smelled faintly of Ryker, just like the blanket she had wrapped around her. Pine trees and wildness and the outdoors.

"Let's watch a horror movie," Lexi said. She was on the floor, flopped backwards on a pile of pillows next to Katie.

"Maybe just a comedy," Katie suggested, "Something light-hearted and funny." Gia, curled up in the armchair, nodded in agreement.

"Pick soooomething," Darcy said, flipping through the options faster. "Or I'll pick the next thing I land on."

"Zombies," Lexi suggested.

"I really don't want to watch a scary movie, I'll never sleep," Katie said, grabbing a pillow and pulling it over her face.

They ended up settling on a zombie comedy with a group of college kids trying to stop a zombie apocalypse.

"I can't believe my brother let you out of his sight," Lexi said, smirking over at Jo during a food break. Even though it was a comedy, Katie had still jumped several times with nerves, and was currently warming up a slice of pizza to cope with her need to stress-eat, apparently. She'd also dragged Darcy with her, not wanting to be left alone in the kitchen. Gia had used the time for a bathroom break.

"Probably only because you're here," Jo said with amusement, pulling the blanket close to her nose for a moment before she realized what she was doing. Did the man have to have such an addicting smell?

"Probably," Lexi laughed, hazel eyes dancing in amusement.

"Still, part of me expects that he's just out of sight in the woods. I wouldn't put it past him."

Lexi cocked her head, listening, absently tucking a strand of curly red hair out of the way. "No, I don't think so. Maybe because he knew I would tell you if he was."

Jo nodded, chuckling in agreement, but there was a stir of unease in her stomach. She certainly didn't expect Ryker to constantly guard her, nor did she feel like she needed him to. But...he wanted to, and what worried her more was him. Was something going on with him that prevented him from being there?

"He's fine," Lexi said quietly, laying a gentle hand on her arm. She tapped her forehead with one finger, lips quirking up in a half-smirk. "Instant telepathic communication, remember?"

Oh, yeah. That. Jo was kind of jealous of that particular werewolf trait. "That must be so darn useful," she groaned. She would never have to worry, Ryker would never have to worry...

Lexi shrugged, gathering together some of the empty plates. "There's limits to it. Distance and stuff, you know." She rolled her eyes. "And it's really annoying when you wish you could pretend you can't hear your dad or older brothers."

Jo wrinkled her nose. "Oh, yeah, that'd be pretty terrible."

"I mean, it's not like we can hear each other all the time," Lexi said hurriedly, "That would be so so awkward."

Jo grinned. "Agreed." Since she was dating Lexi's brother, there were definitely certain things she didn't want Lexi overhearing. Not to mention the sheer embarrassment on her friend's behalf. "So it's something you can turn on and off?"

"It's sort of like speaking on a cellphone," she said, "You have to think about sending the message to them. They can't just pick up on your thoughts." She glanced up and cut herself off when the microwave dinged.

"Okay, I think I can make it through the rest of the movie," Katie announced as she came back into the living room, Darcy following behind her with a bag of popcorn.

"We can change it to something else if you're chicken," Lexi teased.

Katie rolled her eyes. "Haha, you're hilarious."

"I can start clucking if it makes it better."

Jo smirked as Gia started the movie again. It was nice, acting like everything was normal, as if her life wasn't one continuous rolling experience of strangeness these days. Hopefully Ryker was attempting to have a normal evening, too, though she wondered what his standard normal was. He had been able to turn into a werewolf since he was a young teenager, and he had always lived in a pack. His level of weird-normal had to be a lot different than hers.

Lulled into a sense of normalcy, Katie wasn't the only one who jumped when there was a knock at the door.

Jo glanced at Lexi who shrugged--not Ryker then. Gia paused the movie and looked at Jo. "That was your door and not the movie right?"

Considering they were in a scene where the main characters were struggling to scramble across rooftops--yeah, she didn't think the knock came from the movie.

There was a series of knocks again and Jo sighed, standing up. "Apparently it really is my door. Be right back," she said, heading to the door while the girls started talking behind her.

Swinging the door open she blinked in confusion, because there was no one standing there.

Huh. Jo snorted. Maybe Charlie's little cousin,] Ayden had been right about the Scott place being haunted. About to close the door, she paused when she realized she had completely missed looking downward. Right in front of her feet was a paper-wrapped bundle of flowers that were yellow-gold in color with red edges. She'd never seen roses with that color before.. Bending down to inspect it, she noticed a card sitting among the roses.

Had Ryker gone and gotten romantic on her?

Jo opened the card, her heart rate immediately picking up as she read it over.

Wouldn't want you to think I've forgotten about you.

Jo frowned. Seriously, Duncan? A bouquet wasn't going to scare her. She was more worried about how Ryker would react if he found out about the delivery. But as she picked the bouquet up to go dump it in the trash, a voice came from behind her.

"For real?" Jo turned to find Lexi behind her, a murderous look on her face. "I can't believe they came into our territory." Lexi shook her head, stepping past Jo onto the porch. "I'm going to find that dog..."

"Lex!" Jo grabbed at Lexi's arm with her free hand. "It's the middle of the night. C'mon, leave it alone."

Lexi shot her an incredulous look, easily tugging her arm free. "Exactly. It's the middle of the night and they just waltzed on to your porch in the middle of our territory." She snarled toward the woods as she moved down the steps. "I can still smell his trail, I bet he's not far."

Okay, apparently Lexi and Ryker were more alike than she'd realized.

"Ryker wouldn't want you to chase him alone, Lexi."

"And he wouldn't want me to let a threat remain in our woods," Lexi growled, undeterred. She glanced back. "I'll call for back-up, promise. Go inside and lock the door."

These Monroes and their obsession with locks.

"No," Jo said firmly. "Look, unless he's a murderer and no one told me, I doubt he's actually going to hurt us tonight. Most likely he either wants someone to run after him or he wants me to call Ryker. Or he just wants to be annoying." She tossed a glare out toward the edge of the forest. "And if you take off, Darcy and Katie are going to ask where you went, and I can't exactly tell them you ran off to hunt down an alpha werewolf from another pack."

Lexi grabbed the porch post. "I can't just stay here."

"He's trying to intimidate us," Jo guessed, "And if you go after him, you'd be playing his game."

"So I'm supposed to do nothing and also not tell Ryker?" She scoffed. "You think he's going to be okay with that?"

"How about we compromise?" Jo suggested, "You could text Brett and tell him what happened...And I'll tell Ryker later."

"He's going to be mad that you didn't tell him immediately."

"I know." Jo covered her face with her hands and drew her fingers down her face. One night. One chill night, it's all she wanted. "I'll tell him. Eventually. But if you tell Brett then at least someone knows, right?"

"I don't love it," Lexi huffed.

"Was anyone there?" Katie said, "What is it?"

Jo and Lexi looked at each other, arguing with their eyes. There was no way that Jo was going to let Lexi run around in the woods, not without her, and she doubted that Lexi would just let her go along. Grabbing the flowers, Jo chunked them off the edge of the porch, hoping the bushes would hide it. Maybe she'd burn it tomorrow.

Jo stepped back inside, reaching out to gently, then forcefully, draw Lexi inside with her. "It's nothing."

When they finally finished the movie, they were all pretty tired and so just ended up kind of making a nest of couch cushions and blankets on the floor. She only had one spare bed anyway, both Queen size, so she wasn't sure the five of them would fit into the beds she had.

As she and Lexi double checked the locks one last time, Jo glanced at Lexi. "All good?"

"Brett's doubling up the patrols on this side for now." Lexi rolled her eyes. 'Even though me being here is practically double patrol already."

Jo looped an arm through Lexi's as they headed back toward the living room. "Your brother loves you."

"Or loves to torture me."

"Same thing, right?" Jo wouldn't know, not having any siblings herself, but from what she'd seen, siblings generally seemed to have a love-hate relationship.

"So they like to say." Lexi laughed, but their amusement was cut short as several howls echoed in the woods. Not close, but...

"Lexi..." Jo said worriedly.

"It's okay," Lexi reassured her after listening for a moment. Her eyes went all unfocused like Ryker's when he did that telepathic communicating thing, then she looked back at Jo. "They found the trail, but Duncan or whoever it was is long gone."

"Well, that's good at least. Think Ryker knows?"

"If he didn't, he does now."

Yeah, he was never going to stay away from her place again. But right now, it was hard to be bothered by that, because she instantly felt the tension seep out of her as soon as she realized Ryker would be keeping an eye on things.

Okay, Mr. Big Manly Wolf made her feel safe. He was her boyfriend. Sue her.

"You go ahead and sleep," Jo said, smiling as she pushed Lexi gently toward the living room. "I might as well wait up a bit, since he'll probably stop by to check up on me." Especially once they realized that trail came right here. Or once Brett told him.

----------

A/N: Thanks for the reads, likes, and comments! This story will update next Sunday! ^_^