The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 58

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Asti

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Christmas Dinner was glorious and so tasty, just like it was every year. I was becoming convinced that roast dinner was possibly my all time favourite meal.

Dad had opened a bottle of Asti and I was enjoying my second glass when my Aunt Connie

arrived…but minus my cousins.

Mum looks surprised as she waltzes into the living room on her own, looking quite annoyed.

“Con, where are the girls?” Mum asks.

Aunt Connie rolls her eyes and answers with an irritated glare.

“Boyfriends. Apparently they can’t spend longer than breakfast with their mum anymore, even on

Christmas day!” she says bitterly.

“That’s such a shame, you could’ve joined us for lunch had we known! We’ve had one of Ella’s school friends join us today, too,” Dad says taking my Aunt’s coat.

Will gives Aunt Connie a moderately awkward wave from the end of the sofa.

“Oh, so no boyfriend for you then, Ella? Or do you know the importance of family,” Connie asks, clearly very irritated at her daughters. I sigh a little and do my best to avoid eye contact with Will or

mum.

“Nope…still single,” I reply, looking at my Aunt. She makes a sound of indignation and addresses

Will.

“Well YOU must be interested in such a stunning girl, surely!” she says in an almost confrontational way. Will raises his eyebrows and looks a little startled at how suddenly Connie has rounded on

him.

I want to run out the door.

I can’t believe how brazen she is being, as if making Will feel awkward is going to make her feel any better about her daughter’s spending Christmas with their boyfriends.

“I would be so lucky,” Will replies evenly, crossing his arms across his chest. I stand up;l needed to get away from this situation.

“Anyone fancy a top up?” I offer hastily, grabbing my glass and heading out to the kitchen before

anyone can even answer.

I go to the kitchen and grab the Asti out of the fridge, giving myself a generous pour.

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“Oh dear, it’s that bad is it?” says my dad from behind me with a chuckle. I roll my eyes.

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“Dad, I’m at home, I’m safe and my life has been a whirlwind of craziness for the last few months. A few glasses of Asti aren’t a problem. Besides I’m eighteen in like, ten months,” I mutter boldly, taking a gulp of my new glass. He shoots me an understanding expression and shrugs, then takes

a seat at the breakfast bar.

“Your mother and I are leaving at nine in the morning,” he says.

I pause for a moment before taking another swig.

“That’s so early. So…I’m on my own for several days before I go back to Exton?”

“Well, as you just pointed out, you’re ten months or so from eighteen anyway. Besides, you’ve been on your own before,” Dad reminds me.

“I know. I just…didn’t get attacked by rogue wolves last time I was,” I joke, drinking some more.

“Yes, well, I assume you will have your friend Will here with you. He seems trustworthy and clearly cares about your wellbeing,” he says pointedly, raising his eyebrows.

“Yes Dad, he’s trustworthy,” I reply bluntly with a smile.

Dad gets up and goes to one of the higher cupboards, taking out a massive tin of chocolates. I laugh at him.

“I hid these from your mother,” he says with a wink as I gladly rip the lid off.

I go back into the living room still chewing a toffee penny to see that another Christmas movie has started. Mum shortly gets up having decided to go get the evening food out of the fridge, which usually involves lots of different cheeses, cold meats, quiche, picked onions and all sorts of yummy finger foods.

Aunt Connie goes out to help her and it is now just Will and I in the living room. I take a few more mouthfuls of Asti as we sit there together. I wasn’t sure if it was the Asti or Connie’s comments, but I feel a growing tension between us again.

“Don’t worry, I am certain your Aunt can’t read auras,” Will whispers leaning in toward me.

“That’s good. I didn’t want to have to explain why we have a hybrid here or explain whatever the heck is going on in mine these days,” I reply. I could see Will’s eyes moving around me the way they

did when I knew he was looking at my aura.

“You do realise that’s quite intrusive?” I say boldly, leaning back from him a little and scowling,

“some things should be private.”

“You’ve definitely had a few too many glasses of the good stuff,” Will jokes, still continuing to probe

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the space around me with his purple eyes.

“What are you doing?” I ask, feeling uneasy now.

“It’s nothing…auras don’t come with charts, so I’m still learning myself, “Will says.

“I can do it,” I reveal, squinting excessively in Will’s direction.

He starts to laugh at me, “You’ve definitely had enough to drink!” he teases, “reading auras isn’t like trying to do some hard mental arithmetic. You’re trying too hard to see it with your eyes rather than it being something you’re reading with your mind and other senses.”

“Okay, OKAY. Aside from that stuff…I can. I’ve gotten used to seeing yours, but I haven’t seen anyone else’s just yet,” I admit. He looks at me curiously at this comment.

“But then…you open yourself up more around me, you can relax more,” I state, shifting in my seat a little, “you feel you can be the real you, when you’re with me.”

Will looks like he wants to say something, but mum calls from downstairs at that moment, signalling that dinner is ready.

The evening wasn’t as fun as our usual Christmas day evenings were at all, as we usually played lots of games. Aunt Connie wasn’t up for games this year, though, since her daughters had opted to spend Christmas elsewhere.

We watch two movies after dinner, but the evening is cut short by my Aunt leaving and my parents deciding to go to bed. I feel sad knowing that they are leaving in the morning, probably before I wake up. I had guzzled at least one and part of another bottle of Asti to myself, by the time the credits roll on the second film.

I stretch and realise just how muddled my brain feels.

“Wow…I need air,” I declare, getting off the sofa, grabbing my thick cardigan and trudging sloppily down the corridor in my slippers toward the back door that leads out to the garden.

I unlock the door and step through, the chill hitting me at once. There is still an ample amount of untouched snow laying silent and beautiful on every surface of the small garden.

I sniff a little, feeling the inside of my nose getting colder and colder in the brisk winter air. I take a deep breath in, shutting my eyes and enjoying the bit of life around me. Another deep breath

in…yet still my brain feels muddled, while my lungs fill with the freezing air.

“See, this is what I hate about cities. How could this ever be considered a garden?” Will says,

appearing next to me.

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