South Mountain Pack Ch. 14

"Yes, Dad," both boys said.

When they got to their SUV, Pat and Bob looked uncertain as to where the girls should sit. Bob said, "Pat's got to drive cause Dad won't let me cause I got a ticket last week and I've got to sit up front cause I get sick if I'm in the back."

Lorenzo rolled his eyes and said, "Erin, Caitlin, Gino you'll be in third row, Damian, Michael and I'll be in the middle." The girls shrugged and Lorenzo and Damian helped them in the SUV while Pat and Bob got in the front seats.

"I don't know much about dating, but is this weird or what? They didn't even say hello to the girls, didn't bring them flowers, didn't say they looked nice, didn't help them in the car, Pat and Bob are dressed in ripped jeans and t-shirts and they're not even sitting together," said Michael as he looked at his older brothers.

"It's the weirdest fucking date I've heard about, we're dressed better than Pat and Bob," replied Lorenzo with a smirk as he adjusted the collar of his polo shirt. "I want us to stay quiet and let them talk, get to know each other."

"That's going to be hard, they're so far apart they may as well as be in separate vehicles," Gino said from his position between Erin and Caitlin. He was trying not to crowd the girls remembering what Sal said about Lorenzo's earlier tirade.

Erin and Caitlin looked at each other and shrugged, so far this date wasn't going like the ones they'd seen in the movies. Sophia said Anthony brought her flowers and told her she looked beautiful, and Pat and Bob hadn't even said anything to them. Erin sighed loudly as she stared at Lorenzo's broad shoulders and wondered if his muscles were as hard as they looked; as if sensing her gaze his shoulders tensed and he half-turned towards her and their eyes met before he turned back.

"I wish we'd never agreed to this date," said Caitlin angrily as she stared out the window. "My wolf's mad because we're going out with somebody who isn't our mate. She wants him to make his declaration and do it soon; she's losing what little patience she has."

"Cait, calm down. Remember what Momma told us ...until their wolf is ready to claim us, no matter what we do, they'll resist," Erin said with a sigh. "I can sense a change in Lorenzo, he's getting possessive and it's making him moodier because he doesn't understand. I've seen his eyes turn amber when he looks at me, that means his wolf is coming to the surface." She turned and looked at her sister who shrugged again and the ride to Carmelo's continued in silence.

In Anthony's SUV, the mood was completely different. Sophia was in charge of the radio and was switching stations until she found a song they liked and they would sing along, often dissolving into laughter because none of them could sing on key or they couldn't remember the lyrics and made up their own. They were currently singing, 'Free Fallin' by Tom Petty at near ear-shattering levels.

"We sound awful," Maria said with a laugh as the song ended and the familiar notes of another started. "Leave it there; 'Wanted Dead or Alive' is one of my favorites." Five minutes later they were singing ABBA, the boys louder than the girls, as Ant pulled into the parking lot where the others were waiting in silence.

Pat and Bob were the last ones in the restaurant arriving in time to see Alberto scent Maria and they squirmed as they heard him tell her how beautiful she looked as he gave her a bouquet of light pink roses. "I told you we should've brought them flowers," said Bob as he glared at his fraternal twin.

"Did not. I told you we should've dressed nicer, they look gorgeous and we look like slobs, and you realize we haven't talked to them, we look like idiots," Pat retorted.

"I was waiting for you, you're the oldest," Bob said with a frown.

"By two fucking minutes, that doesn't make me an expert on women. How the fuck am I supposed to know anything? It's my first real date too," Pat said as he hit his brother on the shoulder.

"If you two are done arguing, would you like to join us? We're already seated," Anthony said as he looked at them from across the room. "Alberto and I'll help, we'll talk about music, movies and other shit so you can get to know them, okay?" The boys nodded and sat at the table; Bob, Erin, Sophia and Anthony on one side, Alberto, Maria, Caitlin and Pat across from them.

"Brianna and Morgan told us about pizza and Antipasto," said Erin excitedly. "I'd like to try the Supreme without mushrooms."

"And I'd like to try Italian Sausage with extra cheese," added Caitlin.

"Uhmm, sure. Whatever you'd like," muttered Pat as Bob nodded. Gabby took their order as Carmelo and Angelo placed two Antipasto platters on the table with fresh baked bread. The Carlucci boys were seated at a table halfway across the room and already had their order taken and were eating Antipasto.

There was silence after Gabby left and Anthony looked at Pat and Bob who had their heads down as they quickly ate. "Pat and Bob, have you thought any more of what you're going to study at college?"

Pat nodded and said, "Law enforcement."

"Same," added Bob as both brothers got quiet again.

Anthony sighed and thought this was going to be harder than he thought. He looked at Erin and Caitlin and said, "What are the two of you planning to study?"

Erin smiled and said, "Daddy's been looking at MD's website and all the different classes they offer. Since I like old houses, I'd like to study Historic Preservation, specializing in design, like paint color and schemes, moldings and gingerbread trim. Queen Anne Victorians are my favorite design period, though the Second Empire, like The School House, is a close second." The Carlucci boys were listening intently and Lorenzo smiled when he heard Erin.

"I like Art, specifically the visual design of stained glass and the story it tells," Caitlin said with a sigh. "Daddy found a store in Hagerstown that sells stained glass supplies and they offer classes, he's going to see if I can take them. I'd like to design and make my own but I'd also like to get into restoring existing work."

Anthony looked at Pat and Bob who simply nodded, he sighed again and said, "I don't think you'll have a problem with the classes, as long as you have someone with you. Phil might like to take them; he's very creative and artistic."

"He said he'd go to class with me and when I start designing, they'll carry them in the store," Caitlin said enthusiastically. "He said there's lots of fairs where I could set up a booth and sell them on weekends; I think that'd be a lot of fun." Damian looked up from his food and stared at her, he felt his wolf's agitation as he paced back and forth as they wondered how many boys would be around her.

"Matt said they have a booth for their store and that it'd be a good idea for us to have one to drive business to the bakery," added Erin putting her head down to hide her smile as she heard a low growl.

"What the hell was that?" asked Gianni as he looked at Lorenzo.

"I was clearing my throat," he answered with a frown. He had no idea what made him growl, maybe it was because he was assigned to protect her, but the thought of her being friendly with other boys didn't seem right to him or his wolf. "Where's the fucking pizza, I'm starved." He looked around the table and seeing Victor still eating his Antipasto, he took the Genoa Salami off his plate while Victor tried to stab him with his fork. "You've got to be quicker baby brother."

Sal watched Gabby as she walked around the restaurant; taking orders, filling drinks, serving food, laughing with customers as they paid and every time their eyes met, she would smile and his heart would start to race. Angelo walked by the table and said, "Pizza'll be out in five, and stop pervin' on my sister."

Sal's mouth dropped open and the boys began to laugh but stopped abruptly when a group of ten boys walked in. "Fuckin Weaver," Lorenzo said narrowing his eyes. He stopped walking when he saw the Carlucci's then his gaze landed on Anthony's table; he nodded to them before leading the way to his table. Sal watched as Gabby went to get their drink order and growled low in his throat as he heard one of the guys with Weaver flirt with her and ask her out on a date.

"Thank you, but I have a boyfriend," she replied a little louder than necessary before turning and waving at Sal, who automatically waved back.

"You're going out with the baby Carlucci?" Weaver asked with a laugh. "Is he even old enough to drive?"

"Harry, you know his name is Salvatore, and he's old enough for a LOT of things," Gabby snapped and went behind the counter to place their drink order.

Sal got up, shrugging Victors hand off his arm as he went to talk to Gabby; hearing the snide comments from Weavers table he stopped. "Leave my girlfriend alone," he said in a low menacing voice. "I may be young, but I can still put ALL of you down. Keep that in mind the next time you look in Gabby's direction." The boys at the table sat up straight as they looked at Sal, who was suddenly flanked by Gianni, Marcus, Lorenzo and Damian.

Angelo made a move to join them and Carmelo stopped him saying, "Let Sal handle it. If he is Gabby's mate, his wolf won't like you interfering." Angelo nodded, not happy but he understood what his father was saying.

Sal clenched his fists as Weaver stood putting his hands up, "Sorry dude, we didn't mean anything by it. Gabby's a good looking girl and you can't blame anyone for wanting to go out with her." Sal looked at Weaver until he lowered his eyes then did the same to each boy at the table, making them submit to him.

He took a step towards Weaver and said quietly, "A little bit of advice from the baby Carlucci...learn some courtesy and respect. If you don't, you'll always be looking for someone instead of having someone. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make sure my girlfriend is okay." He walked away without looking back, his wolf still agitated but proud they had defended Gabby.

Lorenzo said in a nasty tone, "I guess that's the end of that Weaver. Vin and Dom told us what happened last night; we'll see you in two weeks." The four Carlucci's went back to their table where their pizzas were waiting. "Sal handled himself well. He's really getting possessive of Gabby." They turned to look at Sal who was holding Gabby against his side as he whispered in her ear. Minutes later, they heard one of the cooks holler an order was ready and Gabby kissed Sal on his cheek before pulling away and going into the kitchen.

Sal sat down and stared into space for several minutes before looking at his pizza and said, "Who the hell ate half my pizza? I'm starving."

"You snooze, you lose cousin. You're lucky we didn't eat all of it," said Damian as he finished his last slice. "And don't worry about it stud muffin; we'll get snacks at the movies. Now hurry up, it won't take them long since only Ant, Alberto and the girls are talking. Pat and Bob haven't said more than ten words the entire evening, which is unusual because normally they won't shut up."

"And how would you know? You talk so fucking much it's a wonder anybody can say anything," retorted Lorenzo as he snagged a breadstick off Enzo's plate. "Hey Ant, you got any pizza left over there? We're still hungry."

"Yeah, there's almost two whole pizzas left, you can..." before he could finish, the boys were at their table and grabbing slices of pizza off the trays and the girls plates. They didn't even bother going back to their table, just stood over them as they finished the rest of the food.

"You all are a bunch of vultures," Maria said with a frown.

"With bad table manners," added Caitlin with a scowl.

"Now that's an interesting sentence...do vultures have manners?" Damian asked as he took Caitlin's drink out of her hand and emptied it before handing it back to her. "Seriously, how polite do they have to be? Since their only purpose is to feed on the carcasses of dead animals. Do they lay down linen napkins and tablecloths before they start feasting? Or do they politely take turns as they're ripping pieces of meat off something lying dead in the road? Maybe they burped without saying 'Excuse me'." He let out a large burp drawing the attention of most people in the restaurant but seeing his crooked smile, they smiled in return.

Caitlin tried not to laugh as she said, "You're disgusting."

"I know," he replied with a grin as he reached down and took the pizza out of her hand. "But my charm and good looks more than make up for it."

Holly welcomed the Carlucci's and minutes later they were on the patio where drinks and appetizers were waiting. Vin and Dom were on the wood shed roof replacing the plywood and the girls were learning defensive movies with Matt demonstrating and Phil, Todd and Papa Mike adjusting their stance and arms. The Carlucci men watched for several moments before Frank had Paulo demonstrate so each man had one girl to focus and he walked around supervising, low murmurs were heard as they offered encouragement and advice. What they didn't realize was the many ways they were helping the girls; giving them confidence that they could defend themselves, helping build their self-esteem and most important of all - wiping the memory of what they endured in their previous Pack at the directive of the males and replacing it with the loving caring nature of males.

"They're really good with them," Holly said as Joe stood behind Fallon moving her left arm in a swinging motion while bringing her right arm up to protect her head. After doing this several times, he had her do it on her own while he stepped in front of her, making adjustments but always offering encouragement.

"They're tougher on the boys but the girls get the same training, just in a different manner," Annie said with a shrug. "It's in their nature to protect and nurture them, so when they train the girls, they're more patient and speak in a quiet tone."

"But they get the same results," added Rose smiling at Fiona and Maeve who were working with Matt and Phil. "Looking at them now, in a couple of months you won't believe what they'll be capable of."

Holly sighed and took a deep breath before saying quietly, "I don't know if I'll be able to hurt let alone kill anyone when the time comes."

Rose and Annie swung their gaze towards her and Rose said quietly, "None of us knows what we're capable of until the times comes." She looked at her family with a determined look on her face, "But I know if somebody tried to hurt my family, nothing on this earth would stop me from killing them."

Annie nodded, "I wouldn't hesitate to kill anybody that threatened what belongs to me. They made the choice to attack us and we'll fight them, until our last breath." The sisters looked at each other, knowing if anything happened to one of them, the other would raise their family like their own.

"I'll try my best on Tuesdays to learn everything you teach me. I need to focus on the fact it's them or us," Holly said in a determined voice. She stopped talking as she looked at her daughters before saying in a voice laced with steel, "More importantly it's them or my daughters and no one will hurt my daughters."

Rose raised her glass and said in a low voice, "To family." The women clinked glasses and saw Frank and Joe look around the side of the house and turned to watch Gina, Carlo and Dante come around the corner.

"I'm sorry we're late, but Dante got a call from someone in his Pack and had to deal with that," said Gina as she looked at the women while Carlo and Dante went to help with the girls. "He wants to talk to us in private without the youngsters." The women looked at her and she shook her head, "He didn't tell us either."

"We missed the start time for 'Freaky Friday', but 'S.W.A.T.' starts in fifteen," said Anthony as he tried to hide his smile. He saw the expression on Sophia's face and said quickly, "It wasn't my fault. Maria asked Gabby if she wanted to join us and we had to wait on her. Come on, let's get tickets, then get some snacks."

"You ugh, want something?" muttered Pat. Erin and Caitlin nodded and followed him to the snack bar where they ordered popcorn, a drink and Juju Beans.

Five minutes later each Carlucci boy had a tray with a large tub of popcorn, large drink, four hot dogs, cheese nachos and several candy bars. Erin and Caitlin gasped when they saw all the food and Lorenzo said, "What? The movie's almost two hours, we'll starve to death before it finishes."

"Let's grab our seats," said Anthony carrying his and Sophia's snacks. The small theater which only had forty seats was empty and the four couples sat in two rows in the middle, while the Carlucci boys and Gabby sat in the back.

"I ugh, did you like the pizza?" asked Bob without looking at Erin.

"Yes, it was really nice. Different than what we're used to," she said with a smile. "Thank you for asking me out, I've had a good time so far."

"I ugh don't want to sound like a perv or anything, but do you mind if I scent you?" he asked as he blushed bright red. "I want to find my mate really bad and so far I'm not getting anything. I'm not sure if it's because I'm nervous or if your scent is being overpowered by everything around us."

Erin thought seeing another male scent her would make Lorenzo take notice, so she said, "Sure, I'd like to find my mate too." She tilted her neck as Bob scented her deeply and smiled as a loud growl was heard. Bob looked at Lorenzo and saw his eyes had shifted to amber and he had a scowl on his face.

"Did your wolf do anything?" she whispered as the coming attractions started to play, preventing anyone from hearing her.

"I got nothing; he basically yawned. Now that I know you're not my mate I'm not nervous anymore and I can relax and be myself," Bob whispered as he heard the growl again. "I think Lorenzo likes you and might be your mate. Did you hear him growl when I scented you? And he's still growling because I'm whispering in your ear. He watches you all the time; I noticed that the other day. Plus he acted really possessive of you today at the football game."

"You really think he's jealous?" Erin asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I think he's boiling. He's a good friend of mine and one of the reasons I was so nervous tonight was I wasn't quite sure what his reaction was going to be. I'm not sure if you've noticed or not, but he's a huge pain in the ass," he whispered in her ear and smiled when he heard her giggle. Sitting back, he watched the screen for a few minutes before whispering in her ear, "Hey, I have an idea but I don't know if you would want to do it. It's not very nice and he'd get really upset with us, but he's such a dick...ugh I shouldn't have said that...anyway he deserves it."

Erin was intrigued and asked quickly, "What is it?"

A playful smile crossed his face and he waited until the movie was loud before he whispered, "I think we should flirt, I'll put my arm around you, scent you, whisper in your ear, you smile at me, put your head on my shoulder, things like that. I think it'll drive him nuts for you to be close to another male. What do you think? Is it too much?" Erin was laughing so hard she couldn't answer but managed to nod and Bob whispered, "I can see him out of the corner of my eye and he's watching us, not the movie. You ready? I'm going to put my arm around you, scent you and whisper in your ear. Okay?" Erin nodded while she tried to stop laughing.

When Bob was sure he had Lorenzo's attention, he brought his arm up and placed it on Erin's shoulder. He heard a loud growl and Erin began to giggle as he whispered, "You hear him?" Bob kept talking, telling her about his family and that he hoped she would be good friends with his sister Emily. She smiled at the pride in his voice as he talked about her plans to become a veterinarian. He glanced at Lorenzo before scenting her hair and kept scenting her as the growls got louder. "Next time it's quiet, say something that'll annoy him."