PROJECT: CAYRO

Lyra Acosta

October 23, 2035

08:47 EST

Lyconotu Manor

Pigeon Forge, TN

Sitting back wide-eyed and blowing my poofy silver hair out of my face, I stared at the numerous decoration samples Aura had just dumped in front of me. What the hell was I thinking volunteering to be the lead wedding planner for Alpha and Luna? I thought planning my own wedding was a nightmare. No. Alpha and Luna’s wedding was going to be a whole other experience.

Leaning forward, I grabbed one of the decorations Aura had brought in and looked at it intently. The decorative wolf head was a bit much and didn’t seem to match Alpha and Luna at all. It was like Zak and Aura wanted to make this a traditional werewolf wedding. The thought made my eyebrow twitch. If my father had it his way, he would’ve done the same thing to me. That wicked bastard could go fall into a vat of wolf piss and drown for all I cared.

Trying to marry me off to some fowl wolf in Baltimore just to get me out of his fur... It disgusted me. If it hadn’t been for the way he treated me and my mother growing up, I would have been next in line as the Acosta Alpha. But when my mother left him to return to Brazil, she decided not to come back. Supposedly, she mated with a new Alpha there, giving me and my father the proverbial middle finger.

Tossing the decoration onto the coffee table, I stood up and walked to the kitchen. I needed a cold drink. Adjusting one of my arm bracers so it would stop digging into my skin, I opened the fridge to look for my last remaining Red Bull—only to discover it was gone. I let out a low snarl and slammed the fridge shut. This was the third one! Someone kept taking my precious Red Bulls, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out who!

Grumbling, I stomped out of the kitchen, passing through the living room where I saw a snoring Dr. Zaraki hunched over, leaning on his elbow asleep. After the all-nighter he, Mr. Bracton, and my Alpha and Luna pulled, I wasn’t surprised they were all passed out. Pushing the front door open, I made my way to the handful of cars parked in the driveway.

Climbing into the pilot seat of the skycar, I eyed the controls. I was too damn tired to deal with figuring out how to operate the damn contraption. The center console screen flared to life, and the A.I. cat that my Alpha and Luna called Scuzball appeared.

“What are you doing in my skycar, Ms. Acosta?” the thing said, arching an eyebrow at me.

“I need to go to the store and get something to drink…” I grumbled. “Can you take me?”

“Did Star or Cayro authorize you to use the skycar?” the annoying thing asked.

“No. They’re both asleep,” I huffed.

“Absolutely not. After the stunt Star pulled with my skycar, there’s no way I’m letting you behind the controls. Go drink water or something,” it said bluntly.

I glared at the infernal overzealous chatbot. It had seriously told me no. Letting out a low growl, I climbed out of the stupid vehicle and stormed past the black Ford Mustang parked next to it. I stopped briefly and looked at the beast of a machine as a thought came to mind. Now that would be fun to drive. Biting my lip, a devious grin stretched across my face. I was getting my Red Bull one way or another.

Turning away from the car, I walked back into the mansion and found Aura. She was looking through wedding ideas on her tablet, alone. Perfect. Walking up to her, I placed my hands on my hips and spread my stance, giving off the attitude that I meant business.

“Aura, can I borrow your car?” I asked with confidence. I wasn’t about to let my five-foot stature hinder me. I would own this request.

She looked up at me in surprise. “Do you even know how to drive?”

I stood there staring at her, blinking. I was at a loss for words. Did she really just ask if I knew how to drive?

“You’re what, sixteen, right?” she asked with a smile, like I was joking.

I couldn’t believe it. She thought I was sixteen… I felt my eye begin to twitch again. This was some fucking wolf shit. “I am twenty, thank you very much!” I huffed angrily.

The look of surprise on her face told me my remark had caught her off guard. “But… you’re so small! You don’t look twenty at all!”

My face soured, and I was about ready to stomp off when she realized she had upset me.

“Alright, alright… just show me your driver’s license and I’ll go with you.”

I pulled my license out of my wallet and let her glance at it briefly before taking it back. She stood up, placing her tablet down, and pulled her keys from her black studded purse, handing them to me. Taking the keys, I turned on my heels and stalked back out to the driveway like I was on a mission. In retrospect, I was on a mission: get more Red Bull.

“Hey, hold up! I’m coming too!” Aura called, chasing after me. I paid her no attention as I opened the driver’s side door and climbed in. I took a moment to familiarize myself with the Mustang while Aura slid into the passenger seat. Sadly, the powerful beast was an automatic, but it made up for it with paddle shifters. Beggars couldn’t be choosers. My Red Bull was more important than the car being a manual anyway.

Honestly, I highly doubted Aura could drive a manual. She was badass, but she was also a bit of a priss in my opinion. She might be the Queen of the Wolves, but my Luna was more of a badass. Aura lived up to being a Queen more than being a badass.

Pressing the red start button on the dash, the Mustang roared to life, making me smile. The throaty growl was music to my ears. This monster had power, and I was going to use it.

“Are you sure you can handle this kind of power, Lyra?” she asked cautiously. “We’re talking seven hundred and sixty horsepower here.”

I shot a wolfish grin at Aura before reaching behind her seat to look out the rear window. Shifting the car into reverse, I slammed the accelerator to the floor and let all seven hundred and sixty ponies loose. The tires barked and spun as a thick cloud of smoke billowed around us.

“Lyra!” Aura squeaked in surprise.

I ignored her protest as I whipped the steering wheel hard to the right, executing a perfect Rockford Turn. Slamming the gear lever into manual mode, I pushed the beast’s rev limiter to the max, only shifting once I hit the red line. As we flew toward the open gate of the property, I yanked the parking brake and spun the wheel into the turn. The rear of the car slid out, and with precision, we came sideways through the gate and onto the street. Downshifting two gears, I sent the engine roaring to its limit. The tachometer bounced off the rev limiter.

“Jesus Christ!” Aura shrieked in horror just as the back tires caught traction and launched us forward.

Taking a right onto Upper Middle Creek Road, I punched it. The Mustang’s engine howled with excitement. This felt amazing. I pushed the beast past eighty, then ninety. Aura gripped her door for dear life as I weaved in and out of traffic. My movements were precise and calculated. Half a mile before we reached Tennessee Highway 449, bright blue lights flared to life behind me. Well, shit…

“Lyra! If my car gets impounded… So help me God, I will kick your ass!” Aura growled, spotting the flashing lights.

Yanking the parking brake, I counter-steered as the car leaned into a right turn, putting us onto Dollywood Lane. I didn’t hold back; I gunned the throttle. Reaching the first big curve, I put the Mustang into a slide and watched as a roller coaster car passed by on its tracks. I could see the riders watching us. Passing under both segments of the coaster, the car’s nose was pointed exactly where I wanted it.

“Hooooly fuck, LYRA!” Aura swore as I downshifted, gained traction, and shot the car toward the Dollywood Human Resources center. Taking the Y-turn, I shot up the road. Screaming past the center’s parking lot, I put the car into a controlled slide, fluctuating between the throttle and the brakes. The nose of the car barely missed the guardrail as it powered through the curve, dumping into the IRH parking lot. I upshifted and pushed the car forward.

Cutting the wheel hard to the right as the turn came up, the back broke loose. I yanked the parking brake, downshifted, counter-steered, and laid into the throttle. We made the turn onto Elevation Lane. Upshifting again, the Mustang shot forward. Turning right onto Highway 449, I pushed the car to the max. Glancing back, I saw that the cop was just now getting onto the highway.

“Lyra! Are you out of your damned mind? We are being chased by the cops!” Aura was now shouting, panicking.

I scoffed, “They won’t catch us.”

“That’s not the point!” she retorted.

Shrugging, I focused on the next turn. What she didn’t know was, I had Pigeon Forge memorized. The local cops wouldn’t be fast enough to respond, as long as I kept the chase short and vanished. Reaching the Collier intersection, I hugged the right lane and threw on my right turn indicator. I just hoped this trick worked. Taking the corner hard, I made it look like I was heading down Middle Creek Road. The cop fell for it. At the last second, I cranked the wheel hard to the left while downshifting. Yanking the parking brake just enough, I put the nose of the car in the direction of the roundabout.

Going into the flow of traffic just long enough, I shot back onto the highway, pointing the nose of the car toward Collier Road instead. The light was timed in my favor. The turning lanes had a green arrow. Beating the first cars, I screamed onto Collier Road. Not holding back, I came flying up to the next intersection, which just so happened to turn yellow. Perfect. Powering through it, we entered the Walmart parking lot.

I powered past the main parking area, opting for a spot alongside the store. I spotted the perfect place. Putting the car into a slide, it screeched to a halt just past a huge black pickup truck. Slamming it into reverse, I slid the car back next to the truck. I slipped the car into park and looked over at Aura. She looked terrified and speechless.

“Told ya so,” I said flatly, holding up her keys.

Aura didn’t hesitate. She snatched them from me before storming out of the car. I followed suit and focused on the store ahead. That Red Bull was mine. As I made my way to the entrance, Aura chased after me.

“What the hell is so damn important that you had to drive like a maniac?”

“Caffeine,” I huffed.

“Where the hell did you learn to drive like that!?” she asked, a bit louder than she intended.

I stopped and pointed toward the NASCAR Speedpark across the street. Her jaw dropped, and I turned to go get my drinks. A moment later, she caught up as I stepped through the doors. The sound of sirens screamed by as the cops, still looking for us, barreled down the road in the wrong direction.

It didn’t take long for her to start thinking about wedding ideas again, now that we were in a large superstore that sold just about everything. I ignored her. The damn wedding was on hold until I got what I needed. I made a beeline straight for the soda and drink section of the store, only stopping once I was there.

I found the biggest case of Red Bull I could get my hands on and grabbed a second one for good measure. As Aura browsed some other drinks, she continued offering suggestions about the wedding. I stalked past her toward the checkout line. I had what I wanted. Once I paid for my drinks and had one in hand, then I would be in the mood to discuss the wedding.

Again, Aura caught up with me. She had grabbed a case of soda for herself. Walking up to the checkout line, she gave me a confused look. “Is that all you're getting?”

“Yep,” I answered, scanning my two cases.

“Are you telling me we went through all of that just so you could get Red Bull?” she demanded.

“Yep,” I answered again.

I paid for my drinks, pocketed the receipt, and waited for her to check out. My fingers were itching to open one of the cases and crack open a can. If she didn’t hurry her ass up, I might snap.

“You do realize I could’ve had some Red Bull delivered to you, right?” she pointed out.

I froze for a moment and stared at her. Did she really just say she could’ve had Red Bull delivered to me? I narrowed my eyes at her. “Seriously? That would have been nice to know…”

“Yeah… It would’ve saved us a high-speed chase and you scaring the ever-loving shit out of me,” she huffed.

“But did you die?” I asked. “Plus, it was fun. I needed that.”

Aura let out an exasperated huff before snatching up her receipt. We walked out of the store together and made it back to her car.

“Want me to drive?” I asked with a grin.

She gave me a side-eye glance before answering. “No… You aren’t allowed to drive my baby ever again.”

I shrugged and climbed into the passenger seat. Buckling up, I leaned down and tore open one of my cases. Pulling out a can, I popped the top and took a long sip, savoring the sweet, tangy, caffeinated liquid. That was what I needed. Letting out a content hum of pleasure, I let my body sink into my seat. Perfect.

Aura started her Mustang and put it into drive. With moderate practice, she slid out of the parking spot and began driving us home.

“You might want to take the back roads,” I suggested, still contentedly enjoying my drink with both hands on the can.

Snapping her head toward me, she growled. “I know how to get home just fine…”

“Okay, just don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I said, my voice trailing off into a low whisper.

As I predicted, Aura jumped back onto the highway and followed the posted speed limits. Surprising, really, since I’d heard stories about her driving antics. So, I didn’t get why she was so upset with mine. It’s not like she had any room to judge. Zak had shown me her last ticket. It was stupid high.

By the time we were halfway home, I had already finished my first can and opened a second. That’s when Aura swore. I looked into the mirror and spotted another set of flashing blues.

“You might wanna gun it,” I suggested.

“You hush…” she huffed before pulling into an empty parking lot.

The cop followed and parked right behind us, lights still flashing. I hunkered down, trying to look as small and unassuming as possible. Aura rolled down her window when the cop approached. I could see the panic on Aura’s face when she noticed the cop had his hand on his gun as he touched the side of her car.

“Ma’am, do you know why I pulled you over?” the cop asked sternly.

“Uh… no,” she answered.

“Your vehicle was involved in a high-speed chase about an hour ago. Were you the one driving?” the cop demanded.

“No, sir, I was not,” Aura said confidently before she pointed at me. “She was.”

I had fully expected Aura to throw me under the bus. That was cool, though. If I was going down, so was she. I gave the cop my most innocent look. “I’m only fourteen. I don’t know how to drive yet,” I said, honey dripping from my voice.

The look Aura gave me said it all. She was going to murder me. I just gave her my most innocent expression. She quickly turned back to the cop and began to stutter.

“Seriously, it was her…” Aura started before the cop gave her a flat look.

“Ma’am, I’m going to need your driver’s license and registration,” he ordered.

Aura sat there stunned for a moment before pulling out her license and reaching into the center console for the registration. She handed them to the cop. A moment later, another cruiser pulled up in front of us, blocking any escape, while the first cop walked back to his patrol car.

“I am going to murder you when we get out of this…” Aura growled, giving me a death glare.

I took a sip of my Red Bull. “Worth it.”

A few minutes later, the cop, along with one of his buddies, came back to the car. Aura looked nervous as hell now. I could see her trembling as the situation sank in.

“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to step out of the vehicle,” the cop ordered.

Aura hesitated at first, giving me a scared look, before carefully opening her door. She climbed out, keeping her hands visible. I listened as the cop instructed her to face the car and put her hands behind her back. Then came the distinct sound of handcuffs clicking in place. I could hear Aura begin to cry.

I was starting to feel bad when one of the other cops poked his head in to speak to me. I instantly recognized him. Utter fear struck me when I saw my father’s Beta meet my gaze. The wicked grin that stretched across his face told me everything I needed to know. I was in deep shit. Fuck…

“What about the other girl?” one of the cops asked in the background.

Jason, my father’s Beta, stood up and faced the others. “I’ve got this taken care of. I know her father. I can tell you, Ms. Acosta wasn’t the one driving. Ms. Lyconotu here was. She has multiple violations on her record, showing a pattern of misconduct. I’ll call Mr. Acosta so he can come pick up his daughter.”

At that moment, I heard Aura stop crying. I saw her, out of the driver’s side window, facing Jason. Her body tensed, ready to attack. Jason only smiled. This was about to get ugly… Jason had just declared war on my father’s behalf against Aura and Zak, and I had caused it.