by Layla Heart
“Thanks.” I nod, putting the file down on the table.
I don’t think I want to take a look. I’m not ready to settle yet, but especially not with a girl that much younger than me. Hell, even the human girls who hang around Zack and I don’t tend to be that young. The poor Omega should at least finish college or something, get some more years on her before her parents mate her, some more life experiences.
But that’s not how things go, especially not when she’s ‘pretty’, which tends to be code for being a shifter type that’s less common. She’ll probably be mated off before this year’s mating season has properly started. That’s what tends to happen with ‘pretty’ girls.
Why does an actual pretty girl now pop into my head, Cyra, who definitely has a temper and who doesn’t seem to take shit from Zack, everything my parents would hate in a potential mate. Hmmm. A girl like that. I’d like a girl like that. Someone who will stand up for herself, even in quiet ways, and who won’t just let people walk over her. Her soft lips, her sparkling eyes, and those legs... which end in that great ass. Perfection.
Okay. Maybe I should have accepted Zack’s offer of going to a club. Maybe then I wouldn’t be thinking of a girl who I’ll never be able to have. She doesn’t seem like a girl who’s up for just some fun for one night, and I’m not going to try to convince her otherwise when we’ve got so many willing girls around us all the time.
4
Cyra
I move the stupid wig around on my head, trying to find where I’m going to attach it. At least I didn’t have to worry about clothes for today, the princess dress I’ll have to wear for today’s party was all clean and everything, but that hasn’t made my mood any better.
When I accepted this job, I obviously wasn’t paying attention to where it was. I don’t normally do shifter parties. I avoid them, like the plague, but another princess somehow managed to break her arm this week and they needed a replacement at the last minute. And I’m the only other person who does the Cinderella routine, so the agency asked me.
If I hadn’t been so frustrated by the Alpha assholes’ behaviour yesterday afternoon, I would have checked where it was, who it was for and I would have realised I should have said no. But of course, I wasn’t paying attention, still too angry, and now I’m stuck doing this. It’s not like the parties for shifters are much different from the human ones, it’s just that I don’t want to have to surround myself with shifters for a whole day.
I made sure I used all the products that will hide my shifter scent this morning, I even used some extra of the horridly sweet deodorant that some human girls seem to like. I don’t know if it’s too much, but I’m better extra sure than someone catching my real scent, no matter how small the chance.
I finally manage to get the wig on right and look at myself in the mirror. I can do this. I’m just a human girl dressed as a princess who is going to give some little girl a fun birthday party. Same as always. And I really need the money.
Even if I had realised where this was, I probably still would have had to take the job because I really need some extra money. Meds to hide my shifter side are not cheap and I’m also going to have to buy heat suppressants soon, and those are always crazy expensive. It’s not like my parents will pay for any of it, or my insurance... So I have to come up with the money myself some way, and these parties, especially the ones for the rich people, are a good way to boost enough of my income to cover it. Hopefully.
I grab my box with party games from the couch and make my way to my car. I take a deep breath. Maybe I should have cleaned my car, so I wouldn’t have to show up with a dirty car in one of those expensive neighbourhoods, but it’s too late for that now. It’s too late for any of that now.
No way back.
I step out of the house onto the fricking huge green lawn that’s supposed to be the ‘garden’. I can almost see half the city from here. Hell...
I pull my voice up high, putting on my Cinderella persona. “Where’s the birthday girl? I... spy...”
A little girl, wearing a crown proclaiming proudly that she’s five years old, comes running over to me. “Princess! The princess is here!”
More and more kids flock around me and I laugh as I greet everyone. The kids are just like every other party I’ve been to. Kids are kids, and these parties are the same no matter what. It’s just the parents and family members I’m more worried about...
The Omega mother didn’t seem to realise what I was, at least she didn’t show any signs that she noticed I’m not human, and the Alpha mother barely glanced my way when I tried to introduce myself. Let’s just hope that it stays that way all day.
Although, with the week I’ve had, that might be asking for too much. Those two Alpha shifters showing up at the cafe have been bad luck, so I’m not so sure that it won’t go horribly wrong at some point today either. But I’m not going to worry about that right now. Right now, I’m just a princess who is going to do fun games with these kids.
“Who wants to do some face painting? I can make you into a princess or a prince, or a butterfly...” I turn to the birthday girl, Daisy, grinning at how excited she seems. “What would you like?”
The kids start to excitedly talk to me, all at the same time, and I try to create some order as I start on the birthday girl first. This is what I love most, just having fun, letting these kids do something fun. While I’m trying to pretend to be someone who isn’t totally shitting her pants right now, I did manage to put on clean shorts today, for fear of being found out...
The kids here are mostly really young, though there are a couple of grumpy teenagers around too, but the party seems to really be for the kids. There are parents and uncles and aunts and grandparents around, but nobody seems to be paying any attention to the girl who’s entertaining their kids.
Most of the parents seem to be around my age, or slightly older. If my parents had their way, my first kid would probably be around the same age as the birthday girl, but, luckily, it’s less and less common these days to have Omegas marry before they finish college.
But at this party, some of the parents can’t be any older than I am, and their kids are already in primary school and I wonder for a moment what they’re thinking of their lives. If this was what they thought their lives would look like and if this is what they’ve always wanted to do.
Although... If they live in houses like these... Does that even matter? When you’re this rich, does it even matter if you’ve got a degree or not? If you’ve got more money than you know how to spend, why would it matter how much education you’ve had? You can just pay someone to do whatever you want them to do...
“I think the princess might need to drink something, before she faints from the heat.” A low and amused voice sounds from behind me, and when I turn around, I’m looking into dark brown eyes and the guy’s got an almost wolfish grin on his face.
My heart skips a beat, not from fear, but from how handsome he looks. Tall, built broad, almost like a wall, and his dark brown eyes are warm. Even though he’s grinning, it’s filled with kindness, no meanness in sight. Oh, crap.
I almost reach out to him, wanting to touch him, but quickly accept the glass instead, looking at it quizzically.
He lets out a low rumbling laugh. “No alcohol, I promise, just some fizzy drink I found. Didn’t think you’d be interested in sharing the sickeningly sweet lemonade with the kids.” He looks behind me at the kids. “You seem to be able to handle them pretty well.”
“Thanks.” I nod, taking a sip of the glass, the bubbles slide down my throat, adding to the bubbles already popping in my stomach. It’s definitely cooling, but it doesn’t help against the blush I feel creeping up my cheeks from the sexy guy who gave it to me.
“How do you do it?” He seems actually interested, which is odd for an Alpha...
I shrug slightly as I quickly avoid a cup of lemonade from one of the kids spilling all over my dress. “Practice, I guess. And if you keep them all focused in
the same direction, you don’t have to worry as much about one of them going rogue.” I can’t help laughing as I quickly get one of the kids back to the group by offering them a pretty glitter pencil to use on their drawing.
The guy laughs again, warm and rumbling, nodding appreciatively. “Sounds like you know what you’re doing. Did you study for this?”
Stupid butterflies crash around in my stomach and I quickly try to drown them in the fizzy drink. This is not good, so not good. Before I can answer him, we get interrupted.
“Max! Max!” The birthday girl darts over to him and pulls him along to the table. “Look at what I made. You draw too!”
Max sits on a chair and pulls the little girl on his lap as she explains the drawing she’s making. It looks silly, him sitting at the small kiddy table, he towers over all of them, but it’s also adorable, how soft he is with her. He animatedly talks to Daisy and some of the other kids around, but as time passes I also feel his eyes darting to me from time to time.
Not good. I don’t need him to look at me like that. Not with that look of interest, that curiosity, because nothing good can come from it.
Apparently, Max has decided to join in on the kids’ party, as he doesn’t leave us for the next two hours, while I’m playing all sorts of different games with the kids. Having an extra adult around to keep them in line is pretty helpful, but it doesn’t take away from how he’s making me feel every time I catch him staring at me. As the kids are starting to look a little tired, I take my storybook.
“Who wants to hear a story? Who wants to hear Cinderella’s story?” I hold up the book and the kids all come running, sitting down in front of me, in the shade of a tree, since we don’t need any heat strokes. It’s pretty hot today, even though it’s in the middle of fall, one of those rare hot days. “Does the birthday girl want to sit in my lap? In the special spot?”
Daisy nods and comes over, pulling Max along with her. The big guy sits down next to me as the birthday girl sits in my lap. Oh, hell. Now I’m really going to have to pay attention, specifically not to the guy sitting next to me...
I start the story. I can almost recite it from the top of my head. That’s how often I’ve read this story already.
When I’m halfway through the story, I finally dare to glance back up and find that some of the younger kids have fallen asleep, but I’m also surrounded by a lot of the other family members, all listening to the story.
Oh... Wow. That’s definitely more attention than I want.
The birthday girl pulls on my sleeve. “Keep going.”
“Of course.” I hadn’t even realised I’d stopped reading, and I easily find my place, continuing the story.
I think I like this part the best, when it’s all nice and quiet and I can just read the story, it means that the party will be over soon.
I can’t wait to get out of here... I’ve been here long enough. My luck is going to run out, and I have a feeling it’s going to be sooner rather than later.
And I kind of don’t want to be surrounded by so many shifters when it happens... I really would like to be far away from here when that happens...
5
Max
I can’t keep my eyes off the ‘princess’ my cousin hired to entertain the kids. I wasn’t going to come to the party, but I didn’t have anything better to do and my parents like it when I show up for these things and don’t ‘keep myself hauled up in my office all the time’. So, since I had few other options, I decided to show my face here, and I don’t regret it, at all.
It was fun to watch the princess with the kids, but listening to her tell the story, I almost want to fall asleep just like some of the kids. If this wasn’t so public, I probably would have, my head in her lap, as she talks about absolutely anything, or nothing, I don’t care, just as long as she keeps talking.
Then, the story is over. The princess closes the book and looks around, letting out a slight laugh.
“The end,” she repeats, but nobody seems to be in any hurry to move.
“Daisy.” I carefully take her from the princess’ lap. “I think it’s time for snacks. Go check with your Omega mum.”
Daisy darts off, excited, as the other kids, and adults, slowly start to move, some of the kids have fallen asleep and now take a while to wake up.
I stand up and hold out my hand to the princess. She takes it and I pull her to her feet, probably much easier for her with that dress than trying to get up on her own. I have no idea how she manages to do half of the games while wearing that contraption of fabric, so many layers of fabric to that dress... I’d probably trip over them in seconds.
“Thank you.” Her voice is a little scratchy and I hold up my hand.
“One second.” I wink and catch a glimpse of her cheeks pinkening as I get her a glass of water. That girl really needs to find a way to drink more, or she’s going to faint.
When I leave the kitchen, I walk into Liam, a guy I know a little too well, an old friend. “Hey, man. I’ll be right back, need to water a princess.” I wink as I walk off and hear him follow me as he chuckles.
“Water a princess?”
I don’t reply, instead, crossing the lawn and handing over the glass. “This should help with your throat.”
The princess carefully takes the glass and drinks most of it in one go, before she lowers the glass, averting her eyes. “Thanks.”
“I thought you were joking when you said ‘princess’.” Liam laughs and then steps next to me. “But I see you were serious. This is indeed a princess.”
“Thanks for the water.” She seems to pull back a little, nervous with Liam nearby, and looks around. “I should get back to work.”
“Yes. Of course.” I step aside, pushing Liam out of the way.
The princess nods at us and goes over to the birthday girl, the upbeat persona back on, like she didn’t just spell all of us almost to sleep with her voice.
Liam bumps into my shoulder. “Who’s she?”
I shrug. “No idea. Julie hired her to entertain the kids. That’s all I know.”
He laughs. “She’d make a great wife to a cerberus, with how easily she wrangles all those kids at the same time. She can definitely handle having twins or triplets, even multiple sets of them.”
I sigh, not liking the direction this is going. “She’s human. Don’t get ideas. She might make a great nanny, but that would be it.” I turn around, to the table with ‘adult’ snacks, hoping for this to be the end of the conversation. “And she might be great at it, but she’s skittish around adult shifters. So I don’t think being a nanny is going to happen either... I don’t think she’d ever work for a shifter family.” The princess is great at hiding her discomfort, but when she doesn’t think anyone notices it, I can see the tension when she’s around adult shifters. She’s great with kids, but not with adults. Especially some of the Alphas, like my cousin’s wife, seem to make her nervous.
“And your Omega would probably be worried about you fucking the nanny. Great cliche.” Liam grabs a handful of snacks, stuffing them into his mouth and I’m glad that he won’t be able to say anything for a while.
I’d hoped to forget about the whole mating and choosing an Omega thing for the afternoon, but it seems to be on everyone’s mind right now.
I really would like to get away from it all...
“Let me carry that for you.” I quickly go over to the princess as she’s about to pick up a box filled with her things. “I think you’ve done enough today.” I lift the box, surprised by how heavy it is, and she smiles, though it’s a little guarded.
“Thanks.” She looks around one more time, probably to see if she’s got everything.
The party isn’t over yet, but it seems that her part is done and she seems ready to leave. I can’t imagine how hard it is to entertain almost twenty kids under the age of six for hours on end. Just the thought exhausts me, and I didn’t have to do shit.
We walk down the side of the house, to the front. Liam s
eems to appear out of nowhere as he opens the gate, always a gentleman that one. He lets us through, before closing it behind us and following us down the path to the line of cars at the street.
The princess stops in front of an old beat-up car, it’s covered in dust, and I see the rust on it in some places. She pulls up her shoulders. “This is me. Thanks for bringing that over.” She reaches out to the box but I step back.
“Open the back, I’ll put it in for you.” It’s the least I can do for her after the long afternoon.
She sighs, but then does what I say, opening the trunk with a loud creak that puts all my hairs on end. Ugh. She really needs a new car, or at least needs to get this one fixed up.
“That’s not a chariot fit for a princess.” Liam walks around the thing, not looking very impressed. He can be such an insensitive asshole sometimes...
“I’m not really a princess, you know. It’s just a character I play. People pay me to do this. This is not me.” She unclips her wig and pulls it off, taking her hair out of the bun and running her fingers through it, making it float all around her shoulders.
Okay, she’s even more beautiful like this... Her blond hair framing her face in the softest way possible, the light from the setting sun almost making her amber eyes look like balls of fire.
“And what should we call you, if not ‘princess’?” My voice is rougher than I mean it to be. She’s got an effect on me that I didn’t expect. I might not have any interest in a mate, but this girl interests me.
“I’m Cyra.” She throws the wig into the car and closes the trunk. She looks at us both and then opens the door of the car. “Thanks for the help.”
“Happy to be of service.” I nod, stepping back and glaring for Liam to come over. He can be a little weird around cute girls, and this one definitely fits that bill. I don’t want to scare this poor girl even more, if possible, and I never know what Liam comes up with next. Now she’s not putting on the princess persona, she actually feels more like one, not less.
