by ZL Morris
Henrique looks across the table at me. “It would be good for you and Theo to get a check-up with Dr. Andro later, especially since you both have Wolfsbane in your systems. We can’t be too careful with it, and because your immune system is different to ours, we need to be extra vigilant.”
“Henrique!” Rosalina and Leverette both shout in outrage.
I wince at the mention of my immune system and the drugs. It’s only seen as dodgy because of my human side. Idly, I run my finger over the top of the table. Am I’m really worth the hassle and effort to the guys? What happens if this place comes under attack? Would they allow me to fight with them? Or would I be locked safely away in some ivory tower, away from all the violence?
When I finally glance up both Rosalina and Leverette are cutting daggers at Henrique. Oh no, they can’t fight over me. After all, what he said was only the truth. “I agree, Henrique, it’d be stupid of me to not get my wounds checked out. I’ve no clue about the effects or if it can cause any long-term damage. I know the doctor thought the Wolfsbane would be out of my system today, but since I’m the only one here with half human DNA, he’s likely got no previous knowledge of any permanent effects.”
Rosalina frowns at the two men, and cuts in, “Oh, he do—”
Leverette clears his throat loudly. Causing the words to die in her throat. All three of them shift nervously. The tension is thick to the point you could cut through it with a butter knife.
What was she about to say? I look between the three of them. They’re a difficult puzzle I’m trying to solve. Only I don’t have all the pieces, so I store the information away for later.
Before I can open my mouth to ask, Rosalina briskly transfers the last of the pancakes out of the pan onto a platter. Balancing the platter stacked precariously high with chocolate chip pancakes, she bangs it down on the table louder than any of us expect. Henrique, Leverette, and I jump in surprise at the sound.
Mylo openly laughs and reaches for the pancakes.
Rosalina sits directly across from me. Her eyes, no longer full of joy, remain hard as glass when she angrily glares at her partners. They soften considerably when she turns towards Mylo and me.
What happened in the last thirty seconds for her to scowl at them like that?
I shake my head, and decide to leave it alone. I’ve enough on my plate with my new mates. Besides, Alpha Henrique is quite capable of digging himself out of any mess he’s landed himself in with his Luna.
The tension around the table lingers as I dish food up for Mylo and me. He must sense the tension too because he’s quiet in his seat next to me. A little nudge, and he stares up at me with his huge, innocent, brown eyes. I stick my tongue out at him to lighten the mood. Relieved when I’m rewarded by his infectious giggles, we both happily dive into our food.
The door bangs open behind me, and I manage to catch sight of all the guys as they shuffle through the kitchen door. Tucked underneath Theo’s arm like a sack of potatoes is the other little boy who was with Mylo.
“Morning, Mum, Dads,” all three say in unison, causing an internal giggle.
“Morning,” the parents all respond together, and I cover a laugh.
As the guys take seats at the table, I get up and lay extra plates and cutlery out for them. After I grab the plate of bacon and dish out several pieces with the tongs, Rosalina places her fork down and picks up a napkin.
She wipes her mouth and turns her attention to the guys. “Hey, now that the weather has cleared up and the ground’s no longer muddy, are you boys taking Tallulah out to that, umm, place today?”
I glance back and forth between them, wondering what they’re on about. Sly looks pass between them, and I choose to ignore them while I continue to serve until the plates are filled with breakfast. When I finish, I turn my attention back to the conversation
“Yes, we are. We’ll head out after breakfast.” Theo glances nervously at me and rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “Um, did you get that thing from Blaise, Mum? He said it’d be here this morning. I don’t think Tallulah has one.”
“He did, it came about an hour ago.” Rosalina smirks at me. “That’s the blue one you had done?”
Never have I witnessed Theo, Kenji, and Quimby turn as red as they do now, their faces bright pink from their cheeks to the tips of their ears.
In awe, I plonk myself onto a seat at the table and stare. Mylo’s giggles next to me pull me away from their embarrassment. “You’re the colour of ket-up.”
“Shhh!” I scold behind my hand, now clamped over my mouth to hold in the laughter about to burst free.
Leverette coughs into his hand in an attempt to hide his laughter at his son’s expense. His eyes shine brightly when he squints over at Mylo and the other little boy next to him. “Eat all your pancakes Mylo, you too, Nash, and they might take you with them.”
Both little boys’ faces light up, and they scarf down their food as fast as possible. They’ve no clue where we’ll be going, but I guess they’re just happy to go out and run free for a while.
Worried, I frown at my plate. “Will it be safe?”
I don’t want another run in with those wolves while my leg is still tender. If trouble finds us, I can’t imagine I’ll be able to fight or run away.
Both pups shrink into themselves, and I could kick myself for bringing it up. They must have been petrified when I shoved them both off without me. Maybe I should’ve done it differently. Somehow hidden them and redirected the chasers away from the pups.
They came with no parents, so I can only imagine what happened to them before they arrived at my house. Whatever happened, combined with the attack at the house, must have been horrible enough for them to shrink into themselves at the mere mention of the rival pack.
A hand touches my thigh, causing me to jump and drop my fork. It clangs on my plate. I clear my throat and whisper, “I’m sorry.”
Mylo and Nash both peek up at me with worried expressions. And I try to forget where my thoughts were headed, too morbid to contemplate while at the table.
Alpha Henrique answers confidently, “It’s absolutely all right to ask, sweetie. As a precaution, we’ll send out a couple of extra security to patrol the area you’ll be in. You should be in no danger.”
I plaster a bright smile on my face in hopes it will set the little ones at ease. The last thing I want is to upset them even more. The rest of breakfast is quiet; both the pups and I finish our food at the same time.
Quietly, I gather our empty plates to wash and dry them. I may be a guest, but I don’t want them to pick up after me. After all, this might be my new home for a while. It’s still unclear if I’m supposed to stay here permanently or if I’ll go back home once the threat is gone.
Will the guys even want me here permanently? The thought stops me instantly. Are the guys going to keep me here out of an obligation because I’m their mate? Or do they genuinely want me here? Are they upset they’ve been lumped with the half mutt?
Curled up with me this morning, they weren’t bothered by it. But when it finally dawns on them that I can’t shift, can’t run, and can’t hunt with them? It will matter then. Surely, it will hinder any possibility of me ever being a decent mate to them or a future Luna to the pack.
Hesitantly, I glance over my shoulder at Rosalina, comparing myself to her. She’s strong, independent, a born leader and caregiver. She takes care of her mates and stands by their side, and most importantly, she can shift. She can go into battle when needed as a wolf; she can take part in pack runs, hunting, teaching the teenage girls how to handle life with their abilities, and what to expect when they meet their mate, or mates. I’m capable of doing more than most, but leading the pack into battle and any other responsibilities I’ll need to do as a wolf? I’m not ever going to be able to live up to the demand of a true Luna. Theo, Kenji, and Quimby deserve more than I can give. They don’t deserve the torment, the bother, and struggle of having a helpless half-mutt chained to them.
Warm arms slip around my waist, and it snaps me out of my miserable thoughts, back into the reality of tepid sudsy water and dirty dishes.
“What are you mulling over?” Quimby’s breath fans against my ear.
“No-nothing.” The hands slyly move up and down my rib cage, distracting me.
I lean back into Quimby as his hands gently caress my sides, and my body fires up, once again flush with warmth. Loud sniffs remind me we are not alone in the kitchen.
Fuck! How could I have been stupid enough to forget their parents were still in the room? Hopefully, my stench isn’t wafting around the room like some skank hussy.
When everyone finishes their breakfast, Alpha Henrique and Leverette stand and collect together the rest of the empty plates on the table. Rising from the table, Rosalina comes around the counter, slips her arm through mine and pulls me out of Quimby’s arms.
She tugs me towards the kitchen door. “I think we should let the boys clean up, honey. It might be best for you to shower before you leave the den. Otherwise you’ll end up with every single male shifter in an eight-mile radius after you. Afterwards, there is a gift from the boys you can change into.”
Theo and Kenji growl at their mother when her words register. Rosalina responds with a laugh. If she weren’t one of the parents in the room, I’d find the situation funny. Instead, I’m completely mortified.
There’s no time to protest or clean up after myself because Rosalina swiftly pulls me through the door. We leave the men to clear up the rest of the breakfast mess. Once the kitchen door shuts behind us, we can no longer hear the loud growls and curses from the guys.
She never once slows her pace as she pulls me along behind her. We head in the direction of her bedroom, but I have no clue why.
Why would the thing the boys want me to have be in their mother’s room?
When we enter her bedroom, it’s exactly how I remember. The huge bed, made to comfortably sleep three people, still dominates the room. The dresser with the pretty mirror on top stands in the same place.
Memories flood through me like an old film flickering on a slide projector. So many moments from my childhood feature all three of the guys and their parents.
One time is so vivid, like it was yesterday and not fifteen years ago. It was the last time I was in here. I was off-colour, and Kenji carried me into this room. He rummaged around in his mum’s closet and pulled out a box of chocolates, heart-shaped, and tied with a pretty red ribbon. My four-year-old self stared in awe as Kenji carefully opened the box, picked out one heart-shaped chocolate, and handed it to me. Once he put the box carefully back into its place in the closet, we sat on the floor and cuddled as we shared it between us.
Did Rosalina ever find the box? Did she figure out why only one chocolate piece was absent?
When Rosalina gently squeezes my hand, it brings me back to the here and now. She offers reassurance, “Don’t look so frightened, sweetie. This is for your day out with the boys.”
Rosalina lets go of my hand and walks into the closet. I wipe my damp palms on my shorts. I’m not used to surprises since surprises normally mean something bad. Like when Dad had an unexpected trip to one of the rougher pack territories around us. He was stupid enough to volunteer to go alone instead of taking me with him and gotten hurt as a result.
When Dad was sent out to the safer areas, I was allowed to join him. But the minute it could turn into a slightly hairy situation, I wasn’t invited. It’s still a sore subject. He knows I can fight as well as the best of them. He’s seen me train, but it makes no fucking difference to him or anyone else.
Yesterday in the Alpha’s office, Rosalina’s temper flared because I pointed out my half mutt status. What else am I supposed to think? I’m never allowed to do anything that might resemble danger. Sure, I’m allowed relative freedom, to train and run in the forests, but nothing else.
Even then, I’m always aware that I had a constant follower.
If my followers’ noses weren’t so damn good, I’d be able to outrun them. Well, technically not outrun them, some of those big lugs are fast, but I’d be able to hide better. When I was little, I turned it into a weird sort of game of hide and seek, or rather, hide and sniff.
A loud bang from the closet pulls me back to the present, and I watch in fascination as Rosalina exits with a few different sized bags clutched in her hands.
“What are those?” Realising how rude it comes out, I immediately look down at the carpet. “I’m sorry, Luna.”
“Don’t worry, honey.” She places the bags on the bed and rummages through them. “It’s only a few things the boys organised for you.”
My eyes narrow at the bags. Not able to see any labels on them, I glance back at Rosalina. “But I’ve only just got here. How did they organise it so quickly?”
“They made some plans after you went to sleep last night. Then contacted Blaise this morning to collect it for them.” Not finding what she wants, she tips the bags up, and the contents spill all over one end of the bed. I make out leggings, shorts, tops and… Is…is that underwear?
My face heats, and I try to ignore it by watching Rosalina grab some sort of small, dark-blue material out of the pile. There’s really not much material to whatever it is. She turns slightly away from me to lay the chosen items out on the bed. Once she’s satisfied with what she’s done, she steps back and turns around to face me.
Her eyes rapidly flick from me to the bed. “Well, what do you reckon, sweetie?”
I stare at the two pieces of what I’d call scrap material and quickly realise it’s a bikini, a very tiny bikini.
“It’s what the boys picked out for you. They weren’t sure if you have one anymore, so they wanted to treat you.”
I gape from Rosalina, then back to the bikini. They can’t be serious, right? They can’t possibly want me to go out there in that. I’m not overweight or skinny, I’m average, but even that would make me self-conscious.
“A-are you sure they want me to wear th-that? Th-there isn’t a lot to it. I’ll freeze.” I rub at my nose and cover my mouth.
She tilts her head to the side and quietly inspects me. She must come to some sort of conclusion though because she straightens up. “You have a fantastic figure, sweetheart, not like these everyday bean-poles the humans consider sexy. You’ve got curves in all the right places, and my boys will melt when they see you in this. Besides, the storm has cleared, and it’s warm out!”
“Ar-are you sure it’s suitable? Especially with the babies coming with us, I don’t really want to traumatize them any more than they already are.” I could smack myself upside the head as I blurt out the first reason I come up with.
She laughs and waves off my excuse. “Don’t be silly. Now”—she picks up the material and hands it over to me— “go and get yourself ready. You’re welcome to use my shower.”
Filled with dread, I take the material from her hands and rub it nervously between my fingers as I make my way into her bathroom. Quietly, I shut the door behind me, set the bikini on the closed toilet seat, and quickly strip out of my clothes.
After I turn on the shower and let the water warm, I go through my usual routine, wash my hair, shave my body, and finally scrub my body in a desperate effort to rid myself of any lingering scent. The last thing I want is the attention of more males, especially dressed in so little.
I stand under the spray to drag out the shower for as long as possible, but I can’t keep everyone waiting forever. Apprehensive, I dry off with a huge fluffy towel and dress in the tiny bikini. Now that I wear it, I turn to the fogged up full-length mirror in the corner. Once I grab my discarded towel and clear away the mist, I take several steps back until I’m able to see myself better.
A small gasp of relief escapes me. Even though there isn’t much to it, it’s still modest. The deep blue material covers all the important parts and the top offers more support than I expected.
Even though I’m not really a girly girl, I can appreciat
e how it makes me appear more feminine, softer somehow. A difficult task since I’m curvy, but it’s all muscle from the time I’ve spent training on the obstacle course over the years.
Still, I feel exposed. The only things in the bathroom to cover up with are my discarded clothes. My nose turns up. No one wants to wear dirty clothes once they’re clean, and it’s not very attractive.
I wring the excess water out my hair and throw it back up into a messy bun, then put the dirty towel into the hamper and bundle my clothes up. Hand on the doorknob, I take a deep, calming breath to choke down my nerves, and finally open the door.
Rosalina, in the process of arranging my new clothes into neat piles, turns. Her eyes light up as she takes in my bikini clad body. She lets out a low whistle and grins mischievously, “Damn, my boys are lucky. You look beautiful, sweetie.”
She hustles over to take the dirty bundle of clothes from me and throws them into her hamper. Nimbly, she picks another item off the bed and turns it around to show me the back. A thin cotton cover-up with a beautiful waterfall design. The colours are breathtaking. The darker blues match my bikini with light-blue and white accents. Vibrant, exotic flowers surround the base of the waterfall. It looks exactly how I remember it.
In awe of the cloth-makers artistry, I ask, “Is that where they’re taking me?”
She leans in with a bright conspiratorial smile. “Where else would they take you, darling girl? It’s your special place with them.”
A lead weight drops in my stomach, and an insane amount of jealously wells up. It throws me a little. Theo said they hadn’t been with other girls, but with how much time has passed since we were allowed to be together, I can’t help the niggle of doubt that surfaces. Apart from last night’s brief moment with Theo in my bed and thinking of the guys with other girls, I’d never really thought about them being with anyone else, so it never crossed my mind up until more recently that they’d be intimate with someone. I’ve never had a reason to be stupidly jealous.
It’s not a pleasant feeling, so I force myself to be calm. “Th-they haven’t ta-taken anyone else there?”
