Strings of Fate by Kit Bryan

12- Messages and mornings 

I go and change into my fluffy unicorn pyjamas. I plug my phone onto charge and climb into the very corner of my bed where I am most comfortable. I watch as my red thread fades from my view. Bellamy must have driven far enough away that I can’t see it anymore. Considering that we are fated to be together, he is very annoying. He is definitely not the kind of person I expected fate to give to me. I still can’t imagine being with him for the rest of my life. He is bossy and demanding, the complete opposite of me. I am pulled from my thoughts when I feel my phone vibrating next to me. I have a text from Megan. 

Megan- Hey, so I’m thinking brunch tomorrow followed by shopping. I want a dress for my engagement party!!! Pick you up at 10am??? 

I responded with my acceptance and my address. I have never really been shopping with a friend before and I find I am insanely excited. I probably can’t buy much given my limited income. But it should still be fun helping Megan pick something. I put my phone down only for it to vibrate again. 

Megan- This should be fun. My brother promised to pay for my dress as an engagement gift so we should pick the most expensive thing in the store. 3🙂 

I laugh out loud at that. 

Ryann- Hahaha definitely. Speaking of your brother I’m supposed to ask you some questions about Shifters and stuff tomorrow if that’s okay? He tried to explain some things and it resulted in an argument. He suggested I should just talk to you instead. 

Megan- Oh of course, I’m happy to help. Don’t mind my brother. He’s so stubborn you would think he shifts into a pig instead of a cat. We can have a proper chat tomorrow. I’ll see you at 10. Night! 

Ryann- Good night Megan. 

I had almost forgotten that being a Shifter doesn’t just mean they live separately from others and apparently have lots of money. They actually do shift into animals. I try to imagine Bellamy as a cat. I have no idea what kind he is though. Something big I assume. He is the 

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Alpha after all. I honestly can’t imagine him as a cat. I’ve always wanted a cat, but my income has never been reliable enough. Well, it has been better recently. Maybe I should get one. A wicked little corner of my mind comments that I have a soul mate who is a feline Shifter. I basically already have a cat. I giggle. Maybe I can put that in the pros column for my 

imaginary being–stuck–with–Bellamy–for–the–rest–of–my–life chart to 

now I’ve been very focused on the cons of Bellamy. He’s stubborn, and annoying. He doesn’t seem to trust people other than his Shifter family. He has a tendency to look down on non–Shifters. He is terrible at apologising and it seems he doesn’t know how to ask for things, only demand. I force myself to try and think of some pros, it’s not fair for me to only look at the negatives. Well, he has a great sister. Okay that 

doesn’t really count, I need to try harder. His sister loves him. That’s a better one. He is a good brother. He is protective of his family. He is responsible I suppose, as Alpha, he is in charge of a whole ton of people. I think back to when he got defensive about Harrison earlier. It was sort of insane. I was never going to go off with Harrison. I don’t even really find him attractive. Okay, that’s a lie. Harrison is gorgeous. But like most Incubi, he reminds me a bit of a peacock, always flaunting and showing off. I find I prefer guys who don’t make a big deal out of how attractive they are, or are at least a little more serious. I groan as I realise that description applies to Bellamy perfectly. Until this moment I haven’t given much consideration to how Bellamy looks. Now I do. I suppose it is a little shallow of me, but if I can’t be shallow and honest with myself in my own head when else am I going to be? Okay, so Bellamy is fairly attractive. Scratch that, the guy is drop dead gorgeous. He’s tall, dark and handsome like Harry is, but not flashy. Definitely fit, most Shifters are after all. He dresses nicely enough. Denim jeans and a button up shirt has been 

his uniform thus far. I sigh, I have probably looked like a mess every time he’s seen me. Pyjamas or work clothes. Not that it matters, I am fairly sure he isn’t looking at me in that way at all. He is too busy trying to find himself a perfect Shifter mate so that he can secure his position as Alpha. He proved it earlier when he made it pretty clear that he hasn’t even considered dating a non–Shifter. Even if he did look at me that way it would only be because 

he is desperate for a mate. We haven’t exactly had the kind of interactions that would endear me to him. This line of thought is making me depressed. I set an alarm for morning, flick off the light by my bed and cuddle deeper under my blankets where I know I am safe and nothing can touch me. Sleep doesn’t come quickly, but it does come and I am surrounded by the warmth of my blankets while my dreams are drowning in golden eyes. 

I cringe as my alarm rings loudly. It’s 8:30 am. I smash buttons on my phone blindly in the dark until I manage to turn it off. Collapsing back into my pillows I stare up at the ceiling. and resist the desire to go back to sleep. I don’t feel like I’ve slept at all. With a groan, I roll out of bed and shiver as I stumble into my little bathroom. I turn the shower on so the water can heat up while I strip. I step into the scorching hot water and bask in the warmth as I go 

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Messages and mornings 

about washing my hair. Once I’m clean and out the shower, I head back to my room while bundled up in my big fluffy towel and try to decide on an outfit. Excitement starts to penetrate my overly sleepy brain. I get to spend the day with Megan. My friend. I actually have a friend, a proper friend, not just a chat with at work‘ friend or a ‘we say hi when we into each other but never actually talk aside from that friend. Brunch and shopping, I don’t think I have ever actually done those things with someone else before. I pick out a cute top which is pale blue, almost white and matches my eyes almost perfectly. I pair it with a black flip skirt after checking the weather app on my phone and confirming it should be relatively warm today. I pick out a pair of light blue sandals and slip them on. I run a brush through my damp hair and glance at my reflection in the mirror. I have dark lashes which only serve to make my strange, pale eyes stand out even more. My complexion is pretty clear so I decide not to bother trying to struggle with makeup today. I’d rather enjoy my day than spend the time stressing about whether I got my eyeliner even or not. I am just grabbing my bag when I hear a firm knocking at my front door. I practically run to answer it. I swing the door open and Megan is standing waiting on the other side with Darrien standing a few steps behind her. Megan is quite tall, but Darrien makes her look tiny when he stands near her. Megan is wearing an aqua sundress and looks absolutely stunning. 

“Morning!” She chimes. I can’t help but smile back at her. 

“Good morning Megan! You too Darrien.” I add. He nods with a small smile. Definitely the quiet type. I step outside and lock my door behind me. Darrien leads the way down the stairs while Megan and I follow. Darrien beats us to the car and opens the door for us. Megan slides in and I follow after her. 

“So, I’m thinking food first if you don’t mind. Then I really want to find a perfect dress for my engagement party so this might take a while, gotta fuel up first. Spending my brother’s money is one of my favourite hobbies after all. I wonder what colour dress we should pick out for you?” she considers. I shake my head. 

“Oh, I can’t afford a dress right now, don’t worry about it. We’re shopping for you today.” I inform her. She is shaking her head as I speak. 

“No, no, no. Bellamy is paying for everything today, and you must have made a good impression because he insisted your dress be included. Don’t worry about money.” I stare at 

her in shock. 

“No way Megan, I can’t let your brother pay for my dress. That’s not fair to him at all.” I 

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12- Messages and mornings 

complain. She is rifling through her purse. 

“Bellamy said you would say that. He wrote you a note.