SWNOVELS Chapter 47: Hello princess!
Pulling into the parking lot, with the music cranked, they didn’t care that they were drawing the eyes of others.
Kane and Damon exited the truck first, opening the doors and Lydia climbed out the side Damon was waiting on, while Dax crossed over the back seat to where Kane was waiting for her. He grabbed her into his arms and kissed her lips.
“I think my little mouse is more of a temptation than I thought” He whispered low enough that only she could hear. Placing her on the ground she felt the eyes of others on her, they would look her up and down and whisper amongst themselves at her appearance. She looked at her face in the window, before her hand could move to her scar on her ear, his hand covered hers.
“Let them stare, you look beautiful, if anybody is stupid enough to say anything, Damon will snap their neck” Kane kissed the back of her hand and she nodded her head.
“Gladly, haven’t let Titan out in a while, he could use some fun. Hey, we should go dancing tonight!” Damon spun Lydia around and she giggled when he dipped her.
“It’s Sunday” Kane replied,
“Yeah! So what?” Damon responded,
“Family dinner” Kane explained, she completely forgot about that. Hopefully Lacey wouldn’t still be mad at her. She’ll get over it! What if she hasn’t? Then let her still be mad! Maybe I shouldn’t go! Why? If I’m there and she’s mad it’ll be awkward for everyone! But you’re supposed to go too! It would be better if I don’t go! You deserve to go to a family dinner as well! No I don’t, it’s Lacey’s family not mine, I don’t want to wreck it for her or anyone else by being there! You should go anyway, he said you were family! She was chewing her bottom lip, her anxiety growing at the whole situation. If she keeps biting that lip, she’s going to chew it off! Ky whimpered.
“I shouldn’t go” She said looking at him “If Lacey’s still mad it’ll just make it awkward for everyone” she added, biting her lip. If she doesn’t go I won’t behave myself, and I’ll bite your sister! Ky threatened. Relax, she’s going, she’s family!
“If I have to go, then you have to go” he countered, she bit her lip some more, he lifted her chin so she would look at him again “Don’t worry baby, she’ll get over it” Dax hoped so, the last thing she wanted to do was ruin family dinner for everyone. She better get over it or hell will be paid! Ky huffed.
“You still have family dinner?” Damon asked, he spared a quick glance at Dax, then looked away. He could only hope Kane was right and Lacey would get over this, he didn’t think she would though. Lacey knew how to hold a grudge, Damon was proof of that. Lacey would make Dax continue to pay for what happened in the office for years to come.
“Every Sunday!” Kane answered as they walked towards the mall.
They started at one end and moved their way to the other. Dax was more interested in helping Lydia pick out clothes then she was in getting anything for herself. Kane and Damon just followed them around the different stores.
“You’re not finding anything?” Kane asked, coming up behind her as she was browsing a rack. She grabbed two button up shirts and held them up.
“Am I a paisley or a floral print?” She asked just as Damon walked by.
“Fuck no, put those down” he said in passing as he shook his head to go find Lydia.
“Thank you Damon!” Kane pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Anytime!” He called over his shoulder.
“But he is not wrong. There has to be somewhere in this mall for you to find clothes” she was as discouraged as he was.
This is one of the reasons she stuck with camis, tanks and cargo pants, they’re simple, everybody’s style and pretty hard to fuck up. But on the plus side, if she can’t find clothes, then she can’t buy clothes and if she can’t buy clothes then she doesn’t spend his money.
“I might know a store, my cousin owns it and it’s at the very end of the mall. He prides himself on not following the masses” Lydia said, coming up behind them. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but you all have been so kind to me I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate it.” She blushed a little. Kane got the feeling that the last part was meant for Dax, she had gone above and beyond to make sure Lydia felt welcome, into the Howler’s. A true Luna! Ky purred.
“Thank you Lydia, that would be great,” Kane nodded. Damon came up behind Lydia and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek.
“Is she a keeper or what?” Damon asked with a grin, before Kane could say anything.
“She’s a keeper, you might need to be thrown back though” Dax said, both Kane and Lydia broke out laughing.
“Hey now feisty pants, be nice to me” Damon grinned at her.
“That was nice!” she said with a smile.
“You’re quite the comedian today, wake up on the funny side of the medical ward this morning” Damon asked her.
“No, they must have put something good in the drugs!” She replied.
“Let me just pay for this and then I can show you the store” Lydia said and moved towards the till, with Damon in tow. Kane and Dax walked out of the store to wait for them. They were arguing over who was going to pay for Lydia’s clothes. Damon pulled out a black card, similar to Kane’s and handed it to the clerk. She eagerly accepted it, Dax figured it was just to get the two of them out of the store.
“Damon has his own money. When he rejoined the pack, he pulled his life together. I thought he was finally ready to grow up and act like an adult, but after hearing he was rejected for not getting the rank 8 years ago I am now thinking it’s to rub it in the face of which ever she-wolf was stupid enough to reject him.” Kane said.
“Second chances not often rewarded” she mumbled more to herself, but he overheard.
“What was that?” He asked, raising his eyebrow.
“He was rejected?” She asked instead, looking at Kane.
“Yeah, let me tell you it fucking blows, you can feel everything they do with others. I put as much distance between me and her as possible, but the pain never went away….until I met this one” Damon said holding Lydia close to him, as they walked out of the store and joined them.
“When I came back I got my shit together, don’t get me wrong, I wanted to rub her face in it a little bit, but after a while it was more to prove something to myself. Like I said I am not the most reliable guy, but I ain’t the fuck up I was either.” He added, as they began to move down the mall.
“Don’t sell yourself short Squeaky. You’re there when it counts” Dax said,
“Was that a compliment?” Damon looked at her shocked, that just wasn’t their relationship in front of others.
“Lapse in judgement, I’m sorry it won’t happen again” She retorted.
“Be sure that it doesn’t, cause that’s just weird” she kicked him in the shin.
“That’s my feisty pants,” he said, giving her a gentle shove.
“Careful, I’m littler than you” she said,
“You’re littler than everybody, I thought we discussed this in the truck” Damon laughed.
“They have a very….” Lydia began,
“Symbiotic relationship” Kane finished for her, she just nodded.
“Is it weird that I don’t feel threatened by it though? I always wanted a sister” Lydia looked at Kane.
“Is it weird that I don’t? Damon’s always been my brother” He asked back.
They made it to the other end of the mall stopping in and out of the other stores Lydia needed to go to, at Dax’s insistence when they came upon a store called SAVAGE. Judging by the clothes in the window display it looked like a goth/punk/alternative style clothing store. A mannequin wearing a button up black tank top and a black high waisted skirt with an aline, asymmetrical frill made of layers of tulle.
“I like that” Dax said,
“If the idea is for me to rip it off of you, then I do as well, there is no way you would be leaving the room wearing it.” Kane agreed.
“Baby girl, are you sure it’s open?” Damon asked, the store looked empty.
“Yes, I texted ahead and said I was coming and I was bringing some special people with me. He said he’d clear the store. He’s very excited to meet you Damon” Lydia said as she knocked on the door.
A tall guy opened the door and there was immediate squealing. Kane stiffened as he pulled Dax behind him protectively, and Damon’s guard went up as he grabbed Lydia away from the strange squealing guy.
“Damon, that’s my cousin” Lydia exclaimed, trying to calm him down.
“That’s your cousin? Dude! You need to calm the fuck down, try decaf.” Damon said, still keeping Lydia behind him.
“This is your mate? He is very fine. And very secure with himself to wear pink nail polish” The guy said looking Damon up and down.
“It made her happy and not everybody can pull off pink” Damon relaxed slightly, letting Lydia go and hug her cousin.
“Desmond this is Damon, Damon my cousin Desmond he’s from the Blue Moon Pack” the two stared at each other for a bit, before Damon extended his hand.
“You’re a Blood Howler, you neglected to mention that cousin” Desmond glanced at Lydia as he accepted Damon’s hand. Kane watched on, still uneasy, Damon hadn’t fully relaxed around this guy which kept his edge up. He could feel Dax’s fingers clutching at his shirt, he didn’t mean to freak her out, but the sudden noise and movement startled him. The more he saw Damon relax the more he did as well. He placed one hand behind his back so she could grip his fingers. He needed her to calm him as much as she needed him to calm her. Only when he saw Damon completely calm did he drop his guard a little more.
“Desmond this is Kane and….” Lydia started to say,
“You said you were bringing special people, not frickin royalty cousin.” Desmond interrupted her, when he looked over at Kane. “Forgive me sir, please come in” he bowed his head and held the door open for them as they entered.
“My cousin seems to be a little absent minded today” the comment earned a growl from Damon. Lydia entwined her fingers with his to keep him calm.
“Down big boy!” Desmond said to Damon.
“No Desmond I am not. The mall is crawling with people and I couldn’t very well shout in the middle of it that Alpha Kane was on his way to see you now could I, and that is not something you send in a text” Lydia stated very matter of factly.
“Still, a heads up would have been nice,” Desmond said.
“Fine, next time I’ll tell you the top dog’s on his way, so get your bitch ass off the porch.” She looked at Desmond, Damon looked at her, a grin spreading across his face.
“I think you’ve been hanging out with feisty pants too much,” Damon laughed.
“What or who pray tell is a feisty pants?” Desmond asked.
“The reason we are here” Kane spoke as he stepped forward. He took his hand from behind his back and pulled Dax with him. Desmond’s eyes went wide as he saw her.
“Oh my Goddess little one, look at you. You have got to be the most gorgeous creature I have ever seen. It’s no surprise you’re with a king” Desmond stated “What are we looking for today?”
“She needs shirts that she can easily get into. She has an injury on her back” Kane replied.
“Ok so buttons, snaps, zippers. How big is the injury?” Desmond asked.
“Right shoulder to left hip and four cracked ribs” Kane answered, Dax just stared wide eyed at Desmond, she wasn’t entirely sure what to make of him.
“Oh you poor thing, alright come here let me have a look at you” Desmond motioned for her to move forward, she looked over her shoulder at Kane who just nodded letting go of her hand. She swallowed the lump in her throat and stepped towards Desmond. He started to circle her, looking her up and down. Stay calm! I am calm, but if he eats me I’m gonna be hella mad! I thought we already discussed that you’re barely a snack! Shut up! Helping! Not helping!
“Is that your natural hair colour? And is it naturally wavy like that” He asked.
“Yes” she reached up and touched her hair.
“Pointy ears, sleek features, high cheekbones. You’re very elvin looking, did you know that?” Desmond asked her.
“Yes” her hand twitched, she wasn’t comfortable having someone point out all her features.
“My Goddess girl look at the booty on you” Her face flushed red “That is a very lucky Alpha” Desmond added “Alright come with me” he took her gently by the arm and walked off towards one of the racks where he started pulling clothes for her to try on.
“Uh, your cousin’s gay right?” Damon whispered to Lydia.
“Why?” She looked at him.
“Because if he’s straight and comments on her….booty one more time, it’s not going to make a very good first impression if Kane rips his arms off and beats him with them,” Damon explained.
“Oh, yes, he’s gay, super gay as he likes to call himself” Lydia answered quickly and looked over at Kane. He was standing right beside Dax glaring daggers at Desmond.
“I got this, you stay with Dax, let me get him out of there, but if your cousin mentions her breasts he’s a dead man regardless” Damon walked over to Kane pulling him to the side.
“What?” Kane growled,
“Relax, she’s not his type” Damon tried to calm him down.
“What are you talking about?” Kane snapped,
“He prefers….taller, broad shoulders, muscular, more masculine, less feminine, and judging by the way he’s checking out your ass, I’m gonna assume you’re his type” Damon grinned at him,
“He’s gay?” Kane rubbed the back of his neck.
“Super gay apparently. Who knew that was a thing?” Damon shrugged,
“The comment on her ass….” Kane began,
“I know. But brother, you can’t break every guy that notices her ass. That’s a long fucking list. She’s got a nice one, be fucking honoured. Let them look, let them comment, you’re the only one that gets to touch it” Damon said.
“Uh huh! And if someone commented on Lydia’s ass….”
“Oh I would rip their fucking tongue out” Damon cut him off before he could even finish, causing them both to laugh.
“That’s what I thought, good pep talk though, but we’re possessive by nature and you know that” Kane stated, Damon just grinned back at him. He wasn’t checking us out! No, he was not! Kane could only grin as well. If his brother only knew.
“You good now, you’re not gonna kill him or anything? Cause that would suck for me” Damon asked,
“I’m good,” Kane nodded his head and went to walk back over to where they were standing, but they were no longer there. They heard laughing and music coming from further in the store, when they rounded one of the aisles, Dax was wearing different clothes and she and Lydia were dancing along to the music.
“Are you sure we can’t go dancing tonight?” Damon asked, watching them.
“Maybe we can leave dinner early. She deserves to have some fun” Kane replied with a grin. When was the last time she looked that happy? Ky murmured in his head. It has been awhile since the carnival. Desmond had picked so many clothes for her to try on, including the skirt she saw in the window display that she was now wearing. Yeah, that one won’t last long! He thought as he watched the frill dance around her legs when she moved and the waist hugged her bottom. He could feel his eyes darkening as he watched her movements. Make sure we buy that skirt! It’ll just get ripped off of her! I’m ok with that! Me too!
“Kane….Kane….KANE!” Damon was trying to get his attention.
“WHAT?” Kane yelled back, both Dax and Lydia looked at him.
“Your phone’s ringing” Damon replied with a grin on his face “You were totally ogling your mate” he could hear Ky, howling in his head.
“Shut up Damon!” Kane’s cheeks reddened as he walked away to answer his phone after punching Damon in the shoulder, causing him to laugh. Damon rejoined the girls. Dax was wearing a straight skirt when she came out of the change room, Desmond sent her right back saying she is not a skin tight skirt girl, she’s more flowy like water her body was made to move, he took away everything that would be too skin tight on her bottom and added more items that flowed and would move with her. When she came out again, she was wearing a dark grey skirt that emphasized her bottom but flowed down and moved around her legs showing the various colours as she walked. He gave her a snap up black crop top to go with it. She was trying to hide her exposed waist, but Desmond wouldn’t let her.
“Girl you are too perfect to be hiding any part of you. What do you usually wear?” He asked,
“Tanks, camis and cargos. Pretty hard to fuck those up! Unless you make them skinny fit, I hate skinny fit.” She replied, trying to hide her waist again.
“Goddess I love this girl, she is my spirit animal” Desmond chirped,
“Easy there, her mate is one possessive Alpha” Damon warned,
“Then let’s see what he thinks, if he approves you wear the shirt. And it goes well with cargos” Desmond responded. Kane rejoined them, his eyes widened when he saw her.
“I think he approves,” Damon laughed, her face flushed under his stare.
“Too cute” Desmond handed her another outfit and sent her back into the change room.
“Who was on the phone?” Damon asked,
“Johnny, Lacey and him are at the other end of the mall” Kane replied,
“Are we supposed to meet them there?” Damon asked, the laughter in his voice almost dying.
“No, I said we would meet them in the food court,” Kane answered, watching her try on another outfit.
“So we have to leave now?” Damon grumbled,
“No, I said in an hour or so, but we’ll get there when we get there. Today is about pampering her, at least it is for me. I will not allow my sister’s irrational pregnant mood swings to get in the way of that.” Kane stated matter of factly, this day was all about his little mate, showing her how important she was, how deserving she was. She needed to be taken care of as well and that is exactly what he was going to do today. This brought the grin back to Damon’s face.
“That’ll piss your sister off” Damon said,
“Then I’ll hear all about it at dinner tonight, now won’t I,” Kane said flatly, he could care less what his sister said to him at dinner. Damon would love to be a fly on that wall, shit was gonna hit the fan.
She came out wearing a pair of black boot cut pants, they perfectly hugged her bottom and thighs. There was a skull and red rose pattern that flowed down the right pant leg, it was paired with a black button up tank with a band of red down each side.
“Now that floral pattern suits her” Damon said
“Yes it does!” Kane agreed, he smiled as he watched her enjoy herself. She’d step into the change room wearing one outfit and come out in a different one, Desmond would say something she would show it off to Lydia who would say something, then he’d send her back in with something else. As far as he was concerned they all looked good on her, and at some point would end up on the bedroom floor. Lastly she tried on a black high waisted skinny pair of pants with suspenders, but Desmond assured her she would like them. The material was super soft cotton almost legging like material, and moved like a second skin with her legs. He paired it with a midnight blue button up crop top but said she could wear whatever colour she wanted. He also had a few tanks that weren’t button up, but knew she would like.
With no more clothes to try on, both her and Lydia sat down trying to figure out which ones she should choose.
“We’ll take them all” Kane held up his black card, her eyes widened.
“No, no, no that’s too much,” she said, shaking her head.
“No it’s not, I have watched you try on clothes for the last two hours” Kane said.
“Two hours? We’ve been here for two hours” Her mouth dropped open.
“Oh yes little mouse, two hours. And with every outfit you wore, the more your eyes lit up and the colour came back. We will take them all” Desmond walked by with an armful of clothes and took the card from Kane, as Lydia walked by with the rest.
“No, no, you have to let me put some back, it’s too many” Dax was still protesting.
“That girl is only allowed to wear my clothes, I can design a million outfits for her alone. She is the reason I became a designer” He commented as he walked to the till.
“See, if you’re only allowed to wear his clothes, you will need all those until he has more ready for you. You better grab an extra two of those skirts, the first one won’t last, and I don’t have high hopes for the second.” He said as he eyed the skirt with the tulle frill.
“No that is too much, I won’t even be able to wear all those, we have to put some back” she looked at him begging. “Please, please put some back.”
“No! Who says you’ll be wearing them for long and some of them won’t make it. You yourself know how little patience I have for removing clothes.” he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers.
“Now do you want to change, or keep this outfit on? I say keep it on” he slid his hands down her hips.
“I want to keep it on” she said “I like the way it feels”
“Me too! Desmond another pair of these as well” He moved his hands gently across the back. “Now you need shoes to go with them”
“But, I only have two feet, how many pairs of shoes do I need?” She asked, looking shocked.
“Oh honey, you need to accessorize, what size are you?” Desmond said, handing Kane’s card back to him and taking her to the back, where the shoes are.
“3.5 to 4” She replied looking over her shoulder at Kane who was smiling at her.
“You are beautiful, I have so many shoes for you, starting with a pair of midnight blue boots to go with that shirt”
“Spoil or pamper?” Damon asked, raising an eyebrow grinning.
“Both” Kane replied as he waited by the till “And I don’t think I could ever spoil my little mouse, she has issues with believing she deserves anything” he added.
“I noticed, it pissed me off how easily she let Lacey tell her there was no time to do her nails last night. How are we going to carry all this stuff?” Damon asked.
“We will leave it here, I’m sure Desmond won’t mind. I am going to take her to get her hair and nails done, then I will get the truck and bring it to this entrance and put everything in it.” Kane shrugged, simple enough.
“By then Lacey will be good and pissed off for having to wait so long, and you might have a go around with her in the middle of the food court” Damon laughed, again Kane just shrugged.
“She may be my sister, but she had no right to treat Dax like that, especially after everything she did for her, so maybe I am punishing her for it” he responded. Lydia came walking up from the back carrying four boxes of shoes.
“These are mine, Dax has like three times as many” She said with a smile “Desmond is thrilled by the way” Kane couldn’t help the look of surprise that crossed his face at what Lydia said.
“You told her to get shoes,” Damon laughed.
Kane moved towards the back of the store, he saw a stack of shoe boxes, a big grin crossed his face when he saw her sitting on the bench with Desmond designing something. She was wearing the midnight blue boots that matched her shirt and a charcoal hat with black skull embellishments around the bottom.
“What is going on here?” He asked, causing them both to look up.
“He’s been so nice, I wanted to thank him,” Dax said.
“She offered to redo the sign for the store, Lydia never told me she was an extremely talented artist.” Desmond said, looking over the new design.
“Are these her shoes?” Kane asked, pointing at the stack he was standing beside.
“Yes I pulled all the ones that go with her outfits she just picked up and the ones she told me she already has” Desmond said, as she put the finishing touches on the design, showing him.
“I love it!” Desmond cooed, clapping his hands. “Ok I have a million ideas in my head for you, so you need to leave now so I can get to work.” He added shooing her away.
“We’re going to need to come back for all this,” Kane said to Desmond.
“Of course, you’re all checked out I’ll have it all packed and ready to go by the back door, you can just pull your vehicle around back”
“What about the shoes?” Kane raised his eyebrow.
“She can have those, the amount of business she is going to drive my way will more than cover the cost. Your girl is absolutely gorgeous, and my clothes have never looked more stunning. She’ll be turning heads and making girls jealous, and jealous girls buy clothes” Desmond replied.
“Thank you Desmond” Kane said he held his hand out for her to take.
“Thank you Desmond,” She said, smiling at him.
“No gorgeous thank you” Desmond smiled back.
With that taken care of, they moved back up the mall to find a salon, Lydia and Dax were talking and laughing. Kane couldn’t help but notice how the conversation between the two never looked or sounded forced. Dax’s face genuinely lit up when Lydia said something that made her laugh. Or how Lydia hung on every word his little mate spoke. Maybe this is where his sister’s hostility is coming from? Maybe she’s noticed as well? No, she’s just a self-centered bitch who doesn’t like having the spotlight not on her! Ky responded. Ok, Ky! It’s the truth and you know it. To believe otherwise is fucking stupid! He didn’t want it to be true, but in the back of his mind he knew his beast was right. Lacey was jealous of Dax and it was starting to show.
“Why don’t I go get the truck and start loading that stuff?” Damon offered, Kane nodded and handed him the keys, but when he headed in the direction of a jewelry store instead of the parking lot Kane just chuckled. They found a salon away from the jewelry store Damon went into. The stylist behind the till looked up briefly at Dax and Lydia then back down to what she was doing, seemingly uninterested in attending to them. Kane released a low growl, and her head snapped up, realization dawning on her overly made up face. He wouldn’t have done it if she wasn’t a werewolf.
“Al...Alpha K...Kane” she stuttered “I’m sorry I didn’t see you there”
“It shouldn’t have mattered if you saw me, you saw them” he barked.
“You’re right I am sorry sir” she averted her eyes.
“They would like their hair and nails done, but not by you, by someone more competent” She was about to protest, but when he curled his lip and narrowed his eyes, her skin paled and she started shaking. She nodded her head and moved to the back to get a couple of the other girls.
“It pays to be the king” Dax said quietly,
“I think he made her pee,” Lydia added. Two different girls came to the front, fear evident in both their eyes.
“They would like their hair and nails done. You will listen to them and give them exactly what they want, and if they are not happy and don’t enjoy themselves, there will be hell to pay, is that understood?” The girls just nodded their heads and waited for Dax and Lydia to follow them to the back.
“I will be back soon,” he kissed Dax’s forehead and watched them disappear into the back of the salon. Then he went to find Damon at the jewellery store.
“This does not look like the parking lot where the truck is parked” He said when he stood beside him.
“Where are the girls?” Damon asked, looking a little shocked.
“I sent them to get their hair and nails done, you shouldn’t be the only one with pretty nails” Kane replied looking at his phone after it went off. He half laughed and put his phone away, in time for the jeweller to come back and lay a small black box on the counter in front of Damon. Kane picked it up before Damon could say anything and opened it. A simple rose gold bracelet with MINE engraved into the face plate that had an elegant lily design. Kane closed the box and handed it to him, with a smile.
“Don’t give me shit for this. Who was the message from?” Damon said as he put the box in his pocket and thanked the man behind the counter.
“Lacey, apparently Johnny won’t ask where we are so she has to do it herself. I think she’s angry” Kane said with a smile.
“You’re not going to reply back?” Damon asked as they left the store heading for the parking lot.
“No!” He answered simply.
“How long do we have before she goes nuclear?” Damon asked, laughing. He was thoroughly enjoying this.
“Long enough for us to get what was purchased at SAVAGE, ice cream and brownies, and the girls to get their hair and nails done” Kane replied. He figured that should be about the right amount of time before his sister blows her top.
“Ice cream and brownies?” Damon asked Kane just smiled “Don’t tell me you bribed her”
“It seems to work for us, we both seem to get what we want,” Kane said.
By the time they got the clothes and shoes and whatever extras Desmond had found for her from SAVAGE, the brownies, chocolate chip cookies and ice cream and were heading back to the salon to get the girls. Lacey had messaged 8 times. Each one sounded more and more annoyed as they not only made her have to wait in the food court, but he was not replying back to her.
“Nuclear?” Damon asked,
“Getting there” Kane said he messaged back quickly that Lydia and Dax went to the salon to get their hair and nails done, seeing how there wasn’t time for it to get done last night. “That should either set her off, or shut her up” 10 minutes later his phone went off again.
J: Where are you? I am not sitting in the food court by myself
K: Where’s Lacey?
J: I just dropped her off at the truck
K: She’s waiting in the truck?
J: She is beyond livid and this time it’s not just at me. I’m pretty sure you’re a dead man.
Kane gave him the name of the salon they were waiting at.
“What’s with the three different ice creams?” Damon asked,
“She chooses chocolate, but secretly wishes she chose salted caramel or chocolate chip. She would never complain, but I know” Kane answered,
“Ok, and the cookies?” Damon arched his eyebrow,
“You’ll see!” Was all he said.
“There you two are!” Johnny said as he rounded the corner.
“Where’s Lacey?” Damon asked,
“Waiting in the truck. I love her, but I needed a minute” he replied,
“Hope you cracked a window” Damon said,
“She’s pretty mad I take it?” Kane asked, a grin tugging at his lips.
“Mad, no. Mad was an hour ago. She’s borderline nuclear now, pretty sure I saw smoke coming out of her ears. She yelled at me, for you ignoring her, I tried to explain to her that it wasn’t my fault, so she hit me.” Johnny exclaimed,
“She hit you! What did you do?” Kane asked,
“I laughed….that clearly was not the right response, I didn’t have it in me to tell her that Dax hits way harder and she’s human.” Johnny replied,
“What did the doctor say?” Kane asked, fighting back his laughter
“Said it’s normal, and she’s halfway through the crazy, his words not mine, but I still got shit and I still apologized for it. He said his wife hit him with a frying pan twice when she was pregnant with their first. But not to worry, it’s much better the second time around” Johnny reassured them.
“What did you say?” Damon asked, trying not to laugh.
“I remained calm, then asked him if his wife caused brain damage when she hit him, cause there is no way in hell this is ever happening again” Damon broke out laughing.
“You should be careful” Johnny warned Damon, the laughter died and he got really concerned.
“Wait, why?” He asked,
“The doctor said the sweet ones are the craziest” Johnny smiled when he saw the look on Damon’s face. Kane cracked up laughing.
“You think it’s funny, how do humans fair?” Damon asked,
“Actually, they do pretty well with it. Their pregnancies are nearly normal” Johnny said laughing,
“Oh that’s bullshit! Why do they have to go crazy?” Damon said,
“Wolves give birth after two months, humans after nine. We’re both so 4 to 5 months and that’s a lot of changes going on in a short amount of time, at least that’s how the doctor explained it. He said try not to lose your shit, and I’m trying not to lose my shit, but I’m bout to lose my shit” Johnny said running his hands through his hair.
“Excuse me Alpha Kane!” A soft voice spoke behind them causing them all to turn around. She bowed her respect to the men standing in front of her
“Yes?” Kane recognized the woman, she was a Blood Howler, he’s seen her on the training field. He just couldn’t place her name at the moment.
“I’m Katalina, my partner Magda and I own this establishment, I just wanted to apologize for the way you were treated earlier and for the wait. They have been dealt with. Luna and….” before she could finish they heard screaming coming from inside the salon. “Those are happy screams I assure you. They chose each other’s hair styles, and it was our pleasure to help them.”
“Hello gorgeous!” Damon said when he saw Lydia come out of the salon, she had elegant double Dutch braids down the back of her head with flowers woven into them.
“Dax picked it out, I love it” She squealed excitedly.
“Well thank you feisty pants” Damon couldn’t take his eyes off her. Magda walked out with Dax. From the front to the crown were tight Dutch braids decorated with silver rings which were brought into a half high ponytail. The rest of her hair hung loose around her shoulders. Feathers dangling from strings that were hidden in the braids were added for pops of blue, grey and amethyst colouring. The natural waves of her hair brought volume to it. They showed off their nails, Lydia got forest green with gold tips, except her pinkies were blue with grey tips, and Dax got blue with grey tips except she had forest green with gold tips on her pinkies.
“How adorable, you guys matched your nail polish” Damon commented,
“You’re very secure with yourself.” Johnny said to him,
“Fuck yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Damon asked, Johnny just shook his head at him.
They thanked Katalina and Magda for all their hard work.
“It was our pleasure, with those hairstyles you guys are ready for the dance floor, maybe we’ll see you there” Magda said as they headed back inside the salon.
Kane gathered her in his arms and pressed his lips to hers.
“Hello you, it’s been a while!” Kane was not referring to the hour and half he waited to see her, he was referring to the bright cerulean blue eyes with vibrant amethyst starbursts that danced as a full smile graced her beautiful heart shaped mouth. It had been a while since he saw that side of her, she was too busy taking care of everyone else making sure they were happy that she was neglecting herself. She was important too, and he enjoyed spending the day showing her just how important she was, but he wasn’t done yet.
“Do you like it?” She asked, he was mesmerized by how her eyes danced as she looked up at him.
“I like it very much” he ran his fingers through the soft silky waves.
“Thank you!” She buried her face in his chest, he held her tight to him, her body was practically vibrating with how happy she was.
“You’re welcome little mouse, but there is still one more thing” he pulled back from her and held a container in front of her face. She lit up even more.
“Brownies and ice cream!” She squeaked with excitement. He held up another bag, she looked at it confused then at him. Then he opened it.
“Cookies!” She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips hard to his.
“Thank you!” She exclaimed excitedly.
Lydia came over to help her as Damon and Johnny watched, she opened the ice cream and brownie, using the spoon cut a good sized piece then took a cookie from the bag and served the ice cream and brownie on it. She offered one to Damon.
“That’s what the cookies are for. Hell yeah I’m in” he said, accepting it and thanking her. She gave one to Johnny then went to give one to Lacey.
“Where’s Lacey?” She asked, looking for her.
“She’s in the truck” Kane said, taking the dessert from her, she was shocked but then turned to Johnny.
“Yo...you at least opened the window for her right?” She looked between all three of them, concern evident on her face then she turned to Kane.
“He opened a window right?” They all broke out laughing, her concern was genuine and heart touching.
“Yes baby, Johnny left a window open for her. You have got to be the most precious thing ever” Kane said, kissing her head.
“Thank you Dax, I needed a good laugh. Your concern is touching” Johnny said after he calmed down. She finished serving the dessert to Lydia and then to herself.
“I should get back to Lacey. Maybe she has calmed down, or she’s gone nuclear and has exploded” Johnny said his shoulders tensed a little as he mentally prepared himself for the screaming that was about to transpire.
“I’ll go!” Damon offered, Johnny looked at him, even Kane’s eyes widened.
“What? You can’t be serious?” Johnny asked,
“Why not? So she screams at me, what would be any different? Could be cathartic” Damon said, holding out his hand for the keys. Johnny didn’t even hesitate giving him the keys.
“Your funeral!” Was all he said. Damon kissed Lydia goodbye, saying he would see her back at the pack house and headed off to Johnny’s truck.
“Now why do I think his motives aren’t pure?” Kane asked as they watched Damon walk off down the mall whistling.
“Because he’s Damon” Johnny replied “It’ll be cathartic alright I’m just not so sure for who”
“True, it didn’t sit well with him, the way Lacey acted in the office earlier towards Dax. It didn’t sit well with me either. Dax will take the abuse, thinking she did something to deserve it, when really what did she do? You said it yourself if Lacey wasn’t pregnant she would have thought it was funny.” Kane said, though he was pretty certain that wasn’t the case. In Lacey’s eyes Dax embarrassed her, and as much as he tried to reassure his little mate that Lacey would get over it. He doubted she actually would, in the past definitely not, but he was hoping she’d grown up enough to put it behind her. She hasn’t, she was a bitch then and a bigger one now! Ky grumbled.
“Is that what today was about?” Johnny asked,
“Today was about pampering my mate, she runs around taking care of everyone else making sure they’re ok, often putting her own needs last. It is important for her to know that someone will always be there to take care of her and put her first. After everything I think she deserves that.” Kane responded, he looked over to Dax and Lydia; they were sitting on a bench finishing the rest of the ice cream and brownie. Lydia was telling her some story, and Dax was laughing. But he could see her growing tired. Today has been busy for her, maybe if they get back early enough he could convince her to have a nap after her second doctor’s appointment. He didn’t want her tired for dinner tonight, or for dancing. Dax made certain they went to Victoria’s Secret so Lydia could pick up what she needed and by the time they left the mall she was asked six times where she got her clothes from and who did their hair. To which she happily replied SAVAGE and to ask for Desmond, or KaMa and to ask for Katalina or Magda.
After wandering around the mall for another hour Damon finally made it to Johnny’s truck he didn’t see Lacey in it. He shrugged and unlocked the door, maybe she walked home. that would cool her pissy princess ass off! He thought. Nope she sat up in the back seat and was just as shocked as he was.
“DAMON!” She shrieked,
“Hello princess!” Damon said with a wicked grin. Let the catharsis begin! He thought. Titan howled in his head, he was going to enjoy this.
“Don’t call me that, where’s Johnny?” She demanded,
“He needs a break. Your crazy ass is driving him up the fucking wall. Don’t get me wrong the boy loves you, don’t ask me why but he does, but he’s bout to lose his shit and I promise you it won’t be pretty.” Damon said as he got behind the wheel.
“So what? I’m supposed to let you drive me home” She snapped,
“You could fucking walk! I came to pick up Johnny’s truck. I couldn’t care less if you were in it.” He responded. A tinge of hurt flooded through her by what he said.
He was supposed to love her, adore her but he doesn’t. She was Alpha’s sister, he was at least supposed to respect her.
“Ugh! I hate you” She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.
“You hate me, aww! That’s a real shame. I’ll need a few minutes to get over it. After everything you pulled in the last 12 hours I fucking despise you.” He fired back at her. Her eyes widened at that, not only did he say the words she feared the most, she felt them.
“What do you mean what I pulled? I didn’t do anything” she retorted. No, he did not hate her like that, she refused to believe it. This was that fucking little imps fault, she infected him. Poisoned his beautiful mind. He’ll come to his senses when he sees how utterly fucking useless she actually is. They all will!
“Are you fucking serious right now?” He turned in his seat and looked at her “Where do you want me to start princess?”
“DON’T CALL ME THAT” Lacey screamed, back at him.
“How about we start last night, with your surprise girls night shall we, lets see, you got your hair done, you got a face mask and you got your nails done. Did Dax or Lydia?” He asked.
“Lydia got a face mask, she didn’t want a hair mask, and Dax couldn’t have either of those done, with her injuries.” Lacey responded coldly. What is his problem? Last night was about her. The little imp said so. “And there wasn’t time for either to get their nails done”
“Yeah, because you fucking decided there wasn’t time after Dax did yours. Then instead of helping Dax, where the fuck were you? Her nightmare attacked her and you weren’t there. I tried to link you and you weren’t there. Her supposed friend and when she needed you, you weren’t there. And you don’t even know the shit she went through just to pull that night off for you. Making sure you were ok with Johnny not being there, but did you think to ask her how she was dealing with Kane not being there? Lydia asked her, Carter asked her, I asked her did she lie to us and tell us she was fine, yes. But you didn’t even think to ask her, she might have told you the truth, you’re supposed to be her fucking friend.”
“That night might have been for you, but there were other people as well, you were the one that made it solely about you. Did you once think to ask her at all how she’s been handling any of this, anything she’s been through? Did you think to ask her anything about herself, her past?” Damon unleashed on her, the more he spoke the more his anger filled the cab of the truck, the more resentment Lacey felt coming off of him towards her. Her heart was breaking, it was on the verge of shattering, he was supposed to love her, adore her and cherish her, not hate her.
“I….I….I” Lacey stammered over her words. She didn’t know how to say what she wanted to say. So many things came to mind, but she couldn’t form the sentences to say them. Of course she made the night about her, it was supposed to be about her, all about her and only her. She didn’t care what Dax went through. She didn’t care how Dax was dealing with anything. It was all anyone spoke about, it was all she heard about. She was tired of hearing about Dax, she’s not that important. So what if she was the Luna, she was nothing special, just a stupid human fortunate enough to be mated to a werewolf. Not just any werewolf either, she was mated to an Alpha, a rich Alpha. Her brother was loaded, Lacey saw all the presents he bought for Dax, and this shopping trip must have cost some money. So why should she care, from where she sat Dax’s life was pretty fucking good and the stupid little bitch should be appreciative of it.
“Yeah I I I I. That’s all you think about, is you. How much things suck for you? How life is hard for you? Poor little princess! Boo fucking hoo! You were embarrassed this morning when YOU stupidly blurted out for your mate who loves you with everything he has to stop poking you. That man of yours has taken a shit ton of abuse from you in the last week and he didn’t even do anything fucking wrong, and some part of you knows that, but you’ll keep abusing him cause he’ll keep taking it. I am not going to let you do that to Dax, she doesn’t deserve it either, but she won’t say otherwise, because on some level she thinks she does so I’ll happily say it for her, get the fuck over it.” She was on the verge of tears and he could see it, he just didn’t care.
“Dax apologized profusely the second the comment left her mouth and you fucking ignored her, yet you were the one that didn’t have a problem telling everyone where she buys her underwear from. Not thinking for a second that maybe, just maybe she doesn’t want people to know that. It was no ones fucking business where she buys it. I saw her face this morning, that was not a secret she wanted out, but do you care? Fuck no, why would you? There’s nothing in it for you. I couldn’t give a shit about what happens to you, but Dax. Now Dax I care about, if it affects her, it affects me.” He continued as the tears spilled down Lacey’s cheeks. His words cut through her, they were sharp and hurtful. How could he be so mean to her? She didn’t deserve this, she was the victim. Dax embarrassed her with what she said and now Damon was attacking her. He was barking at her like a rabid dog, unrelenting and ruthless. His words were savage and brutal, to say he didn’t care about her.
“Today was not about you princess, not for me and not for your brother, today was about her and showing her that she is just as important as everyone else. But you know the funny thing, as much as this day was about her, I mean it was all about her she still made sure to include everyone else. She made sure Lydia got everything she needed, she made sure Kane got what he needed, she even made sure I got what I needed. When was the last time you ever did something like that for anyone? I don’t think in the entirety that I have known you, you have ever put anyone first and that includes your own brother. Kane got her, her favourite dessert ice cream and brownies with cookies and her first instinct was to make sure everybody got some including you, but again big fucking shock you weren’t fucking there. No, your pouty princess ass was sitting in the truck because nobody made the fucking day about you. She doesn’t want to go to family dinner tonight because she doesn’t want to make it awkward for everyone else by being there. She puts everything she’s dealing with on hold for everybody else making sure they aren’t suffering, they aren’t in pain and that’s fucking bullshit, when does she get to stop suffering? When does her pain stop? GROW THE FUCK UP!” He growled
….grRRrRRRrRRrr…. His eyes glowing green, Titan wanted to be heard as well, that was his Luna too, his sister too and he despised Lacey for everything she did, had done and is continuing to do. Lacey shrank back in the back seat, staring at him wide eyed she let out a whimper. He was a genuinely calm guy until he wasn’t calm and the things that made him not calm usually revolved around those he called his family. She has seen Damon mad before, but that was nothing compared to this, his wolf was on the surface and he was livid.
“Damon…”
“Fuck you Lacey! You’re a spoiled, self-centered, stuck up princess whose self entitlement is off the fucking charts. You’re mean, cruel, and vile. You’re completely undeserving of the life you have been given. Taking everything for granted and never showing an ounce of gratitude for anything. You have done nothing to earn the respect awarded to you and your behaviour is completely revolting. No one fucking owes you shit! If you weren’t Kane’s sister and Johnny’s mate I’d dump your fucking sorry ass on the side of the road in the middle of fucking nowhere and fucking leave you there” He started the truck, cranked the music so he wouldn’t have to listen to her and pulled out of the parking lot heading back to the pack house. He was right, it was cathartic, he felt so much better.
Arriving back at the pack house, Damon’s usual happy mood was back in place. He parked Johnny’s truck back in its spot, turning down the stereo and killing the engine. Lacey didn’t dare breathe a word fearing she’d set him off again, she felt his wrath once today and she didn’t want to go for round two. He exited the truck slamming the door shut behind him causing her to flinch and he headed for the house running into Kane on the way in.
“Where’s Lacey?” He asked, raising his eyebrow at him.
“In the truck” He replied,
“Is she in one piece?” Kane asked with a smile tugging at his lips.
“Yeah! I didn’t eat her. Pretty sure we’re not gonna be friends anytime soon though” Damon replied,
“And was it cathartic?” Kane tilted his head to one side as he looked at him.
“I feel great. I’m fucking starving though. Where’s Lydia?” Damon asked as they moved to the kitchen.
“She’s with Dax settling into your new room on the third floor,” Kane replied.
“Oh!” Damon said, nodding his head. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He didn’t want to live in Charles’s old room, he liked his room on the second floor, but then Kane wasn’t going to displace 60 or so wolves just cause he didn’t want the old Gamma’s room. Maybe he and Lydia could live in a cabin out of the house. He’d give up the third floor for pack members.
“I told them which room Charles had, the rest of his stuff will be packed up and shipped to New York at the end of the week. But that’s not the one they picked, they liked the room at the end of the hall.” Kane said.
“The end of the hall? He wasn’t at the end of the hall?” Damon asked, he was a little confused, he thought that was the room Charles was in.
“Sabrina was afraid of the balcony” Kane said, not even hiding his humour at that. Damon could only look at him with his mouth open for a minute before he replied.
“Well ok then.” Damon quickly threw together a sandwich, cleaned up his mess and they headed upstairs.
“How’s feisty pants doing? She looked tired” Damon asked, Kane laughed
“You really do look at her like your sister” He replied instead of answering the question,
“I can’t help it, and I don’t know why but every bone in my body says she is.” Damon stated,
“I was trying to get her to go for a nap after her doctor’s appointment so she wasn’t tired for dinner tonight, she said she would go after she helped Lydia settle in.” Kane said “Should I ask how bad dinner is going to be?”
“Um….Chernobyl might look like a house party gone wrong compared to what might happen tonight. But I feel great” Damon laughed,
“Thank you, Damon!” Kane sighed. It came out huffed, but Kane actually was grateful for whatever Damon said to his sister. Whatever was going to happen tonight was a long time in the making. It has been brewing for years, Kane just never wanted to deal with it. Now he has no choice.
“Anytime brother!” Damon smacked him on the back.
Heading up to the third floor and moving to the room at the end of the hallway, Damon stood outside the door, not really sure what to do.
“Why do I feel like I need to knock?” He asked,
“Open the door brother,” Kane said. Damon hesitated for a second longer then opened the door. He was greeted with a smiling Lydia, she quickly put her finger to her lips to shush him and pointed to the couch. Dax was curled up with a blanket thrown over her. Her small body barely took up one cushion.
“Guess she needed that nap,” Damon whispered. Kane just smiled. Yes she did! Ky agreed. He moved to the couch, taking the blanket off of her he scooped her up into his arms. She buried her face into his chest but didn’t wake up.
“I’ll leave you two, to settle in. Welcome home, both of you.” He walked out of the room and met Johnny at the end of the hall.
“She needed a nap huh?” Johnny asked, trying not to laugh.
“She had a busy day” Kane answered as he moved up the stairs “Have you seen Lacey yet?”
“She went to have a nap. I was expecting her to scream at me, but she just came in and said she was going for a nap and that was it. Frankly the whole thing scared the shit out of me. If I’m not at dinner tonight send a fucking search party” Kane tried not to laugh, he failed miserably. She shifted in his arms and he held her tighter to him.
“You should get her to bed before you drop her, but then again if you do I won’t be in the dog house alone” Johnny laughed,
“She weighs practically nothing, if I drop her it’s because I forgot I was carrying her” Kane chuckled.
They parted ways, when they reached the fourth floor, Johnny headed to his own room as Kane took one more flight of stairs to the fifth floor. He walked the hallway to their room where he opened the door. Her purchases were still in the bags, the shoe boxes were stacked by the wall and he was hoping this wasn’t going to be a repeat of what happened last time. He knew she wanted to help Lydia settle in but he hoped she didn’t do it to avoid dealing with her own items. He looked down at her in his arms, she cuddled into him more and a small sigh of content escaped her. He had work that he needed to do in the office, but his urge to stay with her pushed that to the side. Placing her in the bed, he crawled beside her and wrapped his arms around her. They had to be there at 5:30, the latest they could sleep was 4, they had plenty of time, but he did set an alarm. He held her tighter to him, and she snuggled deeper into his chest.
“I love you” she mumbled,
“I love you too” He kissed the top of her head allowing sleep to pull him under.