Nefretiri
I hate magic.
You'd expect it made things better, but it usually makes things worse.
There is no quick fix, and the first law is unforgiving. The cost to me is rarely worth the effort.
As if hunger wasn't enough, I'm also faced with the price of my senses going into hyper-drive, making me wish to hide in a dark room. The spell wasn't even worth the trouble. I'm not skilled enough to perform something more powerful, so all of this was for nothing.
So, I'm stuck feeling like everyone's trying to touch me, the overpowering smells of perfumes, human bodies, and weed someone's trying to hide. I want to scream, but that'll just draw attention. That's the last thing I want.
Not that I know what that is.
No, that's a lie. I know what I want; I just can't have it.
'Stop thinking about him.'
That wolf; I can't get him out of my head.
'No, Ricky's the one who cheats. Not me!' but as shameless as it is, I want to turn around and find him. 'No matter how bad things get. I'm loyal. It's the one thing Ricky can't deny.'
'But he does. Every day. He never hesitates to accuse you of sleeping with other men. So what has that loyalty gotten you?'
'As if I had time to cheat…'
'If you're going to… that wolf is more than an option.'
'He's a wolf. You're out of your mind. Ricky won't hesitate to kill him and you.'
'Yes, he's a wolf.' And that's more dangerous than I'm willing to admit. 'Besides, I'll never stoop lower than Ricky. Just because he does something doesn't mean I will.'
'The way he held you; as if you mattered more than anything.'
'He'd only want to sleep with me.'
'What's wrong with that? When's the last time you enjoyed yourself?'
'No. That's a line I can't cross. Not out of spite.'
'What makes you assume that's all you are?'
'Because it's all you're worth.'
'Don't walk away from the truth. You can't afford it.'
I could blame the magic, but it'd be a lie. Something about him awoke something dormant in me, but I had to push it down. The idea of running off to find some guy was laughable, and further proof I'd lost it.
'The guy's a werewolf and I dented his door. That's all. He's gone now, and I don't have time for games.'
'Are you willing to lose him forever? If he leaves, you can't take it back.'
"Whoa!" a guy caught me as I bumped into him, my mind distracting me. "Careful."
"Sorry," was I supposed to hit every tall guy I met? What are so many of them in the store? I saw a few of them earlier. "Could you grab that box up there for me?"
"Sure," he handed me the spaghetti, his smile so bright it was annoying. "Need anything else?"
'Why are all the men so helpful today?' Did I look that bad?
"No, thanks," I moved, but he followed.
"Are you alright?"
"Peachy," I didn't have time for more concern, even if it makes me ungrateful for kindness, the one thing I want. "Thanks."
'I want to sit down!'
The chairs at the front of the store called to me. They're comfortable and free.
'You'll never get back up.'
My body had lead weights all over it, dragging me down. At this rate, I'd be lucky to make it outside, let alone home.
"Need an energy drink." It's my last resort at this point.
My head pounded and my stomach screamed, and the only thing holding me up is sheer stubbornness and a weird energy feeding the magic just enough to keep me conscious.
I have no clue what it is, but I don't let it go.
"Sorry," another guy nearly ran into me, handing me the jar of sauce I'd almost dropped. "I juggle…"
"Cute," I needed to get out of here. This is getting out of hand.
'Or you're paranoid.'
'I'm not!'
'How many aisles have you gone down because you swear someone's following you?'
'Not that many… Knowing my luck, Ricky's here and he saw me.'
'Paranoid…'
'Careful. There's a difference.'
"You're talking to yourself," I muttered, walking up to the cashier. "Great sign."
The line's not long, but I had too much time to stare at gum and candy bars, but the hunger cramps died and the fire in my muscles eased to a dull thudding.
The energy flowed through me, soothing, but not enough to fix me.
'What the hell is that?'
"Can we keep it under fifty?" I asked once; it's my turn.
Maybe going down every aisle wasn't a good idea. I tortured myself.
"Sure," the girl looked up, her expression darkening when she saw my face. "Are you okay? You look pale, like you're about to pass out."
"Just haven't eaten yet," if only that was the only thing.
Penelope fusses, stealing my attention. The girl knows my limits; she doesn't need me hovering. However, from the corner of my eye, I see her looking to the side and nodding at someone.
I suspect nothing, pulling Pen-Pen out of the stroller to soothe her. She's doing that thing where she's trying to turn her head, whimpering in a way I've never heard. At least she's not screaming.
My ears can't handle that.
"Seventy-eight, ninety-nine."
"What?" No, that was wrong. I told her fifty, and I did the math.
She's not looking at me. Her attention was on the familiar guy standing behind us. He'd taken his jacket off, revealing his sleeveless shirt.
Gods, he had muscles. I'm positive he could pick me up with one arm.
Before I could register what was happening, he swiped his credit card and paid for my stuff!
"Wait!" I try to stop him, but it's too late.
"Shh," turning to face me, he placed a finger on my lips, silencing me. That's all it took, and I was goo on the floor. The sparks were back, along with the comforting warmth. My exhaustion disappeared, and the hunger lessened—all from a touch with his finger. What was happening? "I got it. Just worry about my Princess, okay?"
The guy kissed my forehead and turned back to the cashier. She was blushing, affected by his good looks. I saw a hint of jealousy when she glanced at me, but she hid it behind a professional smile.
I don't know what's happening, but I can't do more than rub Pen-Pen's back and stare at my champion in awe.
'Protector? Champion? What am I thinking?'
This wasn't a romance novel. He was just being nice, wasn't he?
'Then, why did he call Penelope his Princess?'
"The next time you need something, let me get it, okay?" he said, taking the receipt from the girl before talking to me, his tone gentle. "I take care of you, so you don't have to spend your money. Okay, Beautiful?"
Words fail me.
What should I say? Should I tell him to stop? After all, I'm nothing to him.
The last thing he needs to do is get some crazy idea that this is something. He's a werewolf. Ricky will kill him!
So, why am I just standing here like an idiot?
"We'll grab something to eat after we pay for the groceries, okay?" He's making those delicious circles from earlier, tracing my cheek and jaw like he's trying to memorize them. "You should've let me buy you something before we came in."
There's nothing normal about this, but he's talking to me as if it is.
Ricky always came across as domineering and superior. Not this wolf. He sees my stubbornness and treats it like something endearing, instead of unwelcome.
'What the hell?'
This was crazy!
"What are you doing to me?" I hate how hesitant I sound, but something about his presence drains everything in me. Funny, because I'm not any worse.
"I'm taking care of you." Smiling, he traced my nose before moving to Penelope, leaning in and kissing her head. "Just give me a second to pay for this. We have a lot to talk about."
He's not alone.
There's no sign of the woman from the truck, but I've seen a couple of his men in the store, including the guy who handed me the spaghetti boxes. They were stalking me, and that should piss me off, or at least scare me, but it doesn't. None were as tall or powerful as my protector, but when they're together like this, you can tell they aren't human.
This was his pack, and everyone around us kept their distance by instinct. Yet, I'm not inclined to run from them.
I could put Penelope back in her stroller and take my things, but I obediently waited for him to finish.
"$1000 even." The cashier looked stunned, and so was I. That was a lot of money, but my werewolf didn't hesitate to swipe his card again.
'He's not your anything. Don't be stupid. You know what'll happen if Ricky finds out about this! Remember what he did when he suspected you were flirting with the vampire at the gas station?'
I needed to go.
"Is your wife okay?" The girl stared at me, talking to the werewolf.
"Yeah," his smile was tight. He took the second receipt and handed it to the blonde at his side. "Thanks."
Wait, did she call me his wife?
It made sense.
We were acting too intimate to be strangers. I have a ring, and Penelope was reaching for him as if she knew him. It wasn't a leap, I should correct her, but the words don't come.
Part of me wanted to pretend it was true, even for a few minutes. I knew it would destroy me once I got back to my reality, but for now, I wanted to lie to myself.
"Taylor's at the other register," the blonde said, grabbing the stroller as the others loaded the cart with the bags, including mine. "I think your bank account is missing another grand."
"I don't care," my protector snorted, glancing at me. "It's worth it."
Did he look so good outside?
I'd been too busy having a panic attack to focus on the details, but now that I've caught my breath, I did. There was no denying that he was the pack's leader. His aura held power that seemed to stretch across each of his wolves, controlling and protecting them.
Strangely, it felt as though that protection was reaching for us, too. That may be why I thought of him as my protector.
The tattoos on his biceps catch my attention, but not because of the art. They cover more scars, the ink working with the lines to diminish whatever caused them. I wanted to touch them, but I restrained myself.
What happened to him to cause that kind of damage? None of the others had scars like that, so what had he faced?
"What's that scent?" I talked more to myself, but he heard me and looked pleased. I don't know what cologne he's wearing, but I need to ask him about it. Whatever it is, I'll buy it and keep it on me. I've never breathed something so divine and soothing. "What are you wearing?"
"What do I smell like to you?" He was so close that we were hugging without hugging. Penelope grunted, grabbing his shirt and blinking up at him as if she could see that far. No wonder the cashier thought we were married.
"A storm… the kind with lightning… and flowers… I don't remember their names." Why was I telling him that? It sounded psychotic to say to a man that he smelled like a storm and flowers. The first part wasn't even possible!
"Interesting… because you're—" the woman from before interrupted him. She had four carts of things and was pushing a new stroller and car seat. I've never seen someone look as excited as she did. "Taylor… what did you do?"
"Okay, so I couldn't help myself," she had the biggest grin, waving her hands across the stroller. "I saw it and I had to buy it. Greg put it together while we were paying. Isn't it adorable?!"
"It's… very pink," my werewolf muttered. "Couldn't find anything brighter?"
"Well, I would've got rainbows or red hearts, but they didn't have any," she teased, sticking her tongue out at him.
"Thank the goddess," sighing, he looked at me and smirked. "She would've done it too."
"Well, my niece has to have a proper stroller! Just because you're a cheap ass, doesn't mean I'm letting her grow up to be that way," I didn't even have time to register what was going on before Taylor grabbed Penelope out of my arms and carried her to the stroller. "Come on, sweet pea. Let's give Mommy a break. Honestly, Alpha, how are we related? You have to be adopted because no brother of mine can be that stingy with money, especially for his daughter."
"Taylor…" He's not smiling as he reprimanded his sister. That fact shouldn't make me happy, but them being siblings untwisted something in my chest. "Shut up."
"What?" I heard what they said, but my brain wasn't registering the words. Alpha, niece, daughter? Why would she put it like that?
"No, I want to talk about the fact that whenever I buy something for the pack, you get onto me about it," she continued, strapping Pen-Pen into the car seat. "At least this time you didn't argue. But I'm telling you now. When we get to California, we're going shopping. Yeah, sweet pea. I'm gonna teach you to spend all of daddy's money. Yeah, you like that. Oh! She's smiling!"
"Taylor!" The Alpha growled this time, but kept his voice low, his eyes darkening. "Shut the fuck up!"
"California?" Why was she talking about going shopping in California? We weren't going anywhere, were we? I don't feel so good.
"What?" Taylor continued, pouting at her brother. "They need new everything. I bought them some outfits, but that won't be enough… Hey, is she okay? She looks like she's going to throw up."
"I haven't explained anything to her!" Alpha hissed, pulling me away from the registers. "You're overwhelming her!"
"Oops," Taylor's attitude died, horrified. "I thought… since you guys were being so touchy that you'd already… I'll stay quiet."
"That's a first," Alpha huffed, turning to the blonde. "Take your mate and get us some tables away from the humans."
"No," my brain caught up with the situation, and I tried reaching for the stroller. They were taking my baby! "No…"
"Hey, hey," the Alpha werewolf grabbed me around the waist, pinning my back to his chest. Instead of causing me pain, it took it away; my emotions immediately settled. "Everything's okay, beautiful. We're just going to sit down over there and get some food. Okay? Come on, Taylor's right in front of us. You can see her; we're not going anywhere else."
I made the mistake of trying to run and almost ended up on the ground. However, I got my answer from earlier. He caught me, sweeping me up in his arms bridal-style before walking toward the food area.
"Please let us go," I begged, trembling as pain gripped my entire leg. On top of everything else, I think I just twisted my ankle. "Please, I won't tell anyone."
"Don't," he stopped, his face less than an inch from mine. "Don't say that again. Please… I don't want to get thrown out for destroying everything."
Was he threatening me?
"Please don't take my baby." That's what this had to be. They were stealing my baby away from me, and I was powerless to stop them. I'd fallen into a trap because of this man.
"I'd never do that, baby girl," he looked stricken, like I'd slapped him. "She's safe, and we'll be right there with her."
"Then why…? Please, I have to go." Strange that I didn't beg them not to hurt us. I don't think they want to do that, but it doesn't make this better. "Please… I'll pay for the truck; you don't have to do this."
"Shh," he said with a sad smile, carrying me the rest of the way to the tables. "Don't worry, Beautiful. I'm taking care of everything. I'm taking you and my Princess as far away from here as we can get."
"What?"
You'd think that would have me screaming for help, but it doesn't.
As scary as this should be, I don't want to fight him.
'Oh gods, I'm in so much trouble.'