Chapter 9 - ASHLEIGH

The rest of my day went by without incident, everything is back to normal. Lately it has been hard to connect so it is nice to be with Ollie and the rest of our pack members for  lunch.

Wednesday went by quickly and it is my turn to be on patrol that evening after school. It helps me get into the groove of what my duties will be when Ollie and I someday become Alpha and Beta of the pack. Father and Uncle like to keep us in shape and show us the ropes to what is expected of us when we are leaders.

Being on patrol means Kia gets to come out for a run. With so much pent-up energy a run around the pack grounds for a few hours is just what she needs. She’s been a lot quieter than usual and we still haven't spoken about what happened with Grace. I just hope Friday helps her settle down.

Thursday afternoon came around only too quickly. I spot Meghan in one of uncle's vehicles, a black shiny SUV big enough for her shopping endeavours. As I walk towards her, I pass by Blackwood leaning against his sports car with hands groping her ass. I roll my eyes as I walk past.

It’s strange … it is like he has two different personalities.  On the one hand he’s a decent guy who I could actually have a good conversation with and possibly even be friends with, despite being from different packs. And then he turns around and does something like that and I'm brought back to reality, to what type of person he really is and just doesn't care at all about the consequences or anything.

Upon reaching the car I reach for the door of the front passenger seat and get in. After fastening my seatbelt I turn and greet with a smile.

Our conversation the other night brought us closer together. It's nice that we don't have to be awkward about anything and we can talk about some harsh truths when we need to. It's good to have someone older and a bit more perspective on the different situations.

"So, any thoughts about what you want to wear tomorrow?” Meghan asks.

"Well, I love pink. It's my signature colour. So, I think anything with pink, as long as it's not too revealing," I said.

She nods in agreement, "Well, the shops have lots of different styles so we can have a look around." She starts up the engine and we make our way towards the city's shopping mall.

The city is about a 20-minute drive from our pack lands and about a 10-minute drive from the school. Since we are on neutral ground the peace treaty still applies. This deal was confirmed by the council to protect not only humans but packs and their members.

The treaty applies to everyone who is in a pack, not just Charwood and Liverpool. If someone breaks the treaty, the council can step in at any time and determine the outcome of the pack and its Alpha.

If something was to happen between two or more pack members in the same pack on neutral ground, then the Alpha in charge of that pack would determine their fate. However, if the issue had gotten too out of hand and had also broken the human laws, then the council would have grounds to vote on the outcome.

The main packs that are around the area are Charwood, Liverpool, Riverview, and Westfield. There were a few smaller family packs that didn't want to go rogue but didn't want to join a larger pack, so the council gave them an exemption to create their own pack.

It is hard to start a new pack, you have to have valid reasons and funds to support the members, but Frankton and Shelow have done it so far and have had no issues or problems that we know of.

Charwood is the largest pack in the country, with Liverpool close behind, followed by Riverview and Westfield. We have built up strong relationships with all of the other packs except for Charwood. There is still hate between the packs, especially with the older members.

We help support the smaller packs when they ask. It helps build alliances and businesses in the area. A few packs have joined ours over the years for various reasons. We have just been grateful that they trust us enough out of all the packs to join. It shows true loyalty when we built the alliance.

Over the years, the council has stepped into some situations that have gotten out of hand. Luckily, it was stopped quickly enough before another war started.

Nothing major happened over the last few years since Ollie and I have started to be more involved with leadership and decisions. We pulled up to the shopping mall car park 10 minutes later and made our way to the first set of shops.

The shopping mall is huge with rows and rows of different shops. It has a long hallway that stretched for about 1 kilometre. There are lots of different shops on both sides, you could weave your way around the mall easily. A service desk is at the front and centre for anyone with inquiries or issues. Behind the service desk are pop-up stalls that sell jewellery and a few bits and bobs.

"Didn't we have to bring guards?" I ask Meghan.

She nods and says, "yes, they are on their way now. I just told them the first shop we are going into."

Meghan grabs my hand and leads the way to the nearest shop. I looked up at the sign and could feel my cheeks burning furiously. "I didn't think you were serious about the lingerie shop," I mumble.

"Of course, I was! Alex loves my stuff," she giggles. "Plus, if you didn't want to try anything, I was going to update some of my stuff anyway. Come on, it's not that bad, the lingerie helps you feel sexy and confident. Especially when your mate can't take his eyes off you."

I sigh in response, I guess she did know a thing or two about that. I've never even considered going to a shop like this before, so I guess now I have a reason to. It can't hurt, right?

After browsing for what felt like forever, Meghan threw every single item at me that I seemed remotely interested in and kept telling me ‘You won’t know unless you try it'.

I swear by the end of the evening that quote will be engraved on my forehead. After trying on several items I chose three: a lacy black one with a cute pattern, a flirty red one had a little bit of sheer mesh and strappy details, the last one was a pink and black warrior glam bodysuit that had trapping details over cut-outs with a mini v back. I also got a black Nicolette Push Up Baby doll nightdress to accompany the new lingerie.

Meghan also got some for herself and paid for them separately. She said she would feel guilty if she bought them with the pack funds. Alex likes to spoil her and keeps an account for funds she's allowed to spend only on shopping and other things she wants. I sometimes wonder if she had previously gone overboard with shopping and that is why there is a bit of a restriction, but that is not my business, and it would be too rude to ask.

After the lingerie store, she insists that we need to get our nails done to help us with the dress selection. I didn't exactly want to get my nails done. They don’t stay on when we shift so I don’t really see the point. Nevertheless, Meghan insists we get them done.

She drags me to a cute little salon with several people sitting in chairs getting their nails done. I surprisingly enjoyed myself and am happy with the result. I got a short fake nail, with a light pink and creme pattern with a few silver jewels on every second nail.

After doing our nails it was time to shop for dresses and Meghan drags me around like a ragdoll. I don’t think I have any energy left to try on more clothes.

"Oh, come on, hun, we only have one more hour until the shops are closed and I know the perfect shop we can go to for the dresses."

I sigh, thank goodness it was only one more shop. We walk into a cute little corner boutique shop. Not many people were in the store, but it is nearly 9.30pm, so nearly everyone had already left.

Meghan went to the first rack of the store, "I was here the other day and thought these dresses would be your style …, nice, simple yet elegant." she smiled. "Ha, here it is!"

She pulls out a beautiful jewelled light pink dress with a sweetheart neckline, thin feather spaghetti straps, with beads and jewels scattered all over the bodice and skirt. "I thought this would be perfect for tomorrow night for dinner and the club. You can either wear flats or a short heel."

I nod as I look at the dress. It is beautiful.

"Perfect, we will quickly try that one on and see if you like it. Oh, what about this one for school?" She had pulled out a dark pink mid-length dress with a straight neckline and long sleeves. I tried on both dresses, and they fit well and were just perfect! They complement my dark hair and olive skin perfectly.

I couldn't wait for tomorrow to come. I am so excited and hope I would get to meet my mate. Meghan must have been energized by our shopping trip as she was still full of energy on the way home.

By the time we reached pack grounds it was 10:30 pm. I linked mom and dad that I was almost home and that I was heading straight for bed. Dad was out on patrol, but mom had already turned in.

'Good night, Kia, I hope you are okay and tomorrow will bring us peace and happiness.'

'Good night Lei, I'm okay, sorry I haven't been chatty much. There's just a lot going on and I'm trying to get advice from the Elders, but yes, hopefully, tomorrow will bring some peace to our foggy minds.'

I could feel peace and excitement from Kia with her words. I was excited and nervous. Who wouldn't be? I could potentially meet my mate.