Chapter 5

It was a beautiful scene to behold.

The sun shines it’s warm yellow rays with fluffy white clouds slowly passing by, the breeze refreshing me with it’s clean crisp air mixed with pine and freshly cut grass, and the birds singing as they go about their day like I was. It was so peaceful.

I smile as I take it all in, leaning back on the white blanket that was set down on the grass. It was a calm meadow surrounded by forest, but the meadow was extended for miles, showing the mountains over yonder. I wasn’t sure why or how I got here, but all I knew was that I liked it, it felt like home.

“Lily!” I look over to my younger sister calling out to me from a distance.

“Nancy?” I lightly gasp in surprise.

It wasn’t just her, my parents, my younger and older brother, my whole family was together, standing before the forest. They were all waving to me with big smiles on their faces.

“Mom, dad, Zack, Cesar…” My voice breaks.

I was emotional. Seeing their faces made my heart clench with joy, I didn’t question what they were doing in the woods. I wanted to hug them so much.

I was about to run towards them until another voice stops me.

“Lily don’t!”

I turn behind me and stare at Jackson who was a same distance away as my family. He had this look of terror and concern on his face.

“Jackson?”

“Don’t go Lily, it’s dangerous! Come to me!” He begs as he reaches his hand out for me to grab.

Feeling perplexed on how he got here as well raised some questions. He just popped out of nowhere just like my family did. I was at the center of choosing who to go to, and strangely I wasn't sure of who to go to.

My family, who I've grown up with, and gone through hardships to keep ourselves afloat from bankruptsy. All the wonderful times we've had and key-loving moments that I have forever in memory. Raising my siblings, celebrating birthdays and momentous occasions, and the simpler daily times I've had with them in my life that just made me feel that everything would be okay as long as I had them around.

And then there was Jackson. A man who I had just met, but feel a strong connection towards. this supernatual urge I have to be close to him was inbearable for me to resist at times. The way he made me feel in under 24 hours was remarkable and unusual. He was my protector and my mate, my possible future.

This was complicating. I was caught in the midst of both worlds, and I can't choose who to choose.

Before I could make sense of all this, the scenery changes in an instant. The sky darkens, the wind pattern changes, and the birds turn into crows.

“What the-?” I didn’t like where this was heading.

Strange screams passes by my ears in a split second and faintly fades away, drawing my attention to following those screams back to my family’s direction. But they were gone, no trace of them anywhere.

“Mom? Dad?” I look around in rising panic. “Guys where are you?!”

I stare into the darkness of the forest; it was eerily silent for a moment which scares me.

“Uh, Jackson?” I call out to him as I slowly step away from them. I turn back to him, but he was also gone. “Jackson?!”

I had a bad feeling about this. I was all alone in a dark meadow field with nothing but the dozens of crows hovering above in a circle.

I look up when one of the crows grew louder than the others. I could swear that the crow looked straight at me, it's large red eyes staring right through me as his crowing echos loudly in the open space. The crows then swoop down, heading for my direction. I close my eyes and shield my face from them, feeling their wings hitting me all over as I feel them fly right past me.

I peek my eyes open and look around at the change of my surroundings. I wasn’t in the meadow anymore; I was in the woods now. But the woods was even more dark and scarier compared to the dark meadow.

“Mom? Dad?.. Jackson?!” I desperately call out to as I frantically look around for a way out. I didn’t know what else to do, I was lost.

The sound of a branch snapping stops me in my tracks. I look around slowly but cautiously, I felt that I wasn’t alone in this forest.

My hunch was right. Coming from behind one of the trees appears a large shadow-like wolf with large menacingly red eyes, it’s growls were low but eerily loud. My heart races and my hands shake violently, I slowly step away from the huge vicious creature without breaking contact with its killer eyes. The creature on the other hand wasted no time in getting to the point and charges at me.

I run the opposite direction as fast as I could go, adrenaline coursed throughout my entire body.

“Somebody help me!” I cry out in desperation, even though I knew that it was pointless.

This felt like I was in a horror movie. It all feels surreal, I was terrified. I didn’t know where I was going, all I knew was that I needed to get away from the wolf.

I keep going without looking back up until I find my way out. To my luck I was coming to the end of the woods. I rush out of the forest with a leap and keep going, but I quickly stop right before I fall off a cliff.

“Oh no.”

It was just one shock after another. I’m all alone being chased by a demon wolf in a scary forest and now I’m trapped at the edge of a cliff with a bottomless pit of darkness.

I turn back to the wolf paralyzed with fear. I watch as the creature creeps out crouched down looking like it was ready to pounce at any second.

“No...” I shake my head in fear, not wanting to believe that this was real.

The wolf then pounces at me with its mouth wide open, ready to end me with a bite. But at the last second, the shadowy wolf quickly shifts into a man right before reaching out for my face.

“NO NO NO!” I scream as I feel myself falling back into the void, making everything go black. But the last thing that makes it in my memory before everything went completely black was a rushing sound of water.

“Lily, wake up!” A frightened and concerned Alice calls out to me as she grabs me by my shoulders and quickly shakes me.

Pure adrenaline rushes through me causing me to immediately sit up in terror. Alice grabs both my hands holding them down firmly to keep me from hitting her since I was flailing my arms at her.

“It’s okay Lily! It’s me, Alice. You’re okay. Calm down.” She says in a clear and loud tone as she soothes my panic.

“Alice?” I meet her gaze as I breathed heavy. I felt cold, sweaty, and my heart still beating hard. I felt like it was going to burst out.

“That’s right. I’m here. Now take a deep breath and relax.”

I give myself a moment to do as she said. I slowly exhale and look to her, firmly gripping her hands that were still holding mine.

“Another nightmare?” She observes my reactions with concern.

I nod. “Uh huh. But it was different this time. I… I don’t know, I just can’t seem to remember all the details. Damn it.” I curse under my breath.

It’s been a week since Marcus and the rogues attacked, and nothing has happened since then. However that was the beginning of my problems, starting with the nightmares. Every night I dream of seeing my family and Jackson before running away from something. And when I wake up, I couldn’t remember why I was running. The nightmare felt somewhat repetitive in a way.

“I’m sorry you’re going through this Lily. I wish I could help in some way to make you feel better.” She slouches with guilt before picking up a glass from the nightstand. “Here, at least have a drink of water to get you hydrated. You look a bit dehydrated.”

She hands me the glass and I drink the cold water, feeling instantly refreshed. Giving the best feeling like drinking fresh cold water in the middle of the night.

“Thank you Alice, but what brings you here?” I ask her.

“Jackson had asked me to come keep you company for today. He left early morning to check on our borders again. But he should be back soon."

She smiles sweetly with those soft pink and glossy lips over her perfect peachy complexion. A strand of her silky long light brown hair falls carelessly down to the side of her face. It's like she is one of God's perfect sweet angel that he was proud to create. Her beauty and kindness really shows it off well.

“Oh.” I lightly frown. “Well there’s really no need to burden yourself with this. It’s not like I’m able to get out of the house anyways.”

Jackson had meant what he told me about being under house arrest. I was locked in the house all day every day. With nothing to do but watch TV like N*****x or Hulu or Disney Plus.

I’ve made some attempts to sneak out and get away, but it would instantly backfire when one of the wolves guarding the home catch me and report it to Jackson. And boy he would be mad when he came home. After my third failed attempt within the span of two, Jackson had about enough and had one of his most trusted allies such as Alice, Chris, or Alex watch over me each day.

“It’s no burden at all. Plus, I think it you could use a little girl time. I know it’s been two days since my last visit, but I want to make you feel as comfortable here as much as I can.”

 I scoff with notes of sarcasm at that last part. “You want to make me feel comfortable? Tell your uptight cousin to lay off the security a bit.”

Alice sighs in frustration. “Lily, we’ve talked about this. It’s for your own safety.”

“Having guards outside is one thing. But having a stubborn grown up Alpha follow me everywhere in the house invading my personal space and privacy is a whole other thing.”

“Oh damn it.” She groans as she rubs her temples.

I never got to see much of Jackson throughout the day since he was either out of the house or locked in his study. But during the evening, the guy would not leave my side for a second! Everywhere I went, he would either ask where I was going or quietly get up and follow me as he multitasked. It was ridiculous. The only privacy I had was when I needed to use the bathroom, whether it’d be to shower or do my business.

I would be so fed up with his behavior as well. Every night before bed he would try to sleep in the same room as I was in, but I wasn’t having any of it. I wasn’t going to let him get his way that easily. Regardless that he’s a werewolf or an Alpha.

“Okay, I’ll have a talk with him.” She suggests. But I wanted more than just her talking with him.

“Its’s not enough Alice. I want out of the house for a while.” Alice is my only chance to do this. “I want you to talk to Jackson an convince him to let me out of the house for the day.”

Alice freezes as she takes in the information. “You want me to what?”

“You heard me. Convince your cousin to let me out of the house, just for today.”

"Um, okay. But are you sure you want me to be the one to talk to him about it? Can't you do it?"

"Oh please, you don’t think I’ve tried? I can't or it would end up with us having the same argument repeatedly. So who better to convince him than an own member of his family?” I gesture to her. “Come on, I need your help Alice. I need to get out of here and get some fresh air for at least a little while. You and I both know that it's so boring in this large forsaken house! And I can’t stand being in this home without a wolf peeking through the window every now and then to check up on me. It’s creepy as heck!” I point every fact possible to convince her enough. “Plus, I didn't pack that many clothes from my trip. So I really need to shop for more clothing and other necessities."

"Well..-" She tries to think of a response, and I give her one of those cliché cartoon pleading looks. After a moment of carefully contemplating, Alice eventually comes to an agreement. "Alright Lily. I'll have a word with him about it."

I jump and embrace her, repeatedly thanking her.

“And good thing too because Jackson is home now.”

Right on cue, we hear the front door open with Jackson announcing his arrival. He heads up the stairs and knocks on the door.

“It’s unlocked.” Says Alice, cuing for Jackson to open the door and peek his head in.

“Good morning ladies.” He announces looking obviously tired due to the bags under his eyes and his fluffy hair a wild mess, but he kept a smile. “How did you sleep Lily?”

I glance away with my arms crossed as I responded with a blatant ‘fine’, which didn’t please him.

I could feel how tired he was, looking like he hadn't slept in days. Although I was right alongside him with not having a good night's rest since I got here. The odd nightmare are to blame, and I couldn't get rid of them no matter how hard I tried. And I knew he could tell as well. I admit that I was still tired, the small bags forming under my eyes were giving it away.

“Alright.” He simply says. “I’ll be in my study if you need me.”

With that, Jackson excuses himself and gently closes he door. It hurt me on the inside to see his upset face.

“Damn..” Alice ends the awkward silence. “You two need some serious counseling. I’ll be right back.”

She gets up and heads out the door, leaving me alone in the bed waiting for her return.

Almost thirty minutes go by and she still hasn't come back. I was starting to get my hopes up. He's probably still saying ‘no’ to her repeatedly.

'Well this is it; I'm going to die of boredom here!'

Just then, Alice bursts through the door with a grin on her face.

"He said yes!"

I squeal and jump off the bed. We hug as we jump around in a circle.

Oh my god, really? I thought he wouldn't agree?"

"Well he didn't for the first twenty minutes, but I managed to convince him to let us go by ourselves without the guards." She winks and gives a thumbs up.

"How'd you do it? What did you say?"

"I know my cousin well enough to know how to persuade him. Don't worry about it."

I squeal and hug her again. "You're the best Alice."

"Aaand,” She grabs my attention with entice. “He also wanted me to give you this." She pulls out a shiny new credit card. "This is so you can buy whatever you need without limits. How lucky are you?"

"He's letting me use is credit card? I don't know Alice." I was unsure of this kind of trust. After the countless disagreements we had, I wouldn’t be okay with using this from him. It makes me feel guilty.

"Don't worry Lily, he said that it was okay." She assures. "Besides, how else are you going to pay for all that you need? I doubt that you brought more that what you were able to bring on your flight."

I was hesitant about this, but she did have a point. I don't have a lot of money left in my bank account, not even enough cash on me since majority of my money went to pay off the school.

"Okay Alice, I'll use it." I take the card.

With that, I go to my suitcase and put on a clean change of clothes. Wearing my blue skinny jeans with my Rosie pink top and my somewhat white shoes, I was ready to go. Alice informs Jackson by yelling across tha hallway that we were leaving now and we rush out of the house before I hear him reply. As soon as I stepped out that front door, I stop and take a moment to properly take in the atmosphere. Breathing in the fresh crisp air of the forest. It sure was a beautiful day to go out. I felt a weight lift from my shoulders, and it felt amazing

“Lily, come on.” Alice calls over to me. Her smooth light brown locks sway around effortlessly with every movement she made. And her angelic white smile provided the comfort I needed.

I hurry over and get into her white clean car. I was really going out to have a good time, and I was more than ready for it all. Alice turns the car around and drives us out of the driveway and into the road.

We blast some music From Alice's phone and jam our hearts out to my favorite song by Melanie Martinez. She had recently released her new album 'K-12' and. It. Is. AMAZING! And her musical movie, EVEN BETTER! I was quite a fan of hers since she first appeared in The Voice. How she's come a long way.

“It's my fault, it's my fault, 'cause I put icing on top”

"Now, the boys want a taste of this strawberry shortcake”

"That's my bad, that's my bad, no one told them not to grab”

"Now, the boys want a taste of this strawberry shortcake”

This felt like normal again, I was feeling relieved out of everything that has happened. And boy did I need this. I was so thrilled to spend the day with Alice.

"So what's first Alice? I want to know all of your favorite places to go shopping."

"Oh I have plenty, but first we're heading to Starbucks. There's someone I want to introduce you to."

We pull up at Starbucks and make our way inside. The moment we stepped inside; everyone looks over at us.

"What's everyone looking at?" I whisper to Alice. This was getting awkward for me; I'm never used to people staring.

"They know that you are the new Luna." She links arms with me, and we walk past to get to the counter.

"Hey Alice, how's it going?" The blond girl at the register speaks.

"Hi Bella. Allow me to introduce you to our new Luna, Lily Stephens. Lily, this is Bella. She's Taylor's mate."

She was very beautiful with warm peach skin and thin but attractive figure. She has this sweet friendly look to her with her cute button nose, clear skin, and gorgeous blue-green eyes.

"Hello Luna. It is such an honor to finally meet you." Bella bows, as did the other employees and everyone else in the building.

The sudden action of everyone throws me off guard, totally was not expecting that. "Ah! It's nice to meet you too Bella. But you don't have to do that, you guys are fine. And I would rather if you call me by my name instead."

"Very well Lily." She smiles sweetly. "So what can I get you?"

I look at the menu above for a moment. "I'll have a Salted Caramel Crunch Frappuccino please."

"And I'll have a maccha milk tea with extra cream." Says Alice.

"Alright, we'll have that done for you. Will that be cash or card?"

I reach for the card Jackson let me use, but Alice stops me. "I got this one for you." She hands Bella the cash and she rings that in.

So Bella, what time does your shift end?"

"I have half an hour left. Why?"

"Lily needs a new change of clothes and we invite you to come join us shopping."

“Awesome, I’m in.”

“Perfect! We’ll wait for you.”

Bella hands us our drinks and we make our way to the booth against the window. We patiently wait for Bella's shift to end.

Meanwhile, some of the folk approach us to introduce themselves to me and give me very nice compliments. Which I graciously thank them for. This place was filled with werewolves, they were all very nice. And it felt very relieving that they were this accepting of me being their Luna.

 It wasn't long before Bella was already finished and clocked out.

“Okay, I’m ready. By the way, I texted the other to ask if they wanted to join and they said yes.”

"Perfect! The more the merrier." Alice clasps her hands together. "Tell them to meet us at the mall center."

The three of us walk out and hop into Alice’s car, and we head towards the mall. I was excited to see what their mall was like. Probably as big as the mall back in Portland, who knows, they could have my favorite stores.

Within ten minutes, we arrive. And boy was this place huge. We step out and head inside. My jaw drops at the wonderous sight before me. Two stories filled with stores of popular brands and stands that promote new beauty products. And they seem to go on and on. Never in my life had I seen such beauty, I felt like I was in heaven.

Alice and Bella giggle when they saw my expression. I look to them at a loss for words, but you could easily tell that I was excited. Then someone calls over, grabbing out attention.

Three girls approach us. One with dirty blond hair and brown eyes with a busty and strong figure, another with beautifully darker skin and short curly hair and brown eyes with a curvier figure than the rest, and finally a brunet with a blond ombre and creamy pale skin and chestnut-colored eyes with a more frail but healthy body. They were all very beautiful, like a trio from a modeling agency.

“Hello Luna.” Starts the dirty blond. The tone of her voice sounds very mature but feminine, just like her appearance. She looked like a tough bad bitch wearing all black like her leather jacket and tight skinny jeans with heeled boots. Even without the boots, she was the tallest out of all of us. “My name is Briar, and I’m Chris’s mate.”

I was a bit surprised to discover that the mellow, joyful, surfer vibes Chris is the mate of a strong and fierce woman like Briar, who looks like she belongs in a biker gang. But who was I to judge?

"I'm Jennifer, but you can call me Jenny. I'm Esteban's mate." Says the other with the curly hair. Jenny’s voice was very sweet sounding with a hint of Spanish accent in it. She looked cute but sexy in her black, slightly transparent blouse that had strings crossing over her chest in a shoelace style with leggings and shoes to match.

I could believe that she and Esteban are mates. They looked like a perfect couple.

“And I’m Stella, Alex’s mate.” Says the last one, the shortest of us all. She had soft features that made her look kind and innocent. Even with the dark grey loose tank top that hung low over her light blue ripped jeans shorts, showing off her beautifully clear skin with her open toed sandals with leather straps.

Alex was the shortest of Jackson’s group of friends, and to have someone just as short, if not, shorter than him was the most adorable thing ever. They belong together.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." I say with a smile.

"The pleasure is all ours Luna. We can't wait to spend time and get to know you." Jenny says and they bow.

I was getting tired of repeating that it wasn't necessary for everyone to bow down but forget it. I'm already getting used to it, not to sound snobby.

We had spent almost four hours in the mall so far. It's crazy how time flies by fast when you have so much fun. We went from shop to shop, going through every single clothing, shoes, and accessories. This was the best. I haven't had this much fun with friends in a long time. All the girls were so nice and easy to talk to, we all clicked just like that. They were nice to even help me pick out new clothes, shoes, bathroom and skin care products. I wouldn’t call myself a bad dresser, I just had no fashion sense.

With the credit card Jackson, we might have gotten a little bit carried away. Each of us carried a bag in each hand. I don't know how much money was left in the card, or if this was unlimited, but I didn't want to spend anymore. I tell the girls that I had everything that I needed, but Alice recommends that we go to Victoria's Secret as the last place to shop. I didn't want to buy anything anymore since it's expensive there, but they all agree and go in pushing me along with them.

We all look around at the various styles of lingerie they were displayed on the mannequins. I look at the models on the large screen strut down the catwalk. They were at their highest confidence. They felt empowered, beautiful, strong. I remain watching with admiration and respect for these models. They go to such lengths to maintain such thin figures, and to promote these various styles of lingerie.

Alice pops up behind me. "Hey Lily, let's try on some of these."

I snap my head to her with wide eyes. "What?! No way, I would rather not." I awkwardly laugh it off. But Alice has this glint in her eyes that speak otherwise.

"Come on Lily, it's just for fun. I'll even dress up with you. Pleeeaaaassse?" She extends her 'please' while giving me puppy dog eyes. Well how about that? She makes better puppy eyes that I can.

I didn't feel comfortable doing this, mainly because I would never wear something like these. I never saw myself as the sexy and devious type, it wasn't my style. But Alice seems to be relentless about this, so I sigh and give in.

"Alright, I'll change with you. But I won't like or buy any of these."

"Understood." She winks.

She drags me to over to look at everything with the girls. They recommend me some to try on, but I wasn't having any of it. They were all very pretty if they were worn by any other model like any of them,

but not me. I don't have a bad body, but that doesn't mean I have the best like them. Alice even went as far to recommend matching provocative outfits, like angel and devil themed. But that was a big 'NO GO' for me.

Being fed up with the over sexualized lingerie they there giving me, I end up picking one myself. We go in the dressing room and we change. I was a bit nervous, but a bit excited to try them on. I never wore or owned anything from Victoria's Secret before. When I looked in the mirror, and it looked good on me, I kind of like it. The way the dark green went with my skin tone and the design accentuated my figure in a nice way.

"Lily, come out I'm all done changing." Alice calls over from the other end of the door.

I slowly come out and look at Alice. My eyes grew twice in size when I saw the one she picked. And boy did she look great in it. A black one piece that hugged her chest tightly with straps that connected the bra to the panties, wrapped around her like she was a present. I had never seen anything look so sexy on anyone in my like.

"Oh my god Lily, you look so beautiful in that." She admires how well the dark green complimented my skin.

I blush at her compliment. "Thank you. You look amazing in that as well."

She thanks me in return.

"Hey Alice, we're all set here. We managed to pick as many sexy lingerie for Lily- Oh! Luna, I thought you were still changing." Bella walked in on us and was nervous when she saw me with her.

I raise a brow. "Wait, what's going on here?" I look at Alice as she looks back at me wide eyes like a deer in headlights.

She stutters and babbles as she tries to come up with an explanation. She made it very obvious that she was caught red handed, and I wanted to hear her admit it. After failing to give a believable lie, Alice sighs in defeat. "Alright, you caught me. I wanted to bring you here so I could take your measurements and have the girls pick out sexy outfits for you."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What? Why?"

"Well...." She looks away hesitantly before she begins.

*Rewind* Alice's POV

"You need to let Lily out Jackson, she's getting restless in this house and you know it."

"For the thousandth time Alice, I said no. I'm doing this to protect our Luna."

"And I understand your decision. But do you want her to be miserable here or not?"

"Of course not. I want her to feel safe and be happy."

"If you want her to feel safe and happy, then give her some space. You don't have to keep a close eye on her 24/7, that's why you have us. We can protect her as well. You know that you can count on us, on me. I promise to not let anything happen to our Luna."

Jackson looks to me with silence. I let out a sigh.

“I know you’re doing what you think is best for her and the pack. Uncle John would have done the same for Aunt Bethany. But think about how Lily feels from all this. She was taken from her loved ones and put into a world that puts her life in danger. Anyone could feel suffocated with fear and anxiety in a situation like this. And it’s not going to get better for her if you keep up this overprotective nature of your Dominance. Let her explore her new home so she can feel comfortable and start to gain your trust.”

Jackson rubs his head in frustration, he was thinking heavily on this.

"Besides," I continue. "She needs new clothes; she doesn't have a lot with her, and she needs her woman necessities."

He still doesn't say anything and looks away. Then an idea hits me.

"Let me make you a deal." I stride over next to him. "You let me, and the girls take Lily out shopping. And I'll get her to buy something very special just for you, and I’ll convince her to sleep in the same room with you to get the ball rolling."

He looks to me in a tiny spark of interest. I continue.

"I'll only keep that promise if you agree to let her go." I smirk when he tenses up. I got him right where I want him. "So what do you say cousin, we got a deal?"

Jackson sighs and takes out his wallet from his pocket. He hands me his card.

"Only buy her what she needs, nothing else." He pauses and leans in. "And make sure she picks something super sexy."

Jackpot.

*End of flashback* Lily's POV

"Are you kidding me?!" That was my only response after Alice explained the real reason Jackson let me go out. I should have known that this was too good to be true.

Alice and I were back in our clothes and we were all standing next to the bras outside of the fitting room.

"I'm sorry Lily, it was the only way he would let you out."

"But not if it would cost me agreeing to something I probably would never do!" I dig my hands into my hair. I couldn't believe it.

"Come on Luna," Briar steps in. "Jackson's your mate, it's only natural that you guys get saucy with each other in bed. Nothing to be embarrassed about."

“I don’t think I want to do that. We haven’t even slept in the same room since I got here.” I fold my arms in a nervous manner.

“Then I guess it’s a start.” She adds.

"And besides," Alice places a hand on my shoulder, turning me to look at her. "You owe it to him for letting you out and buying all the stuff you need. Sure, my cousin seems like nothing but a total jerk at times, but he is such a sweet and caring guy. He wouldn't be doing it if he didn't want to keep you safe. He does love you Lily."

"But I don't even know him other than his name and this huge secret about you all. Plus he's just bossy, crazy, sometimes relentless and annoying, and not to mention super possessive."

"That's because of our inner wolves, also known as Dominance.” Alice explains. “They are the possessive and dominant side of us. They are our voice of reason, and they links us to our mates. And in Jackson’s case since he is the Alpha, his Dominance is a lot stronger than ours. His is more assertive, more dominant, and more possessive."

I listen closely to Alice's words. I look away to the floor, I wasn't sure how to feel about it. Reading so many werewolf romance novels, they never explained how inner wolves really work. I thought it was just the authors trying to make them seen tough and romantic. But now I was more unsure of everything that I thought I knew about them.

"Give him a chance Lily. Get to know him for yourself, and you'll change your mind about everything you thought about him." Alice gives me an assured smile.

I think carefully on this, but I eventually come to an agreement and give her a nod. "Alright Alice, I'll give him a chance."

The girls cheer and head straight for the register to check the clothes out.

"BUT!" I grab their attention, stopping them in their tracks. "All the clothes you picked are getting put back. If I'm going to do this, I'm doing this my way. Without the use of provocative bribes."

"But-" I cut Alice off by raising my voice.

"No buts! It's decided. Now put them back and let's all go home because I'm all worn out."

The girls put all the lingerie and sexy clothes back and we leave, heading straight for the exit. I wasn’t going to lie; I had a great time with these gals. It really made me forget of my problems back at the house. And thinking about how I was going to make thing work between me and Jackson, brought a little smile to my face. Was I looking forward to it?

I was deep in conversation with the girls, that I didn't see where I was going. And I bump into a girl around the corner, her drink spilling all over me. I gasp at the coldness of the beverage as it all sinks through my shirt. Alice and the others were thrown off guard and try to help try me off, but the drink already stained my cute blouse.

"Oh my god!” The girl I bumped into yells in outrage. “Watch where you're fucking going!"

I look up at her and was taken aback at her appearance.

She was drop dead gorgeous, but you know what they say, looks can be deceiving. Even though she was beautiful on the outside, her attitude was like the demon itself. It was like looking at a Mean Girl. I’ve had my fair run ins with these verbally violent creatures, it would always have me unprepared. I would never see them coming. No matter how much I try to mind my own business and avoid drama like it was a disease. They would always find me somehow.

She gives me this cold evil glare; her icy blue eyes were piercing right through me like daggers. Her black hair went well with her pale flawless skin, and her makeup was on point. Eyeliner so sharp that they could cut you and smokey eyeshadow as dark as the start of a fire. She was taller than me thanks to her high heeled boots, she looked down upon me with intimidation, which made me very nervous. Not only was her height and face nerve-racking, but the outfit she had on just added to it. She wore a black leather one-piece jumpsuit that hugged her curvy busty figure tightly with the zipper down past her cleavage. She looked like she was ready for a heist.

"You have got to be kidding me." She spits venom as she looks at me from head to toe. "This is Blood Stone's new Luna?" She didn’t sound please saying it. I felt like she was about to crush me with her sharp boots like a bug.

I was immediately pulled back by Alice and Stella, and Alice steps in front of her. "That's right Chloe, she is our new Luna. And you are to show her respect like everyone else."

I look to the scary girl named Chloe, who looks back to me and sneers with an attitude.

"You really think I'm going to respect a mere human? Pathetic. Like I would do something like that."

"Watch your tongue Chloe, Jackson wouldn't like it if he heard you disrespecting her like that." Jenny warns her as she and the others give back the same energy to Chloe.

"As if Jackson would do anything to hurt me, he loves me too much to even try."

What does she mean by that? Did she and Jackson have something together?

For some reason, this hurts me. I couldn't understand why I was feeling this. It felt like my heart was being squeezed.

Chloe took notice of my state and smirks at me. She probably knew that I was piecing everything together. I was starting to feel a bit insecure comparing myself to her, I was feeling low.

“I mean look at her.” Chloe points to me in my fragile state. “How is this small pitiful excuse of a human going to protect Blood Stone if she can’t take the truth that her fated mate was with a goddess like me. It’s so sad.”

Briar was about to get in Chloe’s face, but Alice stops her.

"Well perhaps you're right, my cousins too respectful of an Alpha to do that to a lady. But I got news for you Chloe. Whatever shallow toxic relationship you guys had before, it's all buried in the past. Jackson has found his true love, his rightful mate. That mate's name is Lily, and he will do anything for her. And not only will she make the perfect mate, but she will make the perfect Luna. Better than you would ever get the chance at any lifetime."

I cover my mouth out of shock. God damn, she just let her have it. Chloe was just as taken back as I was, and this struck a nerve.

She growls and stares at me with hatred before storming away. Bella and the others cheer for Alice and her hot roast on Chloe. I wasn't going to lie, but that was epic. But I still can't get the thought of Chloe and Jackson having a thing before I came into the picture. Alice approaches me and grabs my attention.

"Hey, you alright Lily?" She asks caringly.

I nod even though I was still in thought.

"Don't let Chloe get to you. She's literally the bitch of the pack and will get in any girl's head." Stella informs. "But you won't have to worry about her anymore."

"Stella's right, so if you have a problem and need someone to talk to, we're here for you." Briar finishes with a smile.

I smile to them back. "Thanks girls."

"Now let's get you back home so you can change and rest." Alice links arms with me and we head home.