I had never shopped so long and been in so many stores in my entire life. Actually, I've never been shopping, period. But, that Ferra, sure knew how to do it right. I kept waiting for Finn's card to be declined, for us to reach the bottom of the account, but it never happened. It got me thinking about how much money Finn really had.
Ferra dragged me from store to store, picking out new clothing that I wasn't sure I ever wanted to wear. She got me dresses, skirts, shorts, jeans, leggings, sweaters, and crop tops. I kept asking her why I needed tops that didn't cover my belly and shorts that didn't cover my butt in Washington where the sun barely shines, but she just winked at me.
She also made me buy new shoes. Apparently flip flops weren't acceptable footwear. She made me try on a pair of sandals that, I will admit, were pretty cute, and some wedges that looked like a broken ankle waiting to happen. I insisted on some fashionable slip on sneakers and a few T-shirts so I at least had some control over my wardrobe.
I was really in trouble when we walked into an all pink store that made Stone blush and refuse to go inside.
"Who's Victoria?" I asked as we entered the store. Ferra laughed at me,
"Victoria's Secret is just the name of the store. Come on, let's get you sized."
"Sized for what?"
Before long, my question was answered when a skinny blonde was groping me with a tape measure. She wrote down some numbers and handed them over to Ferra. Ferra scurried off and came back with some silky fabric she claimed were underwear.
"You've got to be kidding me?" I glared at her, holding up the red panties.
"Come on, the Alpha will love it." She winked at me.
"The Alpha? You mean your brother?" I snapped. Ferra immediately frowned,
"No, we're calling him the Alpha when we're talking about you and him in bed."
"Oh are you embarrassed?" I said pointedly.
"Mari, you're sweet and innocent, and, right now, the Alpha loves that. But, eventually, he will want other things from you and you'll want to give them to him. Trust me, one day you'll be comfortable enough with him to finally feel all your feelings, and, on that day, you'll thank me for the sexy underwear." Ferra didn't let me answer before she disappeared back in the store for more items.
We ended up with four very large pink bags filled with silky bra and underwear sets, nighties, and some unspeakably revealing items. I forced her to also purchase a bag full of sports bras, cotton underwear, and normal-looking pajamas.
"I have so many questions that I do not want answers to." Stone sighed, eyeing the pink bags.
"Let's get some lunch and end this torture, shall we?" He suggested, gesturing towards the cafeteria.
"Lead the way, my love." Ferra kissed her mate on the cheek and grabbed his hand. The three of us each chose a different kiosk to order from and settled down at a table in the cafeteria.
"Mari, before we head back, I think you should know that Fox made an announcement to the pack," Ferra started talking but Stone interrupted her,
"Ferra." He groaned. She waved her hand at him and kept talking,
"He mindlinked the pack and made an unofficial announcement about your arrival. The pack knows that you're his mate and the future Luna. He didn't think you were ready for an official announcement or ceremony, yet."
"He's right. I'm not sure I was ready for an unofficial announcement either." I grumbled.
"It was our idea." Stone confessed,
"We thought it would be in your best interests."
"Why?" I asked.
"Well...."
"Ferra!" Stone shushed her again.
"What? She's going to find out eventually." Ferra snapped.
"Just tell me." I sighed at the bickering couple.
"Fox has always valued the mate bond. He made it very clear that he would never take a chosen mate. But, he is an Alpha. After his 18th birthday came and went, and he wasn't mated, things started getting worse. It's so rare for Alphas to go more than ten years unmated, so the unmated she-wolves just started to assume he was going to pick someone. They started throwing themselves at him relentlessly. There's a particular group of ranked she-wolves who think they are entitled to the position." Ferra sounded disgusted. Her words caused a strange feeling to build inside my belly.
"Okay...." I didn't know what to say.
"Fox never dated any of them or entertained their fantasies, but, I mean, he is a guy." Stone shrugged.
"What does that have to do with it?" I asked innocently. Stone and Ferra exchanged another look
"He had sex with them, Mari, but nothing else." Stone answered plainly. I blushed, avoiding eye contact with either of them.
"And we were afraid that they would keep coming after him, even in front of you, and hurt your feelings. This way, if those bitches try to do anything, Fox has already given them a warning." Ferra explained.
"Mari, are you alright?" Stone asked me suddenly. I followed his gaze to my hands and realized that they were glowing.
"Woah, your eyes." Ferra gasped and I felt my face getting warm as my eyes twitched with power.
"That's not good." Stone mumbled, having seen me in this state before. He started shaking my shoulders,
"Mari! Look at me."
"I can hear you, I'm not deaf." I growled between my teeth.
"Well I don't know how this magic thing works." He whispered loudly,
"There are humans around, you have to keep your cool." He hissed.
I looked around the cafeteria and focused on the sound of a dozen different voices chattering away, the smell of cooking oil and donuts, and the hoards of humans sitting around the tables. I took a few deep breaths, calming myself. My hands stopped vibrating and my cheeks stopped pulsating with power.
"Your emotions are connected to your abilities, just like werewolves." Ferra observed.
"I guess so." I mumbled in response.
"Is this what angry Mari looks like?" Stone chuckled, waving his hand around my face. I glared at him and earned a snort from Ferra.
"I'm pretty sure angry Mari can kick both our asses." Ferra said,
"You don't need to be jealous of any of those girls, they're old news." She added, rolling her eyes.
"Come on, ladies, let's go before our Luna burns down the mall." Stone laughed, standing from the table.
"Solaris is the fire fae, not me." I clarified.
"Solaris?" Ferra asked.
"My brother. Solaris means the sun." I grabbed my trash and followed Stone to the garbage can.
"Is everyone in your family gifted with an element?" Ferra asked.
"My other brother is Bayu, which means wind." I shrugged.
"What? No water?" Stone joked as we walked back through the mall. I looked down at my hands, twisting them nervously.
"Kai, it means the sea. He was stillborn." I whispered. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ferra aggressively elbowing her mate at his insensitiveness.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mari." Stone mumbled.
"I get it if you don't want to talk about it, but Fox told us what happened to your mom and why the King doesn't want you back." Stone said.
"Don't be made at Fox, he just wanted us to know in case there was any retaliation from the King." Ferra added quickly. I looked over at them,
"I'm not mad, of course Finn told you," I shrugged,
"My father killed my mother after Kai was born and they realized he wasn't alive. He was already pissed because I was born a girl, so that just added salt to the wound. My father was promised four sons of nature." I recognized that my voice was more emotionless than it should have been but I had spent years trying to desensitize myself to the situation so I could survive.
"What do you mean he was promised sons of nature?" Stone asked as we all climbed into the black SUV.
"A prophecy was given to my father when he married my mother that he would have four sons of nature, as in four sons who each had an elemental ability. They were to be the pillars of strength and power of the Fae Kingdom. It was the only reason he married my mother. He was told that she would bear the strongest heirs." I explained.
"I've heard that the Fae take prophecies very seriously." Ferra said, raising her eyebrow in question. I nodded,
"That's putting it mildly. The Great Fae are a council of fae that all have the gift of prophecy. They're like a million years old and stiff as a board, but everyone still relies on their wisdom."
"So, what does it mean when they're wrong?" Stone asked, looking in the rearview mirror.
"They're never wrong."
"Unless there's something you want to tell us, Mari, I'm pretty sure they got the four sons thing wrong." Stone said with a smirk. I looked at him with an ominous expression,
"Or there's more to the prophecy."
"Is there?" Ferra asked.
"My mother and father are the only two who heard the prophecy straight from the Great Fae's mouths. When Kai was born, I was the only one in the room. Before my father came in and discovered that he was dead, my mother said that it was all up to me now. She said that I had to find the peace," I shrugged,
"I never knew what she meant, but I got the feeling that she knew she was going to die that day." Ferra and Stone looked at each other but said nothing. I stared out the window as we drove back to the packhouse in silence.