Regal stood outside the shop and watched as two ten seater vans pulled up outside of Hidden Treasures and Happy Tea. He looked on as Harper stood at the door holding her arms out, as the girls piled out of the vans and raced over to hug her and Hainsley.
"All right, I need everyone six and younger to come with me for story time, seven and older and with Ms. Hainsley," Harper announced. She looked up and caught his eye sucking in a breath, she lost her ability to talk for a moment. He nodded, and she gave him a jerky nod in return. Then a small child, if he had to guess no older than two tugged on Harper's hand and demanded to be picked up. He watched his mate's eyes soften as she scooped up the little girl and snuggled her. She then led the way into the shop with the other little girls asking a ton of questions. He could just imagine her holding a little girl with dark hair like his and blue-gray eyes like hers.
"What book are we reading today? Did you get more books for us to take home? Are we going to make a craft today?"
"All in due time, little ones. Now come sit around me and help me find our story book for the day." Harper pulled a note out of her pocket and Regal stepped into the store in time to hear her say,
"I am hidden away where you can find many yummy things to eat. Where am I?"
"Is our book in Ms. Hainsley's shop?" a small redhead asked, looking hopeful at the tea shop.
"No, but keep thinking."
"Is it in your office?" another girl guessed, she had golden blond curls.
"No, but a good guess."
"I know!" yelled a bouncy brunette.
"Yes, Ruby?"
"It is with your cook books!" the girl announced. Looking so proud of herself, pointing to the easy to see cookbooks and a thin picture book out of place on the shelf.
"Smart as always, why don't you go get it today?" Harper encouraged Ruby. Regal realized she hadn't released the little girl who'd demanded she be picked up. She perched on Harper's hip sucking on her thumb.
"We are reading a book about goats?" Ruby asked, bringing over the book, Regal was able to catch the title as the little girl handed it to Harper.
"The Three Billy Goats Fluff," Harper announced, she settled on the floor with a pillow propped behind her. The little girls crowded around her as she began to read. Regal settled in one of the comfortable chairs Harper had around her store to encourage people to sit and read. He enjoyed watching her lose her shyness around a group of small children, she had a soothing voice which captured the attention of her young audience. He could picture her reading to their own cubs at night and once they were asleep, he would whisk her away to their bedroom and make love to her until she couldn't walk.
Shaking his head, he drove away the day dream. He had to convince the shy little vixen to join him on a date before he could give her a family. He had seen the longing in her eyes when she'd picked up the little girl. What she didn't know was many of the children at The Lily House resulted from unmated pairings, once the female found out she was pregnant with a baby who wasn't her mate's she gave them up. He'd been one such a child, although he'd been lucky enough to be adopted by the Alpha of the black panthers in Black Wood Falls. His mate could not bear him children when a hunter shot her while she was in shifted form. She survived as shifters were excellent healers; it had affected her ability to reproduce; none of the doctors could figure out why. That was when they heard of a female panther giving up a boy because he was not her true mate's cub.
He was grateful for his parents and their never ending love, even if he wasn't theirs biologically. Being a panther he enjoyed being alone and did not have many he would consider his close friends. He enjoyed being around the other alphas in Black Wood Falls and considered them his friends should he need help with anything.
"So you asked Harper out, any idea on how you will get her to go with you?" Julie asked, she'd snuck up on him while he was thinking about his past.
"I was hoping I could get a little help from you and her sister. There is something special about Harper and I want to get to know her. I need to spend time with her, she calls to me," Regal explained, he didn't see any point hiding how he felt about Harper.
"We can get her out the door, but you will have to work very hard to get her to feel comfortable. I wish you the best of luck, because I've known Harper for twenty-seven years and I've never seen her go out with a man willingly or have a prolonged conversation with anyone the first time they met. You've got her to do both, you are destined mates." Julie smiled patting him on the shoulder and watching Harper tell the story.
"Has she never been on a date?" Regal looked up at Harper's friend.
"Oh she has been on dates; her mother has pushed plenty of men her way. The problem is, Harper has paralyzing shyness around men. She cannot look them in the eye and if she does speak, it is in a whisper. She fares better on double dates because she has one of her sisters to help her. She can tell you more, I don't want to over share. You should just know you have a lot of work ahead of you." Julie smiled and walked away to help Harper get the groups flipped with her sister.
Regal sat back and watched how her whole demeanor changed when the older group came in. She pulled out a chapter book he assumed they'd been reading together and for half the time she read. The other half she let the girls wander the store looking for a book they wanted to borrow. He enjoyed hearing her voice loud and clear as she spoke with the girls. She helped many of them find a book for a hobby or interest she knew they liked. He could tell she spent a lot of time with these girls getting to know them and just be there for them as they became older they were less likely to be adopted. If he had to guess the oldest child was a wolf shifter age fifteen.
"Mira, I found you a book on knitting. I want you to keep it and take these supplies to learn. If you need more yarn, email me and I can drop more off." Harper gave the young girl a book and a bag he suspected held knitting needles and several skeins of yarn.
"Thank you Harper, you are the best! I can finally help make baby blankets for all the infants to take with them when they are adopted." Mira hugged Harper and smiled when she saw Regal sitting off to the side.
"Hi Mr. Murphy!" Mira called giving him a wave.
"Hi Mira, how are you?" Regal asked, he made it a purpose as an alpha in the area to check on all the shifter orphans, be they panther or another type of shifter.
"How do you know Mr. Murphy?" Harper asked, she looked at him in surprise and he just smiled.
"He comes by The Lily House every other week and checks in on all us older shifter children," Mira explained, walking over to give Regal a high five, he returned it with a smile.
"Does he now?" Harper crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a surprised look. Regal had to take a deep breath through his nose to hide his reaction to Harper pushing up her ample bosom. His thoughts turned to pushing his face in between her breasts and nibbling, sucking and pinching until she moaned his name.
"He comes and plays games with us, he usually leaves the game he brings for us to play when not in school," Mira explained.
"What kind of games?" Harper asked, this time directing her question to him. Regal smiled, enjoying her attention on him and not cowering away.
"Mostly board games I played as a kid, I always loved playing monopoly with my parents," Regal replied, he was not expecting her to gasp.
"I love monopoly, I always win when playing my sisters!" Harper explained, she beamed at him and Regal had to take a moment to control his panther's reaction to grab her and run.
"Only because she cheats," Hainsley came over from her shop to bring the other group of girls back.
"I don't cheat," Harper shot back with a glare, Regal lifted an eyebrow at the interaction between the two sisters.
"You do too, you always seem to get a monopoly first and then kill us with your hotels," Hainsley remarked.
"Not my fault you are not strategic," Harper muttered and then gathered all the girls together.
"Our time if up ladies, it was wonderful to see you all and we cannot wait to do it again next month." Harper hugged as many of the girls as she could, while they groaned about having to wait a whole month to find out what happens next in their book.
"Why can't we have this more often?" Ruby complained, Regal smiled as Harper got down on her level.
"We are trying little one," Harper explained, with a look up at Regal and he nodded.
"How about in two weeks when I come to visit I bring Ms. Harper?" Regal asked and the girls all cheered. Harper gave him a grateful look, and he preened with pride at making his mate happy.
"I'll be by to pick you up at seven," he whispered into her ear and left, he didn't want to give her a chance to think about saying no again.
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