Slaved By The Moon God

32

I’d spent twenty-two years yearning for a pack like this, to the point I'd believed it wasn't possible. But Kaden, despite his growly nature toward me, obviously took good care of his pack. Even Dad had been a sub-par alpha at best, I realized now. I knew many of the Cancer members had been disgruntled with his leadership, but they'd never been able to do anything about it. Wesley had been our only hope for the future of the pack, but he was gone.

A pang of sadness went through me at the thought of Wesley, and of what might have been. Tears threatened to fill my eyes, but I blinked them back, keeping the emotions in check. I would grieve later when I was alone. And someday I would have my revenge.

Stella noticed the look on my face. “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head. “Nothing. Let’s go.”

Stella led me outside. I noticed that the two males Kaden had said were my guards hadn’t moved from where we'd left them on the porch. Stella noticed me eyeing them, despite my attempts to make it subtle.

“Clayton is the beta of the pack,” she said, motioning to the taller of the two. “He and Jack are Kaden’s friends.” Friends? Hard to believe he had any. And why would he put his friends on guard detail, when he so clearly held me in such low esteem? Surely they had better things to do.

I didn’t have long to dwell on it. We walked into the town, and I found myself occupied with looking around and taking it all in. The buildings were well-maintained, the houses recently painted, and the shops welcoming. It looked like a well-preserved historical town, and my hand itched toward my camera. I didn’t like architecture as much as nature, but there were exceptions.

“This is Coronis,” Stella said, standing in the middle of the road on the main street, and spread her arms like she was presenting it to me. I couldn’t help but smile and shake my head. She and Kaden really were like day and night. She’d offered the information without any prompting, whereas Kaden had withheld it and gotten gruff with me when I’d asked about anything.

“What?” Stella asked.

“Nothing,” I said, shaking my head. “Continue.”

She pointed out various buildings as we passed them. Everything was centered around a big grassy area with a few community buildings on one side, including the school, with the shops on the other. I noticed that everyone we passed was a shifter bearing the Ophiuchus mark somewhere on them. It was still hard for me to believe I was really here, amongst the lost pack.

“You have to try the bakery’s pastries,” Stella said, grinning as she pointed out the coffee shop. “They’re divine. Although what you really need are some new clothes. Follow me.”

Chapter Thirteen

Stella guided us into the town's only women's clothing store. It wasn't large, but it had a pretty decent selection of things, and I hesitated before the racks. With all of the different selections available, it felt overwhelming.

"Is something wrong?" Stella asked. "Don't worry about the prices. As I said, Kaden will cover it."

"It's not that." I ducked my head, feeling foolish. "At home, I just got hand-me-downs or whatever I could find in a thrift store. My Dad...he didn't let me buy new things." I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice but knew I failed. There was so much pent up over the last twenty-two years.

Stella's face softened, and she nodded. “I can help you if you’d like?”

I nodded, relieved. “That would be great."

Stella clapped her hands together, grinning. “This is going to be fun. Let's see. You have gorgeous hair. We should take advantage of the color, really bring it out.”

I winced. My hair had always marked me as something other, something less than. I couldn’t imagine wanting to bring attention to it, but then again, I wasn’t in the Cancer pack anymore. I trailed Stella as she wound around the racks, tossing clothes back to me until we made it to a fitting room.

“In you go,” she said. “Feel free to ditch anything you don’t like.”

I smiled at her and stepped inside. She’d given me way too many clothes. What would I even do with more shirts than days of the week? But as I tried each one on, I found that Stella had an impeccable eye for color. The clothes she chose for me brought out my eyes and made my hair stand out in a way I actually liked. They also somehow made my curves look like something desirable, instead of something I should hide. It was like truly seeing myself in the mirror for the first time in my life.

Then I looked at the vast quantity of clothes. There was no way I’d need all of these, but when I brought them out, Stella wouldn't let me put anything back.

“It’s a good basic wardrobe," she said. "You’ll need more eventually, but this will do for now.”

More? “I thought we spent most of our time nude."

Stella grinned over at me. "That doesn't mean we can't look hot the rest of the time." She also made sure I had some underwear, bras, and socks, then handed the clerk her credit card. I shoved aside any guilt I felt. It was Kaden’s money, and for locking me up and his bad attitude, I should make him buy me this whole store.

I reached out to pick up the bags, but Stella tutted at me, shooing me away. She jerked her head toward Clayton and Jack, who had followed us into the store. They exchanged a glance but came forward anyway.

“Make yourselves useful,” Stella said, shoving the bags toward them. I opened my mouth to protest but stopped at the grimaces on their faces.