The Contract (My Perfect Mate Continued)

Shop Number One

I was skipping into the kitchen when I bumped into a beautiful and bubbly brunette.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry. I clearly wasn't watching where I was going."

She met me with a sympathetic smile and shook her head,

"No, I am sorry, Luna. It was my fault."

I tilted my head and looked at her curiously before I answered, "Oh please, call me Thea."

She instantly backed up and looked disappointed,

"No, no. What kind of Beta would I be if I didn't address you correctly?"

Then it hit me,

"Oh, you must be Briana!" I extended my hand in her direction, "it is so nice to meet you."

Her smile returned and she took my hand,

"Like wise." She was suddenly aware of her surroundings, "Oh my gosh, how rude of me. Can I get you anything from the kitchen?"

"No, thank you, I'm not even sure that I know what I want."

"Well, on that note, can I at least accompany you?"

"Sure, I don't see why not."

Briana turned on her heals, and we headed further into the kitchen.

"Ah, Luna. How are you today?"

I needed to get used to being called Luna, it was still so unsettling. Geoffrey was all smiles as he anticipated my order. I suddenly felt on the spot, and I was flustered.

I started with the easy part, "Good Morning Geoffrey, I'm doing well."

He smiled and nodded, "What can I get started for you today?"

"Oh, I would love a cup of coffee, if it's not too much trouble."

"I can certainly do that for you. How do you take it?"

"Black, please."

I watched Geoffrey disappear quickly. With my coffee order in, I turned to Briana. "So tell me about yourself!"

I was so happy to have met her in such an informal way. I was happy that I would have a close friend nearby.

"Well, I'm the middle daughter of Beta Howard. I come from a large family. I have three older sisters and two younger brothers. Our defenses and supplies have taken a hit in the last couple of years. We were so thankful when Silver Moon extended an olive branch to us. The Silver Moon territory is just gorgeous, isn't it?"

"Oh yes! I catch myself staring at its beauty constantly. It's so lush and green. I have actually found quite a few trails. I would love to show you them sometime."

"I would love that! Hey, what are you doing later today?"

"My calendar is pretty open. Although, I really wanted to head into town and do some shopping. I don't suppose you would like to tag along?"

"That sounds great. I am having dinner tonight with my folks, so I'll need to be back by four."

"I can handle that. Let me just grab something quick to eat, and we can meet back here in an hour?"

"Okay, awesome. See you soon."

Briana excused herself and practically skipped out of the room. Geoffrey came back just in time, with my coffee. I received my cup with a smile. "Thank you, Geoffrey."

"You're very welcome, Luna."

There it was again. I tried to brush it off, and stepped away with my cup. The sun was at it's highest and left large shadows across the field. I stepped out onto the back patio to enjoy the sunshine. I found the perfect spot and laid back in a nearby lounging chair. I set my cup on the side table and closed my eyes to the sun. I huffed loudly as my muscles relaxed, and I felt the vitamin D seep into my skin. I felt a presence next to me and knew that it was Andy, it was crazy how I could tell without even opening my eyes.

"Can I help you?" I asked smugly.

I heard him chuckle and the creak of the chair next to me. "Nothing really, just wanted to check in. How's the morning going?"

I finally opened my eyes and shielded them under my hand. "Oh yeah know, did some training, took a hot shower, had a quickie with a hottie, you know, the usual."

He gave me that boyish, side smile. "Sounds nice. What does the rest of the day look like?"

I sat up a little in my chair, so I didn't need to squint as much. "Well, Briana and I are planning on doing some shopping, and then I said that I would show her some of my favorite running trails."

"Oh that's great, I hope you guys have some fun." he paused for a moment, "Although, I would like to send some guys with you. Just in case."

I stared at him blankly, "Alpha, what do you think could happen? We're in Silver Moon territory, nothing bad happens here."

Andy's face went stoic, "Please don't fight me on this Thea. You never know what could happen. You won't even know that they're there."

I rolled my eyes before closing them quickly and leaning back in my chair once more.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?"

"No, don't be silly, I was just squinting." I smiled at myself, but I knew that he wasn't buying it. After a moment longer, I gave in. "Fine."

*****

I quickly found out that I loved Briana. Our energies meshed so well, and she was so giggly and easy to talk to, we even liked the same taste in music.

"Feel like getting Starbies?" Briana was even speaking my language.

"Absolutely, I think there's one on Centre Avenue."

Once we had our Starbucks in hand, we headed into town. Alpha was right about our tails though. I seriously didn't notice that they were behind us. Briana and I ducked into the first store on the strip. It was an adorable boutique decorated with rose gold and blush pink. There were dozens of racks along either side of us with a quaint sitting area in the middle.

"This place is fantastic!" Briana said enthusiastically. "So what are you looking for?"

I was entranced with the soft fabrics and bright colors donned on the hangers. "Nothing really, I just feel like spending money."

Briana chuckled, "That's my favorite kind of shopping!" She headed to the end of one rack and started sorting through the hangers, one by one. "You take one end, I take the other?"

I nodded my agreement.

"We're the same size too, so that'll double our efficiency." She said with a giggle.

After a few minutes of sorting, a cheery sales associate came over to us.

"Good afternoon ladies, can I help you in your search?"

"We don't even know what we're looking for," I said with a smile. "We're just browsing for now."

She smiled sweetly, "Well, can I get you some champagne while you browse?"

Briana and I looked at each other and shared the same smile. "That would be great, thank you."

The sales associate disappeared momentarily and came back with a silver tray scattered with fruits and assorted juices to mix with."

We spent almost an hour in the boutique just selecting things to try on, but the champagne definitely helped with our selections. Briana and I decided that we would go one at a time while the other sat back and sipped.

I had an array of different selections, and they were organized by type. I definitely wanted to pick up a couple of dresses for the various dinners, parties and events coming up. I wanted to start with a little black dress. It was made of delicate silk, with thin spaghetti straps. It had a high slit with an open back with a soft, cowl neck. It wasn't terribly short, but enough to turn heads. When I was adjusted and secured in the dress, I whipped the curtains to the side dramatically.

"Oooh, I love that one! Do you have an occasion in mind?"

I stepped in front of the floor-length mirror off to the right side of the fitting room. I smoothed the silk as I studied my reflection. "Nothing in particular, but I know that a woman always has to have a LBD."

"Point taken. Maybe I'll find one for myself today too. Oh, and maybe you can help me pick out something for dinner tonight?"

"That's a great idea!" I said when I turned to face Briana. I turned around once more to make sure that I was happy with my first choice. "So this one is a yes?"

"Definitely! Now go in there and keep trying on. I'm on my third mimosa already."

I giggled at her as she pretended to be drunk and shook my head, "Well, slow down, we're going to be here a while."

"Aye, aye Luna."

I stepped back into the fitting room and moved on to the next one. It was a gorgeous sun dress, but with an added flare. It was a chiffon, maroon colored dress with a cream-colored floral pattern throughout. It was a square neckline than I wasn't used to, but it did wonders for my shape. The skirt was light and flowy, and fell just avoce my ankles. The delicate fabric danced around my legs as I walked. The long, transparent sleeves were secured at my wrists with an elastic cuff. It was a little fancier than I normally go for, but it still had an ease to it that I could wear it for any occasion.

I really enjoyed Briana hype. She made me feel incredible in anything that I put on.

"Oh my god! You look incredible in that one! I might need to get it for myself! Give me a twirl." She gestured with her finger and I happily obliged. "It's gorgeous! I love the way it moves."

I looked down as the hem stopped moving around my ankles. "I know! I love it too. This one is a definite."

Briana nodded in agreement with a beaming smile on her face.

I worked quickly through the rest of the options that I had hanging on the wall in front of me. I ended up picking a couple more dresses. Some tight-fitting jeans, some cute crop tops in assorted colors. I went a little crazy and it was only the first store. When I was happy with all of my selections, I piled them up in my arms and took them out into the sitting area. I had so much that I was barely able to carry it all.

The sales women came over quickly, "Oh, Luna, let me take those for you!" I wasn't surprised that she called me Luna, but I was shocked that she knew who I was.

I smiled shyly as I handed over my pile, "And don't worry, Alpha has already called and left his card information."

I was dumbfounded, I didn't need him to pay for my frivolous shopping. I had half a mind to call him and ream him out, but I knew that it would kill the mood. Instead, I smiled tightly and forfeited to the idea.

When I returned, Briana was downing her fifth mimosa. I shook my head, I couldn't judge her, I was about to be in a similar state. We didn't need to go too far to the next place. We would be sober enough by the time we were done with the strip.

I wanted to show Briana the same amount of hype that she gave me. Which wasn't hard, the girl could pull off anything that she put on her body. She, too, made out like a bandit. It wasn't until I checked my phone that I realized that we had been in one shop for almost two hours. I was thankful when Briana was done. I suddenly felt like I needed air. I checked over my shoulder and saw two men milling about right out front. One, I instantly recognized as Cade, the chief of staff for the Mitchell family. I have heard so many good things about him from Andy. I knew how much he looked up to Cade. I didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.