The Contract (My Perfect Mate Continued)

What to Do About Dad

Before I popped my head out of the door, I called back to Briana,

"Briana, I'll be right back!" she was at the register checking out. I wanted to go check on the men guarding us.

I slipped out of the door and tapped Cade on the shoulder.

"Cade?" He turned and smiled down at me.

"Yes Luna?"

"I'm so sorry that we're taking so long. We are almost done in here, and then we wanted to head down the strip. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Luna, take your time. We are not in any rush."

"Okay, only if you're sure."

"I'm sure, Luna, go have fun. We'll be here when you need us."

I turned around and headed back inside. The sales associate had my purchases bagged up in pretty pink bags with tissue paper and all.

"Here you are Luna, thank you so much for coming in." She handed me the bags with a smile. I didn't realize that I had four of them, they were all filled to the brim. I struggled out of the store and Cade was quick to grab them from me.

"I'll go put these in the car and meet you at the next spot." Cade turned towards the other guard and nodded sharply at him, telling him to stay put. Briana and I continued on down the strip with our lackey following close behind us. The next store we saw was a high-end shoe store.

We spent another hour or so inside. I needed some new shoes to match some of my new outfits. I got a pair of red bottoms, strappy heels, a pair of mules, and a couple of pairs of running shoes. By the time I got to the register to pay, Alpha had already paid for yet another one of my hauls. I was beginning to get annoyed at his need to provide for me. I knew that I would need to get a job. I hated the idea of being a kept woman for the rest of my life.

Cade took another round of bags before we headed into our last store. Michael Kors. I was amazed at the selection that they had. Not only did they have the newest additions, but they also had a number of clearance handbags as well. I was only down for a good bargain. I picked out a couple of different sizes to complete my collection. I will be set for a while. I even found a pair of dressy tennis shoes.

"Alright, I think I'm all shopped out."

"Not me! I want to pop into one more place if that's okay?" I checked my watch, we still had plenty of time. I looked back up at Briana. She was anxiously awaiting my answer.

"Sure, where else did you want to go?"

"Well, there's a Lulu right around the corner. I hear they have great sales."

The more I thought about it, the more I was in the mood for new workout gear.

I was more of a Nike girl, but Lulu Lemon had some really cute stuff too. I was shocked at how much it all costs. I tried to play it conservative and only picked out three new outfits. I found a deep, navy blue set that I was obsessed with. It looked incredible with my skin tone and hair color. I picked up the leggings with a matching sports bra. The fabric was so dreamy against my skin. I picked out a maroon set and a pull-over cream-colored quarter zip. The last thing I found was an army printed set, also made from the same material. As I waited to pay, I tallied up everything I bought today. I felt instantly shameful of how much I spent. I debated on putting everything back, but I second guessed myself and justified my purchases. I was never able to spoil myself back home, dad never gave me an allowance, and I wasn't allowed to work either. Granted, I had a hefty savings account that I could draw from, but I knew that if I blew it, dad would freeze it on me. I was suddenly thankful for Andy wanting to spoil me, but I knew that we were going to need to have that conversation.

I was so zoned out I didn't realize that it was my turn to step up to the counter.

"Luna, are you ready to check out?"

I blinked a couple of times before smiling shyly. I placed my clothes on the counter and watched as she scanned each item. I wanted to puke when I saw the total, but I was thankful that the sales associate didn't tell me that Andy had called ahead. I was going to be able to pay for this myself, all $500.00 worth. I handed over my card as the bile began to build in the back of my throat. She slipped my receipt into the top of the bag and slid it across the counter. We exchanged pleasantries before I turned and headed for the door.

Cade helped load the last of my bags as Briana and I climbed into my car. When it was all clear, we turned down Main Street and headed home.

It was late afternoon and the early fall sun was already beginning to set. The sky in front of us was a mixture of vivid pinks, orange, and purples.

Hey lovely, I see that you just got back. Can you meet me in my office quick?

Sure, let me just go put my bags away.

Don't worry about those, I can have someone bring those in for you. It's important, we should talk as soon as possible.

I was suddenly nervous, what could be so important that he had to talk to me right away?

I turned to Briana as we stepped out of the car, "I'm sorry, Alpha needs to talk to me. Can we take a rain check for the rest of the afternoon?"

I could tell that she was disappointed, but understood.

"Of course! Maybe we can take a run tomorrow morning?" She checked her Apple Watch quickly, "I should probably head upstairs and get ready for dinner anyway. Thanks for today, Thea, I had a lot of fun."

"Me too! Let's meet up for breakfast tomorrow and then we'll go for a run."

"Sounds great, see you in the AM."

Briana came over and gave me a quick hug before I watched her skip into the house.

"I'll go ahead and take these upstairs Luna." Cade said, matter-of-fact. He nodded sharply and proceeded inside the house.

I turned around and addressed the guy still standing behind me,

"I'm so sorry, you have been following me all day. I didn't even catch your name."

He smiled shyly, "I'm Lucas, Luna. It was an honor to accompany you today. Please let me know if you ever need anything."

I mirrored his smile, "Thank you, Lucas. I will."

I headed to the elevator once I got inside and went straight for Andy's office. He seemed incredibly stressed when I saw him sitting at his desk.

"What's wrong? Did I spend too much today?"

He looked up from the paper he was reading with a crooked smile.

"No, don't ever worry about that. You can never spend too much. We have a pretty healthy allowance every month."

He took a sharp breath and his face dropped a bit. " I wanted to talk to you about your dad."

I swallowed the bile in my throat and slowly lowered myself down into the chair across from him. I could only imagine what this could be about.

I was a little surprised, something must have happened while I was out with Briana. I sat down warily as I assessed his mood.

"What happened?"

"Nothing 911. But I received a phone call from your dad today. He is not very happy with your decision to stay. I wanted to know how you would like me to handle him. He threatened to come and bring you home by your hair, which I didn't appreciate very much. There were also some other phrases and words that he said that I am choosing to omit. I wanted to see how you were feeling and see what you would like to do."

I thought of all the options for how I could play this. Dad was like a toddler, he throws temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way. I have scars to prove it.

"I honestly don't know. I'm so used to empty threats like this. His bark is more powerful than his bite. I say that we should just ignore him for now. But promise me that you won't pull Lucas off of my tail just yet."

Andy's face went stoic,

"Never. It makes me more comfortable having someone with you. I just don't want you to ever think that I'm trying to give you a babysitter."

I shook my head,

"No, I don't think that. It was actually quite comforting having someone with me, and you were right. I didn't even realize they were there after a while."

"I'm glad that you understand. Your father is not the only enemy that we have in this region. I could never forgive myself if something happened to you."

"I appreciate that..." I tried to stop my brain from releasing my next statement, but it slipped out. "It's not because you feel some kind of mate bond is it?"

Andy straightened up in his chair. " I thought we talked about this already."

"I know, I just want to make sure. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt."

"Don't worry about me. I'm Alpha first. I want to ensure that everyone is safe. I deeply care about you, so you are my priority. Regardless of what you choose to do, whether that is to stay here or go back home, I will always want you to feel safe."

That was a very political answer, but it made me think that he was hiding something. But what did I care? We had already promised to be honest with each other. He would share what he wanted with me and when he wanted to. I nodded my head tightly,

"Well, keep me posted on any new information?" I said as I stood up from my chair. "Why don't we change the subject? I don't suppose you want to see everything I got today?"

"I would love to, I need a break from this office anyway."

Andy quickly picked up his office and followed me out into the hallway.

"So did you have fun today?"

"I did, Briana and I get along so well. I can see why Bryce is so enamored with her. She'll be an amazing Beta mate."

As we headed down the hallway, I turned the subject to him, "So how was your day?"

"It was good, I spent most of it in my office. I have so much legal bullshit to work through. We've got some outreach excursions planned next week. There's some preliminary paperwork that I have to complete first. But, I am officially logged off for the evening. What would you like to do tonight?"

"Well, you won the race this morning, technically you get to choose."

He made a pondering expression,

"I guess you're right. Well then, why don't you get all dressed up and I will make reservations somewhere."

"Sounds like a plan."