Fated From the Start

Dirty Little Secret

Harlow POV 

I'd agreed to meet Ash's parents the next day for dinner. The boy really didn't do slow. I had been shoveling through my wardrobe for hours trying to find something I deemed suitable to wear. I had come up completely empty. I was now shoveling through Willow's closet hoping for better odds. 

"Luna Embers is really a kind woman Totty, you could wear a potato sack and she'd tell you you were radiant. Just pick something to wear." Cedar called from his quickly becoming regular chair. 

"Why do none of you boys understand that meeting the parents for the first time is a big deal? I want to make a good impression." I yelled back in exasperation. 

"Do you love Ash?" Cedar was suddenly standing next to me, an unusual softness about him. 

"More than anything." I responded firmly.

"Do you have every intention of treating him well for the rest of your life?" He continued to inquire. 

"Of course"

"That is literally the extent of what we all care about Totty. We're wolves, if the Moon Goddess herself says you're good enough for Ash then who are we to question it." He'd managed by some miracle to calm my nerves just like that. 

"Since you apparently know way more here than I do, find something in this apartment for me to wear." I quipped at him half playful and half exhausted with the idea of having to finish the task myself. 

Suddenly, a knock at the door caused me to jump and Cedar to chuckle as he casually strolled to open it like he owned the place. He returned seconds later holding a small shopping back out to me.

"Done." He stated.

"Done?" I stared at him in bewilderment.

"Done." He repeated himself. 

I took the bag to inspect its contents. I pulled out a simple deep emerald green maxi dress and a pair of golden ballet slippers. The bewilderment on my face deepened. 

"You had an outfit for me delivered? But how? Why? How do you even know my size?" I was rambling in disbelief.

"I have my ways Totty, go get dressed before you're late." He instructed, pushing me towards the stairs. 

I ran to my room and slipped into the dress Cedar had just handed me. Maxi dresses usually drowned my tiny frame, but it was as if this dress was made specifically for me. It coinched right at my waist and fell perfectly to the ground without dragging.

"IT HAS POCKETS!" I screamed, bounding out of my room like a kid with a Christmas present. "Thank you so much Cedar, it's perfect, I don't know how you do it." I gushed. 

"Hair, makeup, go. You burned up way too much time hating every article of clothing you own." He acted like he was directing a circus act. 

A short while later I heard Cedar open the door to Ash and I checked my curls and tossed on my lipstick before heading downstairs to greet him myself. He looked dapper as ever, clearly fresh from the office, in an impeccably fitted gray suit. His emerald tie told me that the boys had probably colluded to some degree on my magically appearing outfit for tonight. 

"You are breathtaking," the words bursting from his lips the second he laid eyes on me. I couldn't help the warm redness that crept into my face. As I reached him he immediately scooped me into a sweet kiss, noticeably careful not to dishevel any of my preening. 

"Get a room you two" Cedar feigned disgust to remind us he was still there. "Plus, you're going to be late, let's go." He started shooing us from my apartment and down the steps. 

"Totty, remember that Aunt Elle is going to absolutely love your adorable ass, and Uncle Apollo will just be glad he's got another person to help boss us boys around." Cedar offered one last dose of reassurance before strolling off to his car. 

Ash tucked me into the passenger seat of the Mustang and we headed off to seal my fate. Something about meeting his parents made everything that was to follow seem so much more real.

We had decided on a nice restaurant in town to help me feel like I had more of an even playing field rather than taking me to the pack house to meet them. When we walked into the restaurant I immediately knew which couple was Ash's parents. For starters they looked like they could be his older, equally gorgeous, siblings, not his retired parents. His dad had exactly the same build and body type as him, heavily defined muscles and all. His mom was literally identical to him, just on a more slender and feminine frame, she even had Ash's stormy blue eyes, or I guess he had hers. 

When they saw us approaching Ash's mom looked so excited she might pop and his dad shot me a megawatt smile. They're joy in my existence helped me breathe a sigh of relief. 

"Harlow Day, please say hello to my parents." Ash introduced me as we reached the table. 

"Luna Elle Embers," Ash's mom introduced herself in response, "but you, my love, can just call me mom." She immediately pulled me in for a hug. Her arms felt like home, like I'd known her my entire life, and like I'd been waiting years for this exact hug. It was honestly a little weird how comfortable it was. 

"Alpha Apollo Embers, but dad is acceptable too" Ash's dad smirked and I suddenly knew exactly where Ash got his prevalent smirk and playful side. 

Dinner was soon underway and just like it had always gone with Ash and the guys, conversation with Ash's parents flowed effortlessly. Ash's mom gushed endlessly about how excited she was that Ash had found me, that I had accepted him and everything that comes with him, and that I was eager to learn more. We agreed to have lunch once a week so that she could teach me all the things and help me feel fit for the role of Luna. Ash's dad just made a lot of remarks about how I had already made his son a better man and a lot of jokes about how nice it was to have someone to tell Ash what to do that he'd actually listen to.

Turns out having werewolf future in-laws wasn't so bad. 

"Do you want me to take you home now love?" Ash asked as we climbed into the car after dinner. 

"I think I'd like to stay with you tonight. You work from home on Wednesdays so you won't have to just abandon me in the morning." I didn't really ask him, more told him, and I was interested to see how he responded. 

"Love, people are going to notice the human that's sneaking in and out of the house every other day. We have good noses, we can smell when there's a human around." He replied softly. 

"I'm done sneaking. I know you're trying to protect me from the packs overbearing nature, but if things are going to continue at the rate of seriousness they have been then I don't want to be a dirty little secret anymore." I confessed. 

"Harlow, I never meant to make you feel like a dirty little secret. You're the love of my life and I'll shout it from the rooftops if it'll make you happy. If you want to stay with me tonight you absolutely can, we just may have to explain ourselves around the breakfast table tomorrow." He was being delicate and reassuring, visibly afraid of saying the wrong thing. 

"I can handle it, I'm ready, and I won't be allowing anyone to walk all over our relationship. Things will happen when we decide they will. If the pack will truly respect me in the way everyone has explained to me, then the pack will respect my wishes and my boundaries." I was firm and sure as I spoke.

"How very Luna-esque of you, you're going to be amazing in the role my love." Ash was still soft, but the fear was dissipating as he saw I was sure of my decision to stop hiding from the pack. "You have this gentle firmness about you that I always admired in my mom as a Luna." He added, the dreamy smile on his face almost distracting from the fact he'd just compared me to his mom. 

"You know, human's usually consider it a bad thing to be compared to their significant other's parents, but your mom's pretty badass so I guess I'll let it slide." I quipped back at him with a giggle.

"You humans," Ash stated in sarcastic disgust. 

"You beasts." I jabbed back and we erupted into laughter. 

"Do you need anything from your place before we head home?" Ash questioned as we neared the turn for my apartment. 

"Cedar took a bag I packed earlier home with him, he insisted I send enough stuff to the pack house that he wouldn't have to make anymore 4am runs for clothes." We both laughed and headed for the house.