26. Kezia
Cannon mademe stay in bed all day because Cannon was a controlling worrier, who didn't believe people when they told him they were fine.
The bonus was he stayed in the room with me, not always in bed. I think he had gone down to the study at times when I was asleep. For all my protests that I was fine, I was still very tired.
Having sex with Cannon helped ease the pain in my heart, but he did tire me out. I was blaming him, even though I knew I only had to look inside to know who the real culprit was.
He'd woken me up earlier with a glass of fresh orange juice and a promise that he wouldn't be long, I remember I mumbled something, but his low chuckle that tickled my ear probably meant that my response hadn't been understandable. I remember the kiss to my temple, the squeeze of my hip, and then I slept some more.
I'd gotten up a while later—I wasn't sure how long after he left—and had a shower and was relieved to feel like me again. A careful search and I knew my wolf was asleep and sated for now.
I didn't feel Moonstar. I hadn't for a long time, and I knew at one point I would need to deal with the fact that Moonstarwas not the name of my wolf; she was something else entirely.
I didn't know how to deal with that, so I did what I did best: I ignored it until it wasn't the first thing I was thinking of.
When I looked in the closet, I saw that I had clean clothes. New clothes. Jeans, leggings, shirts and T-shirts, there was even a pack of underwear.
Cannon bought me clothes.
Blowing out a breath, I looked at them as they hung there. The first thing I noticed was that none of the clothes were like Koda wore. Reaching out, my fingers trailed over a simple three-quarter-sleeve, fitted blouse. It was pretty, but it was also me. So me. It had no decoration, nothing fancy, just a simple-cut white blouse that I would pick to wear for something like a date…
Picking a sports bra and plain boy shorts, I got ready for the day in jeans, and a black T-shirt. The jeans were a little loose, but I wouldn't complain. I spotted the white tennis shoes just as I prepared to come out of the closet and saw that they were also new, as I slipped them on.
My hair was half-dry, and after realizing Cannon had moved the hair dryer to the other bathroom, I took the time to dry my hair properly. I didn't mind he'd moved it. He had left his bedroom door open, his room lay as I remembered, and he hadn't moved the hair dryer because he didn't want me in the room, but because he was making it easier for me.
Studying my reflection, I wished for maybe the first time in my life, that I had mascara and some lipstick. My blue eyes had lost their sparkle, my pale skin was whiter than snow, and I lacked any color at all in my cheeks. Even my lips were such a pale pink I took a step back when I suddenly recognized that I looked like a corpse.
This absolutely wouldn't do.
Nikan's tour the other day…week? My brain shut that door firmly. Nikan's tour had failed to show me a clothing store. There hadn't been clothes in the grocery store, but these new clothes had to have come from somewhere, so with a plan in mind, I left the house and went searching.
"Hello, Kezia," Willy greeted me as she approached me. Stepping forward, she hugged me closely. "It's so good to see you on your feet."
"I'm sorry." I remembered I was supposed to be on kitchen rotation. "I'll ask Cannon to put me back onto chores."
Willy laughed. She easily looped her arm through mine, and a gentle tug encouraged me to walk. "I'm pleased to see you recovered from your spell."
"Spell?" Did she know? Had Cannon told his pack I had an unknown spirit inside me?
"It's hard when you are far from your mate," she told me with a gleam in her eye. "The pull can be unbearable."
She meant Landon. They all still thought I was supposed to be with Landon.
"Resisting it only makes it harder," she scolded. "Where are you heading this morning?"
"A clothes store? Do you have one?"
"We do," Willy told me, coming to a stop. "I'm headed in that direction." She pointed across the street. "You want to head in that direction."
I followed her movement and nodded. "Cool, so maybe I'll see you later?" I liked Willy, she was nice to me, and I had a vague recollection of her being there the night my heat came.
"You can count on it, and, Kezia?" She moved closer, her voice a whisper. "Stop stalling with our alpha and seal the deal." The gleam was back in her eye.
"Landon," I blurted. "You mean Landon."
Willy laughed. "Sure, I mean Landon." With a shake of her head, she patted me on the shoulder as she said goodbye and then headed in the opposite direction of where I was heading.
Chewing the inside of my cheek, I watched her leave with narrowed eyes. "Huh."
Turning, I followed the road and only had to ask two more of the pack where the store was. I was claiming it as a success when I pushed open the store door. Only to be filled with dread when I saw Koda. Of course she would be the one to work in the clothing store.
It was too late to duck back out; she and the other female had seen me.
"Hey." I raised my hand in an awkward wave. "How are you?" Walking to one of the clothing racks, I hid behind it like the coward I was. Pack clothing stores were a huge mixture of different kinds of clothing stores that humans had. When I had lived amongst the humans, they had stores called thrift stores, where anything and everything was sold, but the items were mostly used. Or there was one huge store that Maggie had taken me to that sold everything. From food to books, electronics, and clothing.
A pack store was like that. Some things were other packs' cast-offs, and some things were brand new. In the Anterrio Pack, the females used to do shopping sprees as they called it and would go every two months to the city to shop for the pack. It's how Cass always had a new dress for events. They also had several catalogues that they ordered from, with a drop-off point near the base of the mountain. I'd never really cared to go with them, and I think the only reason I was ever asked was because of Cass.
Looking around the store, I realized Blackridge Peak Pack must have worked a similar system.
"The alpha bought you clothes." Koda's voice wasn't as sweet when the alpha wasn't around, I noticed. "What do you want?"
What I wanted was some better, prettier underwear. Cass had always been talking about sexy lingerie, and while I was comfortable in a plain sports bra and boy shorts, I wanted something a little…frillier…for that white blouse.
I couldn't tell Koda that though. The shifter in front of me would probably wear that blouse to clean in. I also didn't want to discuss lingerie with the female who probably wore frilly things as her normal attire.
"Well?"
"Um, I…" Yup, I had nothing. The other female walked closer and smiled at me in greeting. "Hi."
"Hello." She had the softest voice. "It's so nice to meet you finally," she told me, and I saw that she was sincere.
We both ignored Koda's snort.
"I'm Kezia."
"Barbara." She was staring at me, and what had been nice was now kind of becoming intrusive.
"Okay, well, I just wanted to know where here was," I said, looking around, avoiding eye contact with both. Which is when I saw it. The white lacy bra with soft cups, and I wondered how I could get it past them, knowing I couldn't. "See ya."
I said goodbye to the bra more than to the two shifters.
I walked quickly with my hands shoved in my pockets when I heard the footsteps running behind me. Turning, I got ready for the attack and almost fell over when Barbara skidded to a halt, fear on her face.
"I'm not going to hurt you!" I shouted as she backed away. "Sorry, I'm…" I squared my shoulders. "I get nervous," I told her, feeling stupid. "I'm sorry."
Cautiously, she took a step forward. "I know better than to run up behind Andrea's daughter." Barbara dipped her head briefly. "You look so much like your mother, Kezia."
My world was spinning, sound rushed into my ears, and I hadn't appreciated I'd stepped forward and grabbed her arm until I felt the cool touch of her other hand gently fold over mine.
"Oh Luna." I hastily let go. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to grab you, I'm—" Shaking my head, I looked at her. "You knew my mom? Really?"
Barbara's smile was gentle. "She was my best friend growing up."
Holy Luna.
"I need to know everything."
Barbara nodded, watching me as closely as I was watching her. "I have freshly baked scones at home. Would you like one?" At my nod, she seemed to lose some of her shyness. "It's not far," she told me, and I followed her eagerly.
My back pocket buzzed, and I pulled out the phone I forgot Cannon had told me I had to carry everywhere with me. Glancing at it, I saw his text.
Cannon: You're not where I left you pup…
Kezia: Met Barbara, she knew my mom! Going for a scone
When I looked up, I saw we were outside a wooden-clad, single-story house. Barbara looked between the phone and me.
"Overprotective alphas," I told her, jamming the phone back into my jeans. "Is this you?" I pointed at the house.
"If the alpha needs you…"
I waved away her concern. "Most definitely does not. Come on, I'm hungry, a scone sounds wonderful," I told her as I hurried past.
As I waited impatiently at her door, I saw her try to hide her smile. "It seems like you inherited your mother's impulsiveness." She pushed her door open. No one locked their door in this pack.
"What else do you think I inherited?" I asked her eagerly, following her inside. "Did you know my dad?"
Barbara gestured to a stool beside the kitchen counter. "Sit, I'll make some tea, and you can ask me every question you have."
I looked at Barbara in wide-eyed wonder. "Every question?" I took the seat, blindly reaching out for it, and almost fell off because I wasn't paying attention. "You don't know me—I can ask a lot of questions," I warned her.
Her laughter was light, and I watched her get cups after filling a kettle and placing it on the stove. "Another thing you inherited from your mom," she teased.
I sat on my hands while I waited for Barbara to make tea, biting my tongue as question after question went unasked, and when the loud banging on the door made me jump with surprise, I rolled my eyes as I knew exactly what was trying to knock down her door.
Or who.
"Luna, don't let me stab him," I muttered after Barbara rushed to the door and returned with one very pissed off alpha. "Hi." I waved at him. The look he gave me made me grin. "What brings you here?"
The look got darker.
"Alpha Cannon, we were just having some tea. Can I pour you a cup?" Barbara was shaking and looked ready to collapse. Recalling the way she reacted when I spun on her earlier, I reached out and pulled Cannon to my side, and then I stepped in front of him and approached Barbara.
"Hey, are you okay? Cannon won't hurt you."
"Hurt her?" Cannon sounded confused but also loud.
"Shut up," I hissed over my shoulder. I was surprised when he gently moved me out of the way. In fascination, I watched as the alpha bent his knees slightly to meet Barbara's eyes.
I heard the thrum, looking around for the source of the noise, and then realized he had mindlinked with her. Cocking my head, I listened to the gentle pulse around me. I'd never spent much time around alphas, and now that I knew Bale was not an alpha, it made sense that he wouldn't want his pack to see it either.
Cannon stepped back, turning to me. Barbara was staring at him in wide-eyed wonder, and I had the ugly thought that he didn't need any more females hero-worshipping him. His ego was already big. By the smirk on his face, he knew exactly what I was thinking.
"Barbara is new to the pack," Cannon explained to me. "She hasn't been here long."
The shifter moved out of the shadow of her alpha. "My husband died," she told me quickly. "The pack we were in, well, they'd never felt like home. I chose to move on."
"The Anterrio Pack was your original pack?" I guessed, and Barbara nodded. "Where you knew my mom?"
"Yes." Her eyes were full of uncertainty. "Alpha Cannon says you are from there?"
I could see why she would be confused. My mom left the Anterrio Pack to live the life of a nomad with my dad. Barbara probably didn't know Kris and I had gone back there.
"Bale took us in when we were young," I told her, retaking my seat on the stool.
"Us?"
"My brother, Kris."
Barbara's hands flew to her mouth, and tears filled her eyes. "He survived?"
Cannon's look sharpened. "Why would he not?"
Barbara hurriedly wiped her eyes and looked around her kitchen. "I think we need to move to the couches." Her voice was shaky. "We have a lot to tell each other, I think."
"You can go," I told Cannon reluctantly as the other shifter started piling things on a tray, even though the couch and coffee table were within walking distance. "I know you have stuff to do."
Cannon shook his head at me, exasperation clear on his face. "Stuff?" he grumbled. "The only thing I need to do right now is be here."
Reaching out, I caught his fingers, my own curling through his. "Thank you," I whispered. "I really would have been pissed if you left."
The alpha gave me a very un-alpha-like roll of his eyes before he turned and offered to carry the tray.
When we were all settled on the couch, I looked at Barbara expectantly.
"Well? Start talking."