Chapter 8 - Finding a new me.
2312 Words
They were all packed and ready to get back home, and Luc couldn’t wait to find out from Sarah if she was going to stay, when Ant piped up from the back of the Jeep.
“Sorry, dude, I have some bad news for you.” Ant frowned.
“Please don’t tell me she has already left!” Luc’s heart started beating really fast.
“The girls aren’t done shopping yet. Meg took them on a second trip today. Apparently, they need more stuff.” Ant shrugged.
“I got into trouble for buying the wrong type of couch, but they went shopping for two days straight!” Matt looked at him, rolling his eyes. The boys had all been chatting among themselves since the night before, and all Luc wanted to do was get back home to find out if she was okay. If whatever happened to him happened to her as well. He needed to make sure that she was okay!
“Is Sarah, okay? I mean, after what happened last night?” Luc frowned.
“Let me call Meg and check-in.” Ant nodded. The concern on his face suddenly made Luc feel even more anxious, and he hit a boulder in the road, having to react quickly to correct their course before the Jeep ended up on its roof.
“Hey! Careful! Precious cargo here!!” Matt complained.
“I’m sorry.” Luc mumbled, listening to Ant talking to Meg on the phone. There was no mention of anything strange that happened or even that anything went wrong. Just that they couldn’t get everything done yesterday and were going out that day to buy the things for her apartment. He hung up the phone and sat looking ahead of him.
“So?!!” Luc asked anxiously. “What?” Luc sighed… Ant was really going to make this hard for him. “Dammit, Ant! Don’t do this to me, please. I don’t think my heart will be able to take it anymore.”
“You heard the part about buying furniture, didn’t you?” Ant started to smile.
“Yes… And?” Luc took his hands off the wheel, lifting them in the air in frustration.
“HANDS ON THE WHEEL!!” Matt shouted.
“Sorry!” Luc mumbled.
“Just tell him already!! Before we all end up in a ditch or worse!” Matt shouted.
“She accepted the job we offered her. She is staying. At least for now.” Ant started laughing. Luc forgot everything else and let out a whoop, letting go of the steering wheel again. Matt didn’t even say anything this time, and, luckily, they pulled into the parking area at Luc's Place. He asked Ant to tell him everything, but Ant only had bits and pieces that Meg told him, and she couldn’t tell him much because Sarah was in the car with her.
“Boys… Take notes. This is what love will do to a guy.” Matt leaned against the Jeep and laughed as Luc was busy unloading their stuff without even thinking of asking his boys to help. Rudi was so excited that he almost offloaded Ant and Matt’s stuff as well.
“Beer anyone?” Luc grinned. The boys tried their luck and nearly got an a$$ kicking for their trouble, but after everything, they decided to spend the day fishing by the river, seeing that the girls were going to be gone all day. They couldn’t wait to see her, but they could breathe again, knowing that she was staying.
MEG WAS LAUGHING when she hung up the call.
“Sorry girls. Luc was probably driving Ant mad with wanting to know if you, dear Sarah, decided to stay.” Meg laughed. Sarah couldn’t help the blood-red blush crawling across her cheeks, after what Moon told her last night.
“Yes, about that. I have questions!” They spent the day shopping for her new furniture and the things she would need for the flat, and answered her questions about the supernatural world. It was the perfect opportunity for her to find out things she wanted answers about that she wouldn’t have been able to ask under normal circumstances.
Now that she knew she was one of them… Or at least a supernatural creature, it was as if an entire new world had opened up to her, and her mind was overflowing with all these ideas and, most of all, the need for knowledge. By the time they got back home, most of the furniture had already been moved in, and suddenly her little flat had been transformed into a colourful home.
Not that she knew what a home was, but if she knew, she would guess this was it. She loved the fluffy pillows Fiona chose for the couch and all the bright colours of the furniture. Fiona really had a good eye when it came to decorating. All that was left was to hang her new curtains, make the bed with her new colourful bedding, and pack the cutlery and plates and things in the kitchen cupboards.
“Girls… I actually own candlesticks!!!” Holding them in her hands, she giggled, and they burst out laughing at her.
“I would put them in the center of the table because I can promise you that as soon as we leave, Luc is going to be in front of your door, and maybe a nice dinner would be a good start?” Fiona suggested and Sarah’s eyes grew as big as the new saucers she just packed away.
“There is one problem with that thought.” Sarah frowned.
“You can’t cook?” Fiona lifted one eyebrow.
“Nope, I burn toast, I’m such a bad cook!” Sarah could feel the panic rise and her skin turned into ice at the idea of having to feed a beast.
“Relax… Fiona! Wine… Stat!” Meg waved her hand as if it was nothing. Fiona brought them glasses and the wine they bought. Going grocery shopping was the weirdest experience of Sarah’s entire life. She knew what she ate when it was put together in a meal. She didn’t when it was all in separate ingredients. Now she had to figure out that she also didn’t know how to put those ingredients together.
“The best way to learn honey is to cook together. It’s a way to find out what the other person likes. Accept in my house.” Fiona said, pointing with a spatula.
“And mine!” Meg pointed out.
“Yes… See, when the pack was still small, Ant and I went on a cooking course, so we could feed them healthy, proper meals. Now Matt and Meg are spoiled and don’t cook.” She threw Meg a look that made Sarah have to bite her tongue. Fiona used to be Meg’s Beta if Sarah understood their history correctly. That meant that Meg was her superior, and she had shown some respect, but Sarah found their open honesty refreshing. The way they could speak to each other honestly, without the bounds of their rank interfering.
“That doesn’t solve my current predicament. You can’t come to my flat every night to cook dinner.” Sarah was joking but deep down kind of hoped.
“That’s why Fiona is going to cook dinner for you tonight, while we drink wine and make Luc wait. The rest we will figure out as we go.” Meg grinned with an evil glint in her eye.
“Yup, then we will have a proper girl chat while we help you get all dolled up. We haven’t done this in ages!!! We will live vicariously through you.” Fiona almost looked like she was about to drool, and Sarah couldn’t laugh anymore, her stomach hurt so much.
“I can’t thank you both enough for what you are doing for me. You know that I’ve never had this, and I’m sh!t scared of what’s to come! But having you two around makes it easier and a lot of fun. Thank you. I can’t believe that I actually have girlfriends!” She squealed like one of those girls she hated on TV and finally understood why they do that… WTF, they had turned her into a GIRL!!!
Fiona did a quick run-through of what Sarah liked to eat, taking into account what she remembered about Luc and what Meg reminded her about, and started cooking. The open-plan kitchen made it easy for them to talk while she moved around the kitchen like a pro.
They talked about how Meg and Ant got together and how stubborn Meg was, which Fiona, of course, had to tease Meg about. She told Sarah about Christiaan’s father and the accident. Then the war and how many friends they lost. Everyone, including Luc’s wife, Star. Then Meg told her about Luc’s boys, and Sarah’s heart started racing. If they did get together, she would end up being the mother of three teenage boys.
“Girls, I don’t know if I would be able to handle that.” Sarah looked worried.
“Oh, no, that is the easy part. They wake up at noon, grunt, grab food, disappear into somewhere dark again, and you don’t see them until dinner time. Just don’t ever ask a teenager to do something! Ever! They can be brutal.” It looked as if Sarah’s eyes were going to pop out of their sockets, as Meg explained.
“Don’t listen to her, she spoils her son. Erik has chores to do, and if he doesn’t do them, he doesn’t get his time to do the fun stuff.” Fiona shrugged.
“Oh, that’s why Christiaan sometimes complains about Erik not being able to come over. I was wondering about that.” Meg sat pondering it with her finger tapping on her chin.
“Teenagers need boundaries. Without them, they run wild. But Sarah, this is not something you should worry about yet. Just enjoy getting to know Luc. He won’t let his boys lose to run over you. He is a great dad.” Fiona explained, but Sarah still looked concerned.
“Sweetie, stop worrying about everything. Live in the now and enjoy dinner, then take it from there.” Meg patted her on the arm. Shoot! Dinner! Moon said that they would be training at night… She wondered how she was going to get rid of Luc when Moon wanted to train…
Dinner smelled divine! Sarah took the time to take a long bubble bath and pampered herself with the new skincare products Meg got her. Putting on a little bit of makeup and lip-gloss. They decided on a more casual jump-suit for tonight, so she would feel more comfortable, rather than something fancy that would make her fret about her clothes all night. Her hair up in a ponytail that made her feel comfortable.
“You have to feel like you, or all this is going to be for nothing. It will just be an improved you.” Fiona’s words rang in her ears. It was so funny when she told Sarah about her experience after Meg took her shopping and how she surprised Matt. How much fun she had dressing up and what a disaster it turned into, because she felt so out of place and not like herself until she found her groove. Sarah was about to check on the food, walking barefoot in the flat, which was something she never did, when the front door opened.
“SARAH?” LUC FROWNED.
“Kitchen.” She shouted, realizing the man didn’t even knock, and it didn’t even bug her. She giggled when he took up the space of the entire door, leaning against the door frame.
“Now, this, a guy can get used to.” He grinned.
“Well, don’t. Dinner is brought to you by the cooking skills of Fiona. I can’t cook to save my life.” Sarah tried not to giggle as he lifted one eyebrow and walked into the kitchen.
“So, are you telling me you are staying?” He stepped in behind her, sliding his arms around her waist from behind her. His hot breath was blowing down her neck. He was slightly taller than she was, but not by that much. If she wore her heels, they would be the same length.
“I accepted the job, didn’t I? But you know that because of the pack link, so stop playing innocent and help me take dinner to the table.” She tried her best not to burst into goosebumps, but her traitorous body betrayed her. He let go of her, and they walked to the table, each carrying a dish. At dinner, he told her about their outing, and she asked him about the situation with the boys. Concerned that they would let them fight so brutally for a position none of them would be taking for many years to come.
“Being the Alpha for the future can change at any moment. Anything can happen at any time, and then they have to step up, no matter their age. That’s what happened to Meg, only her uncle was too strong then, and her pack was too weak to support her claim.” Luc explained.
“It’s so old-worldish.” She laughed. “I’m sorry for laughing, but the way the pack lives in the current world compared to the ancient traditions that you still practice. It’s a lot to take in.” She smiled, realizing he was studying her carefully.
“Do you think you would be able to live in a society like this?” Luc looked worried.
“I did say I would give it a try, didn’t I?”
- Writer
