Not My Alpha

Chapter 19 ‘Shopping’

Keira’s POV

Over the next few days, Talia and I get into a good routine at work. My body’s still not used to getting up so early, but I’m still going. Hopefully I’ll get more used to it soon. Getting to know everyone in the village has been easy. I’ve even come to know some of the warriors that come into the coffee shop everyday. Tomorrow is Sunday and the shop is closed. Talia wants to take me shopping, since I still don’t have very many clothes.

The next morning, I didn’t have my alarm set, but I still woke up early, that’s a good sign I suppose. I get up and make some coffee. I have a lite breakfast before I shower and get ready. After my shower, I do my hair. I’ve been experimenting with some new styles on my hair since I’ve been here, mostly simple ones, but today I’m going to attempt a french braid. I’ve never done it one myself before, but I’ve done it on other people. I try for a good 10 minutes before giving up and just doing a regular braid. My arms are so tired. I’ll try again some other time. When I’m ready I head out to meet up with Talia at the bookstore down the street. I walk in and the bell on the door signals my arrival. I see Talia at the counter talking to a guy, I believe his name is Jake, she waves at me. I smile and walk over. Jake is tall but looks to be younger than me. He has light brown hair and brown eyes, and a small scar above his left eye that cuts into his eyebrow.

“Jake, have you met Lily yet?” Talia asks.

“Yeah, we met at the cookout.” Jake says.

“Yeah.” I agree, I don’t remember him, but I met a lot of people that day so it’s completely possible.

“Are you ready for shopping?” Talia asks me.

“Yes.” I say excitedly.

“Good luck. Talia is the worst to shop with.” Jake says nudging her shoulder. Talia gives Jake a glare. I laugh.

“How so?” I ask him.

“She can never make up her mind, she wants to go to every store, and she ends up buying things she doesn’t need. I honestly don’t know how she has any clothes.” Jake pokes Talia’s shoulder. Talia swats at him. I laugh some more. I take Talia’s hand and pull her towards the door.

“I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Jake waves after us. We leave the bookstore.

“So where to first?” I ask.

“What do you think about Jake?” Talia asks.

“He’s tall, seems nice. Why?” I ask. Talia looks shyly towards the ground.

“No reason. I just want you two to get to know each other.” She says. So she’s either trying to set us up, or she has a crush on him.

“Do you like him?” I tease and tap her with my shoulder.

“What? No, he’s just a friend.” She insists, but she blushes just a little bit.

“Sure, a tall, good looking friend.”

“So you think he’s good looking?” She asks. I bust out laughing. She’s so bad at hiding her feelings.

“Come on, enough about boys, let’s shop.” Talia grabs my arm and leads me into a boutique. It has some really cute pieces. Talia picks out a few items for me, while I pick out a few for her. We get in the dressing rooms and try on the clothes we picked out for each other. Talia picked out a few good options, and a few weird ones. She picked a patchy set of overalls for me, seriously ugly. She laughed so loud when I walked out wearing them. I ended up buying a few things from the store and we make our way to the next one. After that we stopped for lunch at a cafe. I order a club sandwich and a chocolate milkshake. I used to have to be on a diet all the time back in my old life. It feels good to order a milkshake and enjoy it without worrying about the lecture I’m going to receive afterward.

“How many more stores are you going to drag me to?” I ask finishing the last sip of my drink.

“There’s just a few more down the other Main Street. I thought we could check them out and then finish the day by going to The Grill for dinner. If you’re up for it.” Talia says.

“Sure, I haven’t been yet.” I say.

“Everyone goes there. Even the Beta and Alpha sometimes.” She says. I hope they don’t go tonight.

“Sounds good.” After lunch we head out to the other Main Street and check out the other shops. They have a few dresses that look really nice on me, and Talia and the owner convince me to buy them. They aren’t much for working in, but I won’t be working every minute of every day. After one more store, I’m finally finished shopping. I never realized how exhausting it is to shop. I go back to my apartment to drop off all the bags and Talia insisted I change before meeting up for dinner. I empty out my bags and decide to put on a dark green dress. It’s pretty basic, but the color looks good with my dark hair. I take my braid out and brush through my hair. The braid created some nice waves. I pin the front of my hair back and add some hair spray to keep everything in place. Then I grab some sandals, they’re not very dressy, but I think they still go nicely with my outfit. Before leaving I check myself out in mirror one final time.

“I look quite pretty.” I say to myself as I mess with my hair. Not bad at all. It feels nice to get some confidence back after Dawson beat it out of me so many times before. I grab my purse and head downstairs and out the door. The sun is setting and the reds and oranges of the sunset streak across the sky. I walk down the street towards The Grill. I see Talia, Jake, and Dave all waiting outside. Talia waves at me when she sees me. She comes up to me.

“Sorry about the guys, is it alright?” She asks, away from their ear shot.

“Yeah it’s fine.” She smiles and takes my hand then drags me towards them.

“Alright, let’s get some food.” Talia says as she pulls me through the doors. A woman greets us and takes us to a corner table. Talia sits next to Jake and Dave sits next to me. We order a round of drinks and our food.

“So how was the shopping? You seem to still be alive.” Jake teases me.

“It was definitely more than I anticipated. But it was successful.” I say.

“See I told you. Did you even buy anything Talia?” Jake asks.

“Yes in fact I did.” Talia says, although it was only a pair of sandals and a hair pin. So really not much at all, but I’m not going to correct her. I chuckle to myself.

“Yeah yeah yeah, I’m sure you bought a whole house full just to prove me wrong.” Jake teases her some more. Dave leans in to me.

“I wish they would just date already.” He whispers to me. I laugh again.

MEANWHILE AT PALE MOON PACK

Dawson’s POV

I walk out to the clearing for my scheduled meeting with the Shadow Pack. I have brought a small amount of warriors for security. The moon is high and casts its light all around us. I see a few figures in the shadows as we approach. One man walks to the middle to greet me. He has long black hair, and his eyes are jet black. He looks like a wild animal. There is a scar on his cheek, making him look even more abnormal.

“Alpha Dawson?” The man’s deep voice echos through my body.

“Yes, and you are?” I ask trying not to look intimidated.

“I’m Alpha Blane of the Shadow Pack.” His words are cold and hollow.

“Thank you for coming. I have a need of a man with your skill.” I say.

“Your mate, your Luna.” He says.

“Yes, I want her back. Alive.” I tell him.

“Alive? Sure. We can make that happen. But what about the people helping her?” He asks.

“I couldn’t care less what happens to them. I just want my Keira back.” The man smiles.

“Then we’ll bring her back to you. We accept the job.” The man says loudly. There’s a low growl surrounding us.