The Alpha's Runaway Queen

Chapter 2 - Sharing moments

Reagan POV

The weekend had rolled around, and instead of spending it lazily, I found myself at the daycare center. There was some event happening, and Jasmine–or just Jas for short–had been roped in by Aunt Audrey, her mom, to help out. She had tried to tell me she couldn’t hang out with me, but I wasn’t having any of that. I volunteered to help the moment I found out she’d be busy.

“Reagan, you really don’t have to,” Jasmine protested as we walked into the daycare center together.

“And miss seeing you handle a bunch of kids? No way,” I teased, bumping her shoulder with my arm. “Besides, I’m curious about this event.”

As it turned out, the event was a talent show for the kids, and the parents were invited. Jasmine and I were tasked with decorating the stage in the auditorium. I found myself stringing up colorful banners and setting up chairs, all while sneaking glances at Jasmine as she meticulously arranged everything.

“You’re really good at this, you know,” I said, stepping back to admire our work.

“Thanks,” she replied, smiling. “I just want everything to be perfect for the kids and their parents.”

When people started arriving, we switched gears, guiding them to their seats. It was a chaotic, adorable mess, and I found myself genuinely enjoying it. Watching the kids perform was a delight, and I couldn’t help but notice how much Jas was enjoying it too. She had this natural affinity with children that was heartwarming to see.

“Look at you, all smiles,” I whispered to her as we stood at the back of the auditorium, watching a group of toddlers attempt a dance routine. “Earlier, you were grumpy.”

“They’re just so cute,” she whispered back, her eyes shining.

“You’d be great at running this place someday,” I said, half-joking, half-serious.

She rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it. The thought of Jasmine leading the daycare center seemed fitting, even if she had hinted before that she didn’t want the responsibilities.

The talent show ended with thunderous applause and cheering from the parents. As the crowd began to disperse, we stayed behind to help serve food at the potluck that followed. It was a long day, but seeing Jasmine in her element made it worth it.

By the time we were done cleaning up, it was two in the afternoon, and we were both sweating like pigs.

“You did great today, Jas,” I said as we walked out of the daycare center.

“Thanks, Reagan. You weren’t too bad yourself,” she replied with a tired smile. “Thanks for helping. You didn’t have to but you did, young alpha.”

“Stop with the teasing, Jas-mine,” I said, pretending to tickle her. She ran a few feet away from me, laughing. Jas-mine was something that I called her sometimes. It was like saying ‘Jas is mine.’ No malice, of course. “Want to hang out after freshening up?” I asked, hopeful. I had a busy week, and I just wanted to relax. Perhaps a movie or a night of video games would help relieve the stress.

Jas shook her head. “I’d love to, but I have chores to do at home. There’s a fundraising event we have to attend tomorrow, so I need to get everything done today.”

I frowned. “Why don’t you, guys, get help from the palace staff? You’re allowed to, you know.”

Jasmine shrugged. “Mom doesn’t like asking for help. She was an omega before becoming a beta, and she feels it’s not right for an omega to work for another omega. And Grandma is also an omega. So there.”

I admired Aunt Audrey’s humility but found it a bit odd. She was already a beta and had every right to the privilege. Still, I respected her choice.

“Okay then,” I said. “I’ll help you with the chores.”

Jasmine looked at me skeptically. “Are you sure? It’s not exactly glamorous work.”

“How hard can it be?” I replied confidently. “Let’s get to it.”

We arrived at her house and started with the laundry. I was immediately out of my depth. I grabbed a pile of clothes and dumped them all into the washing machine. I thought it was that easy.

“Reagan, no!” Jasmine cried, rushing over. “You can’t mix the whites with the colored ones!”

“Why not?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“Because the colors can bleed and ruin the whites,” she explained patiently, separating the clothes and starting the machine again.

“Oops,” I said sheepishly. “My bad.”

Jasmine laughed, shaking her head. “You’re hopeless.”

We continued working through the chores, and I tried to be more careful. As we folded clothes, I stumbled upon a pair of her underwear—a yellow pair with Winnie the Pooh and another pink with rainbow and clouds.

“Jas,” I said, holding them up with a smirk. “What are you? Six years old?”

Her face turned bright red, and she snatched the panties from my hands, glaring at me. “Give me those! And shut up, Reagan!”

I laughed, holding up my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry.”

Despite the minor mishaps and teasing, we got through the chores together. By the end of it, we were both exhausted but in good spirits.

“Thanks for helping, Reagan,” Jasmine said as we finally sat down to rest.

“Anytime, Jas-mine,” I replied, grinning. “It was actually kind of fun.”

“Yeah, it was,” she admitted, smiling back. “Just promise me you’ll never do laundry again.”

“Deal,” I said, laughing. “But let me buy you new panties?”

“What’s wrong with mine? And excuse me. The ones you saw were new. I bought them a month ago. You must have forgotten how I loved Winnie the Pooh. And the pink one was just too adorable, so I picked that one, too.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just let me buy you newer ones,” I said as I sat down on the sofa in the living room. “Hey! Why don’t we go shopping now? We still have a few hours.” Jasmine didn’t answer. She probably thought I was not serious. “Come on, Jas, it’ll be fun,” I coaxed.

“Shopping? Really, Reagan? I’d rather stay at home than go lingerie shopping with you,” she replied, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ll buy you any books you want,” I bribed. Her eyes lit up for a moment, but she quickly masked her excitement.

“Fine, and dinner too,” she countered, crossing her arms.

“Deal,” I said with a grin. “I’ll even throw in dessert.”

After informing our parents where we were going, we called Luis, but he was busy with his mate. Probably busy making puppies. Luis had only recently met his mate, making it hard for us to get him to see him around. So it was just the two of us, setting off for the next town. As we walked down the main street, I noticed the lingerie shop and an idea struck me.

“Let’s go in there,” I suggested, nodding towards the shop.

Jasmine’s cheeks turned pink. “No way. I’ll just buy online and you can pay.”

“Too late. We’re already here,” I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her inside. “If you don’t choose, I will.”

We walked over to the section with lacy sets, I reached for a particularly daring one as a joke, but then Jasmine hissed, swatting my hand away. “I’ll choose. Just give me a minute.”

She quickly picked out a few sets, moving so fast that I didn’t have a chance to see what she chose until we were at the counter. As the cashier rang up the items, my mind started conjuring images of Jasmine in the lingerie. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath, trying to focus.

After paying, we stepped out of the shop, the air feeling cooler and less suffocating. We walked in silence for a while until we reached a bookstore. Jasmine tugged the hem of my shirt, reminding me of my promise.

“Let’s get your books,” I said, smiling. She immediately brightened up and led the way inside.

She browsed for a bit and eventually picked out three books, each featuring half-naked men on the covers. I couldn’t resist teasing her. “Really, Jas? Reading porn now?”

She glared at me, her cheeks flushing. “Mind your own business, Reagan. They’re fantasy-romance novels.”

“Sure they are,” I said with a smirk. “What could be more fantasy than our lives?”

She rolled her eyes and walked towards the cashier. After I paid, we continued our shopping spree. I couldn’t stop myself from teasing her more about the books.

“Seriously, Jas, half-naked men? What’s next, a subscription to Playwolf?” I joked.

She was getting visibly mad, so I tugged her close to me for a quick, friendly hug. “Just kidding, Jas. You know I don’t mean it.”

At that moment, a few pack members walked by and saw us. Their eyes widened in surprise as they saw me kissing Jasmine on the forehead with her in my arms.

“Hey, Reagan. Jasmin,” one of them greeted us, a knowing grin on his face.

“Hey, guys,” I replied nonchalantly. “Just doing some shopping.”

“Looks like more than just shopping,” another one said, winking. Jasmine pulled away, her face redder.

“See you around,” I said, steering Jasmine away from them.

We walked in silence for a bit until we reached a sneaker store. “Let’s get some new kicks,” I suggested, trying to change the subject.

Jasmine nodded, still a bit flustered. We each picked out a pair of sneakers, and I ended up buying matching ones for both of us.

“These are pretty cool,” she admitted, admiring her new shoes.

“Yeah, we can be twins now,” I joked, nudging her playfully. She smiled, finally relaxing a bit.

We ended the night at a cozy diner, where I made good on my promise to buy her dinner and dessert. We sat in a booth, our bags piled next to us, and shared a large plate of nachos before moving on to burgers and fries.

“This was a good idea, Reagan,” Jasmine said between bites. “Thanks for convincing me to come.”

“Anytime, Jas,” I replied, smiling. “We should do this more often before you go back to the academy. I won’t be seeing you for months!”

“Yes, we should,” she answered thoughtfully.

As we walked back to my car, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of contentment. Despite the awkward moments and teasing, it had been a great day. Spending time with Jasmine was always a pleasure, no matter what we were doing. Little did I know, these simple days would soon become more complicated as we stepped closer to our destined roles in the pack. For now, I was just happy to be with her, sharing these moments.