Their Powerful Hybrid Mate

Chapter 10

***SPOILER ALERT***

If you plan on reading my previous series which will fully explain Lorraine's family dynamic, skip the first paragraph of this chapter! If not, or you don't mind some mild spoilers, read away! :)

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Lorraine

One of the perks of being a princess, even if I was a 'runaway', was the fact that I still had a credit card paid for by mom and dad...or in this case, my brothers, since now they are the current kings of the eastern territory, which is where I went off to for my fresh start. There were six of us growing up. Levi and Xander, who were twins, they used to run the northern and eastern territories but have since decided to rule together in the eastern territory. Stella was next. She took over as queen in the northern territories. Hunter was fourth born. He used to be beta to my brother Xander, but due to unfortunate circumstances, he is now missing. Then there was Abby, may she rest in peace, and finally me. Sixth in line, but I never felt closer to the crown than I do now.

I shook off the thought. I never wanted to be queen or rule. But I would be lying if I said I didn't like the virtually unlimited budget that came with the power. Especially today. After my meeting with Alpha Rodger, I looked through the college packet Dean Reynolds had given me. Inside was a list of necessary school supplies. Certain classes were made mandatory by the alpha and thus required me to buy certain books and materials even before I knew what I was going to do there.

My grandma went with me to pick out all the lame books the following week, today, telling me to put them on the 'family card' or what I liked to call my 'princess card'. Although I was being offered a full ride to college, I had spent enough time with my parents growing up to know that all the money essentially led to them. Meaning, if Alpha Rodger had a scholarship program, it more than likely had to have gone through the royal family for some sort of approval or funding. So even if I used Alpha Rodgers scholarship, it still went through my family in some way, so from my perspective, it was just easier to buy it myself on the family card and let the extra funds go to someone else in need.

But books are not the only expensive things being bought today. No, that was just this morning's expenses. After getting my new school supplies, Sarah and I went out and got lunch, and she has been dragging me from boutique to boutique looking for the perfect prom dresses ever since.

"What about this one?" Sarah asked, giving me a twirl in a bright orange trumpet dress that clashed with her skin tone.

"I like the shape of it." I mused, sifting through another rack. "Compliments your figure."

She looked in the massive mirror on the back wall, striking a few poses and nodded to herself before dragging her attention back to me.

"Lets focus on you for a while, you have only tried on a handful of dresses all day!" Sarah protested, adjusting the dress as she came to my side.

I didn't bother to tell her that growing up this was a big part of my life. Knowing how to dress. That I knew what colors looked best with my skin tone, that I knew what styles complimented my figure best, and that from the moment we walked into this boutique, I knew what I was going to wear to prom. I was just waiting until Sarah found her dress, so we could celebrate together. She has tried on dozens of dresses and none of them screamed 'her'. That is until I came across the dress in front of me, jammed in the middle of a rack in the back of the boutique.

"Here, try this one on. I saw one at the front I wanted to try on." I said, shoving the dress into her arms.

It was the perfect shade of pink for her skin, similar in shape to the orange dress she had just tried on, and was loaded with all sorts of gorgeous beading. She would look like a princess in her own right.

Her eyes lit up immediately, and I knew I was right. With a smug smile on my face, I grabbed the black glittering dress that was displayed in the front of the store. The one that would hug all my subtle curves, and show off a little leg. It was dripping with both elegance and s*x appeal. I only wish I had my sliver hair and eyes on display to truly make it shine. But I'll still look amazing.

On my way back to the dressing room, I caught a few men on the other side of the store, awkwardly looking at the suites and ties. Poor things didn't stand a chance. I laughed to myself and went back to Sarah, who was speechless for once.

"How is it going in there?" I asked, picking the stall next to hers and stripping down to my undergarments.

"This dress...it's perfect." She said, sad sounding.

"What's the problem then?" I frowned, sliding the spaghetti straps of my dress over my shoulders. When I didn't get an answer, I quickly finished dressing and awkwardly climbed under the stall, scaring Sarah half to death. "Oh my goddess! You look amazing!" I beamed, adjusting my dress back into place.

"It's perfect." Sarah said, wiping away a stray tear. "But it's too expensive."

"It can't be that bad-"

Oh, it was that bad. So was mine, all things considered. In fact, this store probably really was no place for two teenagers on a budget. Perhaps why none of the sales people came to help us. I felt guilty at my own ignorance. Sarah was the oldest of four, having three younger brothers, all of whom took up some sort of sport. Her mom stayed at home to care for the pups, and her dad was a warrior, the sole income earner for the family.

"It's fine. I'll find something else." She said, finally looking at me. "Lorraine-" Her jaw dropped.

I smirked like a Cheshire cat and she laughed. These days I never put much effort into my wardrobe, hence her outright surprise, but prom was a special occasion, prom with my only friend before I leave for college, an even a more special reason.

The college I would be attending, although it was within the pack borders, was well over two hours away. Far away enough where dorming just made sense. And since I was expected to attend the summer athletic program...I was limited on time with my friend.

Here come the princess perks...

"Sarah, you look so stunning in this, I can't see you going to prom without it. I've been saving up for months now, plus a little extra from dad. I have the money, please let me." I begged.

Her eyes went wide, and I knew she was about to argue with me, so I quickly ripped off the tag.

"Oopse." I shrugged. "I have to get it now." I half smiled. Sarah broke down crying and wrapped her arms around me.

"I'm gonna miss you so much! Not because of this," she said, pointing to the dress. "But this," She said, pointing between us.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded, hugging her tighter. She didn't know everything about me, but I felt like if I ever did tell her the truth, she would still want to be friends. And that made me start crying right alongside her.

Twenty minutes later, dressed and with puffy eyes, we were cashing out at the register.

"Should we grab dinner?" I asked, taking my bag off the counter. "Then go look for shoes next?"

"Shoot. I can't. I have to get home. My mom just texted me, she thinks Alex broke his arm, she needs me to watch the other two feral beasts."

I tried not to snort at her annoyed eye roll and instead gave her a parting hug as we walked towards the exit. I was doing a mental check of my own things; keys, wallet, phone, when I couldn't find my phone.

"I forgot my phone, tell your mom I said hi, and good luck with the feral beasts." I said by a way of goodbye and headed back towards the dressing rooms. I found it right away, on the bench in plain sight, of course-thank goddess, no one took it-and was about to leave when I heard some familiar bickering and my curiosity got the better of me.

"You look like a Marionette doll," Zack snorted.

"Better than the joker costume you just suggested," Owen snipped.

"Guys come on, let's just pick something." Noah sighed.

"What do you think of this one, Alphas?" The sales woman nervously asked.

Their silence was deafening. And since Noah helped me pass my mile run, and seemed to be extending an olive branch, I decided to do the same.

I turned the corner towards the males' dressing room. Right before the stalls was a section set up with multiple mirrors for proper viewing, same as the female side of the store.

"Noah, Owen, Zack, what a surprise." I said, crossing my arms in front of me.

"Lorraine!" Noah smiled warmly.

Zack lit up excitedly, and Owen seemed to stare straight into my soul, as if he knew all the secrets I was hiding. The three together were a bit unnerving.

"Give us a minute." Zack said politely to the sales woman, who disappointedly set down her most recent pick and scurried off to lick her wounds, no doubt.

"What are you doing here?" Noah asked, taking a few steps towards me in his mis-matched suit.

I hooked my black garment bag around one finger and held it out. "Prom." I shrugged. "You?"

"Same." Zack chuckled. "Our father very sternly suggested we be there to meet with our future generation."

"That's putting it mildly." Owen said dryly, his eyes finally tearing away from me.

Noah shot him a look but then continued. "We outgrew everything else and needed something new."

"Yep, we have too many muscles now, such a shame." Zack said, flexing his arms with a wink. Such a flirt.

I shook my head, looking over the mess they had made in the store. They were each wearing something different, though I noticed duplicates of their suites off to the side. As if the sales people assumed they would pick something similar, if not the very same suit, in the end.

"Do you guys...do you need any help?" I hesitantly asked.

"That's an understatement." Zack chuckled, running his hands through his hair.

"We would love any help you are willing to offer." Noah said, a relieved look on his face.

Owen only nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, who is first?" I asked, setting my garment bag down to where the guys put their discarded personal items.

"Me!" Zack interjected, scooting in front of Noah, much to his annoyance.

I giggled and shook my head, giving Zack a slow once over, taking in the tone of his skin, his light blue eyes, his curly light brown, almost blond hair, and even his very aura. I'd describe him as easy-going, fun even. He seemed to preen even more. He even gave me a slow turn in answer and then struck a pose, making Noah snort and Owen roll his eyes.

"I think I have an idea. Come with me." I said, flicking my head towards the sea of clothing options.

I gave him three options, all similar in style. He chose the first one I had grabbed, which was my top pick for him, a maroon colored suit that was just as vibrant and fun as him. I helped him pick out matching accessories before sending him off to the dressing room and grabbing Noah next.

He was just as easy to dress as his brother, and I did the same for him that I did for Zack, giving him three options to choose from. He, like his clone, chose the first option. This time it was a navy blue suit, it felt welcoming just like him, and brought out his deep blue eyes. He went to try on his suit when I went to grab Owen.

He was quiet as I helped him, and for him there was really only one suit that seemed to fit the bill. A suit that reminded me of something a good guy gone rogue would have worn, mixed with 007. It fit his personality, which was mysterious in a way. And since it was all black, it really brought attention to his green eyes.

Satisfied with my work, I sent Owen on his way and I waited in the viewing area for the guys to come out.

"I need help." Zack announced, coming out of the dressing room, his tie in a knot.

"Come here." I coaxed. "What do you think of the suit?"

"It's great." He smiled, letting me get to his tie.

Wordlessly, I began fixing it when a melancholy expression came over him. "What is it?" I asked.

"Our mom used to do this for us." He said softly, and my heart broke. "She would pick out all of our outfits for special occasions and lay them out on our beds. We never had to wonder what to wear, she always took care of it. Including pre-tying our ties."

"I'm very sorry for your loss," I said, and genuinely meant it, even though I had never met the woman. She was gone before I had come to the pack.

He only nodded, a tight expression on his face, but only for a moment before he shook it off.

"As much as I like being in a monkey suit, I'm going to go get changed and pay. I'll catch you around, I'm sure."

"Of course." I nodded. I didn't bother to tell him we would be in the same school soon. It wasn't a big deal, and I wasn't going to make it one.

"Lorraine, you have excellent taste." Noah smiled, preening in the mirror.

"Two for two, alright!" I beamed, walking over to him to look over my handy work. "The fit is okay?"

"Better than okay, it fits great." He smiled and so did I. I felt the moment shift and decided now was a good time to go check on Owen before things got awkward when Noah added, "Thank you for treating us as individuals and not just...triplets."

I was about to tell him I knew all too well how that went, having two older brothers who were twins, but I bit my tongue and nodded instead, picking off a loose strand of thread off his suit.

"You are all very different people," I said, giving his shoulder a platonic squeeze before going to check on Owen.

He was still in the dressing room when I gently knocked on the door.

"How is it?" I asked, almost jumping out of my skin when the door opened up right then and Owen came out in his normal clothes.

"Perfect." He said, the suit slung over his arm.

"Good." I nodded, feeling the tense silence spread. I was about to leave when Owen grabbed my elbow. He thought twice about it though and quickly let go.

"Thank you for your help." He murmured, giving me a curt nod instead.

"Of course." I nodded, giving him a nod in return.

My work was done, and there were more than a few moods flying around between the three guys and I, that I decided to high tail it out of there. So, with a few polite goodbyes, I was on my way home. I had half a dozen messages from Sarah, thanking me again as well as complaining about her 'feral' brothers. I was lying in bed, a smile on my face as I thought about my day. Preparing for college, preparing for prom, making memories with my best friend, and possibly making a few more friends. Maybe.

I slept for three glorious hours that night before I was awoken by the first spirit.