Alpha's Bullied Fox

Shopping and a Picnic

               Darcy

         I followed Mom out of the packhouse. I was still hesitant about calling Kati, Mom. But it felt right to me. While the twins and I were cleaning the kitchen, we started talking, and they asked me about my Mom. I told them I didn't know my Mom, and Katie interjected and said I could call her Mom. In a little over a day, I was quickly warming up to my mate's family. They have welcomed me without question, even if I am still a little nervous around them. Katie says it's from my long life of trauma, and it's nothing to be ashamed of.

           We walk out of the packhouse, and I look around. The packhouse is surrounded by smaller houses and other buildings. A lot of them have flowers all around them. There is a small park in front of the packhouse with a playground and more flowers. I inhale, taking in the floral scents, and find it comforts me.

           'This is home,' Kaya reminds me. 'We will never be abused again.'

           Tears well up in my eyes as the realization hits me. "Why are you crying?" One of the twins asks me. I hate that I haven't figured out which one is which.

           I sniffle. "I don't know. I cry a lot," I look at the ground.

           "It's okay, Darcy," Mom says to me. "Sometimes when we experience trauma, emotions are hard to handle," she explains. She had told me that she had gone to school to be a therapist. 

           We walk to a low building beside the packhouse, and it resembles the garage that Star Valley had, so I assumed that is what it was. The smell of oil and cars surrounds me as we walk in. A couple of men are working on an SUV as we walk in. They both acknowledge Mom.

           "Good morning, Luna Katie," One of them says to her.

           "Good morning, Reed. How are you doing this morning?" She asks him with a bright smile.

           "I am doing very well, thank you, Luna," He smiles back.

           "Is my van gassed up?" She asks Reed.

           Reed, a medium-height male with balding black hair, nods. "Yes, ma'am. I'll get your keys," He runs over to a desk in a corner and grab a key from a rack. "Here you go, Luna."

           "Thank you, Reed. Tell your mother that I said hi," Mom takes the keys and leads us over to a tan minivan. Mom has me sit upfront with her while the twins take the back seats. As we drive out of the garage, she turns on some music. "What kind of music do you like, Darcy?"

           I shrug. "I don't know. I wasn't allowed to listen to music."

           Mom frowns as she turns on something soft. "This is Fleetwood Mac. It's old," She laughs. "Older than me."

           I like the music as she sings along. I hear the twins groan from the back. "Can we listen to Ariana, Mom?" one of them asks.

           "No," Mom replies. "You guys like Fleetwood Mac."

           "No, we don't," The other twin complains. 

           Mom snorts. "You liked them last week, Carrie." She turns to me. "Carrie is the one on the right," She points out, and I nod.

           The ride to the store only takes a few minutes. It's located in a town square with lots of different shops. It reminds me of Star Valley. Sometimes I went shopping with Aunt Jean and Brandy, but I was only there to carry the bags. "It’s nice,” I say as I look around. “There are flowers everywhere, isn’t there?”

           “I like flowers,” Mom responds and leads us into a clothing store. We walk in, and a sales lady rushes over to us.

           “Luna Katie,” She squeals. 

           “Hello, Sheila,” Mom greets her. 

           “I see you brought Carrie and Molly and-“ Sheila looks me up and down. 

           Mom smiles and drapes her arm over my shoulder. “This is Darcy. She is Nathaniel’s mate.”

           Sheila’s eyes widen. “Nathaniel finally found his mate?” She smiles at me. “Well, aren’t you a lovely girl despite your old clothes.”

           I look at the ground and sigh. “They are all I have.”

           “Until now,” Mom says. “Darcy hasn’t had it easy, so she didn’t have much. But I am here to fix that.”

           “Well, fixing things is my specialty,” Sheila laughs. 

           Within minutes I am being pulled in multiple directions looking at different clothes. Sheila and Mom hand me clothes of all kinds to try on. I am feeling self-conscious as they have me show them everything. It helps when Carrie and Molly try clothes on too. Before long, we are all laughing it up, and I feel more comfortable. I am standing in front of a mirror wearing a polka-dotted sundress when I see another young woman come into the store. The twins look at her and start whispering.

           “That’s Lisa,” Carrie tells me. I finally figured out which twin is which. Carrie is wearing a dress today while Molly is wearing jeans and a t-shirt. “She used to date, Nathaniel,” Carrie explains. 

           “She is a snob,” Molly adds as Lisa approaches us. Mom is off talking to Sheila and another woman.

           “Hi, Carrie, Molly,” Lisa greets them and eyes me. “Who is this?”

           The twins smirk at each other and then at Lisa. “This is Darcy,” Carrie replies.

           “She is Nathaniel’s mate.” Molly finishes.

           I smile awkwardly at Lisa. “Hi,” I hold out a hand as Lisa sneers.

           “Oh. I didn’t know Nate had found his mate,” Lisa narrows her eyes at me. 

           “He met her yesterday at Star Valley,” Molly explains.

           “I smell an omega,” Lisa looks at me. “Either way, Nate said I was the one he wanted to be, Luna.”

           “He dumped you a long time ago, Lisa,” Carrie says to her. “Get over it.”

           Lisa glares at Carrie and is about to say something when Mom walks up. “Luna,” Lisa nods. 

           “Hello Lisa,” Mom acknowledges her. “How are you today?”

           Lisa shrugs. “I am fine, Luna. I am just shopping for a new outfit for work.”

           “Good,” Mom looks at me. “I like that dress on you, Darcy. I think Nathaniel will like it too.”

           I blush slightly. “Maybe,” I nearly whispered.

           “Maybe you should wear it on your picnic,” Molly suggests, and I shrug.

           Lisa is seething at me as I walk back to the dressing room. I take off the dress and put on my old clothes. I take the new things that I like and bring them out. Mom has picked out a few other things, and we go to pay for them. “Are you hungry, Darcy?” Mom asks. “There is a cute little café next door.”

           “I could eat,” I reply to her. “I have never been allowed in a café before,” I say to her, and she frowns.

           “Never?”

           I shake my head. “If I went shopping with Aunt Jean and Brandy, I had to wait in the car while they ate. Sometimes they brought me something. But most times, I just went hungry.”

           Mom shakes her head. “I am starting to hate that woman,” She mumbles. “I barely know her, but I hate her.”

           “I hate her too,” Molly and Carrie say at the same time. 

           I don’t say anything as my new things are rung up. Sheila helps us carry the bags out to the van. Then Mom leads the twins and me to a café. We are seated, and I look at the menu. I have never been to a restaurant, so I don’t know what to do.

           A waiter walks over to take our orders. Mom and the girls order sandwiches, but I am confused. “Tell him your order, dear,” Mom says.

           “I don’t know how,” I admit and feel ashamed.

           Mom sighs. “What do you like to eat, sweetie? The club sandwich is good.” She says to me.

           “I’ll have that then.”

           “Are you sure?” Mom asks, and I am starting to feel overwhelmed.

           “I guess. I’m sorry that I don’t know what to do,” I tell her as tears well up in my eyes. “I feel so stupid.”

           “It’s okay,” Mom looks at the waiter. “Bring her the club sandwich and some chips.” She reaches over to touch my arm. “I’m sorry if I am making you feel ashamed.”

           “It’s my fault for being Trash,” I mumble.

           Mom is silent for a moment. “The people who claimed to be your family and abused you are the trash. You are a treasure, Darcy. You are free now. You get to do all of the things you were never allowed to do there.”

           A slight smile spreads onto my face. “I have always wanted to go swimming.” I blurt out. “Like in a swimming pool.”

           “There is one a the recreation center,” Molly tells me. “We should go there tomorrow.”

           I smile at her. “I would like that.”

           Moments later, the waiter returns with our food, and I look at the sandwich, eager to eat it. I had made sandwiches for my family over the years, but I rarely ate them. Buddy would bring me sandwiches for lunch.

           “This is good,” I smile. 

           “Isn’t it, though?” Mom nods. “You never had a sandwich before?”

           “I made them, but I rarely got to eat them. My friend Buddy would bring me sandwiches sometimes for lunch at school,” I tell her.

           We chat as we eat our food, and I am soon full even though there is still half a sandwich left. “I can’t eat anymore,” I sigh. “I’m sorry.”

           “You don’t have to eat it all,” Mom says to me. “We can have the waiter bring us a box so we can take it home, and you can eat it later.”

           “I can do that?” I ask, and she nods. 

           After we get boxes and Mom pays for our food, we go to another store, and Mom buys me shampoo and soap and stuff like that. We head back to the packhouse, and she and the twins help me unpack everything. I put on the polka dot sundress and stand in front of the mirror, looking at myself. Mom had to take care of some Luna things while the girls went to the living room to watch TV. 

           I twirl the dress and play with my hair. There is a knock on my door, and I jump. The scent of creosote makes me turn to see my handsome mate standing in the doorway. He smiles as he steps in. “Is that a new dress?” He asks awkwardly.

           I nod. “Yeah, Mom said you would like it, do you?”

           “You look beautiful,” Nathaniel reaches out to touch my cheek. “But then you look beautiful in anything.” I can’t help but blush as he leans down to kiss me. “My beautiful little fox. Are you ready for our picnic?” I nod. “Mom said you already ate lunch, so I only packed some snacks.” He clasps my hand and leads me out of my room. We walk into the kitchen, where a basket is sitting on the counter. He picks it up, and we head out. He takes me to the garage, and I wave at Reed, who waves back. 

           I am led to a strange looking four-wheeled vehicle. “What is that?” I ask.

           “It’s an ATV,” Nathaniel replies. He hands me a helmet and then straps the basket to the ATV. “We are going to a remote part of the territory so you can shift safely.” He helps me put on the helmet, and we both climb on. “Now, hold on tight,” He says and puts on his helmet. 

           Once out of the garage, Nathaniel guns the vehicle towards the trees. I let out a joyful whoop as I held on tight to Nathaniel. He seems to enjoy it too, as he starts laughing. We say very little as the ATV rolls through the woods. We ride for what feels like an hour before we stop. 

           We are beside a cute waterfall surrounded by flowers and other pretty plants. Nathaniel helps me off the ATV and grabs the picnic basket. He holds my hand as I look around. “Do you like it?”

           I nod. “It’s beautiful.”

           “Like you,” He smirks and leads me towards the waterfall. There is a grassy spot, and he sets the basket down. “Do you want to eat first or-“ He trails off.

           ‘Run,’ Kaya demands.

           “Kaya wants to run,” I tell him.

           “Okay,” He starts to walk away.

           “Where are you going?” I ask him.

           “To undress and then shift,” he replies. “Unless you want to see me naked?” He smirks and walks towards a large tree.

           I quickly undress and shift into a white fox. A large dark brown wolf walks out from behind the tree, and our eyes meet. Kaya purrs as she steps towards the blue-eyed wolf. The wolf lets out a slight growl like noise as Kaya nuzzles him. Then without warning, the two take off. I let Kaya do most of the work as she gets to know her mate. They yip and chase each other through the trees and over rocks and logs. We play for hours before returning to our picnic. Nathaniel trots around the tree so I can shift back and get dressed.

           Nathaniel emerges and walks over to me. I let him take me into his arms, and without words, we start to make out. I like the feeling of him kissing me with the tingles running through my body. One arm is wrapped around me while his free hand caresses my neck. We pull apart, and I let out a small moan. “You are so beautiful in all of your forms.”

           “I love you,” I blurt out and cover my mouth. “Sorry,” I look at the ground.

           Nathaniel chuckles and presses his lips to mine. “I love you too, Darcy.” He whispers, and we deepen the kiss. As we kiss, he gently lays me on the grass and lays beside me. The heat between us rises as he rolls on top of me. I can feel how turned on he is. His teeth graze my neck, and it makes me moan again. His kisses become more fierce and passionate, and I am becoming turned on too. His eyes turn black, and he pulls away from me and stands up. “Sorry,” He says.

           I sit up. “What’s wrong?”

           “I almost went too far. I don’t want to push you into something that you aren’t ready for,” He sighs and walks over to the picnic basket. “Are you hungry?”

           I nod. “Yes,” I reply to him. He picks up the basket, carries it over, and sits beside me.

           He digs through it. “I have some fruit or celery with ranch dressing and some jerky.”

           “I’ll take whatever,” I reply to him, and he hands me the celery. I bite into it, and we eat in silence for a moment. The celery is refreshing. “This is good.”

           “I’m glad you like it,” He replies quietly.

           “I’m not mad at you,” I tell him. “I liked kissing you.”

           He glances at me. “I like kissing you too, but my wolf wants more. And I don’t want to push you.”

           I lean against him and enjoy his warmth. “Thank you. I don’t know when I’ll be ready. It's all so much for me.”

           “Take your time, Darcy. I am not going anywhere.” He touches my arm. 

           “I feel safe with you, Nathaniel. So I don’t think it will be long.”

           “Can I ask you something personal?” He bites into an apple slice.

           I nod. “Okay.”

           “What kind of powers do you have? Neo says you have powers,” He looks at me.

           I shrug. “I honestly don’t know. Kaya was only able to tap into them yesterday. She used lightning on Felix, so I guess I have lightning powers,” I explain to him.

           ‘We have more than that,’ Kaya chimes in. ‘They will reveal themselves to us, slowly.’

           “Kaya just said we have more than that, and they will reveal themselves,” I say to Nathaniel. ‘When Kaya?’

           ‘It may take years.’ She replies.

           “Interesting. It’s strange how that woman is your aunt, considering she is a shiftless wolf and you are a fox.” Nathaniel snorts.

           “Sometimes, I wonder if she really is my aunt. She says her brother dropped me off. But then she says it was my mother who was her sister. It’s so confusing,” I tell him.

           “We’ll find out the truth,” Nathaniel pulls me into his arms. We watch the waterfall while eating our snacks. We stay there for hours until the sun starts to go down. Nathaniel drives us back to the packhouse, and we head up to the alpha suite. His family is watching TV in the living room, so we join them.

           “Hey, you two. How was the picnic?” James asks us.

           “It was fun,” I say shyly. Nathaniel sits on the couch and pulls me into his lap. I snuggle against him.

           “We ordered pizza for dinner,” Mom says to me. She is leaning against James. 

           “We just ate, Mom,” Nathaniel tells her.

           “We’ll save you some.” Mom smiles at him. “Have you ever had pizza before, Darcy?”

           I nod. “Just at school.”

           “Do you like it?” She asks, and I nod. “Of course you do. Everyone loves pizza.”

           I settle in with Nathaniel and his family. We watch Disney movies all night while James tells us jokes. I started to feel tired and decided to go to bed. Nathaniel walks me to my room. We kiss before he lets me go with a goodnight. I take a long shower and get into bed. I spend several hours tossing and turning before I decide to go to Nathaniel’s room again tonight. I knock on the door, and he opens it with a big smile on his face.

           “I was waiting for my fox to come to sleep with me,” He smirks and lets me into his room. We climb into bed, and I fall asleep in his arms.