Chapter 2.2
2113 Words
The pair made their way around the town square, visiting many shops and picking up things for themselves and others as gifts. Their next to last stop was at the apothecary shop owned and operated by a pack elder named Miss Maggie. The shop specialized in herbs, essential oils, homeopathic remedies, and obscure treatments often specific to werewolves. Miss Maggie was brilliant at determining what each person needed, whether wolf or human, as soon as they walked through her door. When Malekai and Cassandra walked in, it was no different.
“Cassandra, Malekai, it is so good to see you! I was hoping you would stop in today before the festival,” Miss Maggie chirped with her hands clasped in front of her as she hurried toward them. She took Malekai’s hand in both hers and smiled before moving on to Cassie. Her expression momentarily changed when she took Cassie’s hand before returning to her radiant smile. Miss Maggie mind linked with Cassie and said, “We need to speak.”
Cassie nodded and maintained the appearance as if Miss Maggie had not given her a private message.
“Alpha, I hate to be indelicate, but unless you need something in particular, you might want to excuse yourself while I tend to Cassie,” Miss Maggie told Malekai. Seeing he was about to object, she cut him off. “It is nothing to worry about, Malekai,” she soothed. “It is just that I feel that Cassie might need something of a rather personal and, um, feminine nature. If she chooses to share that with you later, that is up to her, but I do not feel it is appropriate for me to discuss something of that nature in front of you.”
“Point taken,” Malekai replied. He kissed Cassie on the head and told her, “I’ll head over to the hardware store and try to wear down your dad so you don’t have to stay long, and we can go for our run.”
“Thank you,” Cassie said with a smile before she watched him turn and leave the shop. She was met with a scowl when she turned back to Miss Maggie.
“When did you first go into heat, and how many people know about it,” Miss Maggie hissed at her.
Cassie sighed, “January and only me, my doctor in Tacoma, and now you. Probably Doc Sims knows too, since I listed him as my primary care physician.”
“You are in active heat right now, so tell me what you are taking to diminish it so much that no one has noticed,” Miss Maggie hissed.
“I am taking hormone suppressants used to treat specific cancers in humans,” Cassie admitted.
“And they work?”
“For the most part. They worked well initially, but I am starting to have effects that even my wolf can’t fully combat all the time. My joints have been aching a bit, and I am almost always tired. My workload is part of the fatigue. Work doesn’t allow me to sleep the way I should. I am having some cramps and abdominal pain this time, but nothing I can’t deal with. I’m hoping it stays that way.”
“And the Alpha hasn’t picked up on how you feel?” Miss Maggie questioned.
“He noticed how tired I was as soon as he laid eyes on me last night. He keeps asking if there is something wrong and if I feel alright,” Cassie confided in her. “I keep telling him I’m fine and just tired from work. It is a matter of time before he realizes I’m lying to him.”
“Oh, child,” Miss Maggie said as she wrapped her arms around Cassie, giving her a warm hug. “I am so sorry you are going through this. I will try to find something to help ease the symptoms that you are experiencing. Let me gather the essential oils and lotions that I know you came in for. I want you to come back the day after tomorrow. By then, I should have something ready for you, and if you need it between your visits, tell me. I will personally bring it to you in Seattle.”
“You don’t need to do that, Miss Maggie. If I run low, I will call you and arrange to pick it up.”
“Nonsense child,” Miss Maggie said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “It is nice to get out of this little town once in a while, and that will give me an excuse. Besides, in a way, I feel this is partly my fault. I was always such a good matchmaker, yet I seem to have failed you.”
Cassie saw the sadness in Miss Maggie’s eyes, but there was something else. She felt like it was guilt. Why would Miss Maggie feel guilty about her not finding a mate? That question made Cassie’s mind race as she began to run through possibilities, most of which made no sense to her.
“You have never once failed me, Miss Maggie,” Cassie assured her. “You have always been there for me, no matter what was wrong or if I just needed a kind ear to listen.”
“You are too kind, child,” Miss Maggie said as she brushed a curl from Cassie’s cheek. “When you come back, I would like you to do me a favor if you can.”
“Of course. Name it.”
“Please bring Malekai with you if you are able. I understand he has many duties related to being the pack Alpha and town mayor, but I feel like he should be with you.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem. If I ask Malekai to do something for me, he will move heaven and earth to do it,” Cassie laughed.
“I had a feeling you would say something along those lines. Let’s hurry up and get your things together.”
Miss Maggie led Cassie to the counter by the hand. She hugged Cassie again before she went behind it and began getting Cassie’s things together. Cassie found herself smiling as she watched Miss Maggie and heard her muttering to herself as she collected everything and placed it into a bag for Cassie.
“There you go, child,” Miss Maggie said as she handed Cassie the bag.
“How much do I owe you, Miss Maggie?”
“Nothing. Happy birthday, Cassandra.”
“You don’t need to do that, Miss Maggie.”
Miss Maggie smiled at her, “Yes, I do. I know your birthdays are usually not happy, and few ever tell you to have a happy one. I want to make your day a little better if I can.”
“You are only the third person to wish me a happy birthday, and it is almost noon.”
Miss Maggie scowled, “And I am guessing that not one of them has been related to you.”
“No. None. And I even went to my mom’s bakery this morning to pick up breakfast for Malekai and Aaron,” Cassie said, not attempting to hide her disappointment.
“That means the Alpha, Beta, and I are the only ones, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Cassandra, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way because I adore your family, but there are times when I want to just shake some sense into them. Just because you were born on the winter solstice doesn’t mean your birth should not be celebrated. In my opinion, it should be celebrated even more. I don’t know why your family feels otherwise.”
“I don’t know either, Miss Maggie. Thank you for this,” Cassie said as she held up the bag. “And thank you for making me feel better even without having a treatment or remedy for me today.”
“You are so very welcome, child, and please remember to come and see me the day after tomorrow and bring Malekai when you do.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Cassie said with a smile before she left.
Cassie stepped onto the sidewalk and hurried toward her father’s hardware store. She didn’t know why, but she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach at the thought of going in for some reason. She sighed and dismissed it as her hormones battling against her medication. She reached for the door handle of the store and took a deep breath to steel herself as she pulled it open and walked in. She saw Malekai at the counter holding the bag containing his purchases, which meant that she could hopefully make a quick getaway so she and Malekai could go on their run.
“Pumpkin!” Cassie’s father called out as she walked into the store and to where Malekai stood.
“Hey, Dad,” Cassie said as her father hugged her. “I hope you aren’t mad that I didn’t wake you up when I got in.”
“Of course not,” Cassie’s father laughed. “But honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered because your mother woke me up when she came to bed. She had to tell me that you had made it safe and Malekai was with you for your normal visit.”
“That sounds about right,” Cassie laughed.
“Is that my baby sister, I hear?” Cassie’s brother Zach called from the back of the store.
Malekai winked at Cassie and answered, “It is, and if you want to see her, you had better hurry. I am k********g her for a few hours so she can relax and stretch her legs.”
“No fair!” Zach protested as he charged toward Cassie, grabbing her and spinning her around before putting her down. “I want to go for a run too.”
“Not this time,” Cassie told him. “If you went with me, all you would do is want to talk and bother me the entire run. You would all throw a fit if I went by myself. That leaves Kai to go with me. I promise to go on a run with you before I head back to Seattle. Deal?”
“Deal,” Zach replied. “Malekai, you had better take care of her. If you don’t, Alpha or not, I will give you the beating of your life.”
“I will always take care of her,” Malekai said as he slipped his arm around Cassie’s shoulders and kissed her on the head. “I have been doing that since we were in diapers.”
“As I recall, Cassie took care of you most of the time,” Cassie’s dad, Jeremy, quipped.
“That’s true, but if anyone asks, I will deny it,” Malekai laughed. “We have to go if we want to get back in plenty of time to freshen up before the celebration tonight. We’ll meet up with all of you tonight before the ceremony.”
“See you later, kids,” Jeremy called after Malekai and Cassie as they left his store. He waited until the door latched behind them, and they had moved past the plate glass windows in front before he spoke. “Zach, did Cassie seem OK to you?”
“Not really, and now that I think about it, Malekai seemed to be a little more protective than normal,” Zach replied.
“Your mom told me last night that Cass seemed a bit off, so I linked Malekai this morning. All I got out of him was that Cassie said she was exhausted because of the hours she has been working.”
“So, maybe that’s all it is, Dad. You know how Cassie is. When she is on a case, she will go without sleeping or eating for days, which tires out her and her wolf, so she doesn’t recover the way she should. She is a bit self-destructive when it comes to that.”
“I hope you’re right, Son,” Jeremy sighed. “If not, and something is going on, Malekai might be the only one who can drag it out of her.”
“Either that or she will kill him for trying and take over as Alpha and Mayor,” Zach said with a shrug.
Jeremy chuckled, “That is always a possibility when it comes to your sister.”
- Writer
