She dropped a pile of clothes so massive on the counter that I couldn’t even see the sales staff behind it. “Uh, I don’t think we had quite as much as you to try on.”
She tossed her hair and fired off a satisfied smirk in my direction. “Look, big brother is paying, and while I normally wouldn’t take a cent of his money, I’ve decided that today is about friendship. It’d be rude to refuse the gift of friendship.”
“The height of rudeness,” Cora confirmed with a smirk.
“I admire your independence,” I told Kassidy. “When Kellan mentioned that you chose not to have a pack for no reason other than you didn’t want one, I knew you were far stronger than me. You lose none of that by taking Hunter’s gift.”
Kassidy’s smile faltered, and there was a hint of pink in her cheeks. “Well, there’s a little more behind the reason than that. Some shit happened to me, and I decided I couldn’t risk losing myself again. The last time it happened… well, yeah… it was fucked up.”
“How long ago was this?” Cora asked, her concern shining through in her worried expression.
There was a pause as Kassidy’s brow furrowed. “You know… fuck, it’s been five years. Time flies when you’re escaping from your mistakes.”
She’d have been quite young five years ago, and I wanted to comfort her as I draped my arm around her shoulder. “You seem pretty damn strong to me. And once you learn how strong youare alone, you can have the same in a pack. If that’s what you end up wanting.”
Her smile held hints of pain and sadness. “I’m getting there.”
Kassidy changed the subject as she moved on to plans for the new year, and what we hoped to achieve. Cora revealed that her and Warrick had started discussing the possibility of having a baby, and my heart clenched at the thought of a tiny shifter coming into this terrifying world. Shifters didn’t have young easily, and it was a huge decision for any pack to make.
Which reminded me that with my fertile period approaching soon, and this time having copious amounts of unprotected sex, I would have to go to the healers for the potion to prevent pregnancy. I hated using magic, but there were no other choices except abstinence. Condoms weren’t designed for our kind.
When all of our purchases were rung up and bagged, I shot a text to Hunter and not even a minute later he strolled into the store. He gathered up the dozens of bags like they weighed nothing, and piled them all into the back of the Mercedes.
“You certainly make life easier, mate,” I said, popping up on my toes to kiss his cheek.
He turned at the last second so my lips landed on his, and the rumble of his wolf reverberated down my spine until my toes curled in my shoes. “You will never struggle through life again,” he promised me.
My sigh was lost in our next kiss, and Kassidy groaned. “Come on, guys. I don’t want to see my brother making out. Not to mention we’re all lonely over here without soulmates.”
Cora’s face lit up as a Range Rover pulled in beside our car. “Speak for yourself, Kass. I’ve got mine right here.”
Warrick exited the vehicle dressed in a suit and looking very suave. “We’ve got a council meeting,” he explained, as Cora whistled and hurried toward him. “Members of all five cities are here.”
I met Hunter’s gaze, and he nodded. “Yeah, Slade is going to be at the house to take over security since I can’t miss this one. Jewels, and our few allies in the witch world, will be there too. It’s time to lay out a plan to draw Fletcher and the Termaine witches from their hiding spot.”
“Won’t Fletcher’s council want to take his side?” I asked. “Or Blaine’s?”
Hunter snarled, his expression lethal and furious. “Fletcher’s council is Golden Claw—he’s just never here enough to claim his spot. Not that anyone would have him at this point. He did himself no favors with the way he acted in the past.”
“And Silver City with Blaine?”
Warrick spoke up. “We don’t think so, but it’s one of the questions we have for them today. So far it appears they’re washing their hands of that pack. Especially since Blaine is the only one left.”
I hated knowing they were going into that building again, even if it had been repaired since the magical attack. “Stay safe,” I said. “After the last betrayal, I’m a bit nervous about these meetings.”
“We’ll be on guard, little omega,” Hunter said as he pressed a kiss to my forehead, wrapping his arms around me. “And I’ll be back in time to catch the game.”
Kellan and Finley’s game was tonight, and since we couldn’t be there, I was determined to support them from here. “We’ll be watching too!” Cora called, as she hurried over to give us one last hug. “Text me updates.”
After promising I would, she grabbed her bags from the car and left with Warrick. Hunter drove Kassidy and me to the compound, dropping his sister and her many bags off first, before he followed me into the house. He changed into a suit and kissed me quickly as he raced out the door.
Once he was gone, I tried not to panic at what might happen during the meeting. Hunter was powerful and capable, and could take care of himself, but when you loved someone, worry for their safety appeared to be part of it.
Slade wandered into the entrance hall as a nice distraction. He smirked at the pile of bags around my feet. “Had a productive day I see.”
I glanced down. “You know, it looked like a lot less in the store. Hunter did say go crazy and get what I wanted.”
Slade surprised me when he brushed a hand across my cheek, leaving a burning wake in its path. He’d been so distant lately that I soaked up that one touch like it was a full-body hug. “This is nothing, Snow. One day soon, all you’ll have to worry about is shopping, eating, and embracing your freedom. We can travel and see the world. Or stay right here in our home. Whatever you want.”
