The Dark Alpha

Chapter 13: Sisters

I stand in the closet staring at my hoard of new clothes, wondering what to wear when Alexa arrives, and we have dinner. Theo expects her to get here by late afternoon, and it's already past five o'clock, so I figure I'll get ready.

Elise and Maude are working together on dinner since Maude already finished preparing a guest room for Alexa and offered to help cook so I wouldn't have to. Alexa isn't here, so I offered to assist until she is, but Elise insisted they have everything handled.

I take out one of the knee-length dresses but just as quickly hang it back up—a dress is too formal, and technically, Alexa is family. Instead, I find the black long-sleeve top I remember liking a lot, and I pair it with a pair of wide-leg pants. After I change and fix my hair, I go downstairs and to the kitchen to see how Elise and Maude are coming along.

"I thought you were getting ready," Elise says the second I come in.

"I did. I changed my clothes and did my hair and have run out of stuff to do." I lean against the kitchen counter and watch Maude clean vegetables. "I'll just sit here and watch. I won't touch anything."

"You better not—you don't want those nice new clothes getting dirty," Maude says.

"Speaking of the clothes, Theo said you picked out everything, so thank you. I love it all."

"Were you surprised?"

I smile. "Very. I still am—every time I step in the closet."

"Did you notice how I hid the underwear so the Alpha wouldn't see? I thought you'd appreciate that."

"How did you hide it?" Elise asks and starts sharpening her knives. The sound of the gliding blade tickles my ears.

"I put them in between the folded clothes."

"It was highly appreciated and all very cute."

"I never thought I would be picking out another girl's delicates, but there were a lot of good options the day I went to the seamstress'; it was pretty easy."

Elise pouts. "Every time I go to the seamstress', everything cute is gone, and they love to tell me about all the good stuff I missed. I haven't gotten anything in months because I don't bother going anymore."

"I warned the ladies the night before and told them I would be getting clothes for the new Luna. They let me in early, and when I was there, they showed me stuff I'd never seen before—the secret stock."

"I knew the secret stock was real." Elise shakes her head. "It's only for Celeste and Kalilah and the other high-ranking women. No offense, Celeste."

"None taken." I lean forward. "But I could just go with you one day, Elise, and I'm sure they'll show you whatever stash you want."

She pauses her sharpening. "You would?"

"Sure." I shrug.

"I wonder what else we could get away with if we bring Celeste along," she half-jokes to Maude. "You should have had her by your side when you tried to bring that rogue over the border."

Maude makes a silencing face, but I'm already questioning, "You tried to bring a rogue onto the territory? When? Why?"

Maude mutters, "Look what you started."

"A couple of years ago, Maude met this rogue guy when she was traveling between packs," Elise starts to explain, and Maude turns away. "They made plans to see each other again and were going to meet up on unclaimed land to hang out."

"Oh?" I lean closer.

"Elise," Maude warns and returns to the counter. "She's our Luna. We're supposed to be respectable."