Soleil

I hum a soft tune as I flip pancakes in the frying pan. Its soft and bouncy shape making my stomach growl. Behind me are some frantic teens and wolves getting ready for their day. One of the teens shoving a pancake in his mouth tried to sneak away until I threw a spoon at him. 

"Oi! No leaving until ALL your food is done and you've helped the young pups ready for school." I bark at him, showing my fierce Luna look. He mumbles an apology before sitting back down, his friends laughing at him.  I grin widely and place an extra pancake upon his plate. "As punishment." I pat him on the shoulder, chuckling at his pouting face. 

Walking back to the kitchen, I turn the stove off and help the mothers with the children's lunch boxes. Jasmine stops me, frowning. "What are you doing, woman? You've done enough this morning... and your grinning! This is new, actually, for the past few weeks you've been different." She squints her eyes and examines me. I wave her off, smiling widely. 

That night with Damira has lifted my spirits up, higher than I really thought I would get. "I just thought that I shouldn't hide my true self anymore. And maybe being here has really helped." Jasmine winked, finishing off a lunch box and handing it to a little boy. 

Turning to me, she rubbed her swollen belly. "I like this new you, Soleil. You're much brighter. Happier than the last time I saw you... and pretty much slaying. Girl your badass!" I laugh at her antics and hand over a young teen her lunch box, winking at her. 

The teen giggles and waves goodbye. "Jasmine, have I ever told you how weird you are?" She hums, leaning onto the counter and counts with her fingers. 

"I don't know, too many times to count." I shake my head at her and take off my apron, hanging it up on the rack inside the kitchen pantry. 

"You not going to eat, Soleil?" Jasmine asks, also hanging her apron. I grin, rubbing my hands together. My devious smile brought out hers. "What are you planning, girl?" 

"Hmm, maybe a bit of kidnapping of our Alpha dearest." Jasmine wiggles her brows and I wave her dirty thoughts away. "I'm taking Damira out for breakfast." I hadn't planned it thoroughly but I hope it'll work. 

"How are you going to convince her, to go I mean?" Jasmine asks, her delicate brow-raising sharply. I grin. 

"Who says she has a choice?" I giggle, winking at my best friend before sauntering up the stairs. Humming softly, I pass my bedroom and up towards Damira's bedroom. I've noticed she eats her breakfast in her room then after heads to her office. And no, I didn't stalk her. Its called observation. 

Without knocking, I open the door wide and enter her lavish bedroom. Dark themes for a dark soul - just kidding. Damira's room is actually covered in pinks and purples. I grin as I find Damira huddled under a large pink blanket, cuddling into a teddy bear. I gush softly. This is so adorable. 

Slowly, I sit beside her on the bed, curling a strand of hair behind her ear. Suddenly her hand snatches mine, her eyes widening at the sight of me. She growls lowly, "What the hell, are you doing in my room?" I cock my head to the side, watching her. 

"Hmm? Oh, this pink fluffy room? It's quite adorable Damira. Never imagined you to be a pink kind of girl." Standing up, I open her curtains wide, sunshine leaking through the glass window. Damira lets out a low groan, rubbing her eyes. 

In the corner of my eye, I notice her figure not as tense as she usually is around me. Her eyes are softer. I smile softly, giddy inside. She's slowly adapting. 

"We have big plans this morning!" I declare, standing in front of the window, hands-on-hips. 

"We?" She mumbles, a slight glare towards my way. I tut at her, grinning. 

"Yes, we! We are going on a date!" Wait do I call it a date? Hmm okay, let's call it a date. 

"No." Damira huffs, getting up and walking to her connected bathroom. I raise a brow as she opens it and then steps inside. "Never." She slams it shut, causing me to sigh deeply. Stubborn as a bull, that woman. 

While I wait for her to finish up in the bathroom I tidy her room and make her bed. When she did make an appearance, she scowled at my drifting figure around the room. I wave her off and grin. She was dressed in washed-out jeans that hugged her bottom perfectly. A white dressy blouse adorning her upper-half. I licked my lips as I could see her cream-colored bra through her blouse. A tinge of pink touched her cheeks and threw on her leather jacket. 

"Why are you still here?" She asked eyes narrowed. 

"I said we had big plans this morning, grumpy pants." I ruffled out the crinkles in my baby blue sundress and walked towards the door. "You're coming whether you like it or not." She huffed. 

"What if I don't?" I grin widely. 

"Then the whole island will know about your obsession with pink and stuff animals." Damira snapped her teeth at me. 

"You wouldn't dare." Ohohoho. I wiggle my brows at her, my grin widening as I take in her tense figure. 

"I guess you'll find out." I open the door, ready to shout down the hallway about Damira's bedroom when two hands clasp over my mouth and bring me back inside. Damira's minty breath upon my neck as she pushes me against the wall. I stare over her shoulder, wide-eyed, my heart pumping at a wild pace. 

"Fine," she whispers against my neck, her teeth grazing the skin softly before pushing away. "Fine. I'll come with you this morning." she grits out, avoiding eye contact. I notice her hands clenched into fists. I smile softly, nodding. 

I've just won again. Maybe her heart really is embracing the mate path. Taking her hand, I clasp it on my own and walk us out of her room. Pack members stood by, mouth agape as I skip alongside my Alpha, grinning like a little girl with her favorite lollypop. 

"Let's go!!!" Damira silently follows along, but her heart yearning away.