Lessons learned: Never go shopping with Ava. She was a maniac when it came to shopping. She kept tossing me clothes after clothes and pushing me to the dressing room to get changed.
After that, we went to the lingerie section, and she went absolutely nuts there. One would think she was trying to have another child.
After an exhausting hour, we came out of the store, with arms laden with bags. Never again! I vowed.
To compensate for the stressful afternoon, Ava took me to the park, which also doubles as a playground. It was the pack's property, so we were able to roam freely.
"How is it going to be? We don't have mating ceremonies back at home, so I don't know how it is done." I asked, wringing my hands in nervousness. The day after tomorrow would be my introduction to the pack, and I wouldn't want anything to go wrong.
"You don't have to be nervous. It is just like human weddings. But here, you will be bound to your mate and the pack." She said, taking my hands in hers. "It is honestly fun. There is always an abundance of food and drinks and, of course, booze, strong enough to knock a wolf over."
"Sounds like fun."
"It is. But there is one more thing." She came closer to me, her mouth on my ears, and whispered. "We don't wear anything underneath."
"What?!"
Ava burst into laughter as she saw the shock written all over my face. "It is expected that the couple will mate after the ceremony, so there is no need for underwear."
"Are you serious now, or are you kidding me?" I refuse to believe that such rules exist. Everyone would be at the ceremony, knowing that the next moment, we would be fucking like bunnies.
"Unfortunately, it is the rules. You don't need to worry about that; almost everyone would be fucking to care about you."
We remained quiet as I mulled over what I had just heard, the squeals of the children breaking my thoughts. I wonder what our children will look like? Will they have my wild mane or Richard's soft hair, or both? I do hope they get his dimples, though.
"Isabelle!" Ana's voice interrupted me from my daydream. "I called you. If you are tired, we could go home."
"No. I kind of like it here. I haven't been outside the pack, so I am just soaking it up." I explained.
Silence reigned between us, each of us lost in thought or more like Ava was giggling at her phone, chatting away with her love.
I pulled out my phone from my pocket and sent a text to Richard, informing him of where we were. For once, I feel like we are finally on the same page.
A white ball rolled to my side, and I stopped it with my foot. Three kids, a girl and two boys, of about 7 years old, came closer to where we were. As they noticed I was the one with the ball, they turned their backs to me, about to leave.
"Don't you want your ball?"
They stopped in their tracks and faced me. No one was willing to talk until the brave one in their midst, a chubby boy with black hair and piercing gray eyes, came out. "My mom said I shouldn’t talk to you."
I was shocked. I don’t think I know his mother, or have had any problem with her, that she said her child shouldn’t talk to me. "Why would she tell you that?"
"She says you are a whore and that you don’t belong here." Ava's gasp could be heard, as she was shocked. Adults are truly the problems of the world.
"What is your name?"
"Jason." The little boy answered grudgingly.
"Jason, that is a bad word. You shouldn’t be saying it. And that goes for all of you." I looked at them until they were forced to bow their heads in shame. I had to think fast and do something to stop all these rumors from spreading.
A wonderful idea came to me, "How about I join you in your game?" They looked at each other before they all nodded their heads. I jumped to my feet and Ava joined me.
For the next 30 minutes, we were engaged in an intense game of soccer and handball. They were children, so there were no rules to the game; whatever went, as long as we all enjoyed the game.
"Luna! You are supposed to pass the ball to me." Scarlet called out to me after I threw the ball to the wrong person.
"Shit! I am sorry."
"Luna! You said a bad word!"
"Bad word, bad word, bad word." They began to chant, circling around me.
"What should we do to people who say bad words?" Ava asked as she joined them in their chant.
"We tickle them." They all replied, shouting it at the top of their voices. They all ganged up on me and attacked, targeting my weak spot. Their little hands were all over me, tickling my arms, stomach, and anything else they could get their hands on.
I have very sensitive skin, so I was thrown into a fit of laughter by their attacks. They eased up after a time.
The sun noticed was high up in the sky, and scorching hot, so we decided to end the game. Ava ordered pizza and milkshakes for us. We went to the nearby shade to sit while we waited for the pizza.
"Why aren't all of you in school? I believe school is still in session." I asked after taking a bite of the pizza.
"We were sick."
"All of you at the same time? You guys don't look sick." They just giggled and continued eating. We decided to walk them home since the car doesn't have a back seat and it was getting late. We dropped them off at their respective homes.
When I got to Jason's house, I called his mother to the side, "I don't think it is wise to call someone a whore in front of your child. He is still young, and they learn fast." She looked away in shame as she realized I had caught her. She apologized for her behavior, and it was resolved.
"I loved the way you handled it." Ava complimented me as we were going back to the car. "I would have bitch slapped her for calling me a whore and put her on community service."
I covered my mouth with my hand as I laughed. "That thought crossed my mind, but I decided against it... So where are we heading to?"
"I have to go get my son from his grandmother's place. I am sure he has missed me."
"I hope you don't mind if I tag along."
"Of course not. You are welcome to." We got in the car and sped off towards Grandma's house. We were heading towards a section of the pack I hadn't been to before. Children were roaming about, some in their wolf form, while others were in human form, playing. Their parents were outside watching them.
I saw more wolves on the way, going about their business. Ava stopped at a cream building and got out. "Jake!" She cried out as she ran inside, almost kicking the door off its hinges, leaving me standing awkwardly outside.
I had no choice but to follow her inside. The house was a regular looking house, with toys scattered around it. I had to look twice before I placed my legs on the ground, careful not to step on them.
A cat came towards me, purring, as she rubbed her body against mine. I stepped away, not happy with the strange pet. I wonder what a cat was doing in a werewolf's house. We were never meant to be friends. After noticing I wasn't giving it any attention, the cat disappeared into nothingness.
"Jake!" Ava called out again, and this time, an aged woman, a split copy of Ian, came out, carrying a sleeping boy. "Jakie baby!" She called out again, and this time around, his ears perked up. The boy stirred in his grandma's hand, recognizing the voice.
"Mama?" He called out in a soft, sleepy voice, unsure if it was a figment of his imagination.
"Yes baby, it is mama." The boy struggled in the woman's hand, threatening to come down. Ava rushed to her son and grabbed him from her arms. She snuggled him tight against her bosom, hugging him. She closed her eyes. Her nose rested on his neck, inhaling his scent.
"Mama! Mama!" He exclaimed, excited, as he bounced on her. She smothered him with kisses until he was laughing.
"I've missed you too, baby. How was your time with Granny? You didn't disturb her too much, right?"
The excited boy shook his brown curls so much that I was afraid his head would fall out. "I played with Granny and Grandpa."
"Yes, baby. I knew you played with Granny and Grandpa." She gave him another kiss on his forehead before she faced his grandma. "Thank you for watching over him. I hope he wasn't much of a bother."
"No, he wasn't. I love spending every minute with my grandson. How was the trip?"
"It was fine. We had fun touring different places. I even got to go to my favorite band's concert." Her eyes lit up at the mention of her favorite musician.
"How is my son doing? I hope you are taking care of him."
"He is fine, doing the usual beta work. You could make time to come see us. I am sure he would like that."
"Alright, will do." I watched the exchange between them with longing. I wonder when I will ever have such a relationship with my mother-in-law. "And who is that beauty behind you?"
"Rachel, this is Isabella. She is our Luna."