The Runaway Breeder

Chapter 13

“I don’t need all these clothes!” I exclaim in frustration as I exit the changing room, only to spot Eeva throwing more clothes into the shopping cart. I can’t help but shake my head at the brunette woman as she picks clothes for me from dresses to pants, casual to formal and everything else in between. I have a feeling if I let her continue like this, she will turn whatever savings I have into nothing.

“One, you do. I even threw in clothes you can use for after you deliver your babies.” She begins, giving me a pointed look.

“Two, they are cute and will fit any occasion. And as the future Luna, you need them. And three, they fit you.” I couldn’t argue with Eeva’s logic as all of the clothes she has chosen for me are in a style I like and many were close to the pre-pregnancy size that I can fit into once the twins are born. With a sigh, I follow behind Eeva as she pushes the cart towards the counter, her eyes scanning around if she missed any other article of clothing from this store that would suit me. It feels like she did not get out to shop much and is using me to enjoy the opportunity to shop until we drop. Heck, I even noticed her throwing in a few pieces for herself, winking at me and making me promise not to tell Tate.

“Come on, preggers, as much as I would love to stay here at the mall, we, unfortunately, don’t have all day. You need to look good to see the Elders.” I stop at her words, shocked at the mention of the Elders. Not many people can get an appointment right away and would have to wait months just to get anything changed from the leaders of the werewolves. The Elders—ancient werewolves from the first packs—are the ones who make the laws that we have to follow; even the Alpha King who rules over wolf kind needs to listen to these Elders to some degree. They approve of new packs and decide whether war between two packs would be a good or bad decision. They mainly focus on keeping the peace between the packs and presiding over the annual National meeting each spring.

“You managed to get their approval for an audience?” I ask in disbelief. Having Breeders at Pine Paw must have been a huge taboo for the Elders to push my case to the top of their list.

“Yes, I managed to get an appointment. It’s easy considering Bloodsvain is one of the oldest packs in Canada.” Eeva answers, her head held high with pride. I can’t help but wrap my arms around her in a tight hug as best as I can. It dawned on me that running into Bloodsvain territory is the best thing I have ever done since being declared a Breeder.

“Okay, girly, enough sappiness. Let’s go check out and head to the next store.” She chuckles, hugging me back. I pull away from my new friend, her eyes slightly teary with concern for my well-being and the situation I had been forced into before we continue towards the counter. The store clerk takes each item Eeva places in front of her and scans them, the pile in the cart dwindling as the bags of clothing grow. I decide not to look at the total price, knowing that I will probably stress about how much money I would have to spend and proceed to fish my debit card out from my wallet.

“Should I put everything on the usual tab, Miss Eeva?” The Clerk asks as she continues to carefully fold and bag the clothing, shocking me and making me look up at the two ladies.

“Yes, please, Anne, that would be great. By the way, this is my sister-in-law, Laina.” Eeva replies back, taking the many bags of clothing before ushering me out of the store after Anne greets me politely.

“I could have paid!” I state, slightly pouting at the feeling of being treated as a child. I preferred doing things for myself, something I had gotten used to with my parent’s passing.

“I know, sweetie, but you are going to be a member of our pack and the Luna. You should get used to being treated like one of us. Besides, our pack owns the town that everything is located on as well as many other businesses in Canada. If you think spending money on you is going to cause Bloodsvain to go bankrupt, think again.” Eeva explains with a smile on her face making me sigh in defeat. I guess being Tate’s mate did bring benefits, but I still felt a little uneasy.

“But Eeva –“ I begin to protest, wanting to voice my need for independence.

“No buts, Laina. As my sister-in-law and Luna, you will allow yourself to be pampered.” Eeva cuts me off, her voice stern like my mother’s used to be when I was being unreasonable. I sigh in defeat once again, deciding to agree with Eeva’s reasoning. I will be the Luna of Bloodsvain soon, so I have to just accept everything that comes with it, including being allowed to spend Tate’s money.

“Fine, but let’s drop the bags off at the car before we continue shopping, okay?” I relent, seeing a wide smile spread across my friend’s face.

“Sounds like a plan.” She agrees, leading me towards the parking lot where we deposit the bags from the first store into her Hummer and continue our shopping. After two more stores, I convince the energetic she-wolf to stop at the nearest Chinese buffet for a late lunch. Honestly, I just need a moment to sit and relax my swollen feet.

“After lunch, do you want to head home?” Eeva asks, shoving a whole chicken ball into her mouth. I open my mouth to answer when movement from inside me catches my attention, and I can’t help but giggle, placing my hand on where one of the babies kicks.

“One minute, give me your hand.” I whisper in awe, taking Eeva’s outstretched hand and placing it on my stomach. A couple of seconds later, two sets of feet kick out at us, causing wide grins to spread across our faces. Love blooms for my babies as we sit at our table in silence, the smell of Chinese food and the soft sound of a zither playing in the background, bringing back the sense of normalcy in my life.

“Would you like to shop for them? We could start their nursery.” Eeva whispers.

“I’m positive Tate will be happy to see you smiling.” She continues in a low voice, not wanting to break this serene moment. With a small smile, I nod, my eyes still on my pregnant stomach.