Chapter Seven
Cat heard the sound of Killian’s truck starting up not long after he walked out the door. The only person who could protect her from the she-wolf in front of her had left. Cat had told him to leave, but still…he could have stayed. Nonetheless, she wasn’t going to let Aurelia get the best of her with her nasty mouth and angry growls. The woman’s jealousy only stoked the natural competitive streak within Cat.
“So what now, Aurelia? No one here for you to pretend around anymore. Now is your chance to bite…if that’s your endgame.” Cat raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. Her attention never left Aurelia, a clear signal she wasn’t going to back down.
Aurelia bared the tips of her perfectly straight teeth, the white scar crinkling across her otherwise perfect face. “Right. If I did anything to you, Killian would probably banish me.”
“I don’t know what makes you think that. I’m the new wolf here, and I doubt anybody would miss me much. You might even be doing him a favor.”
Aurelia just grunted and turned away, looking at all the clothes in the store.
“Let’s just get this over with.”
Lia led Cat around the store, pulling clothes from the racks and throwing them toward Cat to hold. She didn’t have the mythical inhuman strength, and the stack was starting to weigh down on her thin arms. When she couldn’t see where she was going, she set it down on the bench in front of the dressing room. Lia took an outfit and handed it to her.
“Go try that on.” She waved her fingers at the dressing room while still looking at the clothes and organizing separate outfits.
Cat walked into the small dressing room and closed the door. When she slipped on the outfit, she understood why Aurelia had a boutique. She definitely knew how to dress someone. The coffee-brown cable-knit long-sleeved sweater was formfitting past her rear end. The fabric was so soft Cat couldn’t help rubbing the sleeve against her face. Never in her life had she worn something so luxurious. Underneath she wore a simple white tank and a pair of faded black jeans that were tight all the way to her ankles, showing off the length of her legs and any curves she had, small as they were at the moment. It was simple, comfy, and perfect.
Keeping her excitement over the clothes contained, Cat walked out of the dressing room. When Aurelia looked up from her work, Cat waved her hand at the outfit.
“This is good,” she said nonchalantly. Or at least, she hoped that was how it’d come off.
Aurelia gave her a once-over and smirked. “It is, isn’t it? Well, I have more for you, so hurry up. I don’t have all damn day.”
Cat tried on so many different outfits she lost track of them. None of them were too fancy, but just the style she loved. Simple and pretty. Piles and piles of sweaters, jeans, shirts, leggings, jackets, and scarves were handed to her each time she came out of the dressing room. Some she turned down because she saw the ridiculous price tags. Probably Aurelia’s idea of trying to see whether Cat was taking advantage of Killian’s generosity. She relished the clothes, though, and caught herself more than once rubbing her face on soft leather and flannel shirts.
When Cat finished trying on all the clothes, Aurelia brought over several pairs of shoes. Cat ended up settling on a pair of boots, a pair of strappy heels, and a pair of running shoes. She would need them for the gym. She declined any accessories, saying they were unnecessary.
While Aurelia checked out the clothes, Cat’s eyebrows rose higher as the total crept into the hundreds. When it finally settled at nine hundred plus, Cat just stared in wonder with her mouth open. She knew they should have gone to the infamous Walmart.
“I’m going to have to send the bill to Killian,” Aurelia muttered as she printed the receipt out and started writing on it.
“Can I have a piece of paper?” Cat asked.
“Why?” Aurelia lifted her head from her note.
“Because I’m going to write that amount down and pay Killian back every damn cent.” Cat raised an eyebrow at her in what she hoped was a confident expression. Aurelia was doing her best to irritate Cat, and she really didn’t want to let it happen. Fear of losing control like she had that morning was foremost on her mind.
Aurelia scoffed but handed Cat a piece of paper anyway. “Look at you being all Miss High and Mighty. How do you plan on paying him back?”
Cat didn’t look up as she scribbled the high price on the paper and stuffed it in her jeans. “I’m going to get a job, of course.”
“Careful there, Catrina. You might just break something if you try too hard.” Aurelia slammed the register shut and folded the clothes as she put them in bags.
“I don’t know what your problem is, or how you think of me, but I am able to work.” Anger began simmering inside Cat. Whoa now, tiger, calm down.
Who the hell did Lia think she was? They had been together for an hour as professional associates, but now the beast was beginning to rear its ugly head. Lia knew nothing about Cat and how she’d lived for years in a secluded cabin, helping garden and cut wood to survive.
“Do you want to know what I think of you, Catrina?” Saying her name like spitting poison, Aurelia dropped the clothes on the counter and came around the side until she stood in front of Cat. She pointed a straight, perfectly manicured fingernail at Cat’s chest and jammed the sharp point into her collarbone.
“I think you put off this whole frail-princess facade on the outside so people want to help you. Then you try to act courageous, wanting to learn to fight, so you can get closer to what is obviously the strongest wolf you’ve ever met. He reeks of it, doesn’t he? Pure power and undeniably sexy. So you figured since he’s rescued you, that you can latch on to him and call him yours!”
Aurelia squinted with fury as she got so close to Cat’s face she could feel the tiny bits of spittle shooting from Lia’s mouth as she enunciated every word. Lia’s chest rose and fell in dramatic heaves.
Cat kept her exterior calm. Her body was relaxed, and her arms hung limp at her sides. On the inside she was boiling. The wolf that was so much a part of her was pushing on the edge, wanting to bite the sad bitch in the face. The familiar tingle brushing under her skin meant she could change any moment if she let the anger take over. It was unfamiliar territory, trying to suppress the wolf to this extent. After attacking Killian, she would try her hardest to make sure she didn’t do it again. She had found a place that would keep her safe, for now, and didn’t want to ruin it. Unless Aurelia made the first move. To try to push away the anger Cat did the only thing she could think of.
She laughed.
A long, dramatic giggle rolled out of Cat’s stomach. She laughed so hard she had tears coming out of her eyes and she struggled to breathe.
Aurelia backed up in surprise. Cat knew she looked crazy, just cackling away, but it sincerely brought the anger down to a manageable level. Aurelia’s face made her laugh even harder. Aurelia’s mouth hung open, her upper lip raised just slightly in a look of disgust. Her once violent finger hung limp but still pointed toward Cat.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Aurelia whispered.
Cat clutched her stomach and caught her breath. Eventually, her laugh turned into a soft gasp, and she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She shot Lia a sly grin.
“I just think it’s so funny that you just described yourself. Didn’t Killian save you? And here you are hanging on him like some kind of lovesick puppy.”
Cat didn’t get the last word out before Lia’s hand wrapped around her throat. She shoved Cat up against the wall, raising her slightly until the tips of Cat’s toes skimmed the ground.
Cat gasped for air as the connection was lost between her lungs and oxygen. The hard pressure to her windpipe burned like liquid fire. She felt like a fish taken out of its water, flopping against the wall in useless determination, trying to reach for her attacker. Her arms were too short to reach Lia’s face, but she was able to claw at an arm and make deep gouges, staining red along Lia’s pale skin. She dug into Lia’s flesh like her anchor to life.
Lia raised her lips in a maniacal smile, and she growled, “I’m going to kill you, bitch. You have no idea what I went through.” She brought her face closer to Cat, whispering with venomous words. “He’s my only chance. I’ve waited years for Killian to come to me, and no way am I going to let some pretty porcelain doll take that away.”
Cat’s vision became fuzzy. Blackness threatened to take over, and her wolf wanted to let loose. The tingle started again, and Cat embraced it, ready to take down the enemy before her.
“Aww, look at you two! Already being friends and planning get-togethers without dear old me.”
A sweet voice carried from the front of the store, interrupting the two she-wolves ready to kill each other, if for nothing but pride. They both turned their heads to look at the person standing at the door, and Aurelia dropped Cat down to the ground like she had caught on fire. Cat crumpled to the floor, holding her neck as the wounds began repairing themselves. She could feel a sensation similar to threads being sewn back together in her throat.
When she could almost swallow correctly, she looked up at Jessica. The definition of elegance, she stood with her arms crossed over her pretty green silk top tucked into black skinny trousers. She gave each woman the look of a practiced mother, scolding them both into silence. Feeling slightly guilty, an instinct from her mother giving her the exact same look, Cat cleared her throat.
“I just came to get some clothes.” Her voice came out raspy and gargled.
Aurelia stayed silent but moved away to grab the clothes and start bagging them again. The gouges in her arm had already started healing and were beginning to look more like scabs than the fresh slices they had been just moments before. Jessica glanced at the pile of clothes by the register and at Cat with doubt.
“Yeah, I can see that. Well, Killian called me to ask if I would cut your hair. He said you’d be here and to ask if you would want it done. I had been with a customer already, which is why it took me so long to get here. Apparently, it’s a good thing I showed up when I did.” She passed her eyes between the two women.
A haircut? She had come for a haircut? Cat had to suppress another laugh, her throat still trying to reform itself into something less than sandpaper. She looked down at the long locks she had left loose after her shower. The long blonde hair reminded her so much of her mother. Would she really want it cut too much?
Cat nodded and stood, relieved she could leave the shop. If not for Jessica, the angry redhead would have probably killed Cat. And that only made her crave the training even more.
Jessica grinned and grabbed Cat’s arm, hooking her elbow through hers. The close contact had Cat flinching away. Jessica’s smile wavered, but she recovered and grabbed some shopping bags from Aurelia instead.
* * * *
“Sorry. Lia can be such a bitch sometimes,” Jessica apologized as they walked along the sidewalk to her beauty salon. They both carried handfuls of bags, and Cat was happy to have help carrying everything.
Cat unintentionally rubbed the back of a hand across her throat. It was fully healed now, and she was glad. Pain and weakness were not things she needed.
She nodded at Jessica and looked around the little town of Wolf Creek. The buildings were all close together, and except for Lia’s, they all looked like cabins with their rustic charm. She loved the tranquility of it, and it reminded her of home. What would she have done if Killian had brought her to a big city, surrounded by concrete and humans?
Trees surrounded every building, and the road was relatively new. In fact, it looked like everything was pretty recently constructed, at least compared to what she had seen before as a wolf.
They stopped at the second building from the boutique and walked in. The interior was very different from the exterior. Everything was modern and reeked of product. A reception desk sat in the front with piles of salon books and a register. Two oddly shaped purple chairs were placed in front of mirrors and counters covered in miscellaneous tools of the trade. The black floors and white walls were highlighted with random paint splashes of neon orange, pink, and green.
“Welcome to my salon,” Jessica said as she took an apron off the counter and tied it around her neck. “It’s quiet right now, but we get pretty busy once the tourists start pouring in.”
She motioned Cat over to one of the chairs, so Cat sat down. Jessica grabbed an odd bib made of plastic and wrapped it around Cat’s shoulders. It was very constricting, but Cat allowed her to do it and stared at Jessica in the mirror.
“Don’t people think it’s curious, having the wolves up here and it being so secretive?” she questioned.
Jessica grabbed a spray bottle and sprayed it all over Cat’s hair, wetting it down. She made a quiet humming sound and bit her lip as she thought of what to say.
“Well, Killian has someone who takes care of a lot of those things. He sets up nights for Killian to hold charity banquets, handles the press, and keeps the local authorities under control. Plus, Jamie is a cop at the sheriff’s department, so he lets us know if anything is going on.”
Cat could see Killian behind a heavy mahogany desk, barking orders into a phone, even though the only visual she had was of Daddy Warbucks in Annie. But dressed up in a suit and tie? Killian seemed to be a better fit in his usual workout gear and flannels.
“Wait…Jamie is a cop?” A picture of Jamie in a khaki uniform flashed through Cat’s head.
“Yeah,” Jessica said with a smile. “And a damn good one too.”
When Jessica grasped the scissors from the counter in the front, Cat grabbed her arm. Jessica looked at her in question, and Cat quickly let go, clearing her throat. “Just—please don’t take that much off.”
Jessica smiled in understanding. “Of course, hon. I’ve got something perfect planned for you.”
Cat sat in calming silence, with only the sound of snipping scissors in the room, and let Jessica do her work. She was very quick with the scissors and a lot more meticulous than Cat’s mother had been.
At some point, Jessica turned Cat away from the mirror so she had no idea what was going on with her hair, but with each snip the weight lightened significantly. She just hoped it wasn’t a drastic change. Who knew what Jessica thought of her? After a while, the snipping stopped, and Jessica blow-dried the rest of the moisture from Cat’s hair.
“All right! All done! Tell me what you think.” She turned Cat’s chair around to face the mirror. Cat sucked in a breath at the reflection in front of her. Jessica had done a wonderful job of her hair. She had trimmed it up to just below her shoulders, but instead of it being in one long layer, it had many blended in. Choppy bangs curved around her eyebrows, framing her face and exaggerating her large blue eyes. She reached up and touched a lock that curved toward her face, no longer limp and frail as it had been.
“It’s so pretty. Thank you, Jessica. It’s perfect.” She met Jessica’s eyes in the mirror. Jessica had a huge beaming smile on her face and patted Cat on the shoulder.
“Anytime, hon, anytime. Your hair is so beautiful; it was like a blank canvas to work with. I kept it simple because you’re already so pretty.” She winked and started putting stuff away on the counter in front of Cat. “Let me clean this up, and then I’ll give you a ride back up to the house. I have to pick up my daughter from Kelly’s house anyway.”
* * * *
As they rode in the car back to the house, it was again silent. The awkwardness was rampant in the little car that wasn’t quite an SUV. The only noise was little Mia’s blabbering in the backseat as she snuggled a doll to her chest. Mia was an adorable little girl, with little red curls put into pigtails and big green eyes on a pale, freckled face. Cat recognized the hair from Brian, the redhead fighting at the gym, but Mia definitely had her mother’s facial features.
Jessica glanced over and noticed Cat staring at Mia in the backseat.
“She’s three, and a handful. Very adventurous, just like her momma.” Jessica winked and then looked back at the road.
“She’s adorable,” Cat said quietly, looking away from the treasure in the backseat. “You and Brian are very lucky.”
“How did you…” Jessica started to question and then smiled. “Ah. We are blabbermouths once you get us all at the dinner table. Plus, it’s pretty obvious with her hair, huh?”
Cat just nodded and looked out the window. They turned left onto the large driveway that pulled up to the main house, the road barely noticeable through the trees. When they reached the front and parked, Jessica stopped Cat from opening the door.
“Look, I’m not as much of a bitch as Lia can be, but I still care about Killian like a brother. He cares a lot for his wolves, and no matter how many times you say you’re not, he’ll still consider you pack. If you randomly take off in the middle of the night or whatever, it’s going to drive him crazy. So out of courtesy to the guy who took you in, just make sure you let him know before you do anything drastic. The pack talks. I know that you’re training, but please just…don’t drag everyone down with you. We’ve lived pretty peacefully here, and the last thing we need is for someone to come sniffing around and causing trouble.”
Cat stared at Jessica’s face and saw the sincerity. She knew Jessica wasn’t trying to be awful and just genuinely cared for her pack. Why did everyone think she was such a horrible person, looking to manipulate and endanger them? Apparently, this pack had some trust issues. She nodded again and smiled.
“Don’t worry. I’m not looking to start any trouble. Just consider me a temporary resident of the town.”
Jessica pursed her lips in thought. “I highly doubt that. But it’s not my place to say.” At Cat’s raised eyebrow, Jessica waved as if to shoo away what she was going to say. “Never mind. Go on. I’ll see you soon. Tell the big boss I said hi.”