“What’s wrong? What happened? Did I miss something?” I asked frantically.
They all started to laugh hysterically.
“Why are you laughing at me like that. What’s so fucking funny?” I asked with more impatience.
“Girl, you look...like you fought with your bed. What happened?” Athena asked in amusement.
I walked back to the hall that had a full-sized mirror on it. Shit. No wonder they’re laughing. My hair is a mess, it looks like an eagle made a nest in my hair. My left tit almost hung out of my nightgown. I had marks all over my body from sleeping against Rhett so hard. I need a makeover, holy shit. I went back into the kitchen.
“Okay, okay. I get it. I’m starving, throw some of these waffles on a plate for me, please.” I said with a blush.
Hazel whipped me up a plate, even adding whipped cream on top. Ugh, she’s amazing. I cut up my waffles in triangle pieces. Stabbing a few and stuffing my mouth, I moaned.
“You’re a goddess. Fuck, these are good.” I said with a mouthful of food.
Athena and Hazel snickered. The guys almost looked offended.
“You know if we talked with food in our mouths, we’d get the shit beat out of us. How is it fair that you get to do that?” Jackson asked with horror on his face.
“Because, when men do it, it’s lazy. When women do it, it’s because they’re starving and need the food. And in Scarlett’s case, it’s allowed. Plus, she’s so cute with those cheeks stuffed full of food.” Hazel said, winking at me.
I smiled. I swallowed my mouthful of waffle and took a drink of Finn’s milk that sat in front of me.
“Hey! That’s mine! Come on Scar. That’s not cool. That’s my milk! Is nothing sacred around this house anymore? You women are crazy.” He said huffing and puffing.
Everyone else laughed. All of our cheeks hurt. It was such an amazing and almost foreign feeling.
“You know what would be awesome? Music!” I said pointing my finger up in the air.
I got up off of the stool and walked into the living room. Turning on the stereo and connecting my phone via Bluetooth. Scrolling through my playlist I came across my favorite song. T-Pain’s “Buy U a Drank”. I turned up the stereo as loud as I could without busting the windows. Rhett had an impressive sound system in his house. Not surprising. Typical guy. But it sure made the music sound good. I started dancing. My arms raised above my head and swinging my hips from side to side. The girls screamed with excitement and joined me. The guys just stared at us like we were crazy.
Finally, they decided to quit being lame and they joined us. The house was finally alive with happiness again, we were dancing and shouting like kids. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Rhett leaning against the wall in the hallway, watching us. He had a smile plastered on his face. I could tell he was holding back a laugh. I danced my way to him and grabbed his hand. I dragged him to our makeshift dance floor. He just kinda awkwardly stood there for a second. Finally, I turned around and backed my ass up to him and started to grind it on him. He got the hint and grabbed my hips. He swayed and moved his hips perfectly against mine. It was hot. Finn and Jackson were doing some weird dance moves that I’ve never seen but were laughing their asses off. The girls were kinda dancing slutty together, but I wasn’t stopping them. Girl power and all.
Rhett and I continued to dance and be lost in our own world. I don’t remember having this much fun in so long it seemed. We danced for what seemed like hours. Finally, my playlist reached the end and stopped. We all fell on the furniture around us, breathless and laughing. I fell on Rhett and he held me against him. We were all sticky from sweat, but I didn’t care. I turned around and kissed him. He beamed at me.
“Hey baby, I’m going to run into town in a little bit. I have some matters to tend to. I could drop you off at your parents while I’m busy if you’d like?” He said against my ear.
“No, that’s okay baby. I think I’m going to stick around here today. Go see how the pack is doing since the challenges and…” I stopped myself.
He looked at me for a second. His eyes gained some sadness. He kissed my forehead and held me.
“I’m sorry.” I said sadly.
“Baby, don’t be sorry. It’s something we have to learn to accept and be able to talk about. We can’t push it aside. I’m here baby. I love you.” He said against my forehead.
“Thank you, baby. I love you too. I’m just going to hang around here with the girls. We need one chill day at least. You go take care of what you have to in town. I’ll be here, waiting for you.” I said with love
He nodded. Scooted me off of his lap and made his way back upstairs. The girls and I cleaned up breakfast while Finn and Jackson fixed up the living room back to the way it was before we moved everything. Rhett came downstairs a little while later. Looking fresh and sexy as ever. God, I’m glad he’s mine. Sexiest thing I’ve ever seen walk this earth. I mean Finn and Jackson were cute too. Any girl who looked at them swooned. But my man took the cake.
Keep calling the boys cute and I’ll have to really show you what cute is baby. You bent over while I leave handprints on your sweet ass.
I laughed and smacked his arm.
“Behave Rhett.” I laughed.
“You make it kinda hard sometimes baby. You and that smart mouth of yours.” He kissed me
“I can’t help it. It’s what you do to me. I’m going to go take my shower now and try not to look so crazy.” I said while hugging him.
“You’re my cute crazy lady. Go enjoy your shower, baby. The guys and I are going to head out. I love you.” He said while placing a kiss on my temple and walking away.
“I’ll be back down in a bit guys, I’m going to go clean up. Thanks for helping with the kitchen. By the way, Haze, that breakfast was bomb. And Athena, it was good to see you dancing again!”
I made my way to the bedroom. Picked an outfit out, and went into the bathroom to fill up the tub. I poured some lavender bubble bath in the flowing water. The scent filled my nostrils and instantly I felt a wave of calmness rush through me. Stripping off my pajamas, I slowly stepped into the tub. The water was hot against my skin, but it felt so amazing. I instantly felt my muscles relax. The tension in my back let go of some. I feel like I’m getting old. I wonder what Rhett is up to in town. What business he had to take care of. Usually, he just comes out and says it. He better not be hiding anything from me. I’ll kick his sweet ass if he is.
After soaking in the tub for about 45 minutes I decided it was time to get out. I started to prune up and I hate the look and feel of pruney skin. It’s weird. I wrung my hair out and wrapped a towel around me. All of a sudden there was a knock at the door. “Hey Scar, it’s me. Hurry up and get dressed, we’re going to Val’s. It’s time we go and get our nails done and our hair done. It’s been a while and I think it will add to the nice day we started! Hazel and I will be waiting in your truck. Ten minutes biatch!” Athena yelled from the other side of the door.
“Um...okay! Yeah, good idea. Be down in a few!” I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Although I feel like we have much more important things to be doing. I was going to check on the rest of the pack to make sure everyone was doing alright, but I suppose I can do that when we get back from our salon date.
Managing to get dressed in a timely fashion, I rushed down the stairs and ran out the door. The girls were already waiting in my truck. Rhett wasn’t kidding when he said it swallowed us whole. The girls looked absolutely tiny. Like an ant against an elephant type of tiny. Athena had called shotgun and Hazel was leaning forward from the back showing her something from her phone, their eyes were lit up. They noticed me coming and quickly composed themselves. I climbed into the truck and we were off.
“So...what has you two all giddy. And why did you put the brakes on your excitement when you saw me? Did I do something?” I’m so curious about what they’re going to say.
“Um...I was showing Thena something on my Snapchat but it disappeared as you sho
wed up. Hey, I know, let’s listen to some rock on our way to town. Scar, hit my playlist on the screen please.” Athena nodded in agreement with her. Quick change of subject, I feel like there’s more to it, but whatever. If it was important they’d tell me. I hope.
I tapped on Hazel’s playlist and it started off with Shinedown. Athena blasted the volume and turned up the bass, we all started headbanging. God, I love these girls. They sure know how to go with the flow of things, it’s nice. Next thing ya know, Athena is pressing buttons and then the music did a complete one-eighty and Eminem started playing. I looked at Athena and she looked at me. Both of us started rapping to the song, trying to keep up with Eminem’s speed. It wasn’t happening.
“You guys are nutjobs. Acting like you’re thugs all of a sudden.” A heavy sigh escaped her mouth and Hazel rolled her eyes at us. We continued on, by the end of the song, we were all laughing our asses off.
“You two are terrible. Why would you even attempt? You couldn’t keep up if your lives depended on it.” Hazel was laying across the backseat, dying from laughter. Her face was purple and she was gasping for air.
“Oh yeah! I’d like to see you even try, Hazel.” Athena pouted.
They bickered back and forth and I just sat there and enjoyed the entertainment. They’re going to be the death of me, I swear. We made it into Cornell and pulled into the parking lot in front of Val’s. The three of us hopped out and walked inside the salon.
“Hey ladies, haven’t seen you in here in a good minute. Scarlett, I just wanted to say that my heart broke for you and Rhett when I heard the news. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask. Dakota and I love you dearly. By the way, don’t worry about paying for a thing today ladies, everything is taken care of for you.” Smiled Lainey. She’s Dakota’s mate and one of the sweetest women that you could ever meet in your life. She’s always made sure we had the best of everything when we came here for a girl's day.
All three of us had gotten mani-pedis done, as well as our hair and make-up. We were there for about 4 hours. We talked with all the ladies at the salon at their different stations. The atmosphere was full of laughter and smiles. That’s the best thing about coming from a tight pack. Everyone knew everyone and loved each other. I was the last one to get my hair done. The girls told me to get something done like I was going to prom. I don’t know why. But I went with it. It doesn’t hurt to look pretty once in a while. Lainey was a make-up guru and when she turned me around to look in the mirror and the finished product, I was in awe. She never let me down. If she had a toga laying around, I’d look like a goddess. I hope Rhett likes how I look. He’s going to wonder why we got all prettied up for nothing.
“Thanks for everything today, Lainey. You and the rest of the girls are miracle workers. We feel amazing and look amazing. You’re the best! By the way, who footed the bill for us? I’m just curious.” I said.
She smiled. “We took care of it, honey. I think you and your friends deserve it. I hope your men love how gorgeous you three look.” She winked and waved at us, sending us on our way.
Hazel and Athena looked runway ready. They had their phones out, taking selfies. Typical females. I rolled my eyes. “Are you two done now. Can we go? It’s been too long since I’ve had my mate’s arms around me. Plus I haven’t heard a single thing from him. It’s odd.” I said pulling my keys out, getting ready to stick one in the ignition.
“Yup, let’s go. It’s time.” Hazel said and then her eyes went wide for some reason but quickly recovering by acting like she was doing something important on her phone. Athena rolled her eyes at Hazel.
“Time for what, Hazel?” I asked curiously. They’ve been acting strange.
“To go and see the guys. We haven’t been picking on them enough today. It’s time to head back and annoy the shit out of them, ya know?”
Athena laughed. “Yup, typical Hazel. Loves to pick on the guys. Especially Finn. I noticed you two are getting cozy.” Hazel blushed and waved it off like it was nothing.
I started the truck and drove towards home. “So you and Finn huh. You two are a thing? Why didn’t you say anything? That’s crazy!” I said with a higher-pitched voice than I intended. Looking in the rearview mirror to see her face.
“Well, it’s new. I always thought he just saw me as his alpha’s annoying little sister. But then one day, we started flirting and it never ended. He’d always make cute little comments on how pretty I looked or how I always made him laugh and smile. So we’ve just been going with the flow. Not really labeling ourselves. But we have a crazy pull to each other.” Her cheeks were red. I’m surprised you could see the redness over the amount of cover-up she had on. Her brown hair was pulled up into a tight high bun. She had nude-colored make-up on, making her look very natural. Her brown eyes were deep and boring into mine when I looked in the mirror at her, still in shock over what I was hearing.
“Maybe you two are mates, wouldn’t that be the coolest thing!?” Athena squeaked.
We talked about her and Finn the whole ride home. They do make a cute couple, they’re always picking on each other. By the time we got home, it was dark out. The outside lights were all on, but everything in the house was dark. Odd. Rhett’s Jeep is here. Maybe he’s at Finn’s or Jackson’s. I barely had the truck in park when the girls bolted out of the truck. What the hell. They quickly ran into the house.
I grabbed my purse and stuffed my keys and phone into it. Slowly following the girls inside. The house was still dark. I opened the door and there were candles lining both sides of the stairs leading to the second floor, going all the way up into the hall. Is this what the girls were excited for? I set my bag down next to the door and followed the candles up the stairs. They formed a path, leading to Rhett and I’s bedroom. I opened the door and there were lit candles everywhere. Rose petals littered the floor in the path of the candles, leading to the bed. On our bed laid a beautiful little black dress. Next to it was a note. It read:
Dear Scarlett,
Please do me the honor of being my date tonight. I picked this dress out specifically for you. I know it will compliment your gorgeous body perfectly. After you get yourself dressed, walk barefoot out of the house and through the backyard. Your path will be lit. Just follow the light baby girl. Come to me. I’ll be waiting.
With love, Rhett.
I quickly did as he asked. I slipped out of the clothes I wore today and put on the dress. It was perfectly form-fitting. Every one of my curves were hugged by the fabric. It had lace sleeves with swirly designs in the lace and came down mid-thigh. A little short, but it was gorgeous. It had an open back and the dress barely covered my butt. It was v-cut, so it came down between my boobs. Showing a lot of chest. The combination of my dress and everything the salon did, I could barely recognize myself. I looked like a whole different person. But I liked it. I looked pretty. I felt pretty.
I made my way downstairs and to the backyard, It was pitch black out. The outside lights of the house lit up the yard up to the woodline behind the house. The stars were out. It was a gorgeous night. Finally, I pinpointed a path that was lit by more candles. Walking to the path in the woods, I felt the cool earth beneath my feet. The grass was soft against my skin. It felt good. Reaching the path, I noticed it went quite a ways into the woods. I had yet to venture this far on the property. I followed the candles down the path. It weaved through the woods. Darkness surrounded me. But the moon lit up the woods enough to where it was comfortable. I heard crickets and grasshoppers. The wind rustled the leaves. It brushed against my skin, like a cool blanket. The scents of the woods filled my nostrils. Freeing up every bit of stress that clouded my mind.
All of a sudden my ears picked up a sound. Almost like a whisper in the wind. It was a whisper in the wind! It was Rhett.
“Scarlett. Baby, come to me. You’re so close.” he said quietly.
I followed the path and the voice of my mate. I came to the end of the path. Darkness. No more candles. What the
…
And then there was light. It was at the beach. I was standing at the edge of the woods. Sand was at the tips of my toes. There were tiki torches with stringed lights attached, made up into a huge circle. In the circle was my mate. He wore a button-up dress shirt. Black pants that were folded to just below his knees. His hands were in his pockets. His hair is tousled in the wind. A smile on his face. His eyes glistening. Then he held out his hand.
“Babe.” He said with intensity.
My heart was about to explode. I walked up to him. Enjoying the feeling of the sand between my toes. I reached out and grabbed his hand. He brought me close. Breathing in my scent, he smiled. “You look absolutely fucking stunning, Scarlett. How did I get so lucky to have the most beautiful and strong woman on the planet? I hope you know you hold my sanity in your hands. That’s a pretty big deal. I’m vulnerable to you. I love you with every stitch in my being.”
Before I could say anything, music started playing out of nowhere. It was all around us. He wrapped one hand around my waist, and held my hand in his other one, to the side. We started dancing. I started beaming with happiness. I laid my head against his chest. His heart was beating twice as fast as it usually did.
“Baby, are you ok..”
A howl in the woods behind me startled me, I let go of Rhett, to turn around to see if I could find the wolf. I stared for a second into the woods, but couldn’t see anything. When I turned around, Rhett was kneeling on one knee, a black velvet box open, showing a one-carat princess cut diamond ring. It was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen in my life. That must have cost him a fortune, what was he thinking!?
“I loved you since the day I laid eyes on you. I love the fire in your soul. I love the fact that no matter how hard life tries to deal with a shitty hand, you always keep your head held high. I love the way you love me. The way you love everyone around you. I love the way you put every single person in your life ahead of yourself. You’re the most selfless person on the planet. You’re so gorgeous that you blind the gods. You have a laugh that brings me to my knees. When you touch me my nerve endings start to catch fire. You have brought so much light and adventure to my life. Yes, we have been through a great deal of pain as well in the short amount of time that we’ve known each other, but I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side through it all. You’re my true mate and you hold my heart in your hands. I trust you more than anything with it. So now that I have confessed my undying love for you. I have a question for you. Scarlett Luna Steele, will you marry me?”
Blood Of The Cursed Page 12