Daughter of the Alpha

Chapter fourteen

"I can't believe I have to work today, on the day I discover what a little slut you are," Lily joked with a wink and unlocked the door.

The familiar bell rang out when they entered the little convenience store. AJ laughed at her and yawned, she hadn't had much sleep last night, but that was partially her fault, she knew, the rest of the fault was with Dylan, she decided with a silent grin. She grabbed a magazine from the rack and flipped through it, not expecting to find anything of interest in it, while Lily readied the till behind the counter. "Hey, I'm not a slut," she defended herself eventually, once the words sunk into her tired brain, even though she knew Lily meant it as a compliment. "I'm just... having fun."

"Yeah, sure," Lily said in a giggle, lifting the heavy bundle of that day's newspapers on the counter. "And I bet the next thing you're going to tell me is that you are only with him for the conversation." She cut the bundle open and started stacking them in the rack.

"I am," AJ said earnestly, sticking the magazine back in. Leaning her elbows on the counter she added, "He's a magnificent conversationalist. His strong words, his shapely opinion, the extra care he takes to bring up points just to make sure we go over the topic thoroughly, and the way he manages to hammer through his big, hard arguments only to leave me in a sweaty, breathless mess on the bed, tingling all over from our discussion. Oh yeah, he's a marvelous conversationalist," she said, drenching every word in innuendo. She winked at Lily who had frozen in the middle of stacking to stare at her in disbelief with her mouth hanging open. "I look forward to talking with him every night. Going over the subject continuously. Again and again."

"Who are you?" Lily pressed out, almost dropping the folded newspaper in her hand. "What happened to my best friend, the shy AJ who used to blush just whispering the word 'sex'?"

AJ shrugged and laughed. "I don't know, Lily." Maybe she had changed. Her father's words echoed in her brain again. Know your roots, know where you come from, and you'll know who you are. AJ hadn't a clue who she was anymore. She hadn't felt any different, but perhaps her time in the hut had made her a different AJ, but it wasn't until Lily mentioned it that she started to understand. Dylan was changing her, and she didn't mind at all. She wanted him to change her, wanted him to make her a new AJ.

Lily shook her head and packed away the rest of the papers. "Fuck, I told you to get it over and done with, not rub it in my face. You're making me jealous," she said and threw a crumpled up paper at AJ. "Unfortunately, Dave is more, uh, I guess, he's- I mean, not that he doesn't try, but-" She sighed heavily and continued, "His conversations are always a little short-lived if you catch my drift. But most of the time he is quick at picking up another topic though," she added sheepishly.

AJ laughed and picked up the paper that had bounced off her shoulder and threw it back. "Lily, Dave has been chasing you around the village for so long now. Ever since you let him hold your hand at the Yule ball a couple of years back. The whole pack knows he's head over heels for you. Jared may act like he doesn't see it but even he can't be this clueless." She laughed again when she saw Lily blush, who knew Lily could blush? "Isn't it about time you told him you are in love with him as well?"

Lily swatted AJ on the arm with a rolled-up newspaper. "Oh look at you, fallen in love and suddenly you're a love expert." AJ rolled her eyes at her and sighed with the most overbearing expression she could possibly give her. Lily shuffled her feet and confessed, "I like to keep him on his toes. When he asks me to accept his claim, I want him to be so nervous he can barely talk."

AJ shook her head at her best friend. "You are one evil wolf."

Lily bit her lip. "Do you think he will? Soon?"

AJ had seen the looks between those two, she had seen the way Dave was always falling over himself over Lily. She had seen the wanting looks he sent her, seen the desperation in his eyes whenever Lily danced with someone else or flirted with someone else. But AJ knew it was only to make him jealous. She had seen Dave sweat trying to have a serious conversation with her, seen him trying to get her alone. She nodded, grinning at her friend. "Yes. Yes, I think he will, soon. But Lily? Give him a chance to."