Bookstore princess

Chapter 8

James

Nadia was a bit late getting back to her spot at the store. We had gotten into light conversation, and I had finally made her laugh a few times. It was like my soul had become lighter by the sounds of her laughter. When I left the store, I grabbed two more coffee's to last the rest of the day, although I have a feeling Steve or I will be coming back before closing. Jenny's coffee is addictive to be honest, and I'm a fan of the magic train express when it isn't as sweet and creamy. Steve likes sweet and creamy, and I made sure it was made that way. It has a lot of kick to it, and I love it.
"Hey Alpha, are you even listening?" Sam asked while we are on video call with him in our penthouse suite.
"Yeah buddy, I'm here" I come back to the present. "You said something about packing everyone up and being here in a month," I told him.
"Close. I said some of them are starting their trek up in the next few weeks" Sam grinned. "What's got you so preoccupied?" he asked. We had grown up together, and would have been my beta if Steve would have gone and started his own pack, which is why he feels so comfortable being so forward with me.
"His mate," Steve said easily.
"Oh you found yourself a she-wolf?!" he asks hopefully.
"No, she's human" I say, and in the back of my head Fang says "for now".
"Oof, that's rough man. I'm sorry. Don't move too fast" he reminds me.
"It's going glacial," I groan.
"He did sneak into her apartment as Fang, and we set up cameras" Steve offers almost immediately. "Now she's always asking about Fang," he grins mischievously.
"Oh you've got it bad" Sam barks a laugh. "I can't wait to meet the future Luna of the pack" he says after a moment. "She must be a catch. What's she look like?" he asks.
"She's got these stunning blue eyes, a fair complexion and long wavy dark brown hair. She has curves for days that fit my body perfectly. She's a little shorter than me. She's very smart. She runs a bookstore and coffee shop with her two best friends. She has a cat named Melody. She has her mom that lives a bit further away. She reads a lot. I've been reading the same books, they are all werewolf romances" I grin happily. "And they are pretty accurate" I add quickly.
"My mate Maria is going to be over the moon with the news" Sam smirks.
"I haven't exactly told her what we are yet" I say a little softly.
"That's fair man, you don't have to yet. We aren't there, although it will be weird when the little ones keep calling you Alpha in town. I looked the town up on the internet. Looks pretty cozy to be honest. I'm looking forward to the change. Some of the older wolves aren't so keen on the move," Sam tells me.
"Tell them they are free to stay, but they will no longer have the protection of the pack any longer. We have to move due to all the fighting and the rogues. It's only fair to keep the pack safe" I tell him, my mind still preoccupied with my mate Nadia.
"I doubt anyone would stay to be honest. You know how they can be. Mainly stubborn and they don't like change. But they will do it because the rest of the pack is going too" Sam sighs and I notice finally that he has bags under his eyes.
"Anything else I should know about?" I ask him and he looks surprised and then tilts his head to the side in submission.
"We've been having issues with our pack borders getting breached. It's like they can smell when you're gone. We've been running extra teams, and getting rid of the ones that get past the border, or we put them in a cell, they have been attacking more frequently. I just haven't been getting as much sleep" Sam admits and I frown. Under any normal circumstances, I'd be on the plane to the pack right away, but my Nadia is here. She wouldn't get on a plane to come meet the pack, she doesn't even know I'm a werewolf!
Steve puts his hand on my shoulder and gives a small squeeze. "I'll be back in the morning," Steve says.
"Steve?" I asked him, a little shocked he offered so easily.
"Our future Luna is here and there are rogues around. Besides you have a date" he smiles kindly at me and I try not to show my relief.
"Thank you," I murmur softly.
"Once they are all done sniffing around the pack, I'll be on the jet back to your side" Steve assures me.
"Tell the pack that Steve is coming, that should help with any concerns they are having" I look at Sam through the camera.
"You got it," Sam nods.
"Get some sleep buddy, you look like you need it" I tell him before signing off. He nods but then the screen goes blank.
"Want me to go check to see if those rogues came back? I want to grab another one of those coffees too" Steve offers and I'm pinching between the bridge of my nose.
"Yeah, I'll come with you. The coffee shop will close soon" I say, standing up.
"Hold on Romeo, twice in a day might start setting off some alarm bells. I'll see if I can sneak a picture so you aren't looking at her on black and white" Steve chuckles.
"Yeah, you're probably right," I nod. I don't like it, but he's probably right. Steve puts on his black suit jacket and makes his way out of the penthouse door. I'm standing there toggling between screens on my phone to watch Nadia in the store and check the outside as well. It looks like Jacob is busy on the floor helping people find their treasures, and Jenny is trying to clean the tables and counters between customers. Nadia is helping a steady stream of customers at the front cash. There's no way they aren't making a good profit. Maybe they need a silent partner to bring in some staff. There's no reason to be working twelve to fourteen hours a day without a little help.
I watch on the screen as Steve arrives and he goes to check the side of the building first, before shaking his head and heading inside. He heads to potions and there is no lineup. I watch as he takes out his camera and takes a picture of Nadia with her back to him, and tries again when she's to the side. He had done it so fast that no one seemed to notice. I see him go on his phone again and my phone pings with the new images. I grin like a fool. She's perfect.
I watch back on the screen again as Steve goes and buys a newspaper and takes the flower with a nod of his head and comes back out of the store and heads to the car. I finally go back to pack to the pack emails that were sent, and emails from other packs we are going to be dealing with on a regular basis

Nadia

After work I'm exhausted. There had been steady streams of customers all day and my only reprieve had been the visit from James. His brother came in later and bought a few coffees and a newspaper, and I found myself mildly disappointed that James didn't come in himself. Then again, it's probably just as well. We didn't exactly have the time for me to take a quick break when he came by. Although knowing how lovesick I feel around him, I would have tried to find the time. I'm excited for our first official date tomorrow, and can't decide on what I'm going to wear. I've been wearing a lot of dresses because it's summer, and it's easy to choose what to wear this way. But I want tomorrow to be special too. Something he wouldn't expect. I head to the closet after eating a hearty supper with Melody and look to see what I have. We are supposed to be doing a lot of walking, and I don't feel like dealing with the chub rub between my legs if I go with my jean shorts. I've caught him looking at my ass a few times, so I consider the leggings, but that feels too dressed down. I find a pair of dark blue skinny jean capris that would be perfect with my red converse sneakers. I then pull out a white sleeveless blouse that I can undo a few extra buttons for, and a long flowy floral cardigan. I put the outfit in the bathroom to change into after my morning shower and head downstairs to get some cleaning done. It takes a while, and it's close to midnight by the time I'm done. Even the dishes are done, which seems like a miracle. I didn't get the second floor started yet, but I'm too tired to keep going. Jacob and Jenny are coming in the morning, and I don't want to sleep in.
My music has been playing nonstop since I finished work, and I'm just noticing now that the battery is almost dead. I head up to my room and get undressed down to just a tank top and panties before slipping into bed. I stop only momentarily to plug in my phone, leaving the music to continue playing.

I wake up to the sweetest little text from James that says "Good morning <3" and I feel like today is going to be a good day. I do a small dance in my bed before writing back "Good morning <3" and I get out of bed. Melody meows her discontent that her human heater is moving, but then quickly realizes that it's breakfast time. I head downstairs in my panties and tank top and start raiding the kitchen to make a quick breakfast and a cup of tea. Melody is already on the table waiting for me to fill her dish, which I take a moment to stop and do. My body is on autopilot, but what I really want to do is text James if he wants to start the date early. I know I have prior commitments, but I'm just so excited to see him. I make some fruit, yogurt and cereal blend, with a cup of Earl Grey tea, and quickly eat before running back upstairs for a quick shower.
I take the time to really deep shampoo and condition my hair, and use Japanese Cherry Blossom soap on my body. I made sure to shave my legs and armpits and get out only to hear both Jenny and Jacob downstairs in my apartment. I'm a little embarrassed, I didn't even hear them come in. I quickly towel off and put my hair in a second towel before getting semi dressed. I just need a little more time to make sure that my makeup and hair is done. I really want to knock his socks off if I'm going to be honest with myself. I am just wearing the blouse and capris when I run back downstairs to see my two best friends waiting, and there's a cup of coffee on the coffee table waiting with some paperwork.
Time to get to work!
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