little one

chapter ten

*picture above is sebastian's cousin alessandra, she'll mostly be referred to as 'al' though

sebastians pov

After I managed to get Thea to eat at least half her meal she was practically bouncing. After I had told her we could turn the library into an office for her, that she could design herself, she was practically squealing with excitement. My heart swelled at her joy.

I will move heaven and earth to keep her feeling that way.

"Ok, Cutie. What do you wanna do now? There's a little bookstore not too far from here, and we can either go to the human mall for furniture, or we can shop online."

"Can we go to the bookstore? You don't need to buy me anything, I just wanna look." I just shook my head as we walked. Does she not know that I'd buy her the world if I could?

*

We get to the bookstore, and Thea starts to pull me in dragging me behind her. It was so cute to see such a little beauty being so bossy. I secretly had an ulterior motive, bringing Thea to the bookstore. It was run by my cousin Alessandra. Running the bookstore had been good with her. She enjoyed the quiet, and she like Thea loved books. I wondered what Thea liked to read? Let's be real, I wonder everything about her. She fascinates me.

"Little One, my cousin Alessandra runs the store, would you be OK meeting her?"

"Sure. Can we go now?" She huffed, stomping her feet. I couldn't help but laugh at her pouty face. It was the literal definition of a puppy-dog face. Gosh, she was adorable.

"Of Course, Little One."

My cousin's store was a small one, but it was wall-to-wall filled with books. There were stacks of books all over the place, and if you aren't looking where you're going, you'd probably fall.

"Al where you at?" Thea flinched at my loud voice, but before I could say anything she shook it off. I forgot about how sharp voices, and sudden loud noises, seem to set her off.

Al came down the stairs of the apartment above. She lived there for most of the time, but she still had a room at the packhouse. The amount of people around gets to her a lot, so I suggested the apartment when she asked me if she could run the bookstore in town.

"Geez Seb, you're gonna make me go deaf yelling like that. You know I hate when you do that." Though her words were sharp, her voice never strayed from the quiet lilt she'd had since we were kids.

"Sorry Al." I let go of Thea's hand to give my little cousin a hug. We were roughly the same age, and all our cousins were younger, so we got along pretty well. Thea reminded me of her in a lot of ways, hopefully, they might even become friends. Thea deserves to have girlfriends and to be a normal person. I wrapped my arms around Thea again, "So, Al, I'd like you to meet my beautiful mate, Thea. She'd like to redesign the library on our floor into her own little office."

She gasped audibly, "NO! You can't get rid of those books! That library was grandmothers!" I winced. I knew how sentimental Al was, and I didn't realize that my words probably did not come across the way I intended them to.

Thea reached out her arms, placing her hand on Al's shoulder, "No. I don't want to get rid of the books, I wanna make it into an office COVERED in books actually. Sebastian said you owned a bookstore in town. I love reading. I haven't been able to since... Well. Awhile. W-w-would you be interested in maybe he-lp-ing me?" Her confidence began to waver, as she asked the last question, but I couldn't help but be proud. Her confidence and strength astound me.

"Oh, I would love that! I'm sorry for jumping on you like that. It's really nice to meet you. So. We need to talk about more serious stuff." Thea looked like a deer in headlights, "Books. What kind of books are you looking for?"

I chuckled, "Thea, would you mind if I went to the park headquarters for a bit while you and Al talk? If you're not OK with that it's no problem. I've got guards on Al, so I'll make sure they're watching you guys, but if you're feeling anxious I'll stay, OK?" I didn't want to leave my little mate. I would spend every waking hour with her if it was humanly possible, but I also knew she needed people other than me. She needed a support system, she needed friends, most of all, she needed normalcy. Al was the perfect person to start with.

"Sure, Sebastian. I'll be OK. Don't worry." She seemed apprehensive, but I didn't want to push the issue. I didn't want her thinking I thought of her like a child I was babysitting. And, it wouldn't be healthy for her to use me as a crutch. I wanted our relationship to be real.

thea's pov

I was honestly shocked Sebastian left me with Al. He'd been practically glued to my side since I got here. I'm not gonna say I'm not anxious. I am. I was never good at making friends back home, and I didn't have any siblings or cousins. Al seemed nice, she was quiet, and her words seemed thought out carefully. A lot like me.

"So. Now that my cousin's gone I need to gossip. Is he treating you well? If he isn't I'll kick his ass. " She was laughing as she said it, so I knew she wasn't serious, but I couldn't help but feel happy. The conversation felt like something out of one of those sleepover movies. Something girlfriends would say to each other.

"He's great. He's very patient with me. He doesn't get annoyed with my anxiety." I probably spoke too candidly, but that's me. The girl who says the wrong thing.

"I always knew he'd end up with a mate like you. His opposite. His perfect fit. He has such a capacity to love, he's a protector. He needs to protect. I'm gonna be completely honest with you. I was diagnosed with Social Anxiety when Seb and I were teens. It's why I don't live at the packhouse full time. Seb was great with me, my parents didn't understand me. They didn't get why I didn't like being around people all the time, so I often stayed with my Aunt and Uncle, Seb's parents."

I was touched by her admission, I always wondered if I had some anxiety disorder, but my parents never wanted to stick me with a label.

"So... what kind of plans do you have for the library?" I was glad she changed the subject to something lighter.

"I haven't seen it yet, so I don't know what books there already are. That was pretty stupid of me. You've seen it before?"

"Oh, yes my grandfather designed it specifically for my grandmother. She loved to read. I know pretty much every book in there, so if you find a book here I can tell you if it's already there."

We launched into a deep discussion on books, and all of our favorites. We had very similar taste, and she was all-around fun to talk to. For the first time in a long time, I felt normal. I was making a friend, talking about books, making my life with my mate. I never thought it was possible. I honestly thought I'd die in that room. But, then Sebastian came. My knight in shining armor. Or I guess fur. Whatever floats your boat.

Sebastian eventually came back around dinner time. I begrudgingly left with him, after Al promised to visit tomorrow to help me with the library.

When we got home, Sebastian reheated some of the casseroles that Miss Daisy had sent with us, makings sure I ate at least half of it. We chatted as we ate, Seb talking about the pack business, and me rambling about books. It felt normal. We were just two mates talking about our day.

Eventually, I started to yawn sleepily. After all the craziness of the day, I was exhausted. Sebastian laughed when I yawned for probably the fifth time;

"Come on Little One, let's get you to bed." He picked me up, carrying me into our room. Instead of me having to ask him to sleep with me, he immediately wrapped me up in his arms, making sure to tuck the blankets snug around me. He kissed my forehead and snuggled in.

"Sebastian?" I whispered.

"What is it Little One?" His voice was soft as he cooed in my ear.

"T-thank you. For today. Just... thanks." I turned towards him kissing him on the lips quickly, and ignoring his look of surprise as I placed my head on his shoulder.

Thanks so much for reading!

-ej