Three days passed full of fleeting moments that blurred all together. Piper had dragged me into a routine of having breakfast on the porch with her every day so far. We had kept the chatter rather open and non-personal, but today, I decided I needed her help with something.

"You keep fidgeting. What's going on?" She wondered, sipping her coffee.

I groaned. "Is it that obvious?"

She snorted, nodding as she set the mug down. "You cannot hide your emotions very well."

I frowned, wishing that I truly could because it would've saved me a lot of hassle growing up. Sighing, though, I shrugged my shoulders and stared down at my tea.

"I want to get your advice on something..."

Her eyes narrowed. "Something... bad?"

Rapidly shaking my head, a small laugh escaped my lips. "No! Not entirely bad... Potentially... No, just fun. Nothing bad."

"Okay..." She hummed. "What is it?"

"You know Asra is keeping me at a distance... Well... I tried to escape, tried to run, but he caught me." I began, just as her eyes bugged out and her mouth opened to protest. "I know, I know, stupid me, I get it. Basically, he caught up to me, and wouldn't let me leave when I wanted to. He explained to me the concept of no-man's-land and rogues, and threatened me it would be my demise, so don't worry, he already beat you to that."

She huffed, crossing her arms. "I would not say that..."

"Sure." I smirked. "Anyway, we got a bit... heated. He told me I was a claimed female, yet I would be nothing more than a thorn in his side. Then he said I would get bored with this place with no meaning and go running to him, like cat and mouse, before spinning around and asking me about my bleed. He left a package on my door that night full of pamper products!"

"That's so cute!" She squeaked.

I shot her a look that quickly had her lips sealing shut. "It's all part of the game."

"Game?"

"The cat-and-mouse game." I nodded, sipping my tea. "He sees this as a game, a challenge. He thinks I am going to bail out and run away."

"But you're not." She gave me a pointed look.

"I'm not." I agreed. "I realised that life is good here. I could live here freely. I just... I need to one up him."

"And you thought... I would have some ideas." She finished.

I nodded. "Yep."

"Well, Miss Ailia, you have come to the right place." She grinned.

I licked my lips with anticipation, eager to hear what she had to say...

***

"Are you sure about this?" I grumbled.

"Ailia... Is the sky blue?"

I made a point of peering out of the nearby window. "Of course."

"Then there is your answer!" She beamed.

I sighed, running my hands down the too-short dress she had forced me into. Now... this morning... when I thought about going to Piper for advice, I did not expect practical nudity to be one of them. But by the time she had dragged me into her room and locked the door behind her, I had no choice.

"Oh, come on! It's going to be priceless!" She giggled. "All the chicks do this in the movies!"

"What's a movie?" I muttered.

She squeaked in horror, hands coming to grab my elbows. "Oh my gosh, I need to educate you. You cannot be a Luna without seeing at least one chick-flick."

I nodded with wide eyes, taking her desperation seriously. "Noted."

"Anyway, as I was saying..." She tutted, wiping her hands down my forearms. "It is over twenty-four degrees in the middle of spring. There is no better time to wear this dress."

"What if I burn?" I mumbled. "I need sun-cream."

"What's that?"

I gave her a small smirk. "Who's uneducated now?"

She grunted, pushing me towards her bedroom door. "Trust me. If there is one thing Asra cannot resist, it is a woman's legs and ass in a short dress."

"That's a peculiar thing to like... Very specific." I muttered, crossing my arms against my chest.

The dress she had me wearing was dark green. It had thin spaghetti straps that lead into a frilly v neck, showing way too much boob than I liked. The V-neck ruffled down in a diagonal until it met the seam against my right leg. It didn't have to travel far, the hem of the skirt only just skimming my thighs and ass. I was sure if I was to bend down, everyone would see my undies. Now they were another story... If a piece of string could be even half the length of a story, that is.

"You'll be perfect." She gushed, pushing me into the elevator.

One thing I had kept myself was my hair down and flat shoes. We compromised, and despite her having feet two sizes bigger than me, I wore some of her platform sandals that increased me to her height.

She had primed and pampered me, plucking stray hairs on my eyebrows and waxing the natural hairs from my body. I have never been so sore in my life, used to using razors or even a shaving knife when it came to getting my legs out. So now, not only was I far too naked, but I was shiny and fresh, too. Like a new toy for the wolves to play with.

The only addition to this adventure was that I forced Piper into a short dress, too.

I would not be the only semi-nudist here.

I grunted as the elevator came to a stop, my stomach churning even more than it already was. Piper grinned, brushing half of her hair behind her back and looping her arm through mine. Piper was a gorgeous woman, and I was sure I looked like used potato skins beside her.

Chuckling at my imagery, I fell into step with Piper. She ignored my amusement, used to my random currents of thought by now. We made our way down the corridor and through the empty dining room. Since it was due to be hot for a change, the wolves had gone for a hunt last night, ready for a barbeque today. It seemed the norm, having a barbeque in nice weather. I had never had such an exquisite roast before, usually cooking over a gas hob or fire pit in the garden if it was a party.

"Here we go." Piper breathed as we stepped into the scorching summer sun.

I winced, raising a hand to cover my eyes as they adjusted to the bright outdoor light. Piper's grip tightened on my elbow as we made our way to my group of friends. There were low whistles as we passed that had me fighting back a blush, unused to being spoken too in such a way. Unless, of course, it was Piper they were talking about.

"Well, what do we think?" She gushed, stopping at the foot of the picnic table.

I dropped my hand to scan the various expressions of my friend group, amused by their confused yet shocked gazes. The men actively avoided looking any lower than my face, or in Everett's case, not at all. I had spoken to the guy maybe twice, so I did not mind his avoidance in the slightest.

The four girls were gawking at me. Eve and Eliza both stared at me wide-eyed, Eliza's eyes scanning the details of my dress whilst Eve, and even Olive, openly avoided doing so. Mya, however, did not hide her actions. Her eyes running the length of my body as she nodded in approval.

"I like that." Mya purred, shooting me a wink.

"Of course you would." Eve tutted. "What's with the get-up?"

"I know. It's getting that ass, isn't it?" Mya teased. "I knew you wouldn't last a week without falling into his bed."

I rolled my eyes. "Hilarious."

"Have you got sun-cream on?" Olive muttered.

The sound of her voice startled me. Her usual quiet and reserved persona meant she often blurred into the background. I gave her a soft smile and direct eye contact as I shook my head.

"Piper doesn't know what it is." I gave the latter a pointed look, to which she huffed.

"I have some. The pharmacy sell it, next time you go into town, it's by the counter." Eliza piped up.

"Thanks." I nodded.

"Stay out of the sun." Olive muttered.

"I will." I laughed.

She blushed but gave me a small smile, and I cast a look to Everett to see him staring down at her with wonder. The look in his eyes was so full of awe and contentment that it caused a strange pang of something to rumble in my stomach.

"Right, we will go get some food and show off this lil' bod of hers." Piper sang.

I glared at her, but she just giggled and pulled me away once more. I stumbled after her, gripping her hand tightly in my own. Coming to a stop by one table, she handed me a paper plate with a tender smile. I cast a look at my surroundings, finding at least half the pack here already and the table before me full. There were four barbeques on the go behind the table, small clusters of wolves gathered round cooking the foods and topping up the table.

"What do you fancy?" She wondered, cocking her head.

I scanned the contents of the table, the smells all enticing but overwhelming. I didn't know what half of the things here were, and it caused an unneeded amount of stress.

"Remember, just ask me." She mumbled.

I nodded gratefully and together we navigated the table. Sometimes she would just point out the foods she chose or those nearby, her finger hovering over the enormous platters. I ended up with some satay chicken, a small beef burger with cheese, and a potato side with salad. It was probably more than I could handle, but it looked the best on there.

Before I could even reach for a drink, I felt the suffocation of power come into the courtyard. Don't ask me how I knew, but I did. It was like every nerve ending came to life, standing on end and searching out the perpetrator. Piper must've noticed because she bristled, glancing over her shoulder before dropping her mouth to my ear.

"Okay, he's here. Ready?" She whispered, her lips gracing my ear.

I nodded, shakily inhaling. Intimacy, something I struggled with, but he wanted to know if I was comfortable here, then he would get a taste of just how comfortable. She moved away to grin at me before passing me a can of cola, her fingers lingering on my skin.

We turned around, ready to seek the table. I tried to keep my eyes ahead of me and not let them stray to the stoic figure of Asra. I could feel his eyes burn into my skin, see his tense stance from the corner of my eye. Sitting down at the table beside Piper, I was almost facing him directly. I still pretended he wasn't there and opened my can of drink instead.

After the initial fizz, I lifted the cool metal to my lips to drink, the bubbles dancing in my mouth. Piper's hand came to brush half of my hair down my back, exposing my neck and chest. Leaning in close, her fingers lingered behind my ear as she giggled.

"He is staring so bad." She whispered.

I couldn't help it.

My eyes flickered up from the table to find his. They locked instantly, his blue darkened to an eery midnight black. He was about fifty yards away, his fists and jaw clenched as he stared at me.

"Smile." Piper sang as she moved away.

I smirked, lowering the cup to reveal the rest of my body that was hidden from view. His eyes dropped, taking in every piece of my bare skin. I felt goosebumps rise on my arms, the hairs at my nape standing on end. The energy from his weird wolf bond magic was thrumming with attention. It has never felt so alive, but then again, I haven't seen him in a few days. Perhaps the magic missed each other...

Dropping my gaze from his body, I picked up my fork and picked at some of my potatoes. Eventually he moved, going to get food from the buffet table before standing off to the side beside the cooks. I felt his eyes on me most of the time, hard pinpricks branding my skin. The table fell into silent giggles and chatter, mostly small talk or gossip from other packs. Apparently, there was going to be a pack wide hunt soon, one that I could attend if I had, and I quote, a wolf to ride.

Once we finished with our food, I went to rise from the picnic bench as usual, only to realise a breeze too late that bending to get out backwards was not the right movement. A loud growl sounded around the courtyard and all the wolves fell silent. Before I could move any further, a large hand grasped my under arm and pulled me from the table.

****