Chapter 421: Princess Is Back

The long night was finally over, and the three of them had made it back to their end of town.

Beam tossed her coat over her shoulder, stepped out into the night air, and started walking toward the brightly lit convenience store to find her girlfriend.

Kiara didn’t say a word to anyone, slipping into the dark and heading straight back to her mother’s house.

Princess remained in the driver’s seat, shifting into gear to go collect her family.

By the time Princess loaded everyone up, the four pups were completely knocked out, their small heads resting against the soft padding of the back seats.

They had to make a quick stop at the neighborhood convenience store to restock on essential household supplies before heading home for good.

Faye headed straight for the snack aisles, her eyes darting over the colorful plastic bags as she searched for her absolute favorite flavor.

Over at the front counter, Jacqueline stood behind the register, taking items from the conveyor belt and scanning them one by one, she was helping her sister while Tisha hugs her returned girlfriend.

Princess leaned her elbows against the front counter, her sharp eyes fixed entirely on the doctor. She watched every slight movement of Jacqueline’s hands.

Princess knew for a fact that this so-called saint had been present in the room when she went to visit Silviana in her study that very faithful day. What nagged at her mind was how a person could stay in a room that long without leaving a single trace of an air current or scent behind to reveal her presence.

"So, are you always with Silviana?" Princess asked, her voice dropping into a low murmur that barely carried over the hum of the drink fridges. "Because I just happened to see you around her."

Jacqueline offered a small, polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Her fingers kept moving, sliding a box of detergent across the red glass barcode scanner, waiting for Faye to return with her snacks so she could ring up the entire order.

"She is my boss," Jacqueline replied smoothly, her gaze staying fixed on the screen in front of her. "We hang around all the time at the hospital."

Princess tilted her head, her nostrils flaring slightly as she caught the subtle shift in the air.

"Why is your heart beating so fast?" Princess muttered, leaning in a fraction closer. "I’m not interrogating you. It’s normal to be a Petro’s mistress. My ex girlfriend had a mistress. It runs in the family."

She glanced sideways toward the far corner of the store, where Beam had her arms wrapped tight around her girlfriend, completely oblivious to everything else going on around them.

Beam caught the glance out of the corner of her eye. She stiffened, knowing exactly who and what Princess was talking about, but she kept her mouth shut and squeezed Tisha closer.

Princess turned her focus right back to the woman behind the register.

"You know the full moon is almost here," Princess said, her voice completely casual, "and I want to invite you and your sister-niece to join my shifting party in the woods."

She was testing the waters, trying to pry open the doors to the Brown family secrets deeper than she had managed so far.

Jacqueline didn’t pause her scanning. "Oh, our family always does the shifting alone. It’s a family tradition."

"My girlfriend and I could join," Princess pushed, resting her hand flat on the counter. "Beam is dating Tisha, and I am Beam’s best friend, so that makes me family. My girlfriend can come too because we always shift together."

Princess stared straight into Jacqueline’s eyes, watching for any telltale sign. She was determined to make sure Tisha and Jacqueline actually showed their faces out in the open during the upcoming full moon. Were-witches were notorious for avoiding the moon’s physical turn because their bloodline relied on sorcery rather than the primal wolf heritage.

Princess had been suspecting the Brown family of practicing magic, ever since Beam let slip that her girlfriend once described what it felt like to shapeshift under a full moon in a way that sounded entirely wrong for a real werewolf.

Before Jacqueline could formulate a second polite refusal, heavy footsteps padded down the tile aisle. Faye marched back up to the register, dumping a massive, overflowing mountain of chip bags straight onto the counter.

"Okay, I’m done babe," Faye muttered, wiping her forehead with the back of her hoodie sleeve.

Princess looked at the giant pile of foil packages dominating the register, then looked up at her girlfriend in total disbelief.

"Baby, you said you were looking for one bag of chips, the orange-banana flavor, and now you’ve emptied the shelves," Princess pointed out.

Faye puffed out her cheeks, sticking her bottom lip out in a heavy pout. "I want all the flavors. I love them, all of them."

"Are you eating this as dinner, or are you saving them for breakfast?"

Faye glared at her, shoving her hand deep into her hoodie pocket. "If you don’t want to pay for my chips, Princess, I’m going to pay."

She pulled out her ATM card, ready to slap it onto the card reader.

Before Faye could hand the card over, Princess reacted instantly. She whipped her own credit card out from her wallet and tapped it against the machine reader before Jacqueline could even finish tallying the items.

The machine beeped green.

Once Jacqueline packed everything into large plastic bags, Princess stepped forward and grabbed all the heavy handles herself. She straightened her spine, playing the part of a dutiful, protective Alpha carrying the load for her Omega.

They loaded the car and pulled out into the late-night.

While holding the steering wheel with one hand, Princess kept flicking her eyes toward the passenger seat.

Faye had already ripped open two completely different bags of chips, shoving handfuls of crunchy snacks into her mouth while staring out the side window.

Princess just shook her head softly, keeping her gaze pinned to the empty stretch of road ahead.

After a few seconds, Princess reached her right hand across the center console, extending her fingers to grab a single chip from the open bag resting on Faye’s lap.

Smack!

Faye swatted Princess’s hand away with a loud slap.

Faye shot a fierce, warning glare sideways at her driver, her jaw working furiously on a mouthful of food.

"Sorry," Princess muttered, pulling her sore hand back to the leather wheel. "I didn’t know you had started eating this much."

Faye swallowed, wiping a crumb off her chin with her thumb. "It’s because you were away from me, and I was sweating all night. It’s a good thing my friends kept me company at the gym. I hate it when you always get yourself into trouble. Just whenever you are in danger, can you please not get hurt? I feel the pain too."

Faye rested her head back against the leather, letting out a heavy sigh.

Every single stomach cramp, every random throb behind her eyes, and every wave of nausea she had suffered throughout the evening had been triggered directly by her mate bond reacting to Princess’s close calls with death.

"Sorry. I will keep that at the back of my mind," Princess muttered quietly.

As the car cruised under the orange glow of the streetlights, Princess’s thoughts drifted back to the dark cabin in the woods. She pictured the mother covered in bright orange flames, burning to ash inside her own drawn circle. She wondered what kind of raw, hollow pain that woman must have carried inside her chest every single day after her son’s life was ripped away.

Princess shifted her eyes up to the rearview mirror.

Framed in the small glass reflection were her four babies, completely fast asleep, their little chests rising and falling in rhythmic peace.

They were the sole reason she wasn’t that wild, killer monster anymore. They were her tether to sanity. Them, and the stubborn girl sitting right beside her in the passenger seat.

Ever since she let Faye close to her heart, the chaotic, violent edge in her mind had softened dramatically. She hadn’t even touched her prescription in weeks, yet her mind remained clear and steady.

Whenever the dark thoughts started creeping back in, all she needed to do was wrap her arms around her Omega, pull her scent close, and the noise inside her head would instantly vanish.

Princess turned her head slightly to watch her girl devour another handful of chips.

A sharp, distinct sound cut through the quiet hum of the car engine. It was a rapid, drumming sound.... a pulse hammering away at an unnatural speed.

"Babe, don’t rush your food," Princess said, her brow furrowing in genuine concern. "I can hear your heart beating too fast..."

Princess froze mid-sentence.

Her breath hitched in her throat. She stared intently at Faye’s chest, focusing all her refined Alpha senses on the sound.

The fast, thumping rhythm wasn’t coming from Faye’s heart at all. Faye’s pulse was steady, calm, and slow. The frantic, double-time heartbeat was coming from deeper inside her body.

Princess’s eyes went wide. She slammed her foot on the brake, yanked the steering wheel hard to the left, and executed a sharp, tire-screeching U-turn right in the middle of the empty avenue, speeding straight back toward the convenience store to make another purchase.