"Come on Carter, you know you want me," I say in my impression of a gummy bear's voice, marching my gummy bear across his shoulder. Still mad that he lost the bet and had to drive me to the store to spend my winnings, he smacks my hand away. "You're such a bad sport." I pop the gummy bear in my mouth.

After Cayton and I were finished with our wonderful day at the park, I came home and showed Carter the mark. Then crushed his hopes like a bug when I explained the technicality of the bet, and how I had won. He put up a good fight, but with Cayton on my side, he gave in and gave me my money. Today, I just felt like rubbing it in and forced him to drive me to the store.

"You poor soul. I must have caused you to go broke, huh?" I ask. Still ignoring me, he keeps his eyes locked on the image on the TV. Laughing at his behavior, I reach into the bag and grab another handful, shoving them in my mouth. "Want some?" I ask Cayton, who is sitting right next to me.

"Why not," he shrugs, and I hold out the bag for him.

"You should let Carter know how good these are," I say. Carter mutters something under his breath that I don't quite catch. I just roll my eyes and choose to ignore his most likely rude comment.

After some minutes of silence, someone knocks on the door before just walking in. Trenton comes in, and I frown when I realize Tami isn't with him. I miss that little fireball.

"Hey Trenton! I haven't seen you since... the last time I saw you," I say with a smile. It has been a while since I've seen him. "Where's Tami?"

"She's been sick lately. I think she caught the flu," he says. I find it highly unlikely that she's caught the flu in August, but I don't question it because he looks a little distressed about it.

Cayton and Carter both stand up. "Where you guys going?" I question.

"There are some things that need taking care of. We'll be back later Princess," Cayton replies, leaning down and kissing the top of my head. When he turns and starts leading Carter and Trenton out the door, I jump up.

"Wait! I'm not staying here alone," I say.

"You're not. I have someone coming over soon," he says. I shake my head.

"Can't I go to Tami's? I'm sure Trenton would feel better if someone was there with her," I say, looking to Trenton for permission. He looks to Cayton to see if it's ok.

"I don't know, I would be more comfortable if you were here..." he says.

"Please?" I beg with my puppy-dog eyes, knowing he can't say no. He groans as he realizes he can't resist my adorable face.

"Ok," he says, almost reluctantly. I smile and give him a quick peck on the cheek.

They drop me off at Trenton and Tami's. Their house is a modern looking brick house with a large oak tree in the front yard, with a cobble walkway leading up to the red door. To me, it seems like something that suits them really well.

I don't bother knocking and barge right in. "Honey I'm home!" I yell into the quiet house. The door opens up straight to the living room, so I stand there as I cluelessly look around for Tami. She comes out from the hallway, looking worse than I have ever seen her. It isn't that she looks sick, just unkempt. Her usually straight red hair is piled up into a messy bun on top of her head, and she's in a pair of wrinkled pajama shorts and a tank top.

"Alexis? What are you doing here?" she says. She sounds as normal as ever, which makes me further question her so called 'flu'.

"Coming to check on my sick best friend. And how is she?" I ask, almost accusingly. I've been blessed to have never caught the flu, but I've seen my mother when she caught it, and this is certainly not what she looked like, although Tami does look tired.

"She's just fine. How are you?"

"Swell. So, what exactly is wrong with you?" I ask, pulling her into a quick hug.

"Ugh, I've been throwing up for the past four days. And I just want to sleep all day," she groans. I rub her back in a soothing manner and lead her to the couch.

"You and I both know this most likely isn't the flu," I point out.

"Well maybe it is!" she snaps, taking me by surprise.

"Uh..." I search for a reply.

"Maybe I'm so fucking amazing that I catch the flu in summer!' she continues. I look at her in bewilderment, wondering where this sudden anger came from. What happened to my sunshine and rainbows chick? Now that I think about it, she has been a little moody lately...

"Yeesh, who lit the fuse on your tampon?" I ask. Complete mood swing moment, she sighs and slumps down in her seat.

"Sorry, sorry. I've been a little moody I guess," she says.

"No kidding," I mutter, though she hears me. She gives me a glare and I hold my hands up. "I was just agreeing. Besides, I know your time of the month can do that to you. I want to rip someone's head off when I get cramps," I say.

"It's not my time of the month," she sighs.

"Then what's wrong? You don't really have the flu, do you? Are you upset that your hair is losing its red luster?"

"It is?!" she says in a panic, grabbing some loose strands from her bun and inspecting them.

"Of course not! It's still as fiery as ever!" Truth be told, it does look a little dull, but I'm not going to be the one to tell her that. "So flu or no?"

"No, that's just what I told Trenton. I want to surprise him with the news soon."

"Surprise him?" She stares at me as I slowly piece the information together. Throwing up, fatigue, mood swings, and the fact that she wants to surprise Trenton. And I guess the fact that she has her hand resting protectively on her stomach is a pretty clear indication.

"You're pregnant!" I gasp.

"I would have thought you would have figured that out faster," she says, lying out on the cushions as if this had taken every bit of energy from her.

"Oh my gosh! This is awesome! I'm going to be an aunt to a little fire baby!" I cheer. We can only hope it inherits Tami's hair color.

"Yea, yea, but if you tell Trenton, I will kill you," she threatens. I know better than to challenge a moody person, speaking from experience, so I nod my head. It's not like I would tell him anyways.

This is so exciting! Despite the mental images that pop in my head, and a replay of the horrible 'Miracle of Birth' video from high school, I'm excited. Your best friend having a baby is almost better than having one yourself. All the benefits, without the pain of labor.

I mean, you can spoil them, get them all jacked up on sugar, and at the end of the day, send them back. That's why people like other's kids so much.

"We have to think of an amazing way to tell Trenton!" I declare.

*****

And so, a little over a week later, the barbeque party is here.

"I hate it. No. No. No. Hate it. Ugly. Why the hell do I own this?" I say aloud as I continue throwing clothes out of the closet. How hard is it to pick out the perfect outfit for being presented to a werewolf pack as their Luna?

Apparently pretty friggin' difficult. Everything I find is either too casual, too dressy, too boring, too extravagant, or too revealing. What does one wear to these shindigs anyways? Cosmo doesn't exactly have a section for finding the perfect outfit to meet the pack.

I pick up a red dress that's just the right length, but it fits like a second skin. I don't want to wear something risqué, so I throw it to the misfit pile. On top of being presented to everyone, I'm meeting Cayton's parents, and helping to prepare the food. Therefore, I have to find another outfit to do that in. And I'm nervous as hell about meeting his parents. Especially if my not so stellar cooking skills are going to be displayed to his mother; who is helping cook as well.

I groan aloud in frustration, kicking a nearby empty shoebox. After all that shopping Tami forced me to do, I can't find a single decent outfit? I wish I were a guy; this would be so much easier. Jeans and a nice shirt, run a comb through your hair and you're done. How freaking lucky can you get?

I decide right then that I hate men.

Lucky bastards.

"Find anything yet?" Cayton asks from behind me, coming over and wrapping his arms around me from behind. I sigh and lean into him, momentarily forgetting my dilemma.

"No. I hate everything."

"What about that?" he asks, pointing to the red dress I had just contemplated wearing.

"Uh-uh. Too show-all."

"Then why not this one?" he walks in front of me and pulls a dress off a section of the rack I had failed to tear through. It's a cute strapless white dress, with black patterns printed all over it and a black belt going around the waist. How the hell did I miss that?

"Give me that," I yank it from his hand, frustrated that after an hour of searching, he just waltzes in and finds something off the back. He chuckles as I walk pass the pile of discarded clothing options. "Now find me something cute that I can cook in, and meet your parents in."

"Why can't you just wear that?" he asks.

"Because, I don't want to get food on it, but I still want to look cute since I'm meeting your parents first, but not too cute, because like I said, I'm cooking in it." He looks at me with a confused expression, and I shake my head. He just doesn't understand how important an outfit is in this scenario.

Leaving him to decrypt what I just said, I walk into the bathroom. The mirror is still fogged up from the shower Cayton had just taken, and the idiot got the floor all wet, causing me to slip and fall. How graceful... I say sardonically in my head.

I fall painfully on my butt with a girly shriek. Fan-freaking-tastic. "Cayton Marshall Setters!" I yell.

He comes in immediately and looks down at me on the ground, before he bursts into a fit of laughter.

Oh, so he thinks this is funny huh?

Asshole.

I grab onto his leg and pull it forward with all my strength, causing him to lose his balance on the wet floor and fall next to me with a thud.

"What the fuck Macy?" he groans. I smile angelically and grab onto the bathroom counter to haul myself up.

"That's what you get for laughing." I dust off his shirt I'm wearing and lay a towel to soak up the extra water. "Now get out," I order.

"You're not the one who gives the orders here," he says seriously, getting off the ground with ease.

"Out," I point to the door as a signal for him to leave. He gives me a hard look and crosses his arms over his chest.

"I'm not going to be ordered around by you." I roll my eyes at his whiny behavior. I don't know if it's a Cayton thing or an Alpha thing, but he can go shouting out orders left and right, but the second you tell him to do something, it's a whole other ball game. Double standards much?

"If you want to keep me here you will," I say just as seriously. I'm already frustrated with picking out a stupid outfit and him laughing at me, added to the frustration of my nervousness. I don't need him being a stubborn ass on top of that. I'm already a hot mess, one snap away from a reserved spot in an asylum.

His face drops immediately and I think I probably should have said something else. I sigh and run a hand down my face. "Cayton, I love you, I'm not leaving. But seriously, I want to look decent if you're presenting me as your mate."

"And I have to leave because...?"

"Because I'm about to try this on," I say, holding up the dress. He continues looking at me as if waiting for me to get to my point. "And I don't want to change in front of you."

"Why not? I change in front of you all the time." It's true; Cayton is definitely not shy about that. But I am. I don't care if I'm his mate or not, I'm not exactly comfortable getting undressed in front of him just yet. Yet.

I don't know how long that 'yet' is going to apply. Ever since he marked me, the sexual tension has gone up about thirty notches between us. Just the littlest things he did were turning me on, and it has taken a lot of willpower to not jump his bones. It isn't a matter of whether I'm ready or not—I am, but I'm so freaking nervous that I feel queasy just thinking about it.

I mean, you want to be good for the person you love, right? Moreover, I already know Cayton has had some experience, while little virgin me has no idea what the hell to do. Therefore, the only thing keeping me from finishing the whole mating process is my nerves. I know, I'm acting like an idiot, but I really can't help it. Everyone gets insecure from time to time.

"Can I just get changed in peace? Plus I'm mad at you for laughing at me." I could care less right now, I have more important things to freak out over, but I don't want to explain to him why I want him out. It sounds ridiculous, even to me.

"You know I didn't mean anything by it. I don't like it when you're mad at me." He crosses the small distance between us and pulls me into a warm embrace. Really, I don't know how I can be mad at him. I can never stay mad, no matter how hard I try.

"I'm not mad, I just... don't feelcomfortablegettingchangedinfrontofyou," I jumble the last part together in hopes that he won't understand me, but he does. He holds me at arms length and gives me a crazy look as if I had just told him there's a purple penguin in the bathtub.

"You're not comfortable changing in front of me?" he questions. I look down at my feet and shrug.

"Don't tell me how stupid it is, I know. But... It's not even worth explaining. It's not you or anything it's... well, it's your experience," I admit quietly. It sounds stupid outside of my head, but it's how I feel and I can't really help it.

"My experience?"

"Yes, your experience. I just can't help but think that I'm not as good looking as other girls you've been with, and that they have a better body than me and I don't want to be a disappointment to you and-"

I'm cut off when Cayton kisses me softly. It's just a simple kiss, but like I said, the sexual tension between us is through the roof and it has some very profound effects on me. It starts with a burning need in my stomach and slowly spreads to more intimate areas.

Basically, I want to rip off his clothes off.

He pulls away before I get to though. He grabs my chin between his thumb and index finger gently, lifting my head so I'm looking directly into his eyes.

"No girl ever, or will ever, compare to you. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid my eyes on. I don't want you feeling insecure over some stupid flings from when I was a teenager. I'm sorry you feel this way, but I promise you that you're perfect and any girl from back then was forgotten as soon as I met you."

I can't help but smile. I know he means every word, I can tell by his eyes. I don't know how to respond though. I'm not use to romance, and I'm almost sure that the only time Cayton is romantic is when he has help from others and TV. I love that though; I don't want my relationship with him to be all sappy and mushy.

"You're just saying that because you want in my pants, aren't you?" I tease. He chuckles slightly and kisses my forehead.

"No, I'm saying it because it's true." With that, he lets me go and turns to leave the bathroom. "Now hurry up so we can get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow," he reminds me.

"Yes, Alpha," I joke. He shuts the door and I change into the dress. The steam from the mirror is gone so I can see myself perfectly. The dress hangs to about mid thigh, and the top of it fits perfectly, the rest flowing out. It seems like the perfect dress for a summer meeting-your-werewolf-soul mate's-pack party.

Now I just had to find shoes that would go with them, and an outfit to cook in, that's nice enough for a 'meet the parents' situation.

Great.

*

At four o'clock, everyone is coming over, and we have a lot to prepare. Cayton's parents are coming earlier to meet me though. Plus, his mom is going to help cook enough food for everyone. We have to make enough to feed two hundred people.

Over two hundred people.

Not to mention the fact that just about every one of them eats enough for three. So a bunch of people from the pack are coming over earlier as well to help cook.

After worrying yesterday about what I would wear, I'm woken up by Cayton telling me his parents are here to meet me. Last night, I decided I would have time to pick out something to wear first, before his parents came. Apparently, I was wrong.

"Did you know they were coming this early?!" I ask while frantically rummaging through the pile of clothes for something appropriate to meet the parents and cook in. I thought I would have had time to get ready, not have to meet them as soon as I woke up.

"Yes. That was the plan," he says. I stop looking through the clothes and turn my head to him slowly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I say calmly.

"I-"

"Now I have no time to find something to wear! Come one Cayton, you have to tell me ahead of time!" I roar, then resume my search for something to wear.

I'm a nervous wreck. Never, in my entire nineteen years of existence, have I been so nervous. This is a lot of pressure. What will happen if they don't like me? What if they think I'm not good enough for Cayton? What if they demand that he leave me?!

I would have to kill them.

I'm running different murder scenarios through my mind when Cayton comes up behind me and picks me up off the ground.

"No! I need to find something to wear!" I screech, flailing around, trying to get back to the pile of clothes. They are essential in a meet-and-greet. It's one of the first things you notice about someone, and if you look less than pleasing, you are sure to be judged right away.

I have to look good. If I have to bite my way out of Cayton's arms, I will.

"Princess, calm down."

"Calm down?! I need to find something to wear!" I'm going crazy, that's for sure. I must look funny, halfway off the ground in Cayton's arms, trying to get away to attack a pile of clothes. God, this is nerve-wracking.

"Princess-"

"LET ME GO!"

"Princess, my parents are right there," he whispers in my ear. Immediately I stop and turn my head to the door. Sure enough, a man and woman are standing there. The woman is looking at us with amusement, while the man has a serious look on his face.

He's definitely Cayton's dad. They are the spitting image of each other.

"Oh, hi..." Way to make an impression... Cayton puts me down and I straighten out my—well, Cayton's—shirt and quickly run my hands through my hair. "I'm sorry you had to see that," I mumble. "Someone didn't tell me you were coming this early." I shoot a glare to Cayton who looks at me with innocent wide eyes. Jerk.

"Oh it's so nice to finally meet you!" his mother suddenly squeals. She runs over and pulls me into a bone-crushing hug.

"You too," I wheeze. This woman has freakin' super strength!

Oh wait... Werewolf.

Forgot about that.

She finally lets me go and I take in a big gulp of air that I was deprived of for that five-second hug.

"Oh where are my manners! I'm Lisa, Cayton's mother." She holds out her hand for me to shake.

"Macy," I say, shaking her hand. "And I'm sorry I'm so poorly dressed."

"Oh it's no big deal. Just like his father, he don't understand that we need a warning ahead of time."

"Exactly!"

Cayton comes to my side and wraps an arm around my waist. "Well let's take this little party to the living room shall we?"

"Let me put some pants on first..."