Alexa
"Hello, dears," said Sofia.
"Hello, mom," she and Michael greeted back.
"So?" she asked, questioningly.
"So what?" Michael asked.
"You look like you had fun. Alexa is practically glowing and-" she faltered as her eyes widened.
Alexa realized too late that the scarf she wrapped around her neck had come undone. The moment of silence was broken by Sofia's excited squeal.
"You marked her! Oh, I am so proud of my babies," she said, eyes already filling with joyful tears.
"Yeah, I did at last," said Michael, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"So that means you," her hand flew to her mouth. "When will I see my grandchildren?"
Alexa shifted uncomfortably.
"Dear, they just got here," said Jake, coming to hug her from behind. "Hello, dears."
They greeted back, silently thanking him. She looked at her other parents, wrapped around in each other's arms, safe in their own warmth. She looked at her loving mate and touched his mark on her neck, it was at that moment she promised herself that she would never let any harm come to them ever.
****
"This looks better," Michael said, handing her a violet, sleeveless crop top. It was half past two in the afternoon and they still haven't finished shopping. Michael has insisted on getting her new clothes, shoes, a make-up set, a phone and whatever he thought she needed.
She was looking through the racks of clothing, wondering why she need more clothes when he had already bought her plenty, when her gaze settled over a red dress. It had a V-neck with a sparkling fitted net until it reached her hips and hugged her curves perfectly, with a slit up to her mid-thigh.
She grabbed hold of it and she was about to turn around to address Michael when she saw an attractive lady, her blue hair in a delicate braid, swept over one shoulder. She was dressed as if to attend a funeral with bright red lipstick.
She saw her in the shoe shop and the phone shop, a few minutes after they entered.
Was she stalking us? she thought, but it's ridiculous. Why should someone stalk us? Yeah, as if you weren't happen to be a half vampire with you Alpha werewolf mate, her other part of the brain snickered at her. But she just shrugged it off, I mean she looked normal enough.
I haven't even seen her before. Who is she?
She was about to tell Michael about her but she was already gone by the time she looked again.
Am I hallucinating now? she thought, angrily and instead told him to wait, took the dress and headed towards the changing room. She knew that red was one of his favourite colours, though he denied it knowing she hates red because it reminds her of blood, which makes her thirsty. She put on the dress and took a double look.
Let's see what my baby thinks, she thought, smiling satisfactorily and opened the door.
Michael
He knew she didn't want to go shopping, telling him it's a waste of money. "But I only have you to spend my money on and expect more too. I don't have any kids still so it's all yours," he had said, loving the blush that spread through her soft cheeks.
He looked up as she stepped out and forgot to breathe. The red colour suited her and that dress was meant to show off her beauty. His gaze drifted and rested on his angel's face at last. The rush of affection he felt as he gazed at his Luna was beyond words. She looked back at him with a hint of playfulness. He knew that she saw him losing control. He couldn't help the growl that escaped from him.
Her pupils dilated as he grabbed hold of her and whispered huskily, "You better go and change that before I do something stupid. Better head home now and better take that dress too, we are buying it."
Alexa
He took all of her stuff and waited till she gets dressed. After paying, they skipped towards the coffee shop she went when she first arrived to take a milkshake.
"Umm," she moaned as the sweet taste swept over her taste buds, while Michael watched her with amusement.
"You feeling okay after yesterday?" he asked with concern.
Reflexively, she touched her neck, placing her hand over his mark, she smiled, "Of course. The hurt was gone even before the night was over."
He nodded and gazed at her with a look that almost made her tear up. There was so much emotion that her heart felt heavy.
"We better get going," he said.
"Okay," she said and took his hand.
They only went about five steps before Michael stiffened.
"What is it?" she asked, suddenly feeling a wave of dread.
"I smell them," he said, his eyes glowing.
She didn't need to think twice to know that he was talking about the monsters who killed both her mother and Carole Jackson. They both turned together in time to see that blue haired girl taking a picture of them and take off in inhuman speed.
"It's her!" She exclaimed, as she began to chase her alongside Michael.
"You know her?" he asked, frustrated.
"No," she hurried on, "I just saw her in the phone shop, shoe shop and dress shop."
"So literally she was in all the shops we went and you didn't think that it was necessary to tell me?"
"No, she wasn't in the coffee shop and how am I supposed to know she wasn't just a customer and it's just coincidence," she replied.
He groaned and put on his full speed but he wasn't much faster than her without shifting. And he can't shift with all the people around them. Since the time they got tired, they had already lost their blue braided hair target and her scent due to all the humans in the surrounding.
"A vampire stalking us? That's not a good omen at all," he said and grabbed hold of her. "We need to go. Now."
She didn't argue and followed.
"How come you couldn't smell them?" she asked to break the heavy, thick silence.
"In all those times in the shops, she was surrounded by humans, and the perfume she used was so strong that too long in her presence, I'd have sneezed. She probably had bathed herself in thousands of perfumes," he said, angrily.
"Are you mad at me?"
"I can never be mad at you, Alexa. I am just mad at me."
"Don't blame yourself. Please. You tried your best to catch her but she already had a head start and you couldn't smell her because of humans," she paused, "and me. Both for not telling you and my scent."
He stopped and glared at her. "Don't you ever blame yourself. It's not your fault and I can always tell you apart even if you were in a room full of them."
She surprised him by hugging him out of the blue.
"See. It's not our fault. We are not hurt. We'll sort this out together. Okay?" He sighed and hugged her back, calming down.
"Okay."
But she couldn't shake off the feeling that something is wrong here.