Cherry“Yes, we are! And we've even got the paperwork done.” Nina couldn't hide the excitement in her voice. “Dylan got it done!”“He did?” I asked, shocked to hear that all their paperwork had been ready.“Yes. We're not doing this on a whim, Cherry. Every designer dreams to be part of the Paris Fashion Week; so do Kendra and I. We made this choice because we want to make a step forward in our designing career.” Nina held my hand tightly while looking into my eyes keenly.“Not wrong. And Seattle gets all the diversity that a designer needs. We cannot just spend all our life here in Berlin. It's time we go and experience this world for ourselves. And we enjoy working with you and Maisy. It's just so great that we got to work back together.” Kendra chimed in with her idea.After catching up with Kendra and Nina and having a lively conversation, I bid them goodbye.Just as I returned from the door after seeing my friends off, Fern popped her head from behind the sliding door that led to
Cherry"Morning!" Maisy greeted me the next morning as I stepped into the shop, her face glowing happiness."You had a good time last night?" I asked mischievously."Hey, stop making fun of me! Let's get down to the final check with everything. We'll fly to Paris tonight." Maisy feigned anger, ducking her head shyly.After we packed up the last dress to be exhibited at the show in Paris in the afternoon, Bill and Dylan arrived at the shop to drive us to the airport."See you in Paris next Saturday." I bid goodbye to the gentlemen as Bill's arm left Maisy's waist reluctantly.********After landing in Paris, we buried our heads in the exhibition stuff immediately. Flinging ourselves in the Fashion Week preparation for quite a few days non-stop, we finally got a big ready.Tomorrow was gonna all about final checks and rehearsals. Then the big night would just come.Kicking off my heels after closing the door behind me, I decided to treat myself to a hot bath.While I was indulged in the
Cherry “Cherry, you've got to see this! She's here!” Kendra greeted me in excitement the minute I arrived backstage at the show. “What's it?” I asked, snickering at Kendra making a fuss about everything. “It's Anna Wintour! She's here! The chief editor and brain behind the famous vogue magazine is here at our exhibition!” Overwhelmed with joy and surprise, Maisy and Nina came over, joining Kendra to share this amazing news with me. "Anna Wintour's here at my show?!" I mumbled in disbelief, taking my eyes off my colleagues and following their eyes towards the front row, where Anna was seated. "But she didn't reply to our invites. I thought she was declining us." Things just happened too fast. I still couldn't believe what was going on in front of my eyes. “No, she didn't. But we did send her the catalog of your works at the show together with the invite. Maybe she happened to flip through the pages and saw something special in your concept!” Nina chirped cheerfully. “Nin
Cherry I let myself in, noticing Dylan’s keys in the bowl on the table. My heart punched my chest like a jackhammer, overreacting to the fact that he was home. I dropped my own keys in the bowl with a clatter. A moment later, Dylan’s study door opened. Dylan filled the doorway. His shoulders were so broad they almost touched both sides of the frame, and he seemed to loom over me, even with the long hallway between us. I always felt overwhelmed by his presence. His dark eyes found me in the low light, and I fought to conceal how much his stare affected me. His strong features were so handsome, filled with all the rugged beauty of the Moon God that only our pack’s most talented artists could hope to imbue their sculptures with. I felt Dylan’s pull on me like I did the full moon. I wanted to go to him. My lips prickled as if telling me to use them as I wanted to. “Kiss him,” they seemed to whisper. If only... Instead, I stated the obvious, “You’re home.” He frowned. “Thought you wer
Cherry Worry crept through me. For what must have been the thousandth time, I wondered if there was something wrong with me. Dylan hadn’t shown any sign of being attracted to me. He didn’t seem remotely interested in me like that. He hadn’t even kissed me, and we’d lived together for a whole year. Heat flushed over my skin as one of my common fantasies played through my thoughts: Dylan’s tall, muscular form pushing through my bedroom door, his dark eyes claiming mine before he took me in his arms and kissed me. But that’s where the fantasy petered out as it so often did. After all, I didn’t have much experience in that department. Who was I trying to fool? I didn’t have any sexual experience. Nothing. Helplessness whirled through me. The truth was, since being told by our Alpha and Luna that Dylan was my fated mate, I’d grown up with the idea that things between us would just happen. It’s not that I’d intentionally kept myself for Dylan, but I suppose, looking back when I’d fantasi
Dylan I clicked the door shut to my study, running my hands through my hair in exasperation. Exasperation at Cherry, at myself, at this whole god-damned situation. For a moment, guilt kept me at the door. I thought of Cherry perched on a bar stool, eating alone in the kitchen. Her grey eyes washed-out and picking daintily at her meal. I almost went back. Almost. It wasn’t that I didn’t care about her. She was… What is she? The truth was I didn’t know anymore. But the hopefulness in Cherry’s tone as she’d said dinner was ready had knotted my stomach. It wasn’t at the thought of her cooking. Her food is always bloody delicious. I knew part of me would regret not sitting down for a bite. But it was what lurked beneath that simple offer of food. An important part of the mating bond was a mate’s desire to nourish the other. The more frequently I gave in to her cooking and ate with her, the more chance there was for the bond that was destined to exist between us to grow. No doubt, it
Dylan Again, I imagined the slender woman sitting in the kitchen, her long blonde hair and smooth heart-shaped face undeniably beautiful. It was why I couldn’t share a room with her, despite the hurt I knew it caused her. After all, I was still a hot-blooded male who saw how god-damned beautiful she was—every day. I didn’t trust myself to share a bed with such a beautiful woman and keep my hands to myself. I knew Cherry was only eighteen and likely hadn’t had any experience with guys. After all, from the age of eleven, she’d known she was destined to be my mate and the future Luna of the Starsmoon pack. She deserved her first time to be with someone who truly cared for her. And although I found her beautiful and desirable because of my parents and the future they’d decreed for us, Cherry came with too many trappings. I was a future Alpha. My future wouldn’t be dictated to me by anyone. Once, after a few beers, I’d confessed all this to Bert, my Beta, and friend. He’d advised me to t
Cherry Our whole pack was seated around a huge banquet table, draped in crisp white linen and decorated with candles and flowers. A feast of rich dishes rested along the middle, which the pack had all pitched in to make, and were all enjoying now. Despite the festive mood, my own was strained. I sat to the left of Dylan. He was to the right of his father, while Heather sat to Chris’s left. I felt like Dylan, and I were supposed to be the mirror image of our Alpha and Luna, but creeping shame built in me. I couldn’t help noticing how often Heather leaned in to talk to Chris or patted her husband’s arm and other little signs of affection that marked the pair as a proper couple. Whereas Dylan and I had barely exchanged two words all night. Dylan mostly talked to his father about pack business. The only time I managed to speak to him was to ask if he’d tried the salmon or venison and other dull things. A sheen of sweat beaded along my forehead as I dwelled on what everyone must be thin