Chapter 9

Rosemary

“So, I’m a werewolf as well?” I asked, my voice shaky, trying to make sense of the impossible.

After watching Nathaniel transform before my eyes, my mind buzzed with a thousand questions, none of which seemed to have simple answers. This wasn’t something you could just accept.

Nathaniel sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Yes, technically. But your wolf is asleep right now. It’s been that way since you were young.”

“Asleep? Like, what does that even mean?” I muttered, still trying to wrap my head around the idea that there was… a wolf inside me, somehow.

“Yeah, I know it’s a lot to take in,” he replied gently. “It’ll take time for everything to sink in, but you don’t need to understand it all at once. Right now, we should get you some clothes. You can’t keep wearing Grace’s stuff forever.”

I glanced down at the outfit I had on - the tight shorts and low-cut top that made me feel like I was wearing someone else’s skin. It was hard not to feel out of place, as if I didn’t even belong in my own body anymore. My mind was spinning, but I nodded. “Yeah, I guess I can’t keep this up,” I admitted.

Nathaniel led me to the house’s third floor, his hand guiding me in that familiar, steady way, though everything else felt so… alien. We stopped at a door, and he knocked gently. It swung open a moment later, revealing Grace - a tall, dark, and gorgeous woman who looked like she’d stepped right off a runway. She was stunning, with legs for days in a tight miniskirt and impossibly high heels. I immediately understood why my current wardrobe looked the way it did.

“Hi! You must be Rosemary,” she said with a bright, welcoming smile. “I’m Grace. It’s so nice to meet you, sweetie!”

I blinked, overwhelmed by her energy. “Hey… just call me Mer, please,” I muttered, feeling small compared to her radiant beauty.

“No problem, darling! I already grabbed Ethan’s credit card and called a driver for us. This is going to be so much fun!” she chirped, practically bouncing with excitement.

Fun? How could anything be fun right now? But before I could even protest, Grace had ushered me out of the house and into a sleek car waiting outside. The ride to the mall took about an hour, during which I mostly stared out the window, trying to process everything. But it felt impossible. My life had turned upside down, and now I was being taken shopping like some kind of… a normal person? It was surreal.

When we finally arrived at the mall, Grace wasted no time dragging me into the fanciest designer stores. My eyes widened at the price tags, and I immediately refused to buy anything. But Grace was relentless, making me try on jeans, tops, and, of course, high heels. I ended up picking a few items, mostly jeans and shirts that I could tolerate, but the heels? Definitely not.

As we moved through the stores, I relaxed just a little. I even caught a glimpse of a Hot Topic and made a beeline for it, grabbing as many band T-shirts as possible. I knew it wasn’t Grace’s style, but it was mine, and it made me feel like I was holding on to a small piece of myself. Afterward, she convinced me to buy what she called “normal” people’s clothes - stuff like dresses, skirts, and a few swimsuits. I reluctantly agreed. I had nothing else, after all. We even stopped at a cosmetics store, where she helped me pick out some makeup.

When I pulled out my own credit card to pay, Grace shot me a look and handed the cashier Ethan’s card instead. “Trust me, he won’t even notice the amount we’re spending,” she assured me, her smile dazzling.

I bit my lip, feeling guilty. Spending someone else’s money made me uncomfortable, but Grace seemed confident that Ethan wouldn’t care. I made a mental note to pay him back, somehow.

After hours of shopping, nearly six, to be exact, we finally took a break for lunch. Grace and I, along with our driver Leon (who I learned was actually a guard for the pack), sat in the food court, munching on burgers and fries. Given the circumstances, the normalcy of it all was strange, but somehow comforting.

As we finished up, Grace turned to me, her eyes bright. “I had so much fun with you today!” she exclaimed.

I smiled back, though I still felt a bit overwhelmed. Grace was the kind of person who could light up a room, and her enthusiasm was infectious. “I had fun, too,” I admitted, surprising myself. “Thanks for helping me shop.”

“No problem, darling!” Grace beamed. “You’re going to fit in just fine here, I promise. I only wish Dylan were here so you could meet him, but he’s away on a trip.”

Dylan - her mate. It was strange hearing the word ‘mate’ so casually thrown around. The concept was still so foreign to me. But Grace seemed so natural about it, as if the idea of werewolves, mates, and packs was as ordinary as breathing. Part of me wondered if she could sense my confusion, if she could read my thoughts. Could werewolves do that? I have no freaking clue.

“Maybe when he gets back,” I replied, offering her a smile as we headed back to the car.

When we finally returned to the house, Nathaniel was waiting for us. He helped carry all the bags to my room, quietly watching me as I organized everything in the closet. His eyes were intense, like he was searching for something, some sign of how I was holding up.

“Are you okay?” he asked after a long pause, his voice low and full of concern. “Like, really okay?”

I paused, looking down at the pile of clothes I was folding. Was I okay? Could I even answer that honestly? My life had been turned upside down in the span of a day. Everything I thought I knew about myself, about my past, had been ripped away. But there was a strange part of me that felt… calm. Maybe it was exhaustion, or perhaps it was the fact that I didn’t have the energy to keep fighting.

“I think I will be,” I said finally, my voice soft but steady.

Nathaniel nodded, something in his posture relaxing as he stood up to leave. He gave me one last glance, as if trying to read me one final time, before stepping out of the room and quietly locking the door behind him.