Disaster starts with an N

~Dante~

I found my right foot tapping on the floor restlessly as if it couldn't wait to see the drama unfold. This is not me. I still my leg, the door to the shop chimes its greetings as Ollie steps in. Kiki must have spotted him through the glass windows. When, I'm not entirely sure. I was giving any attention to her.

Ollie turns to me, the second he closes the door. Offering a bow, which draws a snort from the queen of divas. I thought Lynx was a princess when she was three. Telling everyone what to do with sentences that you could only understand parts of.

She was never this-

Ollie's eyes shift to Noelle, feeling more relaxed that he has done his part in greeting me. Although I didn't return it. I do acknowledge them sometimes. Depends on how my daughter woke up that morning. And what story I read to her. Dad life. Your kid is a mood changer.

I snort internally, realizing my moods are mostly two. Empty and Empty.

Kiki pokes my forearm with her thumb, my eyes are fixated on Noelle. But I made a gruff note to allow her to speak.

"Aren't you worried? She's going to be your wife soon. People will talk if she sleeps with Ollie."

I can hardly keep my lips thinned. It laughable if I had to honest with myself. Noelle....of all....I don't know her at all, but I do know something. She is fucking unbearable.

'Watch.' Is the command I give to the gamma, and she does so. Staring straight ahead, as Ollie's 5'5 form clonks his old ass over to Noelle.

A man in his late sixties, and not a single piece of dignity in his worthless bones. The only reason he's here, is because he poses no actual threat and there is no place to send him. I could contact a pack, but most aren't taking in people anymore. All, actually, with the exception of Nikolai. The dean of bastards. And I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

He clears his throat, and taps the back of Noelle. I almost burst out from trying to contain my laughter.

"The fuck was that?!" She spun, almost slapping Ollie in the head with the thick bottom of the gown. At some point, she had grabbed it again. He manages to evade getting a concussion. Noelle frowns, but she doesn't notice him.

"Black is a good color, Luna, I'll make it for you."

"Can you change it to jeans?"

"No!" Louis argues, and Noelle parts her mouth ready to fire back some retorts. I can hear every thought in her head. And some, I'm not sure where she would have learnt them.

Ollie's mind is perverse arcade. He's scrutinizing Noelle with stupid hunger. I don't understand people's obsession with the human body. The hips. The curves. They go crazy when they see a figure considered attractive. It's just something I have never understood. Till this day.

People are irritating.

"Excuse me." Ollie starts, an easy way to break the ice.

Noelle pauses, her neck cranes- strands of mixed colored hair rolls over to the side and I swear Ollie suddenly reeks of pheromones. Her nose catches the stench too, but she doesn't know what it is.

Still innocent, I mutter idly into my mind. Somehow innocent to somethings.

"Do I know you?" She runs her crescents up and down his suited body. Making notes of everything she didn't like. And what's strange, is how she compared him to me.

My lashes move up and down, kicking the confusion away.

"Not yet. Are you here with your husband?"

"I'm not married."

"Soon to be husband?"

"Somewhere around here."

Kiki stifles her giggles, and Louis just veers back to enjoy what's happening. Ollie isn't even shy that he has an audience. And Noelle, well, she is irritated by being in the dress.

"Well, his loss. May I introduce myself?" He reaches for her right arm, pulling it free from underneath the dress and dropping a kiss to it.

She raises an unimpressed eyebrow. Noelle draws her hand, and stares at it before wiping the spot off with a piece of lace attached to the dress.

"If you're asking, my answer is no."

He straightens up, seeming more determined now.

"Ok, I understand. But I'll tell you, I've never met a woman like you before. Beautiful. Stunning. And you shouldn't be angry while trying on a dress for your special day. I can give you something your husband can't."

"A brain tumor?" She continues wiping her hand without looking back at him. While the rest of us struggled not to laugh out loud. I heard the faint trump of a whistle, and blanketed my expression. Shifting a bit of me out to do a sweep over the pack. I have people for this, but I get ansty when things like this happen. The man that summoned the birds was a warning of danger. Noelle can smell it before it comes. Something I don't possess. I need to be on my toes least I rely on her.

Feeling nothing but an omega whistling for her pig.

I drew back into the present, to see Noelle frown so hard.

"Oh I understand. You're a creepy fuck. Trying to get your hands, and spit on me. It's bad enough, I have to wear a dress. Then I have to marry that-" Ollie's posture switches to a frightened deer, he throws me a despaired look and I wave my fingers at him. He'll be fine. I wonder what he did wrong. "You didn't see the obvious mark on my neck. This giant mosquito bite that has blended into my skin like a separate virus. Well, that is okay. I am great with people. I can show you just how good my hands would feel on you body."

Again, that defensive crescent flickers out. Ready to strike and protect the Luna at all cost. The flash of purple has me barreling out of the chair before her fist can even touch him.

A thud lands next to me as my hand clasps over her eyes. There's a burn, something cutting at my fingers trying to get out. I know Ollie is simply unconscious. I should be sorry for letting this happen.

"What the fuck are you doing!?!"

'Smart mouth. Shush, and listen.'

She does, which is a great relief for me. Her breathing steady into a rhythm, but her mind is running rampant with insults.

A minute crosses by before I think to take hand off, and Noelle's eyes are in less violent. They still hold a glare, but they can't slice through the skin of a person, leave their imprints, and- hmm. The lengths a marked Luna can go.

She shouldn't be this easy to trigger. Lunas, as far as I've seen from my visits to a Nikolai's pack over the years. Are calm beings. Or maybe it was abuse.

Fuck it.

"What the hell was that for?"

I shrug my shoulders, moving to returning to my seat. With some plan of causing problems, Noelle shoves a foot. Bad idea for a woman in a mountain for a gown, I don't like it either. It doesn't look good on her. My arms spread on instinct, cupping her lithe form before her neck grazes my chest.

'Why are you so clumsy?'

She blows out, bits of her hair flying up and coming right back to their spot on her face. She looks deranged.

"I am not clumsy. You stepped on my dress."

'I didn't. You did that on your own.'

"No, you stepped on my goddamn dress!"

I switched my hold, latching my fingers into her hips instead and jostling her about in the air. She shoves her fingers into my bicep as she screams for me to put her down. I note the growth in those nails.

Those weren't there this morning....

I slowed my torment, bringing her every inch closer until our bodies are pressed firmly against each other. Her nipples harden beneath fabric, pushing into my chest.

My mind isn't even on that. Or the sudden way her body melts into mine. Or the waft of her obvious change in scent. No, my attention is ridden into my arm. And from a close up inspection, I can pick out claws. I feel the need to research this but there is no information out there. No internet either.

No one to confirm what I already know. Lunas cannot shift. That means they can't have claws.

How is this possible?

"You tore my dress."

With disbelief, I release her. Not paying that much attention to what she's saying. She can't be harmful, can she? There have been lunas before her. Fifty years have gone by. No one has mentioned their Luna having claws or even showing any wolf related signs.

Every Luna is different.

I peer to her finger this now, they couldn't break through my skin so no blood laid underneath the flesh. They're back to normal.

"Hello. Is he wiped or something?"

"I'm kind of stuck on the knocked out man. I wonder if we should call someone." Kiki's voice brings me out of my thoughts, and worries.

'Take him to a doctor. Louis, do you have all the measurements you need? I need to pick up lynx.'

The sun is surprisingly still pouring its hot rays down, and I'm sure the time is clocking seven. Another thing that isn't unusual. I told Noelle the virus didn't affect the weather. That is true, to some extent. Some things about the earth are slightly different.

"Yes, Alpha. I'm done. I will contact her once I have the um...dress, ready for testing. Hopefully she likes this one."

Noelle throws him a crude finger and marches the exact way she did when she went off to try the dress. Clomping her feet to announce her hate for it.

I rubbed my face, and caught Kiki slugging Ollie out of the shop with effort. It would take some time. And if I had to guess, she'll find someone to do it for her when she gets tired from pulling him. He's not heavy or anything, kiki is just lazy.

When Noelle returns, we exit the tailor's shop. I'm not allowed to pay for anything, and I mean this as I said. They refuse to let me trade something or work in return for what I get. Something about being the person to give them a home.

It's touching.

Noelle has her hands fitted into the pockets of her jean short. Micah scurries after us, I wouldn't allow her into the shop. For obvious reasons.

And seeing the smile that cracks through Noelle's frown does nothing to calm my worry. There is something wrong with her. Not in the way I've been saying for days. Her body reacted badly, forcing me to mark her. And now, there are easy triggers. Signs of claws. What's next.

I eye her, seeing her lean into Micah as she walks and hugs the dog's neck. Her mood is lighter, maybe I can convince her to take a dip in the waterfall.

"PAPA!"

Happiness runs through me, washing my worries, every negative feeling for now. I crouch, allowing Lynx to jump into my arms like the hyperactive girl she is. I press a kiss to her cheek, and smile.

"Daddy! You'll never believe what we did today. I played rock, paper, scissors with Milo, and he got upset because he thought rock could beat paper. And then we talked about it, it made sense." She went off like that, giving me every detail about her day. Stopping for a moment, not to catch her breath, but to say hello to Noelle and Micah.

We walked home together, and I was fully aware of the people watching us. My mind refused to dwell on anything but Lynx. Her cheeks splitting into a happy grin as she explained her new favorite color. This is my happiness.

For her alone, I'll continue to protect us. So I need to understand Noelle, without letting her know. Or triggering her. She believes I'm evil. And plotting to turn her into a slave.

That could be of use to me.