Family and Fashion (Cole's Point of View)

I jumped into the shower for a quick clean-up afterward, knowing that the time on the phone with my parents had eaten up time and Declan was probably foaming at the mouth and cursing his bad luck for being stuck with a diva with no sense of time. His words, not mine. Under other circumstances, I wouldn't care so much about wasting his time, but we had ice cream deliveries to make around town and I was excited by the prospect.

Twenty minutes later I took the elevator from my suite to the vast compound where Declan was chatting with one of the truck drivers. He walked to me when he saw me approach, a thin smile on his face. "Finally! The man of the hour has graced us with his presence. You look great, Boss, if you don't mind my saying so. Quite well-dressed for our ice cream adventure."

I have known Declan long enough to know he was being extremely sarcastic as he looked at my pink Gucci pants and confetti designer T-shirt, topped off by Balenciaga trainers. He was annoyed by my tardiness and I didn't even know why since he should have been used to it by now.

Nobody who knew me expected me to be early for anything. The only thing I did on time was to post on my Weregram page, and even that was pre-programmed.

I bent to scoop up Cookie, who had come barking happily to me when she had seen me arrive, and turned a charming megawatt dimpled smile at the truck drivers. "Hello, Gentlemen. I'm Cole, and I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting. I had an important call with my parents I simply couldn't put off. They both send their regards, by the way," I added to Declan, who flushed slightly when he caught my implication.

I was so glad I could put the blame on my parents because now he felt bad for having bad thoughts about me because of my delay.

I smiled some more as the other men fell over themselves to reassure me that they didn't mind waiting at all, that they were at my disposal all day. When they went back to their trucks to follow Declan and me, I threw a triumphant glance at Declan. He just scowled in disapproval, unimpressed. "Stop using Omega charm on them, Cole. You don't need any more people falling in love with you."

I laughed and followed him to my current favorite vehicle, a custom purple and black Tesla. He opened the passenger door for me and went around to the driver's side to start the car after we had both buckled up, Cookie yipping happily on my lap.

"Honestly, Declan, you need to relax and loosen up. Isn't that stick in your rear getting uncomfortable?"

He ignores me and the burst of laughter I let out when he turns on the music in the car in an attempt to shut me up.

I gave Cookie a few kisses and settled her down comfortably on my lap to pet her leisurely.

We were about to pull out when another car drove in, making Declan stop and wait. I waited while the car packed to the side and my cousin Boris and his mate Ruth climbed out and approached our car. Declan muttered something under his breath I knew was unfavorable.

I sent him a warning glare. Declan and Boris didn't get along for whatever reason.

Cookie barked in greeting when she sighted the familiar faces while I unbuckled my seat belt and turned off the music.

"Ruth, my love, you look fabulous! Those Prada pants you're wearing hug your figure so perfectly, and are those the latest LV pumps you're wearing?" I gushed when she was close enough. I have a deep appreciation for fashion, and I loved my cousin's mate.

She blushed and turned around for me to see her outfit better. "Coming from the Fashion King himself, that's a great compliment, thank you," she said with a grin, then added, "Those pumps are from you, silly. And yes, the new collection is awesome, isn't it? Oh hey, Cookie. How are you doing girl?"

"I did?" I asked with a confused frown while Cookie answered the greeting with yips. I didn't remember sending her those.

"Of course. I'm on your list, remember? They always send me new outfits from any collections that you like."

I grinned when the confusion cleared. I always forgot that I had her name under my account in various shops and they regularly sent her stuff I didn't even keep track of. And not because they didn't notify me, but because I had put Declan in charge of handling all those pesky details.

I could hear Declan muttering more disapproving words under his breath but I ignored him.

"You look absolutely fabulous. Make sure my undeserving cousin takes you out on a date. All this beauty cannot go waste," I advised her, and she laughed in delight, sending Boris a sly look.

Boris sends me a mock glare. "I'll thank you to stop putting ideas into her head and making her ego bloat even worse than it already is." He dodged an elbow in the ribs from his mate with a laugh and nodded at Declan, who nodded politely back. "You guys on your way out? And what's with all the ice cream?"

"He got gifts from followers because he was craving ice cream last night," Ruth answered before I could. Ruth was one of my most ardent followers. In fact, she was a fan before she met my cousin through me. She was gamma while Boris was an alpha, and they made a very beautiful couple.

"Yeah, I've got awesome fans, right? We're going to share the ice cream in the schools and the shelters."

He nodded approvingly. "That's nice of you, Cole."

I shook my head with a laugh. "Not particularly. What else would I do with all of this ice cream? It would go waste otherwise."

"But you still thought first of people who lack, and that's admirable. Don't underrate your kindness."

I shrugged, not seeing it as me being kind. It wasn't even as if I had paid for the treats. The only thing I will pay for would be tips for the kind and patient drivers.

"You're a sweetheart, Cole," Ruth announced, and I ignore Declan's snort.

"So, what's up?" I ask, partly to change the subject and partly to see why they were here.

"We wanted to see Uncle Alec. Dad had some papers he wants me to deliver to him, and he also wanted me to find out when we can have the next family dinner together."

"Mom and Dad are on a trip but you can drop the papers in the living room drawer for him. I will tell them when they return. Do you want to come with me on the rounds or would you prefer to stay and make yourselves at home? You can stay in your suite after all."

My uncle and cousin had suites in the packhouse they used to live in before they moved out to their own house a couple of years back, but the suites were still theirs regardless.

"I think we'll say behind," Boris answered.

"That's fine," I agreed, "But before we leave, Ruth Darling, give me a nice pose and let me take some pictures for a later post on the latest releases."

Boris rolled his eyes while Ruth posed happily for me.

We said our goodbyes and finally pulled out, driving through the large gates out of the huge pack mansion into Kapress Town. I buckled up again and Declan turned on the music again.

Opening my Weregram page, I posted a selfie of Cookie and me with the caption, "Out to put some smiles on some faces," and smiled at the speed of the likes and comments. My followers are so amazing. Sometimes the speed with which they responded was crazy.

I happily went through my feed and liked a couple of pictures from my friends and other celebrities, commenting on a few posts here and there while Declan drove us to the first school with the ice cream trucks following behind us. Declan had called the places we wanted to visit in advance to tell them to expect us.

"Let's go share some ice cream," I think, excited.

I had amazing parents, a supportive extended family, a great werewolf pack, a successful blog, a dependable assistant, and no constraining responsibilities. Life was so beautifully good, and I sent a silent toast of thanks to the Moon Goddess, the strange conversation with my parents completely forgotten.