THE STRANGE AND MARVELOUS DREAM

20 FEBRUARY, SATURDAY, CONTINUED

The Lorents quickly joined us and Luna Edith and Mum finally got to use the ladies. Mum must have urgently needed it too, she completely forgot to make me go too.

I was left to gawk into the shop window of My Dream Cafe. There were so many types of cookies. Like the ponies in the shop, they were all special and named.

I caught sight of a big chocolate chip, peanut butter chip, and white chocolate chip cookie named Triple Chippie and fell in love. And then I saw a marshmallow and chocolate chip cookie called Cloudy Choc Drops and felt my heart sway. They weren't all chocolate chip cookies, but I was loyal to chocolate chips like this.

"What are you looking at?" The most perfect voice asked from behind me. There was only one person in this whole wide world whose voice sounded like the rumble of thunder or the deep of the sea. Only one person who could enter my personal space without alerting my wolf. (I still can't figure out how he was doing that lately.)

{Mate!}

Yes, Boo. If Mate was out to kill me, I would be dead by now.

But this was my mate. He would never hurt me.

Okay... I bet every other alpha in those tragic dramas had said the same. But this was different. Probably. Yeah... And that's how they died.

"Do you want one?" Mate asked. I hadn't answered him, so he had to follow my line of sight and figure it out myself.

"I need at least two." I informed him, wavering between Triple Chippie and Cloudy Choc.

"Why would you need two?" Mate sounded a little taken aback. Did I sound too greedy? How should I answer.

"Goddess is probably thinking of her sisters." Ki supplied.

Why would I be thinking of my sisters? Oh! Sabre wanted a pony right?

"Have you bought Savy's pony yet?" I asked.

"Apologies, goddess. I've only placed order for the handbags. Not the pony, yet." Ki smiled and then he explained that in each colored packlands, there were special edition ponies. The special edition in the Gold Packlands came with golden hooves and Ki had planned to purchase one of them for Sabre.

I nodded, "She'd like that."

"Would the goddess like to purchase a pony for Savy too?" Ki asked.

I wasn't angry at Mate anymore, so I wasn't trying to run up his credit card bill anymore, and I didn't think Savy would actually want a pony.

"Probably not." I said.

Mum and Luna Edith returned from the ladies, "What's this?"

"Souvenir for Sabre." I said pointing to the pony in the window and telling her about the special edition.

"What a lovely idea, Sam!" Mum nodded approvingly. Next thing I knew, Mum had floated into the shop and started chattig with the lady shopkeeper like they were long lost friends.

My Mum was every shopkeepers long lost friend who would buy a lot of things. Luna Edith smiled and followed my Mum. Every now and then she would ask a question too.

"Alphas... We need to be seated at the auditorium..." Delta Sebastian looked worriedly at the ladies.

"It's okay." Alpha James waved it off, " Don't rush them. It's not often that my Luna can enjoy herself so freely."

Ki turned to me, "Shall we, goddess?"

But Bell shoved him.

"She's coming with me." And then he dragged me into the shop.

"Sorry, Sam." Mum said, "I'll be buying the ponies for your sisters. Do you want one too?"

Eh? What? I wordlessly shook my head. In what way did I look like I wanted a pony?

Mum turned to Edith, "Will you help me match them?"

And then the two Lunas and Ki followed the lady shopkeeper to customize their pony.

I walked around the shop, Bell tailing behind me. Why was he following me? I'm not saying I disliked his attention, but it was kind of weird.

I found a shelf displaying plastic bead jewelry, there were matching necklaces for you and your pony. Okay! This was it. If I couldn't buy Sabre a pony, at least I'll buy her a necklace set. I picked the purple one because Sabre liked purple.

"Mum!" I decided to show mum before she discover matching necklaces too. I showed it to her, "I'm buying this for Sabre, so you can't buy it okay?"

"Awww..." Mum smiled, "It's lovely. You're such a good big sister. Are you getting a set for Savy too?"

No, Mum. There was no way Savy would want a matching necklace set with her pony. I didn't even think she would want a pony.

"I already got her a handbag." I said, but the three ponies being stuffed in the stuffing machine distracted me.

Mum had chosen a light blue pony with a dark blue yarn mane. And a white pony with silky blond curls. And a peach colored pony with red curls. No prizes for guessing who she would be giving them to.

"Do you want me to pay for that first?" Mum offered to take the necklace set.

I shook my head, "Ki can pay for it... On Bell's card."

Ki immediately reached out to take it off my hands, "Of course, goddess. Will there be anything else we should charge to Luna Bell's card?"

Opps... Hahaha. I forgot I wasn't angry at Bell anymore, but Ki certainly had an axe to grind. I glanced sheepishly at Bell. He only shrugged, "Sure. Do what you want."

"Luna Bell is so generous." Ki crooned.

"I was talking to my princess, not you." Bell growled.

I laughed at that. Mate arguing with Ki all the time was so cute. Omo. What did I just think? I blamed the mating bond. It really messes with you.

I took another peek at Mate and wondered if the mating bond messed with him too. Our eyes met and I quickly pretended I was just looking at something just behind him.

Walking over for a closer look, I found a display for collectable ponies in their respective commemorative boxes. There was the one with the golden hooves. It also had a golden sequinned body.

And then my eyes widened at the pink pony staring at me from inside a box lined with hearts. The Valentine's Limited Edition aka Sir Apollo Sparklalot!

"That's the Valentine's limited edition from this year." The shopkeeper came over to inform me, "It was one of our shops most popular designs and was sold out in January. Our shop is the only shop in the continent carrying it now."

I looked at the price tag. The collectable ponies were like three to four times the price of custom build ponies.

"I'll take it." Bell said.

Eh? Why would Bell want that?

This was when the lady shopkeeper explained that every pony came with a cookie and boba (and coffee for the adult). It turned out you couldn't buy cookies at this cafe. You adopted ponies, and get free cookies and boba.

Strange and marvelous at the same time.

Between Mum and Ki and the growing pile of pony size fashion on the counter, the lady shopkeeper was inclined to offer free cookies and boba (and coffee) to everyone - even the men standing outside.

So we ended up eating cookies. Boba was like milky tea with sugar - just the way I liked it, but cold with these round chewy ball things. I really liked it.

Ki went around giving cookies while the shopkeeper offered coffee to the others in paper cups.

Gamma Michaels raised a brow when Ki shared the cookies with the other Betas, "No wonder you don't come back, beta. Looks like they keep you well fed in Night Leaf."

Hn? Was this something to do with not eating while on active duty again?

Beta Gerald who was just about to accept the cookie hesitated.

"Go on." Beta Lucas said with his mouth full. He popped the rest of the cookie into his mouth and downed it with coffee, "Hoo man, it's a long night to go without dinner."

"Wolves with big bellies can't run." Gamma Michaels quoted. Another one of those old Lycan pearls of wisdom. When I was younger, I thought it meant mother wolves shouldn't run hard when they were pregnant since the women in our pack were always fussing over the pregnant ones. I've heard you couldn't even go to the buffet table at the pack hall without someone trying to help you carry your plate if you were pregnant - never mind run.

Now that Gamma Michaels was saying it, I suddenly realized it wasn't maternity advice.

Ki produced his beautiful smile, "The only organ that has expanded at Night Leaf was my heart."

The lady shopkeeper watched as Ki tapped the space above his heart and sighed dreamily next to me.

Ben got impatient or hungry or both. He came over to get his cookie from me. Hey! That's mine!

Gamma Michaels smirked, "Princess, if you spoil your betas, they will only overrun you."

Ben growled a low warning. His mouth was too full of cookie to speak though. But I got this, tbh, this Gamma was really rubbing Boo the wrong way. Since he started talking, all the happy cookie vibes had disappeared.

"My betas run faster and longer than any one." I told Gamma Michaels in no uncertain terms, "Wolves run further when they don't run empty."

Take that! See, I could do Lycan quotes too!

"Touché, princess." Gamma Michaels gave me a strained smile.

"That's enough Micheals." Alpha James seemed to be at the end of his patience too.

But Gamma Michaels couldn't just back down, "But Alpha, Ki should be standing on your side as his father did. Not playing with dolls and serving cookies."

At this point, Alpha James' wolf rose to the surface, "Is there something you are dissatisfied with, Gamma?"

Obviously.

"N..no." Gamma Michaels lowered his head in submission, "Forgive me, I misspoke."

"I do not want to hear you speak again tonight." Alpha James decided.

Ki proffered up the plate of cookies, "May I offer you a cookie Gamma?"

But Gamma Michaels only shook his head and retreated to sulk next to the flower shop.

I felt sorry for Gamma Michaels, especially since I could sense his frustration at his circumstances, his humiliation at his public silence... Why did Alpha James do that to his Gamma? Gamma Michaels was already running empty... And it wasn't just his stomach that was empty. His wolf was tired. Silencing him was just adding insult to the injury.

But he wasn't my Gamma. It wasn't any of my business.

The shopkeeper rang up all our purchases. She packed us a bag of cookies to go. She will make more after this. I looked at the two empty carafes - she would need to make more coffee too.

Bell shoved the pink unicorn towards me, "Here."

Oh. I took it, "Thank you."

Sir Sparklalot was back. No wait, I had to make sure. I opened the seal on the box and pulled out the toy. Oh! He was just as fluffy and floppy as Sir Sparklalot. He didn't smell like Sir Sparklalot, but yay!

"Sir Sparklalot is back!" I announced happily.

Ben groaned, "Oh no."

I pushed Sir Sparklalot at him, "You can have the honour of carrying him for me."

Hahahaha, Ben's face. But he took the unicorn without another word.

Luna Edith did shopping too.

"Oh! You shouldn't have!" Mum exclaimed.

"I...I... want to. I have no daughters so this is fun for me. If you don't mind... Ple...please accept these for your ponies." Luna Edith had just bought a lot of pony clothes and accessories.

Mum smiled, "Oh Edith, you really didn't have to, but thank you. I'm sure my girls would enjoy them."

"It...it's good. Let them enjoy while they are still young." Luna Edith said.

"You're right, they grow up so quickly." Mum said.

"In a blink of an eye, the puppy you cradled in your arms has grown and left you with only a memory." Luna Edith said, her eyes on Bell.

That's why Bell was a dumbbell.

"Don't worry." I told the two ladies, "I'll be a puppy forever."

"Perhaps we might proceed to the auditorium now." Sabestian tried to redirect our attention to the task at hand.

Dad nodded, and the two elder alphas made a move to walk in the direction where Sebestian indicated.

You could see the relief wash over Sebestian's face, "After you, alphas."

But I was sure inside he was going, "Thank goddess, thank goddess! I'm not going to lose my job!"

His relief was short-lived though.

Two more alphas came around the bend, each with their own entourages.

"Ah! Kingsley... You're here. James too." It was Alpha Solomon. Despite the exclamation, he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but here.

Alpha Gunter was with him. He smiled, "I told you we should have gone straight to the auditorium."