Page 28 of Cursed (Blood Moon Pack #1)

“C ome on, let's see what trouble we can get into,” Adele says with a smile.

Nori grins. “That was the biggest damn horse I’ve ever seen!” Laughing together, the two women walk back into the castle.

Adele leads Nori back to Ryland’s quarters. Walking inside, she says, “You need to shower up because you smell like sex!” Nori busts out laughing at Adele’s audacity.

“You also need some proper clothes; I’m taking you to my tailor to get fitted. That tailor gets up close and personal, taking measurements, so off you go!”

Nori stares at her for a moment. “Adele, that’s not necessary. I’m fine with what’s been brought up.”

“Nonsense! You are Mate Bonded to my brother, Prince of All Wolves, remember? You need to look the part, Nori.”

Nori staggers back as if someone punched her in the stomach. She looks at Adele wide-eyed. “Oh, no! This Pack will never accept me! I’m a slave girl from the Starfall Pack whose Alpha was accused of instigating the vampire war with the King, and apparently, he killed your mother!”

Nori continues, spinning toward hysterics. “Starfall only ever married for power, never for the Mate Bond. I am completely unworthy of him, and—”

Adele grasps Nori’s shoulders, interrupting her meltdown. “You listen to me, Norina Valcrest! You are not a slave girl; they pushed you into that role, but that is not who you are. You have Alpha blood running through your veins. I have seen your power. Hell, I’ve felt it, and it is immense!”

Adele watches Nori slowly calm down. She continues, smiling again. “You are right where you are supposed to be, Nori, and you will make a powerful Mate for my brother. Now, get your ass in that shower!”

Nori smiles sheepishly, still not quite convinced. “OK, Adele. And thanks. I’ve not had new clothes in a while.”

After Nori has showered and dressed, Adele leads her through the hallways of the castle to the tailor’s shop. Stone and mortar surround her—on the ceiling, on all the walls. Long, thick runners cover the floors, adding warmth, but every hall looks exactly the same as the last.

“This place is a maze; so much larger than I thought.”

“The castle is a small city. There are whole wings dedicated to any number of things we need. Spaces for Pack meetings or gatherings, a large food court, the hospital wing, of course, markets for selling food and clothes; you name it, we’ve got it.

After lunch, I’ll show you how to get to my chambers and to the hospital wing.

I know the castle is intimidating; we’ll start slow. ”

Aylin is busy reprimanding Nori the entire trek to the tailor’s shop. “ Adele is right, Nori. We are not slaves. We are Alpha Daughters. You need to start believing that we are a worthy Mate for Ryland. ”

“ Geez, Aylin. I’ve had no time to adjust to our new environment here. Not to mention, I’m still a bit out of sorts with Ryland gone. Oh, and almost dying! Give me a minute. ” Nori huffs at Aylin.

“ Sorry. But you need to adjust faster, ” Aylin grumbles at her.

“ Whatever! ” Nori yells, slightly angry now.

They walk into the tailor’s shop, and Adele introduces everyone. “Nori, this is Amara Graymore, the best tailor in the Pack. Amara, this is Nori Valcrest, Mate Bonded to Prince Drakemoor. ”

Amara, a rather petite woman, wears several tape measures around her neck, a pin cushion on her wrist, and her curly red hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun.

Nori politely says hello, but Amara grins widely and grabs both of Nori’s hands, squeezing them tightly. “At last, the Prince has found a Mate, and such a beauty too! Very nice to meet you, Nori Valcrest.”

Amara looks at Adele. “She’s a bit on the thin side, though.”

Adele replies, “Yes, she is. She’ll need a full wardrobe.”

While Adele coordinates all the clothing Nori needs, casual outfits, dresses, and shoes, Nori looks around the shop. Pre-made clothes, ready to be custom-fit, hang on racks. Bolts and bolts of various fabrics line every wall. Nori sees two more seamstresses working hard in the back of the store.

Amara interrupts Nori’s appraisal of the shop and asks her to strip down to her underwear to measure her properly.

Nori hears their sharp inhales when Adele and Amara get a look at her back. She rolls her eyes. “Sorry, I should have warned you. It’s pretty bad, I know, but it doesn’t hurt.”

Amara exclaims, “What the hell happened to you, girl?”

Nori sighs. “You do not want to know.”

Adele shakes her head, trying not to cry over the abuse Nori’s body has endured.

“She’ll need several sizes, Amara. I expect her to put on some weight now that she’s here.

So, don’t make this first round of clothes too snug.

Oh, and wow, Nori. We definitely need to improve your underwear situation! ”

Nori grits her teeth through the endless measuring.

Starting at her neck, then shoulders, arms, and on and on.

When it's over, every part of her body has been measured.

Even though they were very efficient, it took Amara and one of the seamstresses, Breelynn, a good thirty minutes.

Nori gets dressed and thanks the tailor and her assistant.

Walking out, Nori turns to Adele, smirking. “Thank you for that truly embarrassing experience.”

Adele throws her head back, laughing. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. I told you she gets up close!”

Adele stops and takes Nori’s hands. “Seriously though, I’m so glad you let me do this for you. Clothes are like armor for us women, Nori. You’ll see. Now, I’m starving. I’m taking you to my favorite spot for lunch.”

Nori smiles, thinking this has got to be the best day she’s had in years.

After lunch, Adele teaches Nori a couple of routes through the castle, so she can memorize them.

Starting at Ryland’s chambers, they walk to Adele’s rooms, which are not far, one floor down and to the right.

They walk from Adele’s to the hospital wing, which is a bit more complicated, then back to Ryland’s rooms .

Adele writes down the number to dial to reach the kitchen, so Nori can order meals.

Then, the two women sit together on the sofa in Ryland’s sitting room.

Adele hands Nori a tablet that controls the TV and sound system.

Even though Nori has never used a tablet before, Adele’s instructions are easy to follow.

While Nori practices turning on the TV and changing channels, she absently asks, “Why did Ryland and the Enforcers ride out on horseback and not trucks or snowmobiles?”

“We have paved and dirt roads throughout most of the Packlands, but Silver Pine is far off into the woods. Horses are best for traveling through those dense forests. Surely you noticed when you were wandering around for weeks?”

“Yes, Aylin was adept at avoiding the trees while being chased by that Rogue, but the underbrush and fallen logs were difficult to navigate.”

Nori thinks of another question. “I haven’t seen a cell phone since I’ve been here, but I noticed Ryland has a laptop. Most people had a phone at Starfall.”

“Starfall is a little closer to civilization. We are working on getting our own cell tower, but it took us years just to get the internet out here.”

Nori grips the tablet tightly. “Why? Why are you being so nice to me? It’s not that I’m not grateful, but it seems, I don’t know, unnecessary. ”

Adele leans back on the sofa. “Lots of reasons.” She shifts her position to face Nori. “I desperately want this Mate Bond to work out for my brother. I’m going to do whatever I can to help.”

Nodding, Nori says, “That’s fair.”

“Also, the way your Pack treated you, Nori. It’s despicable. No one deserves that. We do not stand for any kind of abuse here.” Adele takes one of Nori’s hands, squeezing it. “You deserve some kindness.”

Nori blows out a breath, trying to hold back her tears. “Well, I appreciate it.”

Smiling, Adele gets up. “I have to run to work for a while. I’ll answer more of your questions when I come back for dinner, and I’ll have some questions of my own.”

“OK. See you for dinner.”

Adele closes the doors behind her. On her way back to the clinic, she informs any staff she passes of Nori’s status as Ryland’s Bonded Mate.

She runs into Garek along the way. Garek stops her and asks, “How’s she doing? You think she’s the one to break the curse?”

Adele grabs his arm, grinning. “I absolutely believe she’s the one we’ve been waiting for.

” She’s practically bouncing on her toes.

“I took her to my tailor to get her some proper clothes, and I’ve informed a lot of the staff of her status.

I’m having dinner with her after work. Do you want to join us? ”

Garek frowns, rubbing his face. “Are you not going overboard, Adele? It’s not like she’s accepted him.”

“I’m sorry. Were you not standing there when Ryland announced her as his Mate? People need to know her new status, Garek. He will absolutely rip a pack member apart if they touch her. And she cannot continue parading around in leggings and a t-shirt!”

Garek backs away, holding his hands up in surrender. “Fine, I’ll meet you for dinner. This is all still very suspicious to me.”

Adele’s eyes narrow, and she steps up to him with a finger pressing against his chest. “You need to get a handle on your attitude. Do not ruin this for Ryland! Oh, and don’t do anything stupid to upset her.

It won’t matter that you are like a brother to him.

The Mate Bond will trump Ryland’s fondness for you, and he will be super pissed. ”

Adele turns toward the clinic, flipping her hair off her shoulder. “See you at 7:00 for dinner.”

Garek watches her disappear down the hall.

Everything about this Nori situation feels off.

As much as he wants Ryland’s curse to finally be broken, he can’t believe his real Mate simply showed up on their doorstep by sheer chance.

He heads to his meeting, determined to find out more about Nori at dinner.