Going Out

After lunch Erina and I take a tour of the pack.
She looks around with great interest and asks brilliant questions. “When my brothers arrive here, I'll take them to the gym, Alpha King,” she admits as we visit the modern facilities. “And I go to the Spa with my sisters”. I smile at this last comment.
“Don't you think you're too young for the Spa? You will have to wait a few more years with make-up and massages”, I let her know dryly. “But your mother is, of course, welcome to enjoy herself here. Invite her to Midnight Moon. Then we'll take her to this place." And again, that dubious expression appears on her face. But she nods nonetheless.
When we walk to the pool where some athletes practice, she's back to her old self. “Tell me, can you swim? These youngsters participate in competitions with other packs. We have won several cups. But we've never won a prize in your age category." Her enthusiasm is almost palpable, she grabs my hand. “I want to win the first cup for your pack. Alpha King, ask Jace to train me. I promise I'll be ready to bring you the cup in two months. And my sisters too, all three of us in different categories,” she eagerly promises. Here I see an opportunity.
“Really, Erina? I would be delighted with that. When do you want to start training? And when will your sisters come to join you?” I ask with suppressed hope. If her other sisters are here, maybe I can know more about their origin. This is going better than I thought.
“My sisters cannot come. My mom just gave birth to twins and they need to help her. But they will train at home, we live by the sea,” she explains. “Every time they have free time, they will train and all three of us are in the same tournament. Midnight Moon is going home with all the cups, I'll bring them personally for you, Alpha King," she promises solemnly.
I nod in approval, I have not often seen such dedication. “Deal, Erina. Only, Jace won't have time to train you. We have plenty of qualified trainers here. You don't have to worry.”
She pouts, clearly not satisfied with my answer. But luckily, she doesn't insist.
I nod to the trainer and he walks up to us. “Jim, this is Erina. She wants to be added to our dream-team and win the first trophy for us in her age category”, I say seriously. “I want you to pay special attention to her. The trophy should be in Midnight Moon in two months. We'll have a big party when she prevails."
Jim looks at the little girl and extends his big hand to her.
“Erina, I am delighted with your ambition. Know that it will be hard training. Shadow Moon has been the cup holder for years and wants to keep their position," the trainer told her. He shakes her hand and Erina stares straight at him.
“They want to keep it and I want it. We'll see who succeeds, trainer," she says confidently. "I'll be here tomorrow after combat training for swimming lessons." Jim's eyebrows shoot up. "Tomorrow already? Well, I hoped all my athletes were as active and motivated as you, Erina. I'll be there. See you tomorrow then." He nods at me and walks back to the older swimmers waiting for him.
I leave the gym with Erina in tow.
I show the girl the different streets where there is a lot of activity. Each road in the pack covers an economic sector. The boutiques are on the longest street in the pack, shopping remains the pack's favorite activity. And the shops compete in offering the most exclusive clothing, mainly from leading designers.
“Do you feel like shopping, Erina? You came here with little and what the she-wolves bought for you was their choice. Want to try your own? Maybe you want to have some sportswear for the pool and workouts?” Her eyes light up, the tendency to shop turns out not to be tied to a woman's age. “Yes, Alpha King”, she answers happily. “My mother has had little time lately to take us shopping these last months. My clothes were out of fashion anyway, so there was no point in taking them with me.”
Women's age-old excuse to shop. I roll my eyes unnoticed.
When we get out of the car and walk towards the entrance of the mall, Erina casually takes my hand. So we walk into the building, doing some window shopping first.
In the end, she stops at an expensive sportswear store.
I suppress the urge to laugh. So the little one also has an expensive taste. Fortunately, I can afford all this. We walk in and the owner of the business rushes to us. “Alpha King. Welcome to my clothing store. But I must warn you that we only sell women's and girls' clothing," she said, apologetic. Surprised, I look at her and then realize what is happening.
I let my eyes fall down on Erina, who stares surprised at the woman. "Didn't you see me then?" she asks disapprovingly. "Am I that invisible?" The woman bends over to her. “No, honey. It's that I'm almost as tall as the Alpha King. And besides, I've never seen him in the pack with such a beautiful girl like you," she tries to correct her omission. "What are you looking for, sweetie? Maybe I can help you select some good ones.”
Erina lets go of my hand and walks with the woman.
I'm looking for a couch to make it easy for me. And when I hear Erina discussing all kinds of well-known designers and their best work with the store owner, I am amazed again. The girl also keeps up to date with the latest fashion and famous creations. She also knows in what year they were trending and who the designers are. The older woman is so impressed by her knowledge.
“Hey Erina. We're having a fashion show in a few weeks. Until now, we have done little with showing children's clothing. This time we want to launch a fashion line for kids your age. Want to start your catwalk career?” I hear the woman ask the girl.
Interesting.
Erina seems to be taking over my pack.
Weapon handling trainer, interpack swimming champion and now catwalk model.
Really interesting….