Chapter 110: Halloween Arc: Five
Salmona mopped on the porch with her arms crossed. "Don’t be looking all beat," Lacy said to her mate. The Alpha rolled her eyes and sighed, but eventually nodded her head. She didn’t want to ruin the Halloween night for the kids.
Samantha wrapped her arms around Lacy and smiled at their children. "Alright, Aurora, Adama..." she laughed. "That all starts with A." The Omega daughter and Alpha daughter walked off with their parents while the other parent stayed on the porch.
The sun had gone down about an hour ago and children were out with their parents as the Halloween festivities began to take place. They walked down to the park where an entire festival was being done.
Adama took out her cell phone and began to record. She was laughing and smiling, and even saw some of her friends. The little Alpha held her mother’s hand as they went onward into the crowd.
The Omega daughter was excitedly pointing at things as they walked through the park. She saw a giant spider web made of rope and lights, and a giant pumpkin that was carved into a jack-o-lantern. She also saw a group of people dressed as ghosts, and a group of people dressed as zombies. Aurora was excitedly pointing at everything she saw, and even saw some of her friends.
Over by some slides, there were food stands. Samantha led the way to the stands; her and Lacy looked at their children to see what they wanted.
Aurora read the menu of the various items and decided on funnel cake while her little sister decided on vanilla ice cream.
The park was bustling with families enjoying the festivities. Children ran around in costumes, their laughter echoing through the cool autumn air. Parents watched with smiles, some sipping hot cider while others chatted among themselves. The atmosphere was electric with excitement and joy.
Shatwa noticed Aurora while she was playing one of the festival games involving a basketball. She walked over to the Omega with her hands in her pocket. "Hey, that looks good!"
Aurora turned to her with her cheeks puffed out and powder on her lips. Shatwa laughed and wiped the powder from Aurora’s lip.
"Its good, uh?" Shatwa joked.
"Aurora, who is this?" Samantha stepped up to the couple along with Lacy and Adama. Aurora turned to her parents and placed her hand out.
"This is Shatwa, my friend. Knew her since middle school, really started to get close in high school," Aurora explained.
Shatwa held out her hand to Samantha who took it, feeling a certain type of way. This was the Alpha Adama wasn’t too fond of. Lacy stepped out and also shook the Alpha’s hand. She stepped back and looked the Alpha up and down; she then looked at Samantha.
"Aurora never mentioned you," Lacy said.
"Mom!’
Lacy shrugged. "Well you haven’t. The only one you mentioned really is Brie."
Shatwa laughed. "Yeah, Brie and her are best friends," she said.
Lacy nodded. "Well, it’s nice to meet you." She looked at Samantha. "We should get going. The haunted house opens in ten minutes."
Shatwa smiled warmly. "I’m heading that way too. Mind if I walk with you?" She fell into step beside Aurora, their shoulders brushing lightly.
The crowd thickened near the entrance to the corn maze-turned-haunted attraction, a labyrinth of towering stalks rustling ominously in the breeze.
Adama clung tighter to Samantha’s hand, her earlier excitement tempered by the eerie pheromones cast by Shatwa. Aurora’s gaze lingered on Shatwa, a softness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before...but she didn’t trust it for some reason. She made sure to stick with her parents and sister.
In the haunted house, Samantha smelt the pheromones coming from Aurora, and made sure to stick by her side through the darkness.
The groups were split up with one family going after the other. Soon the Theresa family was up along with Shatwa. The haunted house in the fields was dark, damp, even musty. Monsters came out and spooked them, they laughed and held onto one another. All the while Samantha kept her eyes on Shatwa who seemed to be enjoying herself.
The group made their way through the haunted house, the darkness broken only by flickering strobe lights that cast distorted shadows on the plywood walls. Aurora felt a cold draft brush her neck, making her shiver despite the warmth of the crowd pressing around them.
Shatwa’s hand brushed hers, accidental or deliberate, Aurora couldn’t tell, and lingered for a heartbeat too long. Aurora pulled away, tucking her hands into her jacket pockets. Samantha watched this exchange, her own hands tightening around Adama’s smaller one.
The scent of damp earth and cheap fog machines thickened the air, mingling with the faintest trace of Shatwa’s sandalwood perfume, a scent Aurora had once found comforting but now seemed cloying.
They came out the haunted out with a smile and laughs. While doing so, Mattress ran into Aurora. "Whoa, I didn’t know you would be here." Aurora hugged Mattress with her family being confused as well with Shatwa.
"Yeah, I’m with the family. Here, my parents and sister, and my friend Shatwa."
Mattress and Shatwa sized the one another up. Two Alphas who were interested in Aurora. Samantha took Aurora’s hand and led her and the rest of the family to another section of the park.
The two Alphas didn’t flinch when the family walked away. Shatwa smirked. "Who are you?"
"Aurora’s ex. We were together for a bit," Mattress explained, although it was partially true. They weren’t together romantically but per friends with benefits. "Who are you?"
"Shatwa, a friend and also a former lover of Aurora," she said. Mattress just nodded her head. She placed her hands in her pocket and bowed her head. Mattress walked away from Shatwa.
The pumpkin spice scent from Aurora’s funnel cake lingered on her fingertips as she wiped powdered sugar from her chin. Shatwa’s gaze followed the motion, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes before she turned to scan the crowd. Aurora’s stomach tightened.
That look, too intense, too familiar. She edged closer to Samantha, who squeezed her shoulder without turning. Protective. She will continue to look after her daughter especially after what Theresa did to the teenage Omega.
Mattress’s retreating back vanished into a swirl of superhero capes and witch hats near the caramel apple stand. Shatwa watched her go, lips pressed thin. Then she pivoted, all easy charm again, nodding toward the Ferris wheel’s glittering arc against the night sky.
Aurora shook her head, pointing instead to the face-painting booth where Adama was already tugging Lacy toward glittery unicorn designs..Adama was an Alpha but some of her likes weren’t typical of one. Shatwa’s smile didn’t reach her eyes as she trailed behind them.
Aurora’s focus fractured. The park’s cheerful chaos, the tinny carnival music, the sticky-sweet scent of cotton candy, Adama’s delighted squeal as glitter dusted her cheek, all blurred against the low thrum of unease radiating from Shatwa. The teenagers watched the pre teen skip about looking in the mirror.
Samantha felt it too, a subtle shift in her posture, angling slightly between her daughter and the Alpha. Aurora’s knuckles whitened around the crumpled funnel cake wrapper she had recently got. She remembered late nights tangled in Shatwa’s sheets, the possessive grip that had felt thrilling then, suffocating now. The memory tasted bitter, like powdered sugar gone stale.
Samantha walked over to them and placed her hand on Aurora’s shoulder. "Come on, we’re going to the pond to see the fire works."
Without arguing and feeling relieved, she followed her sire toward the pond to meet up with her family. Adama walked to Aurora. "You okay?"
Aurora nodded her head.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!
The orange and white fireworks went off into the air while music played in the background by a DJ station. Adama met up with her friends and they danced with each other along with Aurora and her group of friends.
Samantha and Lacy danced together, doing twirls and twist. They kissed with Lacy placing her arms around her sire’s neck.
Aurora watched her parents dance with each other. She smiled and felt happy for them. She then saw Shatwa walking toward her. Aurora felt a chill run down her spine. She didn’t want to deal with her right now. She looked around for her sister and saw her dancing with her friends. Aurora decided to walk away from the crowd and toward the pond.
The pond was quiet and peaceful. The water was still and reflected the lasting fireworks above. Aurora sat down on the grass and looked up at the sky. She felt the cool breeze on her face and smelled the damp earth. She heard the distant sounds of the festival but it was muffled. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt the tension in her shoulders ease.
"The fireworks were good, uh?" Shatwa asked. Aurora nodded her head. "You’re avoiding me."
"I feel like you’re wanting something I can’t give," Aurora said...