"It’s not what you think." Inez was not surprised that Jules thought she was getting bullied; she was surprised that Jules cared enough to ask. In the Venus pack, people often saw her getting beaten and whipped, and yet they had never stopped to care, to see how she was doing.
Inez shook her head and snapped out of her thoughts before saying to Jules, "I am not getting bullied. It’s not what you think—I am here to accompany her shopping. There is no bullying going on here."
"How odd. You are here to shop for clothes as well?" Jules questioned with a hint of joy in her eyes. "Me too. My sister asked me to go attend a party that I don’t want to, so she asked me to come here and get a dress." Jules paused and then looked at the three of them with some hesitation before asking, "If you don’t mind, may I join you?"
Inez paused and turned to look at Selene, who shrugged. She didn’t mind letting Jules join, as she had no qualms or grudge against her. If anything, Selene believed that Jules was a rather pitiful woman in some ways.
Seeing that Selene didn’t mind, Inez nodded and said to Jules, "Alright."
Her response brought the light back into Jules’s eyes. She happily clung onto Inez’s arms and started chattering away, "I was thinking about buying something simple. Though my sister said that I need to buy a dress that would impress the alphas who will gather at the party, I sure as hell do not want to do that."
Inez calmly listened to Jules. She didn’t need to speak much, as Jules could easily continue the conversation with just hmms alone. All she needed to do was hmm at the right turn, and the conversation would flow without any trouble.
It was a good thing because Inez didn’t know what to tell Selene. She had never attended any parties or balls; her mother had made sure of it. Thus, she had no idea what kind of dresses or clothes suited the occasion.
Jules was still speaking as she clung to Inez’s arm as if the two of them had been buddies for years. "She is a nice person, but she is too nice a person. I wish she would be a bit steadier and wouldn’t listen to my brother-in-law all the time. He asked her to send me to the party, and she actually agreed. I cannot believe that it was all it took. I swear she used to have more guts than she has now. I mean, there is no need for me to grace that party with my presence; it’s seriously not worth my time."
"The party?" Inez asked as they turned around another corner. Jules had this fantastic shop in her head that she thought was perfect for the occasion.
"Yes. I am asked to attend this party that is taking place in one of the well-known packs. I don’t know which pack, though; my brother-in-law wouldn’t tell me." She frowned, her brows furrowed with a hint of annoyance. "He just asked me to go ahead with the shopping and told me not to worry about anything. I cannot tell where he is bringing me, but he just wants me to dress to impress," she scoffed. "If my father had not told me to listen to that man, I would have burnt him to a crisp. How dare he command and order a dragon princess?"
A deep frown etched on Inez’s face. She turned and asked, "Do you know the name of the territory where you are going?"
"No. That man wouldn’t tell me anything." Jules let out a long-suffering sigh. She was clearly not interested in taking part in this party, but she had to do it because she had no other choice. "He only told me that we are going to some freaking party and I need to be ready and prepared." She laughed as she rolled her eyes. "I mean, if it were someone else, I would have set their head on fire. Unfortunately, that man is the husband of my cousin, so I cannot do anything but listen to him silently because I don’t wish to cause trouble for my cousin. She is already having enough trouble with getting that slime as her mate."
Before Inez could question Jules on what she meant by those words, the woman exclaimed, "Aha, we are here."
As they arrived at the shop, Jules looked at the guard who was standing outside and barked, "What are you looking at us for? Open the damn door, you submissive."
The way she called the wolf submissive was as if she was mocking him for his position and status.
The man lowered his head and opened the door while Jules spoke to Inez, "This is why I ask my father to appoint dominant shifters instead of submissives; they are really slow at what they do."
"Or maybe they are a bit troubled due to all the alpha vibes that float in the air," Inez spoke up. Even though she was a half-blood, she was still having trouble with how the air was thick and coated with alpha vibes. It was as if the shifters were here to show their dominance.
How powerful and majestic they were.
They didn’t even bother to cover their scents.
Jules pursed her lips and took a peek at Inez. Her eyes softened, and she said to Inez, "I am sorry. I didn’t think that it would bother you." Her father always told her that she was too much like her mother and not like him, which was why she often tried to copy him.
But it seemed like it was not correct either.
Inez turned to look at Jules, who was frowning, and told her in a soft voice, "Stating your authority doesn’t have to be through your arrogance." She recalled how Killian had never shown his temper in front of the submissive wolves, but at the same time, everyone feared him. "It’s through your actions and strength."
"So you want me to burn the entire mall?"