(Hey sorry if this chapter is long people, just trying to set the scene, subsequent chapters will hopefully be kept to a shorter length.)

Fury may have been alpha but he seldom stayed with the pack, he hung around half the morning and was there through the night, he went on hunts with them and was always there when he was needed to patrol. But during the day his solitary nature of a lone wolf made him seek seclusion away from the rest of the pack, most alphas liked to be waited on and bark out orders like his father had before him, but not him. More often then not he was in the Lilac and Lace boutique on Iberville in the French Quarter of New Orleans. That wasn't a slur on his sexuality that he spent a large amount of time in a lady's boutique but simply because his elder brother, Vane Kattalakis was usually there with his mate, Bride.

Vane had a immeasurable, bound-less bank account; and therefore had no need to work and simply spent most of his days sitting behind the counter looking handsome and intimidating, trying to entice his responsible, rule following wife to sneak out back for a quickie while no one was looking. Suffice to say that nine times out of ten, Vane got his way with her. Even when Vane wasn't there Fury still found himself sitting upon the counter, that he was given strict instructions not to sit on, chatting to his sister-in-law.

Fury walked through the quarter his eyes following the crowds of tourists and the natives, he raised a hand to Selena Laurens, the local psychic and basic weirdo, Madame Selena was also the sister of two of Bride's best friends Mina and Tabitha Devereaux. Therefore he was more or less friend by association, though it helped that for all her weirdness Madame Selena was a real nice woman.

Selena waved back and then turned back to talk to her friend, Grace, another friend by association, was it just him or was everyone in New Orleans connected by the paranormal? Grace's husband was a demi-god and Oracle, among other things, it was like the damn women's institute without the bake sales and Stepford wives.

Fury opened the door to Bride's store and walked in, his sister in-law was sitting behind the counter looking over some magazines for products for her store. Bride looked up as the small bell atop the door tinkled, she grinned broadly and Fury felt something warm and fuzzy hit him, he knew that although she liked Fang a lot he was her favourite brother in-law.

Bride was a beautiful, voluptuous plus size woman, she had long red curls that were always tied up in a messy bun atop her head, she usually wore long flowing dresses of black or earth tones.

"Hey, pretty lady," Fury said sitting on top of her counter, he grinned when he saw her wince.

"Hey Fury," Bride gave him a poke in the back with her pen to get him off, but he ignored her and cocked his head in a very canine way to look at her magazine, knowing it would irritate her he gave a long low whistle and tapped one of the wafer thin models on the glossy page.

"Now that's a woman I wouldn't mind sleeping on the rug for."

Bride gave a disgusted snort and closed the magazine, "that's a typical man for you, completely fixated on the outer image. Not that her outer image is anything exceptional." Bride flicked through the pages again while adding reluctantly, "except maybe that she is slim and blond and absolutely perfect."

"And not real," Fury added, he laughed when she slapped him on the arm with the paper and threw it from her. He could well see why his brother was in love with Bride, not only was she beautiful but she was kind and fun and loving. Fury wasn't one to give his affection freely but he gave it to Bride, Fury leaned back to look at her.

"Going somewhere special?" He asked, surveying her dark, fitting jeans, a black v-necked long sleeved top that showed a hint of cleavage and black boots with heels that clicked like maracas when she walked. The whole outfit made her look slimmer and well, Fury twitched his head, sexy. Bride wasn't sexy, at least not to him, what she up to?

Bride grinned. "Think your brother will like it?"

"Yeah, he'll love it. You look great, but I thought you hated pants and jeans, you said it made your ass look fat."

"Fatter," she corrected, Fury rolled his eyes at her and she shrugged, "I don't know I guess I wanted a change. Besides he kind of hinted that he likes to see the length of my legs."

Fury raised and eyebrow. "My brother said that?"

"Your brother said that, yes."

"Damn, Fang is getting pushy."

Bride laughed and pretended to hit him, which he dodged, "you know very well I mean Vane," she turned to examine herself in the full length mirror. She was always too critical of herself. "I'll be going soon, so I don't want to fuss with another outfit."

"Where you going?"

"My parents house with Vane and the baby."

"Cool. Where are they?"

"Getting ready."

"Who's minding the store?" He hoped it wasn't Jennifer, she was so boring and stuck up.

"You."

"What!"

"Come on Fury, you know how, your in here all the time."

"That doesn't automatically qualify me for working a lady's boutique, Bride!"

Bride turned on him with sad eye and he was lost, he wanted to whine and whimper but he took it like a man. "I didn't know you really wouldn't want to. I'm sorry Fury, don't worry I'll just close shop. I would have asked you to come today to but my sister is there today -"

Fury cringed, Bride's sister hated him, for some unexplained reason more then she actually hated Vane. "Sorry to put so much on you."

"Its ok, Bride, I'm just over reacting. I can handle this. No point you losing out on a days trade, huh?"

Fury would have been able to turn her away without a second thought if her apology to him had been in anyway insincere. He hated liars but Bride was completely genuine and he loved her so he could deny her nothing. Bride hugged him tightly and pulled back when Vane flashed in to the room, Vane was carrying his son that had just turned two; the boy looks a lot like his mother but he was very much his father's son.

"Get your hands off my mate, Fury!" Vane threatened, Bride laughed.

"No point now, she's decided to dump you and run away with me to Barbados," Fury said wrapping his arms around Bride's shoulders, Vane bared his teeth and jiggled his son in his arms.

"Hear that son, mommy might be leaving for a vacation without us. What do you say to that?"

The little boy growled a realistic wolf noise that Fury remembered teaching him only a few days ago. Vane and Fury laughed while Bride gaped, she swatted Fury's arm.

"Don't think I don't know you taught him that!"

"What? This is so cool, he can speak wolf at the age of two and he's an Arcadian!"

Fury couldn't help feeling pride for the his nephew and when Vane dumped him unceremoniously into his arms he took him without complaint. Fury was about to open his mouth and talk to Vane when he caught a glimpse of his brother's face, Vane had got a full look at his wife and was growling. With his hands on her waist Vane was pinning his wife in the corner, blocking her from view and Bride's dulcet laughter filled the store. Fury curled his lip in the required sign of disgust and turned to stand his nephew on the counter top.

"Come on, Quinn, do the howl like I told you."

After a few urges and a bribe Vane's son let out a pup like howl and Fury whooped with glee.

Charisma yawned and dutifully followed her sister out of the store, she hated shopping it was so … she waited for the word to come to her but it eluded her as it had done all morning and she just settled for 'girly'. Not that she wasn't girly, she just wasn't her sisters type of girly, Blaze, loved all the things that made you essential female - make-up, jewellery, hair styles that were too complicated to do every morning (though with their powers it wasn't much hassle, but Blaze was psychotic, she did it by hand!), dresses and skirts and fro-fro headbands.

Yeah, they were cute, Charisma conceded, but they were just so …. Again what word to use, how to describe ..?

"My now, that is nice, isn't it?" Blaze tossed her long, straight, tomato red hair over her shoulder so it swished and fell down her back. Charisma turned to see what Blaze was squealing at, set in a tall red brick building was a large window trimmed in burgundy and black was a slinky black dress. Now black; that was more her colour if she had to wear anything at all. Blaze was in the boutique before Charisma could think of a complaint and so she just followed, pushing at her heavy fall of thick blond curls. Stepping in behind her sister, Charisma noted this was exactly the type of shop Blaze would love to live near, it was so feminine. Blaze had always described her as being earthy or a natural beauty, she wasn't at all materialistic, but one thing that could always catch Charisma's eye and hold it were three things, lingerie; perfume and necklaces. Since the shop had an abundance of all three Charisma wasn't about to moan just yet, this shop was a combination of all things she liked. Charisma didn't take notice of the three adults in the room but smiled lovingly at the child, she nodded to all and politely declined the help of the a pretty, auburn haired lady.

Blaze sidled up behind her as she was bent over looking with mild interest at a thick, gothic Victorian choker.

"Lupus," Blaze hissed making her jump, Charisma rolled her eyes, Blaze was never subtle and in this day and age not everyone was entirely ignorant of Latin.

"I know they are wolves," she replied calmly in the same language, the dared not use their own language because that would surely attract unwanted attention, if they were to speak in their real language the wolves would very likely howl. Blaze shrugged and moved away and then made a squeal so loud Charisma winced, she turned with her lip curling in disgust.

"What is wrong with you?" Charisma sounded like she genuinely wanted to know, apparently too shocked or happy to speak Blaze held up a white beaded dress that Charisma instantly hated and shook it.

"This would look so perfect on you!"

"No it would not," Charisma said simply and turned to look back at the perfume.

"Yes it would, you have that body structure, you'd fill this out in all the right places. And you need a dress for tonight." Charisma prayed for patience, she visibly cringed at the description of herself, she wasn't plump… exactly. She was nicely athletic, she was healthy, her muscles tone in a nice feminine way that swimming gives you rather then sinewy like runners get. But still there were bits of her that just wouldn't leave, hips for example.

"Blaze, I am not wearing that," she said in a calm reasonable voice one would use to talk to an over emotional child. "I will not wear something that rattles when I walk and fits me like a second skin, and stop shaking it your making me nauseous."

The blond man at the counter with the baby laughed and for the first time Charisma's eyes really settled on him and her breath caught. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. With blond hair pulled back in a pony tail that would have fell to his shoulder when free, was her guess. There was nothing boyish about his face it was all completely masculine. His mouth fixated her, firm full lips that begged for kisses, it was a mouth that hinted at cruelty but was softened by the quirk of his smile. His eyes a piercing blue made heat flow through her body in a way she had never experienced before, he was extremely tall, taller then the men of her race and deadly. Oh yes, this one had an air of absolute danger, it clung to him as the dress would have done to her, like a second skin. His broad shoulders and eight pack were defined by the stretched material of his black t-shirt, she trailed her eyes down his body to rest on his lower half, in faded blue jeans that made her mouth water. Charisma let her eyes crawl back up his body to lock with his gaze then Blaze's voice jerked her from her study.

Charisma looked over to see Blaze looking at the auburn haired woman with a pained expression and the woman was laughing. Charisma blushed for no reason at all.

"She is truly impossible. Everything nice she ruins, but we've told her, everyone needs a dress for whenever your going out, it's the fundamental rule of being female. That -"

Blaze raked an offensive glare over Charisma's outfit, "is all she wears."

Charisma looked down at her black t-shirt that was a little loose, and her jeans that were a bit worn granted and her converse that were a little dated. She shrugged, Charisma could look good if she wanted to but what was the point? Who was there to bother to impress? Though while Blaze was pointing out all her inadequacies in front of the gorgeous blond guy, she wished she were wearing a ball gowned.

The pretty lady passed Charisma a covert sympathetic look while Blaze continued talking and Charisma grinned, yeah she liked the woman.

"Are you just visiting New Orleans?" Charisma let her eyes roam over the wolf that was standing with his arm around the lady, his stance said protective with a healthy dose of possessive, it said adoration, love and an untameable lust. Charisma found herself smiling, they had only just arrived here, she didn't know what to expect but a feeling of genuine kindness wasn't it, pure love from and handsome wolf to a beautiful human wasn't it. She sighed wistfully in her mind while Blaze answered.

"No, we're here to stay," she replied, it was obvious by the softness in her smile that she had noticed the great vibe in the room. "Our family has bought the old shop on, well … across the street from here."

"Oh, that was you!" the auburn woman said, apparently delighted. "Yes, we've renovated it and made it in to a coffee house. We love coffee, well its really my elder sisters business but she roped us all in to helping. And since she's pregnant helping actually means doing it all. But -"

"Too much information, Blaze," Charisma interjected before she got on a roll and let something slip, Blaze gave them all dazzling smile then turned back to the rack of dresses, Charisma gave them a vaguely apologetic smile. "She's very friendly but has no idea when to shut up. She's very much a people person."

Which was really all that was to be expected from a Goddess of healing and protection.

"That's no problem, I'm Bride by the way," Charisma shook hands with her then with her husband who she introduced as Vane then, her heart pounding in her throat to Fury, her brother in-law. There all of a sudden seemed to be a lack of air in the room when their hands gripped and she didn't know whether he felt it but a sizzle of heat shot up her arm and sent her heart rate rocketing to a whole new level.

Fury licked his lips as his hand held her soft one, his body reacted instinctively, heat pulsed through his arm and pushed his pulse into warp speed. It was something he had never experienced before, an attraction he was very sure was mutual by the look on her face, she blushed adorably and let go of his hand daintily clearing her throat.

Her sister, who was nice but was too much like a red headed man made whirl wind, turned around at the same speed and held up a black dress, Fury supposed he was just a guy and he didn't know anything but that dress looked to him like the many that were dotted around the store on different racks and in different colours. Blaze however was looking at it like it was her personal Jesus so what did he know?

"You have got to try this on! Can she try this on?" Blaze rounded on Bride who nodded, her amber eyes shining with laughter. Blaze dragged a reluctant sister into the fitting rooms, Fury let his eyes follow her and again licked his lips, he sincerely wished he was the one dragging her off behind those heavy curtains.

He barely heard Bride and Vane bid their goodbyes before leaving the store, he didn't see Bride raise her eyebrows at her husband in a knowing way or his brother's evil, answering grin.

More then once his eyes strayed to the curtains where he could hear whispers and scolding going on, then finally after what seemed an age the curtain was whisked back and there she stood. Quite angelic, Fury thought, he had never yet seen a woman what people would describe as having a face like an angel or heaven or anything so divine. Now he witnessed it first hand, there was something definitely other worldly about this tall, cool, quiet blond. He had yet to learn her name but right then he couldn't even unstuck his tongue to ask for it. Now, he could see the attraction of the dress, it hugged her in all the right places, showed off just enough of her leg and thigh for a man to look and instantly want to know more, it was simply teasing. As was the bust area that cupped her small breasts and pushed them up creating a cleavage, it was all streamlined elegance; she was the epitome of all that was young and healthy. What was it that was niggling at his mind, her skin was so healthy and fresh, her eyes youthful yet old … Fury let those thoughts trail away when her chic sophistication was contrasted by the wild mane of messy blond curls that caused his fingers to itch. His body hardened painfully and he tried to sneakily tug at the leg of his jeans to loosen the pressure building there.

"What do you think?" Fury blinked.

"Hmm?"

"We need a mans opinion," Blaze muttered, "What kind of impact does the dress have? On you as the opposite sex?"

Sex, impact, was she trying to torture him, and worse of all the sexiest woman he had seen this century was looking curiously, not sexily or slyly, but curiously over her shoulder at him. He very nearly whimpered.

"I think Miss," Fury said slowly as if considering his answer, "standing in public, looking as nice as you do in it, could cause major traffic accidents, heart attacks and not to mention marital spats."

The blond grinned and there was that warmth again, that feeling that was bugging him even while he enjoyed it. He had never felt such attraction towards a woman before, her sister was just as beautiful, perhaps even more so, yet he couldn't even spare her a glance. He has once asked Vane how come he had spent enough time with Bride to discover she was his life mate, he remember his brother sipping his beer thoughtfully and then replying that he had felt an overwhelming attraction to her from the first moment he saw her. That she stuck in his thoughts and when he saw her again it was almost a compulsion to go and talk to her, to comfort her and not to mention he was completely consumed by lust for her.

Fury glanced back at the woman with sunshine in her hair and wondered …..

No, Fury gave himself a mental shake as Ash's words came back to haunt him, the all knowing, all powerful leader of the dark hunters had been so kind as to depart the information that all of the Kattalakis brothers had already met their mates, even if they didn't actually know it yet. Fury had almost choked on his own tongue when the dark hunter had said that, he had met thousands upon thousands of women in his lifetime, both Katagaria, Arcadian and then just plan old human. Though him being an animal it was impossible for him to be mated to a human so it narrowed it down … vaguely.

There seemed little to know hope for him finding his mate unless he felt the need to go and track down every woman he had ever met and have sex with them. Fury sighed, some things just weren't worth the hassle. Besides this woman could not possibly be his mate, he had never seen hide nor hair of her until today, and if he were mated it would take the fun out of teasing Vane and occasionally Wren on being mated.

"Oh, Chrissy, you'll have to get it."

Fury froze, literally, inside and out.

"Don't call me that!" the blond said through gritted teeth, "my name is Charisma, I don't like that any better but it's a bloody bit nicer then -" she wrinkled her noise and hissed, "Chrissy."

"Fine, Charisma," Blaze said mockingly emphasising the name, "get the dress."