Their Secret Obsession (A Reverse Harem)

Kane POV

"I will be two minutes," Connie purred, attempting to sound seductive as she swept into the fitting room, trailed by an assistant whose expression screamed frustration. It was well past closing time, and this exhausted employee clearly wanted to go home. And fuck did I get it. "Don't you think, that if you liked THESE dresses that much, you would have bought one eight hours ago?!" I whined loudly, although I felt I deserved a little moan after Connie had trailed me around every shopping centre and boutique all damn day. Just so my delusional mate could search for the 'perfect dress' for this insane Luna ball that she was throwing for herself.

"No, of course not!" Connie giggled as I sat here, depleted, still in my suit, hungry and beyond exhausted; I fully understood the employee's frustrations as I found myself back in the very first shop we had visited this afternoon. Although, hopefully, it was the last store of the night because I still had pack work to get to before I could hit the hay.

"Good luck," I mouthed to the young girl; she rolled her eyes at my 'mate' and followed her.

"Don't miss me too much." Connie tried to coo to me as she slipped inside the curtained booth.

"I'll try," I silently snorted. Groaning in resignation, I slumped down on a sofa strategically placed in the centre of the shop's plush viewing area. With its lavish decor and quietly exorbitant price tags, the store resembled a bridal boutique more than a simple dress shop. "Baby?" Connie called out a moment later. The way she used that word made my skin crawl. I wasn't her baby, but nonetheless, I played the part, forcing out a begrudging.

"Yes?"

"Don't you think your parents should be more interested in this ball?" Her voice was needy and drawn-out, like she was stretching each word to its breaking point. Closing my eyes, I sucked down all sarcastic remarks that I felt toying on the tip of my tongue. "Why do you say that?" I asked, trying my best to sound interested in whatever imagined slight she was grappling at.

. I am going to be their daughter-in-law, their Luna. They should want to support me." she muttered through a vexed groan.

"They are busy, you know," I tried to explain, but she scoffed dismissively, not letting me finish.

"Too busy for me? They were not too busy for... Lottie." The way she pronounced Charlotte's name my princess's name-tightened my back, and a surge of anger rose within me, but I fought to keep it under control. Now wasn't the time or place. "What do you mean?" My tone came out sharper than I intended, edged with the strain of keeping my temper in check. Not that she seemed to notice through her jealousy.novelbin

"Well, your mother helped her get ready, gave her a dress, did everything but lick her bleached asshole, I bet." She complained, her tone laced with jealousy. Closing my eyes, I slowly counted to three while I listened to her moan further.

"She hasn't offered me a dress!"

Connie griped, her voice polluted with a whiny petulance that grated on my nerves. In frustration, I grabbed decorative pillow from the sofa and screamed into it, muffling the sound of my vexation. "Maybe it's because I don't need babying." She tried to reason with herself, but we all knew it was because my mother did not suffer fools, and Connie here was a fool.

"Kane?" Connie's voice pierced through the fabric, questioning and slightly cautious.

"You want a dress from my mother?" I asked, my voice tested, trying not to show my anger. We had been dragged around for hours, the mall had closed three hours ago, and I had paid a fortune to keep it open so Connie could browse 'in peace

"Kane, please, I can't shop with these people around. What if these people are trying to sabotage my ball." And as insane as it sounded, it was just easier to give in to her than listen to her moan and complain any longer. So I had the store closed and paid a fortune to have the staff stay late for her.

So now, to find out that all this time, it turned out she just wanted one of my mother's dresses... boy, was I fighting the urge to throttle this hyped-up pain in the ass.

"Yes, I mean, it would be a nice gesture, wouldn't it? It's not like it's a big ask," she replied, her tone oblivious to the weight of her demands.

"Connie, my mother's gestures are her own to give, not yours to demand," I stated, trying to keep my voice even. The last thing I needed was to escalate this into a full-blown argument.

"But Kane, it's about family, about unity. Don't you think it's important that your family shows they accept me?" She emerged from the fitting room in another extravagant gown, her eyes searching mine for any sign of agreement.

I looked at her really looked at her,

and felt the weight of the role I was

forced to play. Here she was, draped in silk and diamonds, yet all she wanted was something that money couldn't buy-genuine acceptance,

something I knew in my heart I

couldn't give her.

"Unity is important," I admitted, my voice softening slightly as I chose my words carefully. "And they will come around in their own time. For now, let's find you a dress that makes you feel like the Luna you want to be." Her face lit up at that, and for a moment, I could almost believe she was genuinely happy.

"Really? You think so?" she gushed, rushing over to me as fabric swooshed around her feet.

"I know so," I replied, mustering a smile. It wasn't a promise I was sure I could keep, but for tonight, it was enough to bridge the gap between expectation and reality.